Hong Kong Celebrates 29th Anniversary of Return with National Education Gala Showcasing Patriotism Efforts in Schools.

EDB holds "Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country" Joint School Gala in celebration of 29th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to motherland

The Education Bureau (EDB) today (June 26) held the Celebration of the 29th Anniversary of Hong Kong's Return to the Motherland "Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country" Joint School National Education Activities Gala, showcasing the fruitful achievements of the "Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country" activities in this school year. Around 2 000 representatives from school sponsoring bodies, school councils, school head associations, schools and parent-teacher associations attended.

The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, officiated at the event. Addressing the event, Dr Choi said that the EDB has been adopting a multipronged and co-ordinated approach to support schools in organically integrating patriotic education into daily learning and teaching, thereby helping students deepen a sense of national identity and patriotism. In order to unite the school sector and different stakeholders to leverage synergies, the EDB launched the "Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country" series of joint school national education activities, which has now entered its fourth year.

She said that the "Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country" series of activities has received active participation from schools and positive feedback from the community, with over 80 major thematic activities organised over the past four years, attracting more than 140 000 participants. This year, the series has been officially regularised and popularised, with a Title Scheme established to encourage the participation of more schools and organisations. Over 200 schools and organisations have responded enthusiastically, with activities spanning all 18 districts across Hong Kong, demonstrating the commitment of various sectors to work together in promoting patriotic education.

Dr Choi expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the school sponsoring bodies, school councils, fellow educators, and all partners for their efforts in promoting the "Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country" series of activities over the years.

Today's gala also celebrated the 29th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, featuring performances by around 300 students. The programme featured a flag-raising ceremony and Chinese-style foot drill by the joint school flag-raising team, alongside music, dance and lion dance performances, fully showcasing the diverse talents of students and their passion for traditional Chinese culture.

The EDB will continue to promote the "Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country" joint school national education activities in the 2026/27 school year, working together with various sectors to advance patriotic education. This aims to nurture a new generation with a sense of national identity and a commitment to society, enabling them to contribute to both the country and Hong Kong.

Source: AI-found images

EDB holds "Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country" Joint School Gala in celebration of 29th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to motherland Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

EDB holds "Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country" Joint School Gala in celebration of 29th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to motherland Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

EDB holds "Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country" Joint School Gala in celebration of 29th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to motherland Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

EDB holds "Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country" Joint School Gala in celebration of 29th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to motherland Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

EDB holds "Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country" Joint School Gala in celebration of 29th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to motherland Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Source: AI-found images

NPCSC authorized Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to exercise jurisdiction over Hong Kong Port Area and Related Extended Areas at Huanggang Port

The 23rd Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPCSC) today (June 26) passed the "Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Authorizing the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to Exercise Jurisdiction over the Hong Kong Port Area and Related Extended Areas at the Huanggang Port" (the Decision). The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) expresses its sincere gratitude to the Central Authorities for their staunch support in establishing the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area.

A spokesman for the HKSAR Government said, "The NPCSC's Decision fully reflects the Central Authorities' high regard and support for Hong Kong to better integrate into and serve the overall national development. It is of great strategic significance for strengthening the infrastructure connectivity between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, enhancing interactions between the people of, and economic and trade activities between the two places, as well as advancing the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). This is a clear demonstration of the advantages of 'one country, two systems'."

The HKSAR Government has been proactively aligning with national development strategies. Working closely with the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, the HKSAR Government has adopted a forward-looking strategy to upgrade the infrastructure of land boundary control points (BCPs) between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, deepen the reform on the mode of boundary clearance, and actively utilise innovation and technology to enhance the convenience of clearance. The Huanggang Port redevelopment project is one of the key initiatives that the HKSAR Government is participating in the implementation of national development strategies. The redeveloped Huanggang Port will be positioned as the most important 24-hour passenger land BCP between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. It will implement the co-location arrangement and the novel "collaborative inspection and joint clearance" mode to further enhance the passenger clearance experience and efficiency. Clearance time at the new Huanggang Port will be significantly reduced from around 30 minutes at the existing Lok Ma Chau/ Huanggang Port to approximately five minutes. The design flow of the new Huanggang Port will increase to 200 000 passenger trips per day, and could be further increased to about 300 000 upon the future commissioning of the Northern Link Spur Line of the MTR Corporation Limited.

The HKSAR Government expresses its gratitude to the People's Government of Guangdong Province and the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government for their co-operation and continued support. Having discussed and reached a consensus on matters relating to the scope and area of the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area, as well as clearance mode at the port, the HKSAR Government and the People's Government of Guangdong Province made submissions to the Central Government regarding the implementation of the co-location arrangement at the Huanggang Port, proposing that it be submitted to the NPCSC for examination.

According to the Decision, the NPCSC has decided as follows:

1. The HKSAR is authorized to exercise, with effect from the day on which the Hong Kong Port Area and Related Extended Areas at the Huanggang Port are commissioned, jurisdiction over the said areas in accordance with the laws of the HKSAR within the period specified in Article 3 of the Decision.

The HKSAR is to administer the Hong Kong Port Area and Related Extended Areas at the Huanggang Port as a closed area.

2. The areas over which the HKSAR is authorized to exercise jurisdiction comprise the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area, the deck of the Shenzhen section of the Lok Ma Chau Bridge connecting the port, the interior of the bridge box girders accessible via the bridge deck, and the surfaces of the connecting roads. The date of commissioning of the relevant areas, and their specific coordinates and area, are to be determined by the State Council. The use of the aforesaid areas is not to be altered within the period specified in Article 3 of the Decision.

3. The HKSAR Government acquires by way of a lease the right to use the Hong Kong Port Area and Related Extended Areas at the Huanggang Port. The term of the lease is to commence on the day on which the relevant areas are commissioned and is to expire on June 30, 2047. On the expiry of the term of the lease, with a decision of the NPCSC, the term of the lease may be renewed.

Upon receiving the determination from the State Council on the commissioning date of the Hong Kong Port Area and Related Extended Areas at the Huanggang Port, as well as the specific coordinates and area of the relevant areas, the HKSAR Government will introduce the relevant bill to the Legislative Council as soon as practicable, so as to take forward the local legislative exercise. The HKSAR Government will continue to work closely with the Guangdong Province and the Shenzhen Municipality to take forward all preparatory works of the opening of the Huanggang Port at full steam, proactively align the National 15th Five-Year Plan, and contribute Hong Kong's strengths to the high-quality development of the GBA. The HKSAR Government will maintain close communication with the Shenzhen side and will make timely announcements to the public once the official opening date of the Huanggang Port is finalised, with a view to creating a more efficient and convenient clearance experience for members of the public.

Source: AI-found images