On the first day of the Year of the Dragon on February 10, 2024, a series of Spring Festival activities including dragon and lion dance make festive atmosphere strong in the Macao SAR. Photo: IC

Following the enactment of the Patriotic Education Law, a deputy from the Macao Special Administrative Region to the 14th National People's Congress proposed enhancing the patriotic education in Macao and stepping up efforts in building national security education bases during the ongoing two sessions. 

Loving the country and loving Macao SAR constitute the core values of the entire society of Macao. While the Macao SAR government continues improving its domestic legal system for national security, including completing the amendments to national security law and chief executive election law, pushing forward the revision of legislative assembly election law and the oath-taking law, there is still significant room for improvement in patriotic education in Macao, Ng Siulai, a deputy from the Macao SAR to the 14th NPC, said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Leveraging patriotic education resources of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Ng called for intensified efforts to build bases for patriotic education. 

As of 2021, there were a total of 585 national patriotic education demonstration bases across the country, with 17 located in South China's Guangdong Province, including the notable inclusion of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, she said. 

As a large scale cross-sea traffic engineering project cooperatively built by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao under the One Country, Two Systems framework, its significance is extraordinary. It is hoped that in the future, more bases symbolizing the integration and construction of the three regions will be established for patriotic education, possibly starting with the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone as a pilot program, Ng noted.  

By jointly developing the Hengqin-Macao patriotic education bases, a sense of closeness and participation can be instilled in Macao residents. There is a future opportunity to promote the inclusion of Macao's patriotic education sites into the national ranks of Patriotic Education Demonstration Bases, she said. 

The Macao NPC deputy also proposed leveraging the opportunity of the 75th anniversary of the founding of our country and the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland to promote a variety of patriotic activities through the collaboration between the mainland and Macao. 

These activities include cultural and entertainment performances, singing competitions, historical retrospective exhibitions, and historical lectures, which will be a strong emphasis on promoting Macao's successful experience under the One Country, Two Systems, enhancing education on the Constitution and the Basic Law, national conditions, Chinese history, and Chinese culture, as well as publicizing the Patriotic Education Law and national security-related laws, she said. 

"These efforts aim to deepen the understanding and identification of Macao residents with their homeland in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, thereby strengthening their awareness of national security and patriotic spirit," Ng added. 

The deputy also proposed focusing on the red tourism resources across multiple locations in the Greater Bay Area and the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone to carry on the research and study tours for local students in Macao. 

For example, Guangdong has 157 provincial-level patriotic education bases, while Macao possesses traces and buildings associated with modern historical figures such as Sun Yat-sen, Lin Zexu, Xian Xinghai, and Zheng Guanying.

By initially integrating the red tourism resources across both Guangdong and Macao, diverse research and study products catering to different ages and needs can be developed, she said.  

We need to develop a series of courses and activities centered on patriotism, love for Macao and national security, which could include subjects such as traditional Chinese culture, the Maritime Silk Road, and the development of modern Chinese history. Those activities are also designed to strengthen interaction among youth in both the mainland and Macao.