More than 940 students and flag-raising team members from Hong Kong schools and universities departed West Kowloon Station on Friday aboard a direct high-speed train to Beijing, keen to join a youth exchange program that offers a firsthand window onto the nation’s history, culture and development.

They are part of a group of over 1,200 visiting students drawn from primary, secondary and tertiary institutions across the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and neighboring Guangdong province.

The event was jointly organized by the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, and the governments of the two SARs.

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Addressing the opening ceremony, Hong Kong Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin described Friday’s launch as “especially meaningful”, as Sept 18 commemorates the September 18th Incident — also known as the Fengtian or Liutiaohu Incident — in 1931, which marked the start of imperial Japan’s invasion of China.

“This is a day every Chinese must remember,” she said. “It reminds us that weakness invites aggression, and that unity is the source of strength.”

“That’s why we should treasure our country’s hard-won development today and better appreciate what the national flag represents.”

On the five-day trip, students will meet the Guard of Honor of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, visit the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum of China, tour local schools in Beijing, and survey state-of-the-art urban developments like Shougang Park— a high-end industrial services zone — along with several Chinese technology companies.

Choi said the trip would help students grasp the country’s remarkable achievements in economic growth and urban planning.

“Seize every rare opportunity, watching and recording with care,” Choi told students. “Fathom the history and responsibility behind our national flag and deepen your knowledge and sense of belonging to the country.”

Silvia Chan, a fourth-year international relations student at City University of Hong Kong, is among the participants. She said she was “very excited for the trip”, as she had heard that some of the sites and activities on the itinerary are being opened to Hong Kong students for the first time.

She added that traveling from Hong Kong to Beijing by high-speed rail is a personal first for her. “People often talk about ‘China speed’, and I think the high-speed rail is its best embodiment,” she said.

The eight-hour trip takes them through Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Changsha and Wuhan, among other stops. Chan said she was “most eager” to glimpse the development of the cities along the way — and later to visit major mainland enterprises in Beijing.

“A lot of Hong Kong young people are now weighing whether to build their careers in Chinese mainland cities across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area or further afield on the mainland,” she said. “I think this trip is a great chance for us students to observe and explore,” she said.

Miranda Li, a sixth-grade flag-raising team member at Bonham Road Government Primary School, said she was very much looking forward to the flag-raising ceremony at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.

She said that her years on the flag-raising team had taught her flag-raising skills and lessons in patriotism, among other things.

“Being able to watch the national flag rise at sunrise with my own eyes is something I take great pride in,” she said.

Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com