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Tom Shuai

A group of ethnic minority pupils in Hong Kong are travelling to mainland China under the new five-year travel permit scheme for permanent residents with foreign passports, the first school tour of its kind designed to foster a deeper understanding of the nation.
The Yau Tsim Mong Multi-Ethnic Youth Cross-Cultural Innovation Exchange Tour launched on Monday, taking a group of more than 20 pupils from Yaumati Kaifong Association School on a three-day trip in Guangzhou and Foshan.
Cheung Ka-hou, general director of the Yaumati Kaifong Association, said the trip would help pupils understand the latest developments in the country.
“Many of the multi-ethnic students are born and raised in Hong Kong, but have few opportunities to visit the mainland,” he said, ahead of the group’s departure.
“This tour will help them better understand the country and enhance their sense of belonging.”
Beijing last month announced that from July 10, Hong Kong and Macau permanent residents with foreign passports could obtain a five-year multiple entry travel permit to the mainland for short-term purposes such as investment, visiting relatives, tourism, business, seminars and exchanges.
The permit holders can spend up to 90 days per stay on the mainland and also enjoy self-service clearance at control points.
Cheung said the permit “makes it much easier” for them to organise such cross-border tours.
“The new permit has a five-year validity period and unlimited entries, so students with the permit can participate in these tours held by schools and other organisations every year in a timely manner,” he said.
During the tour, pupils will stop by the GAC Technology Museum in Nansha, Guangzhou and the Foshan Zumiao Museum, a well-preserved historical Confucian temple and ancestors’ hall, among other things.
Diallo Hafsatu, 12, said she was excited to learn about Chinese culture and arts during the trip.
“I really want to visit the Ip Man Tong in the Zumiao Museum,” said Hafsatu, referring to the hall in the museum which is dedicated to martial arts legend Ip Man.
“As these are world-famous martial arts masters, I hope to be inspired by learning how they persevered.”
Her mother, Diallo Binta, 37, said in the past they had to apply for a visa and pay expensive processing fees each time.
“[In the past] we only had valid permits for like three months, and we are only allowed single entry,” she said. “The school is always promoting national security education and we believe that by going to China, it will help us better understand the development of the country.”

She expressed a willingness to let her daughter pursue career opportunities on the mainland if they arose in the future.
Calling the Greater Bay Area “one of the most open and economically vibrant regions in China” and “an economic powerhouse”, Undersecretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Clement Woo Kin-man said the opportunities available to Hong Kong people, regardless of their ethnicity, were enormous.
“Not only will this card-type document enhance the convenience of clearance at control points of the mainland, it will – more importantly – greatly facilitate cross-border visits by non-Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents, thereby enabling them to seize the historic opportunities, the rapid development of our country and the [bay area],” he said.
Woo also said Guangzhou and Foshan were advanced manufacturing hubs with extensive applications for robotics, and hoped students interested in the fields would make use of the trip and discover all the opportunities available.


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Education in Hong Kong

First batch of Hong Kong ethnic minority pupils depart for mainland China tour

A group of more than 20 pupils from Yaumati Kaifong Association School have embarked on a three-day trip in Guangzhou and Foshan. Photo: Elson Li

Diallo Binta (left) says she hopes daughter Diallo Hafsatu can explore work opportunities on the mainland. Photo: Tom Shuai

Hong Kong business executives predict smoother family travel with new mainland permit

Applications for the travel permit opened on Wednesday at China Travel Service centres. Photo: May Tse

Residents line up at the CTS service centre in Mong Kok. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong permanent residents book up service centre to get new mainland travel permit

The new permit will allow non-Chinese permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macau to visit the mainland for short-term investment, family trips, tourism, business, seminars and exchanges multiple times for a period of up to five years. Photo: Jelly Tse

A sample image of the new travel permit for Hong Kong permanent residents with foreign passports. Photo: Handout

More steps in visa measures to come after non-Chinese mainland permit for Hong Kong permanent residents: John Lee

Chief Executive John Lee attends the China Conference on Thursday. Photo: May Tse

City leader John Lee says the latest visa measure has underlined Hong Kong’s “singular status” under the “one country, two systems” governing principle. Photo: May Tse

News

Hong Kong

Society

Pupils using new five-year travel permits for permanent residents with foreign passports to take tour to better understand nation


Pupils using new five-year travel permits for permanent residents with foreign passports to take tour to better understand nation.


Ethnic minorities in Hong Kong

Hong Kong youth

National education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong society