Following is a question by the Hon Albert Chuang and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Clement Woo, in the Legislative Council today (February 25):
 
Question:
      
     There are views pointing out that the Patriotism Education Base for Hong Kong and Macao Youth, which was established in August last year at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, in Beijing Municipality with the strong support from the Central Government, will be of great significance in deepening the understanding of our country among young people in Hong Kong and Macao, as well as enhancing their patriotic spirit in the long term. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it has plans to co-operate with memorial halls and museums in other Mainland cities (such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen) to set up patriotic education bases for Hong Kong and Macao youth; if so, of the time and the arrangements for implementing such plans; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) of the measures put in place by the Working Group on Patriotic Education under the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee to promote visits by local schools and organisations to the aforementioned patriotic education bases for Hong Kong and Macao youth; and
 
(3) of the mechanism currently put in place by the Government to collect feedback from teachers and students after they have visited the aforementioned patriotic education bases for Hong Kong and Macao youth, and whether it will regularly review and enhance the arrangements for the visits based on the data obtained?
 
Reply:
 
President,
      
     Having consulted the Education Bureau (EDB) and the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), our reply in response to the questions raised by the Hon Albert Chuang is as follows:
 
(1) There is a rich and diversified array of patriotic education facilities in the Mainland. These resources are highly valuable and well worth young people and students visiting and studying, so as to gain a deeper understanding of our country's history and culture, and personally appreciate our country's development and achievements, thereby fostering a sense of national identity, national pride and patriotic sentiment. Last year marked the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. With the support of the Central Government, the first Patriotic Education Base for Hong Kong and Macao Youth was established in August last year at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression located by the Lugou Bridge in Beijing. The Government is actively identifying other suitable patriotic education facilities in the Mainland for inclusion as patriotic education bases of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The specific locations and relevant arrangements will be announced in due course upon further discussion with the relevant Mainland authorities.
 
(2) The Working Group on Patriotic Education comprises experts and representatives from different sectors, as well as the relevant bureaux and departments, including EDB and HYAB. Encouraging students and young people to visit the Mainland in person is one of the effective ways to promote patriotic education. On students, EDB has all along been committed to providing primary and secondary school students with diversified Mainland Exchange Programmes (MEPs). Since the implementation of the senior secondary subject of Citizenship and Social Development (CS) from the 2021/22 school year, all senior secondary students studying the local curriculum are provided with opportunities to participate in the Mainland study tours organised by EDB. These Mainland study tours aim at providing students with life-wide learning experiences to deepen their understanding of our country's history, culture, economic and technological development, etc., through first-hand experience, thereby enhancing their understanding of our country's development and achievements from different aspects, so as to strengthen their sense of national pride, patriotic sentiment and sense of national identity. Following the establishment of the Patriotic Education Base for Hong Kong and Macao Youth at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, visits to the Base under the MEPs for primary and secondary students have already been launched. For senior secondary CS, study tours to Beijing are also planned for the coming school year, and visits to the Base will also be arranged for students.
      
     On young people, the District Offices under the Home Affairs Department funded 20 Mainland exchange tours in the 2025-26 financial year, with over 500 youth participants in total. As 2025 marked both the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 60th anniversary of Dongjiang water supply to Hong Kong, the exchange tours covered related thematic visits, including visits to the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, anti-Japanese war memorial halls in various provinces, and the Dongjiang-Shenzhen Water Supply Project Memorial Park, etc. Through these visits, youth participants gained a deeper understanding of our country's history of the War of Resistance and the significance of Dongjiang water supply to Hong Kong, thereby strengthening their sense of patriotism.
      
     At present, HYAB also provides funding to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to organise youth exchange projects in the Mainland through the "HYAB Funding Scheme for Youth Exchange in the Mainland", with a view to enhancing young people's understanding of our country's culture, history, way of life and the latest developments, and strengthening exchanges with youth in the Mainland. Under the 2026-27 round of the Scheme, HYAB will actively encourage NGOs to arrange for youth participants to visit the Patriotic Education Bases for Hong Kong and Macao Youth in their exchange projects, and applications that include such visits will be given priority consideration.
 
(3) EDB has been gauging views from different stakeholders to review the effectiveness of and enhance the arrangements for MEPs for primary and secondary students and CS Mainland study tours. EDB also keeps in view the learning effectiveness of MEPs and CS Mainland study tours through school visits, inspections, collection of student work (including photos, video clips and student reflections), and interviews with teachers and students, and shares students' learning outcomes with the public. According to the results of questionnaire surveys submitted by schools, feedback from teachers and students on MEPs and CS Mainland study tours has been very positive. They agree that the Mainland exchanges and study tours help deepen their understanding of our country's history, culture and technological development, extend classroom learning, and enhance their sense of national identity and pride. EDB also gauges participants' feedback through deployment of staff for on-site participation, questionnaire surveys, post-trip sharing sessions, etc. to assess the appropriateness of the content of Mainland exchanges and study tours, continuously optimise visit arrangements and explore new visiting spots, thereby further promoting patriotic education.
      
     As regards the youth exchange projects subsidised under the "HYAB Funding Scheme for Youth Exchange in the Mainland", HYAB monitors the effectiveness and quality of exchange projects by collecting feedback from participants through their evaluation questionnaires completed after the projects. In addition, NGOs are required to organise debriefing and sharing sessions for participants after their return to Hong Kong. Representatives of HYAB and the Youth Development Commission also attend these sessions from time to time to understand participants' exchange experience and learning, and enhance the Scheme as needed. Besides, participants' feedback on each funded exchange tour will be collected by the District Offices, which will take into consideration such feedback when planning other exchange tours, with a view to continuously enhancing the relevant arrangements.

Ends/Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:30

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