When this article reaches your breakfast table towards the end of 2009, you probably will already have been overwhelmed with year-end news reviews, polls, and lists of "news-of-the-year" and "persons-of-the-year" as they traditionally occupy center stage in media coverage at the end of every year.

Last week, an American-based weekly magazine named as man of the year, Ben Bernanke, the 56-year-old chairman of the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the US, the most important and least understood force shaping the American - and global - economy. He was cited for his effort to reshape US monetary policy and save the world economy. There were four runners-up. The second of which was the Chinese Worker. They were the tens of millions workers who have left their homes, and often their families, to find work in the factories of China's booming coastal cities and who should be credited for the achievement of the nation's 8 percent economic growth rate in 2009 ensuring social stability in China.

Year-end selections of "best" and "worst" such as the one mentioned above are fun and entertaining to read and evoke contention and debate. But most of all, they reveal the value system and the point-of-view of the editor and publisher.

I wonder if we in Hong Kong should conduct a poll to elect Hong Kong City Heroes for 2009, whose names would appear on our list to commemorate the achievements and the tribulations of this year?

City heroes are the obvious kind. They are business tycoons, publicity-drawing icons such as TV stars and singers. The East-Asian games just concluded produced dozens of sports heroes and heroines. Social activists and politicians are also competing fiercely for prominence.

The Hong Kong press always featured the young, the fit, the healthy, the sexy, the successful, and of course the rich as celebrities.

But the 2009 Hong Kong City Heroes should characterize the spirit of the city and capture the pulse of the year. I was just pondering the question of who could fit those qualifications when I suddenly noticed the glow on the faces of passers-by in the street.

To many, 2009 is still a difficult year. But we all made it through the year with the efforts and contributions of Hong Kong people from all walks of life. I know some of their names but most I do not. These City Heroes find their joy in life in this city, or struggle to do what they want, or realize their dreams in difficult times. When I looked at their faces and listened to their stories, I wondered if I would ever have been able to do what they have done. I believe, in the free and open society we have in Hong Kong, all people have their own moments of memory and success in life. When we are looking for Heroes of 2009, perhaps we should also look inside ourselves and have a silent moment of reflection to find our own joy and peace.

The author is former secretary for home affairs of the Hong Kong SAR government

(HK Edition 12/30/2009 page1)