Will Chinese political adviser Hui Wing-mau’s summer tour to Xian make Hong Kong teens patriotic?
NGO founded by Hong Kong billionaire and standing committee delegate, Hui Wing-mau, aims to deepen teenagers’ understanding of national history and culture as well as strengthen their sense of pride in being Chinese
The high-speed train carrying 800 young Hongkongers left Shenzhen North railway station at precisely 10am on August 5. Within minutes, it was running at 300km/h for its destination: Xian in Shaanxi province, northwest China.
“I visit the mainland about every six months, mostly to Shanwei in Guangdong province, to visit my relatives,” Vincent Chak Tsz-ho, 15, said. “But I don’t really know a lot about the country. I want to go to Xian to see how the northern part of the country is different from the south.”
Chak was in the group of Hong Kong teenagers and young adults riding the Hexie Hao, which means “train of harmony” in Chinese.
“If you ask me whether I am a Hongkonger or Chinese, I would say a Hongkonger,” he said. “But people from Shanghai also say they are from Shanghai.”
The travellers, average age 22, were on a six-day tour to Shaanxi organised by New Home Association, an NGO founded in 2010 by Hong Kong billionaire Hui Wing-mau.
Hui is a delegate to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s top political advisory body. Earlier this year, he was appointed to the 300-strong standing committee of the CPPCC’s national committee, making him one of 18 Hong Kong delegates.