Launch of first Hong Kong school fair for mainland Chinese draws nearly 10,000 attendees, as pupils seek out less intense learning space
- Hong Kong school councils hold expo in bid to combat flagging student population, as mainland parents eye chance to avoid student burnout culture back home
- ‘Schools in Hong Kong are more inclusive than schools in the mainland … I want my boy to live a happy life instead of a tired life,’ one parent says
Nearly 10,000 people attended the launch of Hong Kong’s first education fair targeting mainland Chinese pupils on Friday, with many families hoping their children could avoid the intense academic competition across the border.
Members of the local school sector said the expo launch received a very positive response and hoped similar events could be held in the future.
The three-day GBA Hong Kong School Education Expo is being organised by four major school councils and brings together more than 120 primary and secondary institutions, which represented nearly all of the city’s aided and semi-private schools.
The attendees were mainly families from the mainland, coming from cities such as Shenzhen, Wuhan and Beijing. Organisers said the event attracted nearly 10,000 parents and pupils.
“I don’t want to put my child in a mainland environment,” father-of-one Chen Li said. “The involution there is becoming more and more concerning, and I worry that it may cause psychological issues for my child.”
Chen, 40, was referring to the mainland’s burnout culture, known as nei juan, or “involution”, resulting from the intense competition and pressure faced by students of all ages.
