The Patriotic Education Law was approved by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, at the conclusion of its latest session on Tuesday. The law will take effect on 1 January.
The law requires the nation to promote historical, cultural and “one country, two systems” education to strengthen the patriotic spirit and sense of identity of Hong Kong and Macau residents.
The policy of national reunification and related education will be provided to all Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots, to safeguard the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation and resolutely oppose separatist activities for “Taiwan independence”, the law says.
Starry Lee Wai-king, a Hong Kong member of the NPC Standing Committee, expressed her full support for the law.
Lee said the law, which proposes to strengthen Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots’ affirmation of the nation and outstanding traditional Chinese culture, as well as their awareness of safeguarding national unity and ethnic solidarity, points the way for Hong Kong’s patriotic education and opens a new page in the city’s patriotism.
She hoped that all sectors in Hong Kong would learn and implement the spirit of the law and create an ideal environment for promoting patriotic education in the SAR.
She also mentioned that the HKSAR Government has introduced many policies on patriotic education. With the enactment of the Patriotic Education Law, Lee said she would continue to work with the government to enhance Hong Kong people’s understanding of patriotism.
The law emphasises the importance of combining classroom teaching with practice, and instructs schools to organise student visits to patriotic sites and to integrate patriotic education into campus activities.
It emphasises the use of cultural relics, museums, libraries and memorial halls in patriotic education, and clarifies that patriotic education sites should enrich the content of their exhibitions and make it convenient for government departments, enterprises, social organisations and citizens to visit them.
It states that patriotic education must be carried out on important anniversaries and festivals through various ceremonies, such as hoisting the national flag, playing and singing the national anthem, and taking an oath to the Constitution.