Photo: VCG

"The program is a good example of not only enhancing patriotism education and national spirit among Hong Kong's younger generation, but also understanding of the country's prominent tradi-tional culture and development," Starry Lee Wai-king, a Hong Kong member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said at the launch ceremony of the Chinese Intangible Cul-tural Heritage Inheritance School Promotion Program in Hong Kong on Monday.

The promotion program aims to boost fine traditional Chinese culture among younger generations in Hong Kong and put into practice promotional activities related to fine traditional Chinese culture, said Zhu Yonghong, vice chairman of Chinese Art and Crafts (Hong Kong). 

Hathor Wai, face-changing master Wai Shui Kwan's daughter, performed face-changing at the event. She said that it was her duty and responsibility to promote the traditional art of face-changing among Hong Kong students due to their lack of knowledge about the art form. 

Wai Shui Kwan is now the doyen of the face-changing field and is billed as the "National Master of Face Changing Art." In 2007, he set a record by changing 44 faces on a program on China Central Television and more recently created a new record of 76 faces. 

Hong Kong students at the event showed high enthusiasm to learn Chinese intangible cultural heritage. One of the students expressed his love for the traditional art of seal carving and said he hoped to participate in more activities related to Chinese intangible cultural heritage. 

The event was co-organized by CR Longdation, a property management arm of state-owned conglomerate China Resources Holdings, Chinese Art and Crafts (Hong Kong) and the New Territories School Heads Association.

Piloted in 2023 to 2024, the program will have multiple enrichment activities including lectures, exhibitions, workshops, parent-child classes and teacher development training courses. Meanwhile, the program will bring fine traditional Chinese culture into Hong Kong schools to boost the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage. 

On October 25, the Hong Kong government established the Patriotic Education Working Group and an Office for the Promotion of Chinese Culture, John Lee Ka-chiu, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, announced at a meeting of the Legislative Council. 

Lee underlined that through patriotism education, the government intends to foster a strong sense of national identity and cultivate an appreciation for traditional Chinese culture among Hong Kong residents.