CS concludes visit to Beijing (with photos)

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, visited Beijing for two consecutive days from yesterday (August 7), together with the Convenor of the Working Group on Patriotic Education, Ms Starry Lee, to call on the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Ministry of Education, and to visit the Museum of the Communist Party of China. They learnt about the country's experience of implementing the Patriotic Education Law of the People's Republic of China, which they will reference when devising and implementing strategies and work plans of patriotic education that suit the circumstances of Hong Kong. The aim is to build and foster mainstream values characterised by patriotism with affection for the country and Hong Kong and in conformity with the "one country, two systems" principle, and to enable the spirit of patriotism to take root in society and people's hearts.
      
     Yesterday, Mr Chan and other delegates met with Vice Minister of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Mr Hu Heping, who is in charge of the department's daily operations, to exchange views on taking forward patriotic education in Hong Kong and on the Mainland. Mr Chan said that the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) established the Working Group on Patriotic Education in April this year, with four sub-groups set up to strengthen patriotic education on all fronts in Hong Kong. The four sub-groups focus efforts on school education; the local community; history, politics, economy and culture; and media publicity. The work directions concerned are in line with the spirit of the Patriotic Education Law, underlining the richness and breadth of the content of patriotic education. Mr Chan pointed out that the long history and profound cultural heritage of the country have laid a solid foundation for the work of patriotic education, and that the HKSAR Government will continue to deepen people's understanding of national developments and achievements in various aspects and strengthen their sense of national identity and national pride.
      
     Mr Chan and other delegates then visited the Museum of the Communist Party of China. Through performing the comprehensive functions of display, commemoration, publicity, education and research, the Museum fully showcases the endeavours of the Communist Party of China over the past century and the great spirit of struggle embodied therein. Also, the Museum showcases quite a lot of content related to Hong Kong, with details on the city's return to the motherland and display of various printed versions of the Basic Law. Mr Chan said that the delegation will share with members of the Working Group their experience at the Museum after returning to Hong Kong. Also taking into account the takeaways from the Working Group's visit to the patriotic education bases in Hong Kong, as well as the views from various sectors of society, the Working Group will explore how best to unite and give full play to the forces of the Government and the local community when taking forward patriotic education, in terms of both hardware and software, to further strengthen people's sense of identity with, belonging to, and pride towards the country and the nation.
      
     Today (August 8), Mr Chan and other delegates met with the Director of the Office of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs and Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of the Ministry of Education, Mr Yang Dan, to exchange views on taking forward patriotic education at schools in Hong Kong and on the Mainland. Mr Chan said that, as an integral part of the school curriculum, national education and national security education in Hong Kong have incorporated patriotic education's elements and spirit. The Education Bureau will continue to adopt a multipronged and co-ordinated approach to supporting schools in carrying out patriotic education and dovetailing it with the content of the Patriotic Education Law. The work concerned includes strengthening teacher training, enhancing students' national affairs education, and organising joint school national education activities, Chinese culture immersion activities and Mainland study tours. The aim is to enable the younger generation to gain a deeper understanding of global trends and delve into the history and culture of the country and national affairs, and strengthen their affection for and sense of belonging to the country.
      
     Mr Chan and other delegates then visited the Office of the HKSAR Government in Beijing to learn about the work of its staff. They also chatted with Hong Kong students who are based in Beijing and currently interning at the Office. They said they were pleased to learn that the students have developed a strong affection for the motherland and have been enjoying studying and living in Beijing. Mr Chan encouraged them to continue actively equipping themselves and make contributions to the high-quality developments of the country and Hong Kong in the future.
      
     Mr Chan concluded his visit to Beijing and returned to Hong Kong today.