Hong Kong students in mainland for summer vacation

World
Europe

01:34

Around 1,000 university students from Hong Kong have been spending their summer vacation interning on the mainland to learn more about the country and pave the way for future careers. Cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Dunhuang are taking part in a program initiated by the government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region last year.

Lam Hoi-ting is an architecture major student at the City University of Hong Kong. This is her first time at the Palace Museum in Beijing. Over the course of the summer, she has been helping restore ancient buildings.

The six-week experience gave Lam some insight into her future career trajectory.

"I learned about ancient Chinese architecture at school, but it was all just empty information from textbooks. Now, stepping into the Palace Museum, I can touch the structures, which is helpful for my studies. And after this, I may consider pursuing cultural relic conservation as my career," said Lam Hoi-ting.

Some students have also been interning at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China. /VCG Photo

They have close contact with the latest technologies and learn about China's tremendous achievements in the past 40 years.

"I think we should pay back for what the motherland has given us. China is now promoting the Greater Bay Area, and I want to work there after graduation to help build a better China and brighter era with my compatriots from the mainland," said Leung King-Chun, a Hong Kong student.

Besides the Palace Museum and CAS, Hong Kong students are interning in other places, such as the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province, which is known for its giant panda protection program, and Dunhuang in Gansu Province, home of the Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

(Cover: Forbidden City. /VCG Photo)