Hong Kong honours Beijing flag delegation, launches Long March exhibition
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
The Hong Kong government on October 13 held a commendation ceremony for participants in the “Salute to the National Flag” Beijing delegation, praising their performance and learning outcomes, while also launching a themed exhibition on the 90th anniversary of the Red Army’s Long March victory at the Patriotic Education Support Centre in Tai Wai. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said students should revisit the history of the Long March, deepen their patriotic commitment and, in future, put the spirit into practice as builders and successors of the “one country, two systems” cause. The event was attended by Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Tse Siu-wa and Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin, and included a student-led flag-raising ceremony and poetry recitation on the Long March. Students who joined the September Beijing trip said Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang’s message to “understand, protect and bring honour to the national flag” left the deepest impression on them
Key Points
- The Beijing delegation programme ran from September 18 to 22 and brought about 1,200 flag team representatives, teachers, students and youth group members from Hong Kong and Macau to the capital
- John Lee said the delegation’s meeting with Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang was a major encouragement, and urged students to turn the rare experience into sustained motivation for future efforts
- Ding met the delegation at the Great Hall of the People on September 21, relayed President Xi Jinping’s greetings, and encouraged students to understand, safeguard and add glory to the national flag
- Student Li Yumok of Bonham Road Government Primary School said she and nine teammates later shared Ding’s message with schoolmates during their school flag-raising ceremony in Hong Kong
- Tse Siu-wa said Yan’an Revolutionary Memorial Hall in Shaanxi has been designated, with central government support, as Hong Kong’s second patriotic education base for young people on the mainland
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong, the ceremony and exhibition show how patriotic education is being tied more closely to school activities, exchange visits and officially designated learning bases on the mainland. The government is using these programmes to shape civic values among students around national identity, historical memory and participation in the “one country, two systems” framework.