Virtue exhibits one’s true self and promotes harmony between people. A strong belief in and a profound reverence for ethical standards, as an integral part of the traditional Chinese values and conception of life, underpin the concept of “rule by virtue”. Good governance is possible only when benevolence is universally accepted as an important value. As a prominent feature of the Chinese tradition in respect of “rule by virtue”, moral cultivation carries more weight than penalty as the latter is merely seen as a means to achieve the former. While the rule-byvirtue system may vary over time, moral cultivation is always at its heart. This echoes what an ancient proverb says, “The way to great learning is to manifest bright virtue and to treat the people as one’s own family, thereby arriving at supreme goodness.”