Acting Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing today officiated at the opening ceremony of a thematic exhibition held by the Education Bureau that introduces the life stories of a number of pillars of our time as well as their contributions to the country to all primary and secondary students in the city.

The show aims to enable students to connect what they learn with knowledge from various subjects, thereby inspiring the younger generation to contribute to the country’s future development and to pass on the spirit of these pillars.

Addressing the ceremony, Mr Cheuk said these pillars have enabled the country to shine brightly on the world stage in various areas, such as culture, technology, defence, agriculture, medicine, architecture and sports. Their inspiring and motivational stories serve as exemplary demonstrations of patriotic spirit and as real-life and vivid teaching materials for patriotic education.

He also noted that President Xi Jinping has pointed out that patriotism is at the core of the Chinese national spirit, and Hong Kong compatriots have long upheld the glorious tradition of loving the country and loving Hong Kong, which constitutes an important foundation for the steadfast and successful implementation of “one country, two systems”.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government attaches great importance to patriotic education. On campus, the bureau continues to adopt all-round, comprehensive, cross-key-stage, and interdisciplinary approaches to integrate patriotic education into daily learning and teaching, Mr Cheuk added.

Also attending the ceremony were Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin; Director-General of the Department of Educational, Scientific & Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR Wang Weiming; members of the Working Group on Patriotic Education; and principals, teachers and students of primary and secondary schools.

The “China in Splendour: The Ethos & Spirit of the Pillars of Our Time” Thematic Exhibition is organised by the bureau and co-organised by the Patriotic Education Centre under the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers.

The exhibition will run until late October this year. Schools interested in visiting may apply via the Patriotic Education Centre.