SAR puts nation first in teens' hearts

Impact of culture

To raise students' sense of national identity, the school established in 2005 the Chinese Cultural Arts Gallery, an exhibition center of Chinese culture and history located on campus. It is believed to be Macao's first and largest such facility. Occupying an area of around four classrooms, the center showcases some 1,500 items from various dynasties. These include ancient artworks, apparel, utensils and other historic relics.

After-school events are also held in the gallery, such as reading classical Chinese literature and appreciating Chinese tea. The gallery is free and open to all students of the school. Outside groups can make reservations to visit.

Compared with museum exhibitions, which often have particular themes, the content in the gallery is more comprehensive, diversified and accessible, said Chong Chon-foi, curator of the gallery.

What is offered at the gallery constitutes many students' first impression of Chinese culture and history, and this helps arouse their interest and inspires them to explore more by themselves, Chong said.

Besides this gallery, the school also organizes various activities to help students understand more about the country. In addition to seminars and campus fairs themed around promoting better understanding of Macao's Basic Law and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area blueprint, the school also participates in exchange activities on visits to the Chinese mainland.

This year marks the school's 10th consecutive year of participating in the national defense education camp organized by the Macao government. Over the past decade, several hundred students have received six-day military training in Zhongshan, Guangdong province.

In June, about 30 students took part in a five-day exchange trip to Guizhou province. Besides visiting patriotic education bases, they took art lessons in local schools and coproduced a short video with local students.

Student Chu Nga-kei, 15, previously considered Guizhou rather underdeveloped and impoverished. Yet after the trip, she realized that the province had much to offer, especially regarding media technology.

"There is even an AI anchor at a Guizhou TV station. Unlike a robot, it is highly anthropomorphic, and this was totally beyond what I had imagined," Chu said.

The trip piqued her curiosity about the vast land north of Macao, so she decided that when she grew up, she would seek out advanced study and development opportunities in first-tier mainland cities.

Thanks to her school's efforts, a growing number of students now share those feelings. According to Kou, only about 20 high school graduates decided to further their studies on the mainland three years ago. But by last year, the number had reached about 70.

The school's accomplishments in patriotic education are in line with the city's attempts to boost locals' national identity over the two decades since Macao returned to the motherland in 1999.

In 2006, the SAR government stipulated that cultivating students' responsibility and affinity for Macao and the nation were major educational targets.

In addition to listing Chinese history as a compulsory subject in secondary education, Macao authorities also widely promote historic and civic education textbooks co-designed with the mainland's official press.

What's more, primary school students in Macao are required to understand the history and meaning of the national flag and emblem, and learn to sing the national anthem.

A youth exchange program launched in 2016 by the SAR government and Macao Foundation has attracted more than 3,300 Macao youths to visit mainland cities.

Over the past 20 years－thanks to concerted efforts of the SAR government, educational institutions, and social groups－Macao's people have a relatively strong sense of belonging to the nation, Kou said.

Against the backdrop of the nation's rapid development and closer cross-boundary interactions in recent years, deepening understanding of mainland cities is becoming increasingly necessary. To maintain competency, Kou encourages local youths to explore the land across the boundary. Whether they tend to stay in the city, or seek opportunities elsewhere, it will be a wise choice, Kou said.