Hong Kong citizen Li Ka-shing offered some cryptic advice without saying who the advice was for, though he also appeared to be comparing President Xi Jinping to a tyrannical empress who maneuvered her sons to early deaths. (Nikkei montage/Getty Images, Reuters, AP photos)

Hong Kong billionaire gives Xi powerful advice in cryptic ad

Don't over pick the melons, Li Ka-shing cautions, citing Tang dynasty poem

KATSUJI NAKAZAWA, Nikkei senior staff writer

August 22, 2019 12:05 JST

TOKYO -- The biggest surprise of the massive demonstrations held in Hong Kong on Sunday was the lack of violent clashes between demonstrators and police.

Braving rain, protesters marched peacefully through the city's main streets, carrying umbrellas of various colors.