Chinese University of Hong Kong sets up flag-guard team to nurture students’ ‘national belonging’
Hong Kong Free Press
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has selected students to form a flag-guard team for the purpose of “nurturing students’ national belonging” and “enriching their learning experience,” the university’s vice-chancellor has said.
The newly established team led the university’s flag raising ceremony for the first time on Monday as the school began its new academic year. The event was attended by around 140 people including members of the university’s council, students, alumni and lawmakers, who were given Chinese and Hong Kong flags to hold.
In a speech delivered in Mandarin, Cantonese and English at the inauguration ceremony, CUHK’s vice-chancellor and president Rocky Tuan delivered part of his address about national security in Mandarin. While talking about the development of technology, he spoke in English and Cantonese.
“Today, as you formally become a member of the CUHK community, you all arrive with an opportunity and a responsibility to learn about the rich and complex history of our country and its development in the modern era, increase your awareness of national security and cultivate a strong sense of national identity,” Tuan said in Mandarin.
The vice-chancellor also encouraged students to explore opportunities in the Greater Bay Area.
Tuan has been the subject of attack of pro-establishment figures, including former chief executive Leung Chun-ying who slammed Tuan over what he said was a “soft” approach to handling students during the 2019 protests and unrest.
Tuan recently was absent from meetings discussing a bill related to the restructure of CUHK’s council at the Legislative Council because he had taken sick leave. The bill was controversial as it proposed allowing people not originally affiliated with the university to take up decision-making posts on the council.
CUHK is collaborating with the Hong Kong Army Cadet Association (HKACA) – whose honorary sponsors include the commander of China’s People’s Liberation Army – to train students selected for the flag guard team as part of a four-week programme, the university said in a press release.
HKFP has reached out to CUHK for comment on how the students were selected and the details of their training.
Education University also said it set up a flag-guard team for a ceremony to welcome the new academic year.
Flag raising at universities
Flag-guard teams are common at schools and universities in mainland China, where some students are tasked with frequent flag raising, including on special occasions and patriotic anniversaries.
Hong Kong passed amendments to the National Flag and National Emblem Ordinance in September 2021, which stipulated that the Education Bureau should give directions to schools for “matters relating to the daily display of the national flag” and “the weekly conduct of a national flag raising ceremony.”
Following the amendments, many secondary schools and universities began holding regular flag-raising ceremonies, as well as grand ceremonies with top officials in attendance on occasions such as the Handover anniversary and National Day.
To ring in the first day of the new year in 2022, CUHK, the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Education University of Hong Kong and Lingnan University all held flag-raising ceremony, with flag-guard teams formed by HKACA or university security guards. Lingnan University also said at the time that it would select students to form a flag-guard team.
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