Residents and visitors headed out across Hong Kong on Tuesday to make the most of a public holiday for China’s National Day and the associated events and discounts on offer – including free admission to government-managed museums.
The Hong Kong Museum of History, home to two new exhibitions – the National Security Exhibition Gallery unveiled in early August, and an exhibition on the achievement of China launched last Friday – was particularly busy.
Visitors, who by the afternoon had formed a queue outside the national security exhibition, were subject to recently introduced security checks, in place to prevent anyone from entering with weapons such as knives.
Chen, a new immigrant from mainland China who arrived in Hong Kong just three days ago, told HKFP that he was at the museum because he wanted to know more about the history and culture of the city.
“The museum staff told me the exhibition about Hong Kong history was under renovation,” Chen, who only offered his surname, said in Mandarin while standing in front of an installation that introduced various concepts of national security. “But this national security exhibition is nice. Without a strong nation to rely on, we can’t stay safe.”
Chen said he had founded a tutoring school in mainland China. But since Beijing launched a crackdown on private tutoring services in 2021, Chen’s business had been negatively impacted.
“It’s hard to survive [in mainland China] if you don’t follow national policies,” Chen said, adding that he hoped to seek new opportunities in Hong Kong, a city he believed had more freedoms than those in mainland China.
Chow, a Hong Kong school teacher who was at the museum with his two children, told HKFP that the exhibition on China’s achievements was rich. Titled “Glorious Voyage: the Splendid Achievement of the People’s Republic of China,” it explores the country’s economic development since the 1980s and how it has supported Hong Kong.
“I learned about the development of drone technology of China, and that there is a bridge on the border of Guizhou province and Yunnan province, which is over 200 metres high,” Chow said in Cantonese. Through frequent visits to the mainland, Chow said he had understood the fast pace of China’s development over the past 20 years.
As a teacher, Chow said he was aware of the Hong Kong’s government’s various initiatives to promote national security and patriotic education.
“In schools, now there are regular weekly talks after flag-raising ceremonies. Just recently, a police officer came to our school to talk about national security. Our principal talked about the development of Chinese technology, military and history, as well,” Chow said.
“As a Chinese person, I think we should learn more about the history and development of China.”
In the national security exhibition, two exchange students from France and Canada who asked to remain anonymous told HKFP that they had stumbled across the exhibition, calling it “very unique” as they had never before visited an exhibition focused on national security.
“But the exhibition is mainly in Chinese. Some videos do not offer English subtitles. So for us, it’s mainly an exhibition for the eyes,“ the Canadian student said, adding that they could not fully understand the exhibition.
In front of an exhibit showing a hard copy of the Beijing-imposed national security law, Li, a secondary school student originally from mainland China told HKFP that he was visiting the museum with his brother to celebrate China’s achievements.
“We feel very proud and happy, especially as today is National Day,” Li, who moved to Hong Kong two years ago with his family, told HKFP in Mandarin.
Among the installations he head seen were those on the 2019 protests and unrest, which focused on violent protests and enforcement actions taken by the Hong Kong Police Force. Li said he had read a similar narrative in Chinese news outlets while he was still in the mainland in 2019.
‘I thought goosestepping was cool’
At the Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence, more than 100 teenagers from three cadet groups took part in a National Day flag-raising ceremony and two drill performances on Tuesday morning.
Members from the Hong Kong Adventure Corps, the Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps and the Hong Kong Air Cadet Corps played military band music and formed the pattern of “75” to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.
Form Four student Anna was one of the cadets who performed in front of more than 100 spectators. She told HKFP that she had spent the previous night at a nearby holiday village with her peers before arriving at the museum at 6 am on Tuesday to prepare for the ceremony.
Unlike during earlier performances, the 16-year-old, who joined the group two years ago, said the cadets had received no verbal instructions for the goosestep performance on Tuesday. Instead, she had to memorise the eight-minute routine, which she said made her “a little nervous.”
Anna added that she had also performed at Golden Bauhinia Square on July 1, when Hong Kong marked 27 years since its handover from Britain to China.
“I joined the group because I thought goosestepping was very cool, and my elder brother is also in it. Many of the cadets cried last night, because they will soon leave the group after graduating from secondary school,” she told HKFP in Cantonese.
John, in his 30s, visited the museum in Shau Kei Wan with his wife and two-year-old son, who had a Chinese national flag and a red balloon in his hand.
John told HKFP that it was the first time he had set foot in the museum since it had reopened last month following a revamp. The museum, previously called the Museum of Coastal Defence, was renamed to refer to the Second Sino-Japanese War, more commonly known in China as the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
The renaming was part of a patriotic education push announced last year that includes the new national security exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of History.
John said while his son may be too young to understand the War of Resistance, he felt the need to educate him about his country from a young age. He went on to say that the 75th anniversary was special, and he could feel a stronger atmosphere across the city with more events and decorations to mark the National Day.
Asked how he felt about the development of China over the past 75 years, John said the country was advancing amid “chaos” across the world.”
“You can see that the whole world is very chaotic, but China is moving forward,” John said in Cantonese.
Another visitor, Claire, 27, was surprised by the drill performance when she visited the museum for the first time with her mother and two-year-old son. Originally from mainland China, she moved to Hong Kong for work last November, and told HKFP that the celebratory atmosphere on National Day in Hong Kong was stronger than in mainland China.
“The performance was stunning, [the youngsters] were very outstanding,” she said in Mandarin.
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