Breaking down language, cultural barriers

Youth exchanges between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland have scaled new heights, helping youngsters build up their careers, increase mutual understanding and integrate them into national development. Li Xiaoyun reports from Hong Kong.

Language, social and cultural hurdles didn't stand in the way of Hong Kong university undergraduate student Clarise Ho Ka-hei when she volunteered to join a three-week teaching program on the Chinese mainland, aimed at fostering mutual understanding and advancing exchanges between the younger generations in the special administrative region and on the mainland.

She came back with a profound impression of Shaoshan Huarun School in Shaoshan, Hunan province - amazed at how well the students behaved, as well as the school's advanced teaching facilities.

Ho, 22, who's pursuing a double major in language studies and English language education at the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), embarked on her inaugural journey to the mainland in June with 19 fellow students in a cross-boundary volunteer teaching program, jointly organized by diversified business conglomerate, China Resources Group, and the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers (HKFEW).

"In Shaoshan, where the school is located, I was surprised at the sight of modern villas and the people's cozy lifestyle, shattering my preconceived notions of rural life on the mainland," says Ho, adding she hopes to explore more mainland cities and rural areas to further immerse herself in the kaleidoscope of diverse cultures.

According to Lai Chi-shing, an EdUHK lecturer specializing in Chinese language studies who was involved in organizing and preparing the volunteer teaching program, more than 60 students had expressed interest in taking part. But, the number trickled down to 20 after a selection process based on their majors, Mandarin proficiency and their performance in interviews.

Ho is among a growing number of Hong Kong youngsters who've participated in internship or exchange programs on the mainland, as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government steps up efforts to promote mutual understanding between the younger generations on both sides of the boundary.

In his maiden Policy Address last year, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said opportunities to acquire learning experience outside Hong Kong would be provided for about half the local undergraduate students of universities funded by the University Grants Committee for the 2025/26 academic year.

The SAR government also aims to get all primary or secondary students in publicly-funded schools to join at least one subsidized mainland exchange program.

The Youth Development Blueprint unveiled late last year outlined how the government and the community can support the growth and development of locals aged from 12 to 39. It said specific measures, such as facilitating cross-boundary and overseas exchanges and internships to broaden young individuals' global perspective, as well as enhancing internship, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in diverse fields, would be taken to foster multifaceted career development among young people.

The blueprint also proposed to expand funding programs for youth internships on the mainland and overseas next year to benefit no fewer than 4,800 people.

These efforts were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the past three years. But, the resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and the mainland in February has injected fresh vigor into an array of opportunities for Hong Kong's younger generation to gain a deeper understanding of the mainland and integrate into national development.

According to Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen, financial support has been granted to more than 30,000 students in the 2023-24 financial year to enable them to join in exchange initiatives with various mainland provinces and cities, with more than 4,000 internships provided.

This year alone, the number of companies participating in the Scheme on Corporate Summer Internship on the Mainland and Overseas, co-launched by the SAR government and large Hong Kong enterprises, has risen from 18 to 24. The program allows Hong Kong students to intern at the companies' branches outside Hong Kong during the summer break.

The participating enterprises include Bank of China (Hong Kong), MTR Corp and Sun Hung Kai Properties, which offered more than 320 internship positions covering financial services, innovation and technology, and logistics.

The HKFEW plans to organize more student visits to Beijing city, and Shandong, Guizhou provinces from this December to next April. The trips will enable students to engage in immersive experiences centered on diplomacy and art, traditional Chinese culture and history, volunteer teaching, and interactions with ethnic groups.

In August, 16 Hong Kong youths and 22 of their peers from Guangdong province and the Macao Special Administrative Region completed a six-week internship at the capital's Palace Museum, where they gained firsthand experience in the work of 14 departments, including international exchanges, cultural heritage restoration, and exhibition planning.

Addressing concerns about whether these initiatives can effectively solve the youth unemployment problem, Mak commented: "The government's encouragement for young individuals to seek employment, start businesses, or intern in mainland cities is aimed at exposing them to diverse experiences, which can serve as an inspiration in their formative years, and help them recalibrate their career paths and education pursuits."

Wong Yin, deputy head of HKFYG Lee Shau Kee Primary School, who joined an exchange trip to Chongqing this year, said that despite the different curriculum and hardware facilities between SAR and mainland schools, both sides share the same aim of promoting academic and moral education among students, providing a solid foundation for them to cooperate and learn from each other.

"The exchange program offers a good opportunity for us to come together, share our educational achievements and learn from each other. It also stimulates greater passion and a mission for me to work as a professional, knowledgeable and responsible teacher," she said.

Contact the writer at irisli@chinadailyhk.com