921大地震後的第三天，香港救援隊匆促抵達台北，但台灣方面並 沒有立即安排香港隊員前往災區，理由是香港隊「來得太遲」和「設備 不適用」等。香港報界對此甚感不滿，指責台灣當局蓄意「冷待」。本 研究從「面子溝通」的角度，分析這一跨社群傳播事件的起因和發展， 發現香港傳媒實際上主導了整個事件，它為高調報導和評論這一「冷 待」事件設置了一個敏感的面子議題，為了正當化這一議題，它還試圊 政治化整個事件。

Two days after the September 21, 1999 Earthquake in Taiwan, a Hong Kong team of rescuers arrived hastily, but the host unexpectedly did not make any arrangement for their immediate work at the scene of the disaster, given the lateness of the team and the unfit equipment they brought. The Hong Kong press responded to this reception critically and censured the Taiwanese authorities for deliberately giving a cold shoulder. This study examines the origin and development of this event of cross-societal communication from the perspective of “face communication.” It was found that the Hong Kong media actually constructed the event. They set out from the very beginning with an agenda for discussing the sensitive, face-related issue concerning this “cool treatment,” and to justify the discussion they even tried to politicize the whole event.