Since July 15, a total of 98 college students from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao went on a 10-day tour to enjoy the international urban scenes in Hong Kong, the integration of Chinese and Western culture in Macao and the overseas Chinese culture in Jiangmen.

During the tour, students learned a lot about traditional culture from ancient architecture, martial arts, folk arts and local cuisine. The group also communicated with each other to increase a sense of common identity.

A group photo of all the guests and students at the closing ceremony. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

Zhang Yimin (R), vice head of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province, presents a gift to a student at the closing ceremony. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

The closing ceremony of the tour “2019 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Youth Cultural Exchange Programme” was held in Jiangmen on July 24, featuring cultural performances and games by all students.

Zhang Yimin, vice head of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province, Hon Man-bun, CEO of the Civil Affairs Division of the Home Affairs Bureau of the HKSAR, Chen Xuwei, Director of the Higher Education Bureau of the Macao SAR and Cai Dewei, Deputy Mayor of Jiangmen, among other individuals from both Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, also attended the ceremony.

Students from Guangdong perform on the stage. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

Students from Hong Kong perform on the stage. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

Students from Macao perform on the stage. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

Both Chen Jingrong from Hong Kong and Huang Kaiqi from Macao expressed their feelings of not willing to end the tour and leave their group members in their speeches at the closing ceremony, and said that the experience and friendship they gained from this trip will never be forgotten.

Deng Wenjie from Guangdong’s South China Normal University sent out an invitation to his friends from Hong Kong and Macao, inviting them to visit Guangdong again in the near future.

Since 2009, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province, the Home Affairs Bureau of the HKSAR and Higher Education Bureau of the Macao SAR and have jointly organized the program eleven times. More than 1,000 young people have participated in the program which seeks to help participants better understand the cultures of the three places through exchanges, visits, seminars and other activities in Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao.

Three students from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao play a guessing game on the stage. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

Students from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao sing a song together on the stage. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

Li Haoqian, a senior student majoring in animation and visual effects at The Open University of Hong Kong, said that this was the first time he took part in such a tour to ancient villages in the Chinese mainland where he saw true aspects of common people's livelihood. Li said the Chinese mainland is developing quickly and there are a lot of things for him to learn, so he hopes to come again for further study.

Liang Jiajie, from Macao, a senior student majoring in marking at the Ji'nan University in Guangzhou, said he got to know different cultures from the group members who are from different cities around the country, which made the trip much more interesting than he expected. Liang said that the students from the Chinese mainland are brave and responsible, and those from Hong Kong are insightful and have good presentation skills.

Wang Andong, a sophomore majoring in law at Wuyi University in Jiangmen, told the reporter that students from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao share a lot in common. He was deeply impressed by all the scenic spots and cultural venues that he visited in the three regions. Wang said the tour also helped him better understand his hometown of Jiangmen and he is proud of it.

Authors: Monica Liu, Pu Enling (intern)

Editor: Chris