Teachers Explore Qin and Han Dynasties in Shaanxi to Enhance Chinese History Education in Hong Kong Schools

2025-07-09 16:45 Last Updated At：16:58

Participants of teacher study tour to Shaanxi on ancient civilisation of Qin and Han dynasties share experiences and achievements

Co-organised by the Chinese Culture Promotion Office (CCPO) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Education Bureau (EDB), a teacher study tour to Shaanxi on the ancient civilisation of the Qin and Han dynasties was held from June 27 to July 1, leading 23 secondary school Chinese history teachers to visit various major museums and cultural institutions in Xi'an. Through site visits and personal experiences, teachers were able to closely observe precious artefacts of the Qin and Han dynasties. This experience will enrich the teachers' teaching content, thereby enhancing Hong Kong students' interest in learning about Chinese history and promoting the passing on of Chinese culture.

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Participants of teacher study tour to Shaanxi on ancient civilisation of Qin and Han dynasties share experiences and achievements Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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Participants of teacher study tour to Shaanxi on ancient civilisation of Qin and Han dynasties share experiences and achievements Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The five-day study tour was co-ordinated by the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration. Most of the museums visited were newly built or expanded, allowing the teachers to learn about the latest museum resources in Shaanxi Province. The itinerary included visiting the terracotta warriors and bronze chariots at the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum to understand their craftmanship and historical significance; interpreting relics and historical sites from the archaeological perspective when visiting the Hanyangling Museum, the Shaanxi Archaeology Museum and the Qin Xianyang Palace Relic Site; appreciating highlighted exhibits such as the "Gold decoration in the shape of spiritual animal" and the "Painted Bronze Lamp in the shape of a Wild Goose Carrying a Fish" at the Qin Han Museum of the Shaanxi History Museum; and viewing stone tablet, epitaph and rock inscription collections of the Xi'an Beilin Museum.

Moreover, the teachers joined a number of workshops to try their hand at creating gold leaf decorative paintings and restoring terracotta warrior models. They also experienced Han etiquette through wearing traditional Han clothing (Hanfu), immersing themselves in the ceremonial culture of the Han dynasty. In addition, they visited the newly opened Western Airport Museum, where they admired ancient cultural relics unearthed on-site, showcased through cutting-edge multimedia technology. These experiences deepened their understanding of the history of the Qin and Han dynasties and Chinese culture from various perspectives.

The scholars and experts from the cultural institutions in Shaanxi specifically introduced their educational services. They also discussed with Hong Kong teachers how to utilise relevant resources to support teaching and how to incorporate storytelling with artefacts into daily lessons, making history education more engaging and interesting.

Teachers are required to prepare a lesson plan with learnings from the tour and apply them in their lessons, as well as design extension programmes for extra-curricular activities.

The tour is an extension activity of the second exhibition of the General History of China Series, "The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Great Unity - Civilisation of the Qin and Han Dynasties in Shaanxi Province" exhibition, which ended on July 7. The exhibition was widely welcomed by the local public and visitors, and received more than 250 000 visitors. The CCPO will produce a virtual exhibition featuring selected exhibition content, which will be uploaded to the websites of the CCPO and the Hong Kong Museum of History in July for online revisits. For details, please visit the website of the CCPO at www.ccpo.gov.hk/en and social media platforms: www.facebook.com/CCPOHK (Facebook), www.instagram.com/ccpo.hk/ (Instagram), www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/6654afd400000000070074da (Xiaohongshu).

The study tour is one of the activities of the Chinese History and Culture - Train-the-Trainer Workshops, co-organised by the CCPO and the EDB, as well as the Chinese Culture Promotion Series.

Health Authorities Investigate Food Poisoning Linked to School Lunches Affecting 39 Students in Two Primary Schools.

CHP investigates two suspected food poisoning clusters with epidemiological linkage

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today (January 9) investigating two epidemiologically linked suspected food poisoning clusters affecting 39 students from two primary schools. The students developed symptoms after consuming lunch provided by the Sailing Boat Luncheon Production Limited. The CHP reminded the public to maintain good personal, food and environmental hygiene to prevent foodborne diseases.

The first cluster involves 12 boys and 16 girls aged between 6 and 11. They attend a primary school in Sham Shui Po. The investigation revealed that the affected students developed abdominal pain and diarrhoea approximately three to 31 hours after eating school lunch containing fish, chicken cutlets, sauce, garnish and rice, which was provided by the abovementioned school lunch supplier on January 6.

While investigating the first cluster, the CHP of the DH traced the supply chain of the school lunch supplier and identified another cluster, involving eight boys and three girls, aged between 10 and 12, who attend a primary school in Diamond Hill. The investigation revealed that the affected students developed abdominal pain and diarrhoea approximately five to 15 hours after eating lunch containing chicken, cervelat sausage, sauce and fusilli at school yesterday (January 8). The food concerned was also provided by the same school lunch supplier.

None of the affected students required hospitalisation and they are all currently in stable condition.

Officers of the CHP and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, including personnel of the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) and the Environmental Hygiene Branch, have inspected the food factory of the school lunch supplier concerned and the kitchen of the first school. They inspected the food storage, the food preparation process and environmental hygiene. Investigation revealed that some food items, such as meat and sauce, were prepared at the food factory, while the other food items, such as rice and garnish, were prepared at the school kitchen. It is suspected that some food items were prepared too early in advance. The CFS immediately instructed the premises concerned to suspend operations for thorough cleaning and disinfection, improve food preparation process and hygiene standards. The CFS has provided food safety and environmental hygiene education to the staff. Food and environmental samples were collected for testing.

The investigation of the CHP and CFS is ongoing.

To prevent foodborne diseases, members of the public are reminded to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene at all times. When dining out, one should:

Avoid eating raw seafood;

Be a discerning consumer in choosing cold dishes, including sashimi, sushi and raw oysters at a buffet;

Choose pasteurised eggs, egg products or dried egg powder for dishes that often use undercooked eggs;

Patronise only reliable and licensed restaurants;

Ensure food is thoroughly cooked before eating during a hotpot or barbecue meal;

Handle raw and cooked foods carefully and separate them completely during the cooking process;

Use two sets of chopsticks and utensils to handle raw and cooked foods;

Avoid patronising illegal food hawkers;

Drink boiled water;

Susceptible populations, including those with weakened immunity, the elderly, pregnant women and young children are at a higher risk of foodborne diseases, so they should not consume raw or undercooked foods;

Refrain from trying to use salt, vinegar, wine or wasabi to kill bacteria as they are not effective; and

Always wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet.

Teachers Explore Qin and Han Dynasties in Shaanxi to Enhance Chinese History Education in Hong Kong Schools

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