About 40 staff of UOW College Hong Kong visited neighbouring Guangdong Province in an educational visit on 3 May 2024. With the enactment of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance in Hong Kong in March 2024, the College took the initiative to organize the one-day trip to selected spots that help enhance national identity among staff. Sights visited included the site of opium destruction in the town of Humen and the Opium War Memorial Museum, the Da Jiang Innovation Company, and the Special Exhibition of the 40th Anniversary of Guangdong’s economic reforms in Shenzhen. First was the site of opium destruction by Commissioner Lin Zexu in 1839, whose act triggered the war. Adjacent to the site was the Opium War Memorial Museum where there were interesting exhibits on the impact of opium on life in China in the 19th century, which led to the Opium Wars against England and the ceding of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula. At the Da Jiang Innovation Company, staff enjoyed an eye-opening demonstration of China’s technological advances in the development of drones for various commercial and recreational purposes. The day concluded with a visit to the Special Exhibition on the Economic Reforms in Guangdong, which began at Shenzhen and a few strategically selected cities. It was a most illuminating visit for staff, instilling in them a sense of pride in China’s achievements since the days of the Qing Dynasty.
Opium destruction site
Da Jiang Innovation Company
Special Exhibition on Economic Reforms