Chief Secretary for Administration Chan Kwok-ki (front row, sixth right) and Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin (front row, seventh right) pose for a photo with a delegation of Hong Kong secondary students before they set off the Chinese mainland for a study tour, at the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, in Hong Kong, on April 3, 2023. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

Over 4,000 secondary students and teachers from Hong Kong have undertaken study tours to the Chinese mainland, visiting places such as Shanghai, Guangdong and Fujian, by Nov 24, according to the city’s Education Bureau.

They included 3,760 secondary school students and 400 teachers. The study tour, ranging from one to five days, is a mandatory requirement for Citizenship and Social Development, a core subject under the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education  – the city’s college entrance exam.

Among the destinations, Shanghai and cities in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area have proven to be the most popular. Most schools have opted for 2- or 3-day tours, according to the bureau. 

In a statement to the Legislative Council, the bureau said it has received applications for study tours from 497 schools for the 2023/2024 academic year, with over 50,000 students and 5,500 teachers expected to take part.

By the end of November, the Education Bureau had hosted seven mainland study tours for newly hired teachers and four for recently promoted teachers

The first batch of tours kicked off between early April and the end of August. 

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The bureau noted that the study tour provides students with an opportunity to personally experience the country’s culture and latest development, thereby broadening their horizons and affirming their sense of national identity.

After the tour, students consolidate their findings in the form of a report.

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All students enrolled in secondary schools in Hong Kong are eligible to be fully sponsored for one mainland study tour.

Furthermore, this year’s Policy Address proposed that newly hired teachers should attend mainland study groups, and there should be more opportunities to visit the mainland for incumbent teachers.

READ MORE: HK teachers tour Chinese mainland 

By the end of November, the Education Bureau had hosted seven mainland study tours for newly hired teachers and four for recently promoted teachers. A total of 1,100 teachers attended.

For currently employed teachers, the bureau is also planning to host mainland study groups featuring a variety of themes. Among them is a Sichuan study tour centered on national energy development and cultural preservation.