To many Hong Kong residents, the first weekend of July was marked by a surge of pride and patriotism when they took part in open-ship activities hosted by a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy fleet on a five-day visit to Hong Kong starting from Thursday.
The fleet consists of guided-missile destroyer Nanning and guided-missile frigate Hengyang, along with ship-borne helicopters and marines. The fleet made the port call as part of celebrations marking the 29th anniversary of the city's return to the motherland.
Shi Lingchi, a PhD candidate in physics at the City University of Hong Kong, felt "extremely honored" to board the Nanning, a ship designed and built by China that had carried out multiple missions. It was deployed to Sudan in April 2023 to evacuate hundreds of Chinese citizens and foreign nationals from a civil conflict.
Shi said that when she was little, she used to sit on the shoulder of her uniformed grandfather, a veteran from southwest China's Sichuan Province.
"Now we stand on the shoulders of our forefathers, who had created a peaceful and prosperous environment for us to pursue scientific breakthroughs," she said.
The open-ship event offered visitors first-hand insight into advances in China's new-era national defense and military modernization. A 58-year-old retired policeman admired the military equipment on board, taking photos with professional equipment, while an eighth-grader was shown how a shotgun would work in combat.
Officers and soldiers on the vessels are excited about gaining some gourmet experience during the port call. Liang Qiurui, an officer on Hengyang who guides visitors, said the enthusiasm of the Hong Kong residents was contagious. For his first time in Hong Kong, he looks forward to walking around town and trying Hong Kong-style desserts.
Hong Kong residents snapped up a total of 14,000 tickets for the activities, which also include a concert at the PLA Hong Kong Garrison's naval base on Stonecutters Island.
