Staged ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a lantern workshop organised by the Talent+ Volunteer Programme, run by Hong Kong Talent Engage, gives a flavour of the Government’s efforts to bring talented incomers and local residents together.
“Fa Ho Yuet Yuen” is a phrase that uses the full moon as a metaphor for family harmony.
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Talent scheme volunteers and Wan Chai residents collaborate to string together hundreds of lanterns and hang them around the Blue House.
Pictured writing a Chinese phrase on a lantern, Mahir Taher, who came to Hong Kong via the Top Talent Pass Scheme, says the workshop deepened his understanding of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Guided by a Wan Chai resident, volunteers tour the Blue House to learn about Hong Kong’s “tong lau” or traditional shophouses.
Hong Kong Talent Engage Deputy Director Anna Au says talented incomers can practise Cantonese and learn about the local community through participating in volunteering activities.
“It is festive and nice,” said 26-year-old Mahir Taher, who has a PhD in interdisciplinary biomedical research and came to Hong Kong from the UK last December via the Top Talent Pass Scheme.
Talent scheme volunteers and Wan Chai residents collaborate to string together hundreds of lanterns and hang them around the Blue House.
During his first year in Hong Kong, Mahir has not only immersed himself in his research work but also taken the opportunity to explore the city and local culture.
“I always wanted to leave the UK because I want to try settling somewhere else different and also want to try a culture shock,” he revealed.
Community participation
Ahead of his first Mid-Autumn Festival, Mahir painted a lantern at a workshop alongside Wan Chai residents as part of the Talent+ Volunteer Programme, run by Hong Kong Talent Engage.
He wrote the Chinese words “Fa Ho Yuet Yuen” on the lantern after practising only a couple of times.
Pictured writing a Chinese phrase on a lantern, Mahir Taher, who came to Hong Kong via the Top Talent Pass Scheme, says the workshop deepened his understanding of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
“My parents are Bangladeshi,” he said. “I came from an Asian culture growing up so a family-oriented culture is still quite nice to be surrounded by.”
At the workshop, Mahir chatted with other volunteers and local residents. “It has been quite nice to paint lanterns and also see other locals and talk through how they feel about not only the festival and get to understand a bit better what the festival is about,” he reflected.
The volunteers then collaborated to string hundreds of lanterns together and hang them around Wan Chai’s Blue House as a decoration.
Guided by a local resident, Mahir also had the chance to tour the Grade I historic building to learn about Hong Kong’s “tong lau” or traditional shophouses, and about neighbourhood life and the revitalisation of local heritage.
“This is something I do not think I would regularly notice just by walking around in the area, but having actually taken part in today’s event, it has definitely opened my eyes on what the Government is trying to do to encourage community.”
As he integrates into life in Hong Kong, Mahir is also settling into a new job.
Last month, he joined City University, where he is employed in the field of cancer therapy research.
Guided by a Wan Chai resident, volunteers tour the Blue House to learn about Hong Kong’s “tong lau” or traditional shophouses.
“Hong Kong has a lot of funding opportunities going in research itself, as well as to commercialise research that you do. There are a lot of schemes and generally the mindset of a lot of colleagues here that I have met is to come up with a project that is innovative and can really do well in a commercial landscape. And so I think that is probably where the direction in biomedical engineering is going.
“I do not have a formed long-term plan, but I do want to stay here.”
Fostering integration
Since launching a year ago, the Talent+ Volunteer Programme has collaborated with the Agency for Volunteer Service and various non-governmental organisations to host a number of activities, such as a “fai chun” writing workshop and Putonghua classes. It will also arrange for participants of various talent admission schemes to volunteer in support of the upcoming National Games in November.
Hong Kong Talent Engage Deputy Director Anna Au explained: “This can help participants to enhance their understanding of the community and also the history of Hong Kong and foster closer ties with the local people and other volunteers, so that they can enlarge their social network. This can foster their sense of belonging to Hong Kong and also bring them some satisfaction.”
Hong Kong Talent Engage Deputy Director Anna Au says talented incomers can practise Cantonese and learn about the local community through participating in volunteering activities.
Since the Government launched a series of talent admission policies from end-2022, by August 2025, more than 230,000 individuals have come to Hong Kong to work and develop their careers. To enhance global talent recruitment, Hong Kong Talent Engage will visit Beijing, the UK and Switzerland this month to attract professionals across accounting, engineering, architecture, and hospitality management.
