Summer Work: HK, Macao students do internships on mainland

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02:11

Summer isn't all about fun in the sun. A growing number of college students from Hong Kong and Macao are spending their summers on the mainland taking part in internships. As one Hong Kong student told CGTN, his summer internship in the city of Guangzhou is really paying off.

One thing the third-year management student has learned from his month-long internship is that you have to start early. At least in the day.

YIP CHAK YEUNG NATIONAL CHUNG HSING UNIVERSITY "You would think we would have come prepared coming from Hong Kong. But morning rush hour traffic here is so overwhelming."

Early starts get more work done. Interning at a heavy-weight retail company, Yip has been in several functional positions in just four weeks. From management execution where he mostly observes, to some real hands-on work that he happily carries out.

YIP CHAK YEUNG NATIONAL CHUNG HSING UNIVERSITY "I come from Hong Kong and studied in Taiwan, and have talked with students in the mainland. We have the same question at this stage, how do we prepare for the real job market?"

Luckily Yip has a coach for the answer.

LIU CHAOYANG, GENERAL MANAGER CHINA RESOURCES VANGUARD CO., WUYANG BRANCH "Whether they come from the mainland or the SARs, I give interns the same advice for professional life: be attentive to details, be industrious and be proactive."

The annual program connects college students from China's Special Administrative Regions like Hong Kong and Macao, to internships in the mainland. And it's becoming an increasingly popular choice.

SUN YE GUANGZHOU "The number of participants has nearly doubled from last year in this one Guangzhou program that Yip took part in. And the same trend is alive and well throughout the Greater Bay Area."

At the end of Yip's internship, he said he's refreshed, with a new kind of mainland morale.

YIP CHAK YEUNG NATIONAL CHUNG HSING UNIVERSITY "People here really persevere and go all out for their work. And that's the spirit I admire. In today's society, you have to work your way out."

Sun Ye, CGTN, GUANGZHOU.