"Salute to the National Flag" Team Attends Flag-Raising Ceremony at Tiananmen Square, Strengthening National Pride

"Salute to the National Flag" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Flag-Raising Teams' Beijing Visit Delegation attends flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square

The "Salute to the National Flag" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Flag-Raising Teams' Beijing Visit Delegation attended the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square this morning (September 20). They were led by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, and various guests. Participants deeply experienced a sense of belonging to the country and national pride.

During today's flag-raising ceremony, the national flag rose slowly in the morning sun amidst a solemn atmosphere. Over 1 300 primary and secondary school teachers and students, tertiary students from Hong Kong and Macao, as well as representatives from the Association of Hong Kong Flag-guards and the Hong Kong Army Cadets Association, together with other participants, witnessed this solemn moment.

Dr Choi said that patriotic education is never an abstract concept, but requires personal experience and heartfelt appreciation. This "Salute to the National Flag" Beijing delegation embodies the concept of a"walking classroom", enabling students to step beyond their textbooks and experience the capital firsthand.

She said, "This morning's activity not only allowed students to directly feel the solemn atmosphere of the flag-raising ceremony, but also prompted them to reflect on the historical significance behind the national flag, deepening their identification with the country and the nation. Through this high-level key youth exchange programme, they have built a profound sense of national identity from the bottom of their hearts."

The delegation's programme today also included visits to primary and secondary sister schools in Beijing, as well as Peking University and Tsinghua University, allowing the teachers and students in the delegation to interact face-to-face with their counterparts on the Mainlandand learn more about campus life, learning philosophies, and youth aspirations in both places.

Dr Choi participated in the visits to Peking University and Tsinghua University, and met with the Secretaries of the CPC Committees of the two universities, Mr He Guangcai and Professor Qiu Yong respectively. She noted that Hong Kong is striving to build an international university town integrating talent cultivation, scientific research, transformation of outcomes, and industry development, and looks forward to the presence of prestigious universities from home and abroad which would help pool together top-tier global talent and inject momentum into Hong Kong's development as an international education hub.

Yesterday (September 19), Dr Choi visited Tianjin and met with Vice Mayor of Tianjin Mr Zhai Lixin to exchange views on further deepening educational co-operation between the two places. They also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on educational co-operation between the Education Bureau of Hong Kong and the Tianjin Municipal Education Commission. The MOU aims to further strengthen educational exchanges and co-operation between Tianjin and Hong Kong, give full play to the educational strengths of both places, and promote resource sharing and complementary advantages.

Dr Choi also visited the Haihe Laboratory of Brain-Computer Interaction and Human-Machine Interaction at Tianjin University to learn about its work on the industrialisationof innovative achievements. She noted that Hong Kong and Tianjin share a solid foundation of co-operation. She is confident that the two places can strengthen collaboration in scientific research, thereby aligning with the strategy of invigorating the country through science and education and contributing to the country's development into a strong nation in education.

In addition, Dr Choi visited Nankai High School in Tianjin to know more about its practices in integrating school history to pass on traditional Chinese culture and promoting students' whole-person development. She also visited the Exhibition Hall on Uprising of the Two Airlines to understand its successful experience in promoting patriotic education.

Dr Choi will continue her visit in Beijing tomorrow (September 21) to participate in activities of the "Salute to the National Flag" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Flag-Raising Teams' Beijing Visit Delegation.

The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, visited Tianjin yesterday (September 19) and toured the Exhibition Hall on Uprising of the Two Airlines. Photo shows Dr Choi (second left) listening to a briefing by a representative of the exhibition hall. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, visited Tianjin yesterday (September 19) and toured Nankai High School in Tianjin. Photo shows Dr Choi (second right) listening to a school representative introducing the campus. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, visited Tianjin yesterday (September 19) and toured the Haihe Laboratory of Brain-Computer Interaction and Human-Machine Interaction at Tianjin University. Photo shows Dr Choi (first left) listening to a university representative introducing its work on the industrialisation of innovative achievements. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, visited Tianjin yesterday (September 19) and met with Vice Mayor of Tianjin Mr Zhai Lixin to exchange views on further deepening educational co-operation between the two places. Photo shows Dr Choi (back row, left) and Mr Zhai (back row, right) witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding on educational co-operation between the Education Bureau of Hong Kong and the Tianjin Municipal Education Commission. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, participated in the visit of the "Salute to the National Flag" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Flag-Raising Teams' Beijing Visit Delegation to Tsinghua University today (September 20) and met with the Secretary of the CPC Tsinghua University Committee, Professor Qiu Yong. Photo shows Dr Choi (front row, third right) and Professor Qiu Yong (front row, centre) with the delegation and university representatives after the meeting. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The "Salute to the National Flag" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Flag-Raising Teams' Beijing Visit Delegation today (September 20) visited primary and secondary sister schools in Beijing, allowing the teachers and students to interact face-to-face with their counterparts on the Mainland and learn more about campus life, learning philosophies, and youth aspirations in both places. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, participated in the visit of the "Salute to the National Flag" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Flag-Raising Teams' Beijing Visit Delegation to Peking University today (September 20) and met with the Secretary of the CPC Peking University Committee, Mr He Guangcai. Photo shows Dr Choi (front row, third right) and Mr He (front row, centre) with the delegation and university representatives after the meeting. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The "Salute to the National Flag" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Flag-Raising Teams' Beijing Visit Delegation today (September 20) visited primary and secondary sister schools in Beijing, allowing the teachers and students to interact face-to-face with their counterparts on the Mainland and learn more about campus life, learning philosophies, and youth aspirations in both places. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The "Salute to the National Flag" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Flag-Raising Teams' Beijing Visit Delegation today (September 20) visited primary and secondary sister schools in Beijing, allowing the teachers and students to interact face-to-face with their counterparts on the Mainland and learn more about campus life, learning philosophies, and youth aspirations in both places. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The "Salute to the National Flag" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Flag-Raising Teams' Beijing Visit Delegation attended the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square this morning (September 20). They were led by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, and various guests. Photo shows Dr Choi (second row, second left) and other guests with students attending the flag-raising ceremony. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The "Salute to the National Flag" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Flag-Raising Teams' Beijing Visit Delegation attended the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square this morning (September 20). They were led by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, and various guests. Photo shows Dr Choi (front row, first right) and other guests with students attending the flag-raising ceremony. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The "Salute to the National Flag" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Flag-Raising Teams' Beijing Visit Delegation attended the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square this morning (September 20). They were led by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, and various guests. Photo shows Dr Choi (second left) and other guests with students attending the flag-raising ceremony. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The "Salute to the National Flag" Hong Kong and Macao Youth Flag-Raising Teams' Beijing Visit Delegation attended the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square this morning (September 20). They were led by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, and various guests. Photo shows Dr Choi (front row, third right) and other guests with students attending the flag-raising ceremony. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Enforcement actions against illegal hillside burial cases

The Home Affairs Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the Lands Department (LandsD) conducted a joint enforcement operation from November 10 to 11 at the two Permitted Burial Grounds (PBGs) of Tai Tong Shan Road in Yuen Long and Tap Mun in Tai Po against illegal hillside burials. A total of 10 illegal graves/urn houses/urns have been removed, and the human remains therein have been reburied at the Sandy Ridge Cemetery.

Photo source: reference image

The FEHD and the LandsD posted notices on a total of 10 unauthorised graves/urn houses/urns located within the above-mentioned two PBGs on September 22 and 23 this year, requiring the related persons of the graves/urn houses/urns concerned to cease occupation of the government land and to contact relevant government departments before October 26 and 27 this year respectively, or else the human remains therein would be reburied at the Sandy Ridge Cemetery. As all the 10 graves/urn houses/urns remained unclaimed upon expiry of the deadlines, the Government commenced this joint enforcement and clearance operation.

The Government has been implementing a pilot scheme on the management of PBGs in individual PBGs since 2016. Taking into account the actual circumstances of each PBG, the Government has been implementing appropriate improvement measures, including erecting boundary pillars for the PBGs, conducting record surveys of existing graves/urn houses/urns, imposing restrictions on the size of burial sites and demarcating available spaces in PBGs for new applications of burial sites in order to ensure that the places of burials are within PBGs. The pilot scheme has now been extended to 15 PBGs, covering all nine administrative districts in the New Territories.

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. Photo source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Having examined the data obtained from the pilot scheme, the Government has commenced enforcement actions against illegal burials in the PBGs in phases from July 2021 onwards. Besides conducting enforcement actions in the above-mentioned PBGs, the Government will also continue to take follow-up actions in other PBGs, including posting notices on other unauthorised graves/urn houses/urns before the coming Ching Ming Festival, with a view to removing unclaimed graves/urn houses/urns as soon as possible after the expiration of the notice period.

A Government spokesman reiterated that, according to the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 28), it is an offence when any person occupying government land, otherwise than under permission from the Authority, does not cease the occupation as required by a notice prescribed by the Ordinance. Any property or structure on the occupied government land may be demolished and removed by the Government, and the occupier may be prosecuted. Furthermore, according to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), it is an offence to bury human remains without the permission in writing of the Authority. Offenders are liable to prosecution, and the human remains inside the graves concerned will be removed.

The Home Affairs Department. Photo source: reference image