Hong Kong’s No 2 calls for soft approach to instil patriotism among youths

“Understanding [the country] is the first step, and the ultimate goal is to achieve emotional connection, genuine acknowledgement of the country, a sense of pride for the nation with a conscious effort to love and safeguard the country.”

“A hard-selling approach is not the way to go,” the chief secretary added.

Chan said the new Working Group on Patriotic Education, led by him, had a mandate to “make loving the country and Hong Kong … a core value of the city”.

The group, comprising 12 government representatives and 13 non-official members, would coordinate with the different departments and social sectors on four areas: school education; local community; history, politics, economy and culture; and media publicity.

Since local schools already included patriotic education in their curriculum, schools could also spark students’ interests through a range of activities on campus, Chan said.

He hoped authorities and schools could subtly introduce national history and achievements to students through films, cultural events, visits to aerospace facilities, among others.

Chan said he believed arranging for students to experience life on the mainland could also help them understand the country.

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Representatives from different mainland provinces and cities could also be invited to organise cultural activities or performances in Hong Kong, he added.

The No 2 official said the aim is to carry out activities to enhance the public’s understanding of the country, but he did not give a definite timetable to push forward these programmes.

He also rejected calls of pushing forward a separate legislation on patriotic education like the mainland.

Chan said this year marks the country’s 75th anniversary, and the city government would launch the “Love the Country, Love Hong Kong, Love the Community” campaign, to create a National Day atmosphere through a diverse range of activities.

Asked if criticising the government was allowed, Chan said any well-intentioned criticism and constructive suggestions for the improvement of the government and society were welcomed.

The new working group was conceived last year when Beijing passed its patriotic education law, which came into effect on January 1.

The legislation laid down guiding principles, a leadership mechanism for patriotic education, as well as the duties of departments involved.

Its scope also included provisions on patriotic education “for different groups such as compatriots in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.”

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Group convenor Starry Lee Wai-king, the sole Hong Kong delegate to the nation’s top legislative body, said the city can take reference from the mainland bill in promoting patriotism.

Lee said patriotism should be integrated into the school curriculum as well as extracurricular activities.

At the same time, activities such as the Chinese cultural festival as well as museums and libraries could be used for ‘softer ways of promotion’, she added.

“The group will work together with the government to make patriotic education work more accessible,” said the member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.

Lee mentioned last year that Beijing would closely monitor Hong Kong’s implementation of patriotic education even though the city was not legally required to enforce the new law.