Leung Chun-ying, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference gives a speech at the premiere of The Age of Awakening, held in Hong Kong on Monday. Photo: cnsphoto

Hong Kong youngsters said they long to watch hit TV series The Age of Awakening  to learn about the Communist Party of China (CPC), which experts and local politicians said would not only help them understand the Party correctly but also help them find out about their own position and development direction, as the city is in a critical moment of its development following the impact of social unrest and the epidemic. 

The Age of Awakening, a 2021 hit red drama from the Chinese mainland, narrates the story of how the CPC was founded in 1921. 

A premiere for the broadcast was held on Monday in Hong Kong. Leung Chun-ying, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said at the ceremony it's necessary to look back on the old and crucial days in China's history, when the pioneers chose to put the nation's fate ahead of their own.    

Leung said he also believes that Hong Kong residents, especially young people, can relate the events in the drama to themselves and have a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the course of the nation's rejuvenation.

The 43-episode award-winning series will be screened on i-Cable's entertainment channel at 8:30 pm on weekdays , according to Hong Kong news portal hk01.com. 

The series was China's most popular TV show in the first half of 2021 on the Chinese review platform Douban, with a rating of 9.3 out of 10 based on more than 300,000 reviews, according to a recent report of the platform.

Young Hong Kong residents reached by the Global Times said they had heard that the TV series drew many compliments in the Chinese mainland, and they long to watch it to learn more about the CPC and the motherland's history.

"I have watched the trailer of the series," Vincent Poon, chairman of the Committee of Professional Services of the Y.Elites Association, told the Global Times. "As a young person in Hong Kong, I have the honor to look back at history from the TV series, which lets us know the truth of history and allows us to learn from history." 

Poon noted that the series fully proves that the leadership of the CPC is the greatest strength of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Derek Tsang, another young Hong Kong man, said that he will recommend the series to friends and relatives. He watched some scenes on social media platforms and thought that the work was produced carefully, and it could take audiences back into those chaotic times.

"Let us review history more clearly in the indicated time sequence, and realize that a stable society is hard won," Tsang noted.

The CPC used to keep a low profile in Hong Kong in the past, which was considered appropriate under a certain historical context. But this year witnessed series of celebration activities at an unprecedented scale in the city, after the serious impact of social unrest and the COVID-19 epidemic.      

Experts reached by the Global Times noted that these activities would not only help Hong Kong residents, especially youngsters, to understand the CPC and the country's history more objectively and reasonably, but also help them figure out their own path as well the city's development direction in the future more clearly.  

Jacky Ko, a key opinion leader who runs a multimedia production studio in Hong Kong, had also heard of the series before and said although he is busy working, he will watch the series.

"I think the series can help Hong Kong viewers, especially young people, learn from the patriotic youth who lived 100 years ago. They can not only understand the history of the country's revival, but also learn to work for China's self-improvement, as well as building a better Hong Kong through the work," Ko said.

It has become an appropriate time for the Party to have open and straightforward interactions with local residents in Hong Kong, Cheung Chi-kong, a close aide to former Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government chief executive Leung Chun-ying and executive director of the "one country, two systems" research institute, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview. 

"In the past, there were many people who had misunderstandings about the CPC, which appeared to be sensitive words. In fact, the leadership of the CPC is recognized by the Constitution, both in terms of political and legal status. 

"Meanwhile, the central government emphasizes its full jurisdiction over Hong Kong. Where's the full jurisdiction? It's in the hands of the CPC," Cheung explained. 

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, HKSAR Executive Council member and New People's Party chairwoman, echoed Cheung, noting that "If the CPC does not walk out of the shadows to talk about its achievements, it won't do any favors for the 'one country, two systems' principle as some residents will take it as negative for the country."