Calls grow for more study tours for HK, Macao youth

Beijing recently inaugurated the nation's first Patriotic Education Base for Hong Kong and Macao Youth at the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

The initiative marks a milestone in strengthening national identity and historical awareness among young people from Hong Kong and Macao.

Dr. Ken Chu, a National Committee Member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), welcomed the launch. “The establishment of this base opens a new chapter in patriotic education for Hong Kong and Macao youth,” Zhu said in an interview.

Dr. Chu, chairman of the Mission Hills Group, emphasized that patriotic education is “the core of the Chinese national spirit, and the essential foundation for the steady advancement of ‘One Country, Two Systems.’” Zhu added that the museum’s archives, relics, and historical photographs would serve as “a window for young people from Hong Kong and Macao to dialogue with history, helping them truly understand their shared destiny with the motherland.”

Zhu also highlighted the rich “red resources”  in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area such as the Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall and the Reform and Opening-Up Exhibition Hall in Shenzhen. With frequent exchanges between youth from Shenzhen and Hong Kong, he said, the region offers “a living classroom for patriotic education and study tours.”

Reflecting on history, Zhu noted that Hong Kong people have long stood alongside the motherland. He recalled the 19 villagers who were killed in 1942 for sheltering fighters against Japanese aggression  in Hong Kong and the underground intelligence network in Sai Wan’s Peel Street. “These historic landmarks scattered across Hong Kong are vivid proof that the city shared the nation’s trials and tribulations,” he said.

Today, Hong Kong continues to preserve this memory by restoring war sites, revitalizing the Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall, and hosting large-scale exhibitions marking the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Looking ahead, Zhu called for more immersive study programs to deepen young people’s understanding. He proposed that governments across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao work with schools, museums, and civic organizations to create youth “history exploration teams,” visiting key wartime sites in all three regions. “Through field visits and stories from veterans, young people can better appreciate our shared struggles and the values of patriotism,” he suggested.

“History must be passed on from generation to generation to stay alive,” Zhu stressed.