*******************************************************
The following is issued on behalf of the Commission on Youth:
Members of a youth delegation, organised by the Home Affairs Bureau and the Commission on Youth (COY), are visiting Beijing and Hebei during the Easter holidays to experience different facets of the urban and rural areas, as well as the rapid development of their Motherland in the recent years.
The delegation comprises around 160 youngsters recruited from the 18 districts in Hong Kong. Led by COY Chairman Mr Bunny Chan Chun-bun, the delegation visited Baoding and Shijiazhuang in Hebei today (April 23). Members stopped by new energy facilities in Baoding, the local municipal governments and youth organisations.
Members of the delegation are secondary and tertiary students, and working youths aged between 15 and 24. They were recruited and selected by the District Youth Programme Committees and District Officers of the 18 Districts. The delegation headed to Beijing on April 21 to start the five-day study tour and will return on April 25.
During their stay in Beijing, the delegation paid a visit to the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, and was received by the Director, Mr Wang Guangya. Mr Wang exchanged views with the youth representatives on subjects of interest to them. The atmosphere was candid and cordial. The delegation also visited the campus and facilities of the Peking University. They took the opportunity to exchange views on the country's development and share their aspirations with the students there. Members also visited the National Museum of China and watched traditional cultural shows. Witnessing the flag-raising ceremony at the Tiananmen Square, members were able to experience the solemnity of the ceremony thereby enhancing their sense of national identity.
The delegation will stop next at Xibaipo to have an exchange session with the local youth. They will also visit the Hebei Zhengding National Table Tennis Training Base to learn about how the tennis players are nurtured and tour the facilities there.
To enable members to make full use of the learning opportunities and to enhance their understanding of national history and development, three briefing sessions were held prior to the tour, during which Mainland experts and local scholars were invited to share their views on topics including the 1911 Revolution and the 12th Five-Year Plan. Members will share their experience and what they have learned during the tour at a sharing session after returning to Hong Kong.
This study tour is supported and assisted by the Youth Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, the All-China Youth Federation, the Peopleˇ¦s Government of Hebei Province, the Baoding Municipal Government, the Shijiazhuang Municipal Government and other relevant organisations.
Ends/Saturday, April 23, 2011
Issued at HKT 15:00
NNNN
