Human side of our capital
Twenty-one-year-old journalism student Wu Wai-ying is puzzled by the mainland's household registration, or hukou, system. She set off to Beijing with her teammates to know more about the system through interviewing native Beijing residents and migrant workers in the capital last month.
The Shue Yan University student was one of more than 300 students who spent nine days during the summer holidays exploring different aspects of Beijing life. Organised by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, the 'Hong Kong 200' Beijing Training Project included lectures by mainland academics on China's rising global economic and diplomatic presence, visits to government agencies and historic sites and meetings with mainland secondary and university students. Participants formed small groups and decided on a topic to explore before leaving Hong Kong.
The nine-day visit is part of an annual, 200-hour leadership training scheme held by the federation.
As well as the nine-day trip, the students took part in career workshops to learn about the different industries in Hong Kong.
After interviewing several Beijing residents and migrant workers, Wai-ying concluded that the hukou system is unfair to outside residents. The unfair treatment endured by a Heilongjiang native who works at a fruit juice factory left a deep impression on her.
'She has only been in Beijing four months and has already felt the unfairness of the system,' Wai-ying said.
'She couldn't get the same welfare and insurance benefits enjoyed by the locals. She said she had to stay for a minimum of 10 years, get married and have a stable job to qualify for Beijing residency.
'The requirements are too harsh. Migrant workers who often work in difficult conditions need more protection from the government.'
One highlight of the trip was a visit to the world-renowned hutongs, the network of narrow ancient alleyways lined with siheyuan, traditional courtyard houses that are rapidly disappearing in central Beijing.
Another Shue Yan student, Wong Wing-shan, 19, visited the Du family and had a long chat with 21-year-old Du Moqi at his family home. The house is laid out in traditional style, with a block facing the north occupied by his grandparents, another block facing the east were the sons' living quarters.
Du said the house belonged to the state but his family can live in it as long as they like. 'My granddad got the house as a reward from Chairman Mao Zedong for his bravery during the anti-Japanese war in the 1940s,' he said.
'Although we can't sell the house, we can live in it for generations.'
Wing-shan said the layout of the siheyuan reflected the strict hierarchy of traditional Chinese families.
'There are rules dictating how every household issue is dealt with,' she said. 'The old folks enjoy the greatest respect and live in the best part of the house, while the granddaughters get the least respect as only the grandsons can come out to meet visitors.'
To let students understand the difference between the Hong Kong and mainland education systems, more than 20 students from Beijing's No 80 High School were accompanied the Hong Kong students throughout the whole trip. The students discussed exams, curricula and teaching methods.
Beijing resident Wang Siqi, 16, was impressed by the high English proficiency and international outlook of his Hong Kong counterparts. 'They told me how the new academic system is unfolding in Hong Kong,' he said.
'The new system is different from what we have in Beijing. While the new Hong Kong system removes the separation of students into science and arts streams, mainland education authorities still attach much importance to specialisation. We need to choose either the science or arts stream when we when we enter our first year of senior secondary education.'
Chu Chi-ho, 17, from Kwun Tong Maryknoll College, said mainland students had a strong understanding of the social issues affecting China's underprivileged.
'They care a lot about issues like environmental protection and pollution,' he said.
'They told me how polluting industries relocated from Beijing to Hebei before the Olympics had blighted the living environment of Hebei residents.'
