Hong Kong police, think tank separately publish teaching guides on Chinese culture, history to boost students’ sense of national identity
- The separate materials are being distributed to schools, but events such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and the 2019 social unrest in the city have been left out
- One publisher says text is based on curriculum laid down by Education Bureau, and there may be changes after feedback from authorities
Hong Kong police and a prominent think tank have separately put out teaching materials on Chinese culture and history for kindergarten to secondary levels to boost students’ sense of national identity, with publishers saying some controversial events were left out “based on official curriculum”.
A booklet titled Understanding the past and now in 10 minutes: 500 entries on the learning and teaching resources on humanities, published by the foundation set up by former city leader Tung Chee-hwa was unveiled on Wednesday.
The foundation said the booklet aimed to support the teaching and learning of humanities in secondary and primary schools, such as social studies, Chinese history, as well as citizenship and social development.
Some 7,000 copies will be distributed to teachers, with the electronic version to be available for download.
The 500 topics are grouped into three main themes: ancient and modern history of Hong Kong; ancient China; and modern China. Each topic features a 100-word introduction and a QR code linking to relevant articles and videos produced mainly by the foundation’s subsidiaries.
Topics on Hong Kong included not only historical milestones before the British colonial era, but also on local culture, village customs, architecture and famous figures such as martial arts legend Bruce Lee.
