Patriotic education has become a top political priority in Hong Kong in the wake of years of social unrest, yet this emphasis is nothing new. Tung Chee-hwa, the city’s first chief executive, was a strong supporter of integrating Chinese values into young people’s education.
Tung’s successor, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, and his administration developed Hong Kong’s first attempt at national education in the form of a new school subject, moral and national education. This initiative continued to face strong community pressure through the beginning of Leung Chun-ying’s tenure as chief executive.
Leung eventually shelved the national education guidelines in October 2012, though he stopped short of withdrawing the subject entirely. It remained as a curriculum option for schools that wished to use it. The post-2019 emphasis on patriotic education, therefore, is best seen as the most recent attempt under Chinese sovereignty.
In addition, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee passed a patriotic education law in October 2023. The law will not be included in Annex III of the Basic Law, a process which signals a national law will be applied in Hong Kong. Even so, the city’s government discussing the law makes it clear the legislation will exert significant influence here.
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