Students watch a flag raising ceremony at a school in the Yuen Long district of Hong Kong on Sept 30, 2021, ahead of the National Day. (ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)

More than 2,000 Shenzhen and Hong Kong teenagers on Thursday celebrated the National Day together through video links with poetry, songs, and dances.

They also witnessed the launch ceremony of a “hand-in-hand growth plan”. Under the plan, about 10,000 students from the two cities will pair up each year between 2021 and 2025 to strengthen exchanges and understanding.

In total, 245 organizations, including Shenzhen and Hong Kong middle and primary schools, associations, cross-border student service centers and some incubators, are taking part in the initiative.

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For instance, Holy Cross Lutheran School in Hong Kong and Jingpeng Elementary School in Shenzhen signed a memorandum at the launch ceremony agreeing to be partners in the plan.

Participating organizations will also provide internships and job opportunities for Hong Kong youth, as well as subsidies and accommodation for their work in Shenzhen.

“We have a good relationship with sister schools in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and this event is a valuable experience to conduct online interactive exchanges during the epidemic by making use of information technology,” said Wong Suk-fen, head of Holy Cross Lutheran School.

The growth plan will promote cultural, academic, and sports exchanges between students of the two cities, and enhance the friendship, she added.