The first comprehensive study tour for all Legislative Councillors to the National Academy of Governance since Hong Kong’s handover stands as a landmark milestone in Hong Kong’s transition from stability to prosperity. Between 19 and 23 July, I joined the Legislative Council delegation for intensive academic training combined with on-site field visits in Beijing. Stepping outside Hong Kong’s conventional mindset, I gained first-hand insights into China’s governance logic, industrial momentum and grassroots public service practices. As a legislator with decades of experience in the education sector, this journey has not only consolidated my constitutional awareness, but also carved out a clear roadmap to refresh Hong Kong’s national education framework and align it with national development strategies.

The meticulously structured curriculum was tailor-made to address Hong Kong’s actual governance challenges, laying out the internal logic of national and regional governance step by step. At the opening ceremony, senior officials from the Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs delivered a keynote address centred on the principle of “Patriots administering Hong Kong”, directly reflecting on past dysfunctions within the Legislative Council. It articulated a fundamental truth: legislative work must be rooted in national security and Hong Kong’s long-term collective interests, rather than narrow partisan manoeuvring. Having served as a legislator for years, I have witnessed first-hand how the implementation of the Patriots Principle has freed the Legislative Council from unproductive internal bickering, allowing lawmakers to focus on tangible priorities including people’s livelihoods, industrial growth and youth development. This session reaffirmed the core benchmark for all our legislative work.

Subsequent lectures by leading experts further expanded our macro-perspective. Scholars from the National Academy of Governance unpacked the Holistic National Security Outlook and analysed today’s volatile international landscape, sounding a clear alarm for Hong Kong’s education sector. For a long time, distorted values and fragmented historical narratives have lingered within parts of Hong Kong’s schooling system, forming a vulnerable frontier for national security in the cultural sphere. Refining the curriculum for Citizenship and Social Development and rolling out systematic national security education are never perfunctory formalities, but essential safeguards for Hong Kong’s younger generation. Vice President Xie Chuntao delivered a systematic lecture on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, equipping us with a complete theoretical framework to understand national policies and strategies. Researchers from Tsinghua University interpreted the planning priorities for the 15th Five-Year Plan, prompting me to explore how Hong Kong’s own five-year development blueprint can integrate with national overarching strategies, and embed STEM education and innovative talent cultivation into the Greater Bay Area’s integrated development agenda. Presentations by senior members of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee once again clarified the hierarchical legal relationship between the Constitution, the Basic Law and Hong Kong’s local ordinances. This is the core constitutional knowledge I have long strived to promote among educators and in school classrooms; robust universal constitutional awareness is the bedrock for the steady and successful implementation of One Country, Two Systems.

Theory gains true depth through practical observation, and immersive field visits turned abstract governance concepts into replicable real-world models. At the Museum of the Communist Party of China, we traced the century-long journey of national development, a complete and authentic historical narrative sorely missing from many young Hongkongers’ understanding. Fragmented, one-sided perceptions of the motherland often stem from incomplete historical education. Moving forward, I will continue to foster exchanges between educators on both sides of the boundary, organising study tours for Hong Kong teachers and students to mainland patriotic education bases to replace prejudice with tangible facts. At Beijing’s 12345 Citizen Hotline Service Centre, we observed a fully closed-loop public service mechanism covering public complaint intake, task dispatching, implementation and follow-up feedback. This efficient, people-centred governance model offers valuable reference points for Hong Kong to optimise its public complaint channels and upgrade grassroots government services.

The cross-district field visits on 23 July opened up entirely new perspectives on integrated governance and industrial innovation. Grassroots legislative liaison offices in Chaoyang District demonstrate how mainland authorities actively solicit public opinion at the community level, embedding citizens’ voices into every stage of lawmaking — an invaluable template for Hong Kong to refine its public consultation mechanisms and strengthen the Legislative Council’s channels for capturing grassroots feedback. The Longfusi Historical Quarter renewal project in Dongcheng District strikes a delicate balance between preserving cultural heritage and urban regeneration, offering a mature blueprint for Hong Kong’s own old-town revitalisation and indigenous cultural preservation efforts. Our tour of the Xpeng Super Factory, robotics exhibition hubs and artificial intelligence enterprises left a profound impression of the explosive momentum of China’s new productive forces. As the nation ramps up investment in AI and advanced manufacturing, Hong Kong boasts unique strengths in international research talent and capital. We are well positioned to align with national innovation strategies, upgrade local technology curricula, and create internships and career pathways in the Greater Bay Area for Hong Kong youth to ride the wave of national development.

During evening panel discussions, legislators from different functional constituencies exchanged insights and refined governance proposals. Drawing on my experience in education policy, I led deliberations on deepening national education, expanding cross-boundary teacher and student exchanges, and advancing digital education upgrades. I also benefited greatly from peers’ perspectives on the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy and professional services expansion into the mainland. Such diverse dialogue equips me to formulate more holistic policy recommendations for Hong Kong upon my return.

This study tour for all Legislative Councillors is far more than a sightseeing exercise; it represents a fundamental shift in mindset. Large swathes of Hong Kong society have long adopted a narrow local lens to view the world. This Beijing visit has taught us to observe Hong Kong from the broader national perspective. As the Legislative Councillor for the education sector, my mandate extends beyond parliamentary advocacy: I am tasked with building a lasting bridge for educational connectivity across the boundary. Upon returning to Hong Kong, I will translate these learnings into concrete action: rolling out improved teaching resources for national education on campus, aligning Hong Kong’s STEM curriculum with national innovation priorities, forging sister-school partnerships between top mainland institutions and Hong Kong schools, and guiding teachers and young people to develop a comprehensive, objective understanding of our motherland.

Our motherland’s robust backing is Hong Kong’s greatest competitive advantage, and integration into national development is the only path to sustained prosperity. The insights gained from this study tour will fuel my legislative duties ahead. I will continue to anchor my work in education, nurture cross-boundary communication links, and support Hong Kong to define its niche and seize opportunities within the national development landscape, fully realising our transition from stability to lasting prosperity.

By Tang Fei

Member of Hong Kong Legislative Council

Cover Photo: File Photo