Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Alice Mak today began a visit to Sichuan by touring the Shenshuping Base of the China Conservation & Research Centre for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) and the Wolong Natural Museum in the Giant Panda National Park.

She also attended the closing ceremony of the "2025 Youth Internship Programme at Wolong Region of Giant Panda National Park", with 20 Hong Kong youths completing the programme.

In the morning, Miss Mak visited the Shenshuping Base of the CCRCGP. Accompanied by Hong Kong youths participating in the internship programme, she toured the facilities at the centre, which were rebuilt with Hong Kong's support.

The interns, who served as guides, gave a detailed presentation about nature conservation and the work of caring for and rearing giant pandas.

Miss Mak then visited the Wolong Natural Museum in the Giant Panda National Park, where the interns shared their experiences of ecological conservation work at the Wolong National Nature Reserve.

The youth affairs chief attended the internship programme's closing ceremony in the afternoon.

In a speech, Miss Mak highlighted that the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) has collaborated with the Sichuan Wolong Nature Reserve Administration and the CCRCGP to organise the internship programme since 2017, adding that it provides Hong Kong youths with professional training and practical work experience in nature conservation and ecotourism.

She thanked the Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Forestry & Grassland, the Wolong Nature Reserve Administration and the CCRCGP for their long-standing support for Hong Kong's youth development, and enabling students to gain practical experience through the internships.

Jointly organised by the HYAB and various Mainland official cultural, nature conservation and scientific research institutions, the HYAB Thematic Youth Internship Programmes to the Mainland comprise six internship programmes, providing over 110 specialised internship positions for Hong Kong youths.