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| UM students visit government organs and meet with senior officials |
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| UM students at a Hope Primary School |
The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macao SAR recently co-organized an exchange visit to the mainland cities of Beijing and Tianjin for University of Macau’s (UM) Honours College (HC) students, in an attempt to help the students better understand China’s political, economic and cultural developments.
During the 8-day stay in mainland China, the twenty-six HC students, along with Deputy Director-General of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macao SAR Hong Bo and HC Dean Prof. Mok Kai Meng, visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, and the Great Hall of the People, and was warmly received by senior government officials, including Zhan Yongxin, director-general of the Department of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Nie Quan, also from the Department of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs; Qian Lijun, director-general of the Department of Exchange and Cooperation, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council; Li Fei, deputy director of the Committee for Macao SAR Basic Law and the Committee for Hong Kong SAR Basic Law; and Li Wenyuan, vice division chief of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of Tianjin Municipal People's Government.
The organizers also arranged for the students to visit Tianjin Tingyi International Food Co., Ltd., Master Kong Instant Noodle Impression Museum, the General Assembly Line of Airbus A320, museums, old residencies of famous personages, Nankai University, and so on. The group also visited two Hope Primary Schools in Tianji where they surprised the children with English books and teaching materials.
Some students used an old saying, “He that travels far knows much”, to describe the benefits of the trip, saying that the experience was both a visual and intellectual feast for them and that they have learned a lot from face-to-face meetings with senior government officials. Some felt the trip enhanced their understanding of and love for the motherland, adding that visits to the two Hope Primary Schools taught them to treasure what they already have.
