1,200 HK, Macao delegates begin patriotic education visit in Beijing

About 1,200 delegates, including some 1,000 student representatives from flag-raising teams in Hong Kong and Macao, arrived in Beijing on Friday night for a visit aimed at deepening patriotic education among young people in the two special administrative regions. They are due to leave on Tuesday.

Delegates will attend the national flag-raising ceremony at Tian'anmen Square and visit the Great Hall of the People, the Palace Museum, and the National Museum of China. They will also tour the People's Liberation Army Guards of Honor base for a study session.

The delegation will split into six groups to visit primary and secondary schools and universities in Beijing, with dedicated study visits to cultural, science and technology venues, enterprises, rural communities, among other sites.

Zhang Beihan, a student from Hong Kong's Pui Kiu Middle School and captain of the school's flag-raising team, said he looked forward to the flag-raising ceremony at Tian'anmen Square. 

"I've seen it three times, and it felt different every time. The solemn, dignified ceremony gave me a fresh sense of strength each time," he said.

"The most exciting moment I experienced as a flag-raiser at my school was when the whole school sang the national anthem together. As I unfurled the flag, the singing began. That made me immensely proud," he said.

The delegation includes flag-raising team representatives from 121 primary and secondary schools and 21 universities in Hong Kong and Macao, along with about 200 officials from relevant HK and Macao government departments, principals, teachers and staff members from schools and universities.