Special Topic: Patriotism and Love for Hong Kong Youth Responsibility
The author | Chen Xi, a reporter for "Sons and Daughters of China"
Edited | Wang Biqing
Mr. Leung delivered a speech at the launch ceremony of the 2019 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Hong Kong Youth Internship Programme
Liang Yuwei is a young entrepreneur. Born in Hong Kong and developed in Dongguan, he chose to take root in the mainland, resonate with the development of the motherland, exert the new generation of entrepreneurial innovation spirit, and open up a new path for the family's traditional industry.
In addition to the enterprise, he also has a deeply loved career, that is, to "speak" for young people. As a member of the Standing Committee of the All-China Youth Federation and Chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth, Leung Yuk-wai has always been passionate about youth work, and has personally practiced different ways to let Hong Kong youth understand the development of the country, publicize and assist in the implementation of various central policies, and promote youth exchanges between the two places.
On 20 December 2021, the results of the election of the Seventh Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region were announced, and Leung Washik was elected as a member of the Legislative Council of the new Electoral Committee, which is also the first time that the Legislative Council has representatives from the youth sector.
Talking about his feelings about being elected, Liang Yuwei felt that he had a "heavy responsibility". "This election is the first Legislative Council election after improving the election system in the Hong Kong Sar. We want to send a strong message to the outside world that our democratic system with Hong Kong characteristics is feasible and successful. I feel that I have a heavy task, both the responsibility to do a good job and the responsibility to tell the story of Hong Kong and China. ”
Summoned by the heart, return to China to develop
Liang Yuwei's father, Liang Lin, was a native of Dongguan and went to Hong Kong as a young man to work hard to create Longchang Toys Co., Ltd. After hard work, the company has developed into an industry leader, listed in Hong Kong in 1997, becoming one of the few listed companies in the toy industry.
Mr. Liang Lin gave back to his hometown after his career success, and opened the first processing factory in Dongguan in 1980, which was one of the first Batch of Hong Kong businessmen to invest and build factories in Dongguan in the early stage of reform and opening up. Later, the company's headquarters also moved to Changping Town, and Longchang Toys made great progress in Dongguan. After more than 50 years of development, Longchang Group has expanded from a single toy production to a number of fields such as intelligence, education, electronic digital, etc., and its products have been exported to more than 100 countries and regions in the world.
Liang Lin often told several children about the history of the family and the story of his hometown. "My father often told us that we must know where we come from, where our roots are, be proud of the motherland, and understand that without the motherland's reform and opening up, there would be no prosperity and development now." Liang Yuwei recalled that he often followed his father back and forth between Hong Kong and Dongguan since he was a child, and many happy memories of his childhood belonged to Dongguan. Touching fish in the fish pond of my grandparents' house, playing with mud in the field, setting off firecrackers during the Spring Festival... For Liang Yuwei, Hong Kong is home, and Dongguan is also home. He often introduces himself to others: I am from Dongguan and was born in Hong Kong.
In August 2021, Leung Yuk Wai (first from left) visited the residents of the Tenement House with the ACYC Parliamentary Leaders Training Class
Liang Yuwei has three brothers, and he is the second oldest. The father has strict requirements for his three sons, and has taught them from an early age to be serious, diligent and thrifty, and attaches great importance to cultivating the children's independent spirit. "Father often told us that a person should constantly try new things, constantly learn from the past, and if you stop trying and stop learning, that is the ceiling of your life." 」 Under such an education, Liang Yuwei dared to challenge from an early age and was eager to try new environments and fields. After graduating from primary school, he went to England alone to study. Talking about the difficulties of living and studying in a foreign country, Liang Yuwei only lightly downplayed a sentence: "I am not the first 12-year-old to study abroad. Since others can, why can't I? ”
During his study abroad, Liang Yuwei had to take care of the study life of his cousins who were also studying in the UK. Sincerity, enthusiasm and willingness to serve his personality have made him many friends, and most of the Chinese students in the school are familiar with him. Every weekend or festival, Liang Yuwei will go to the supermarket to make a purchase, busy for half a day, make a table of rich and delicious dishes, let everyone get together, lively.
When he was in college, Leung studied international management and after graduation, he worked for a consulting management company in the United Kingdom.
In March 2009, Leung, who was still in the UK, signed up to attend the national education when he learned that the National School of Administration was holding a national condition class for Hong Kong business people. In just ten days of study, he gained a lot and gained a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of history and national conditions. "Although I was no stranger to the mainland since I was a child, and I have many friends from the mainland, I have not had such in-depth contact with the development of the country, the development of Hong Kong and the international background." In the process of learning, his heart was touched, making him rethink his future.
"In modern times, China has been under aggression and suppression, and it is not easy to achieve today's development achievements. As a youth in Hong Kong, China, what can I do to enhance our country's competitiveness on the international stage? At that time, Liang Yuwei felt a kind of call in his heart, feeling that as a son and daughter of China, he must come back to participate in the cause of national development, "can not be delayed any longer." After the end of his studies, Liang Yuwei decisively resigned from his job in the United Kingdom and chose to return to China for development. Taking root in Dongguan, Liang Yuwei felt Dongguan's excellent business environment and strong support for Hong Kong businessmen. "Dongguan has a strong manufacturing base and a complete industrial chain, and is at the leading level in product design, packaging design and industrial design." In Liang Yuwei's view, Dongguan manufacturing industry provides important support for Longchang Group to go global, enabling enterprises to create a diversified product pattern and enhance the internal strength of scientific and technological innovation and research and development.
In addition to traditional business, Liang Yuwei vigorously promotes the transformation and upgrading of enterprises. Under his leadership, the "educational robot" developed by the company has become a pioneer in China's intelligent robot technology education, providing an overall solution for robot education for more than 2,000 schools in China. Talking about his own ideas, Liang Yuwei said that under the drive of science and technology, the pace of social development has been greatly accelerated. For the development of young people, more important than mastering knowledge and technology, it is more important to have some "soft skills", such as the way of thinking that adapts to the development of science and technology, the ability to think independently, the ability to solve problems, the spirit of innovation, and the spirit of teamwork, which need to be cultivated from an early age. In recent years, the company has cooperated with some local education departments to hold a number of robot competitions and innovation competitions in different cities in Hong Kong and the mainland. "It's not about making all kids roboticists, it's about developing them with innovative thinking and problem-solving skills so they can become more competitive people."
Promote the implementation of youth measures in Huigang
While developing the enterprise, Liang Yuwei had the opportunity to participate in some youth activities and hold corresponding social positions. The first mainland youth organization to join was the Dongguan Youth Federation. In order to better promote the communication and exchange of young people between Guangdong and Hong Kong, and promote cooperation between the two sides in the fields of economy and trade, science and technology, entrepreneurship and culture, Leung Yu-wai, with the strong support of enthusiastic people from all walks of life, founded the Wan-Hong Kong Youth Exchange Promotion Association to actively promote the internship program for Hong Kong university students in Guanguan. From the first event in 2015 to the present, Leung has led thousands of Hong Kong youth to intern in Dongguan and various mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, allowing them to see the changes and development of the motherland and the development opportunities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
In October 2021, the 12355 Greater Bay Area Youth Service Desk was opened
In 2015, Liang Yuwei was elected as a member of the 12th All-China Youth Federation, and in 2020, he was elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the 13th All-China Youth Federation. In addition, he is the Chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth. Liang Yuwei said that in the organization of the Youth Federation, he found a great sense of belonging. "The members of the All-China Youth Federation come from all over the country and are excellent representatives of all walks of life, and when everyone collides together, new sparks will burst out and many new ideas will be generated, which will make me gain a lot."
In order to promote the integration of Hong Kong youth into the overall situation of national development, in accordance with the unified arrangement of the central government, in September 2021, the All-China Youth Federation launched eight targeted measures to benefit Hong Kong youth. According to Leung Yu-wai, the eight huigang youth measures include providing internship opportunities for Hong Kong youth, exchange opportunities and employment opportunities in the mainland, launching an innovation and entrepreneurship project support plan, and optimizing and widening the Hong Kong track in a number of national youth science and technology innovation competitions, etc., and striving to break down barriers and open up the "last kilometer" for Hong Kong youth to develop in the mainland.
"Many of these preferential policies are given to Hong Kong for the first time in history, such as opening up channels for Hong Kong and Macao university students to apply for China Telecom Scholarships, etc., giving Young People in Hong Kong many opportunities to discover themselves and integrate into the development of the Greater Bay Area." Leung said, "I didn't know that awards such as the Chung Nam Shan Youth Science and Technology Innovation Award could also be participated by Hong Kong youth, which was also a learning process for me." He said that in the next step, the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Will continue to contact cooperative units extensively and continue to promote the implementation of measures to benefit Hong Kong youth.
The most important thing for young people in the two places is to communicate with each other
Liang Yuwei still remembers that when he was 16 years old, he participated in the youth exchange activities between the mainland and Hong Kong for the first time, and took a green car through Jinggangshan, Beijing, Qinhuangdao... While feeling the great rivers and mountains of the motherland, I also harvested a full of friendship. "Every time we go to a place, there are local youth receptions who accompany us to walk together," Liang Yuwei said, and every exchange activity, what impressed him most was often not what attractions and buildings he saw, but the exchanges between people.
From participating in youth exchange activities, to organizing youth exchange groups, to helping the Hong Kong SAR government design youth exchange, internship, entrepreneurship and other projects, Leung Yu-wai's identity is changing, and the original intention of serving young people has gradually become clear and firm in this process.
Among the many activities sponsored by the organization, Liang Yuwei was impressed by a Guizhou volunteer teaching experience group organized many years ago. 150 high school students from various schools in Hong Kong came to Guizhou for a six-day volunteer teaching activity. They teach English lessons, science experience classes, art lessons, physical education classes for local children... He also designed his own interactive sessions and played games with the children. In just a few days, the young people and children who volunteered to teach established a deep relationship. When they were separated, everyone was very reluctant. "The children chased after our bus, and almost every classmate shed tears." This scene makes Liang Yuwei unforgettable.
For the members of the volunteer group, although the activity was arranged in a single way and did not go to many places for sightseeing, everyone gained a lot, established friendship with the children in the mainland, and learned about their lives. Many students said that through volunteer teaching, they also understood the dedication of being a teacher and were more grateful to their teachers. Some students said that after going back, they would participate in the service of the youth exchange group and let their students and sisters also participate in such meaningful activities. "This proves that our exchange activities, in addition to going to various regions to see and understand the development of the country, but also to have people to get along and have real communication." As President Xi Jinping said, 'It is necessary to promote extensive exchanges, comprehensive exchanges and deep integration of young people in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and enhance the centripetal force towards the motherland.' This is very important. ”
During the 2019 National Day, the Hong Kong Youth Activity Committee of all walks of life, where Liang Yuwei belongs, organized more than 90 young people from various groups in Hong Kong to go to Beijing to carry out the "Growth of The National Flag" exchange activity with the soldiers of the National Flag Guard and youth role models from all walks of life. In Leung Yu-wai's view, the exchange work should be promoted in the form that Hong Kong youth like to hear, and they will truly recognize the activities, such as sports competitions, dance, e-sports and other common hobbies of young people as the carrier for social expansion. In 2019, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Basketball Tournament organized by Leung Yu-wai kicked off in Dongguan, with 80 students from 5 Hong Kong schools and mainland basketball youth "meeting friends with the ball".
On 16 September 2021, Leung Yuk Wai (first from left) attended the Central Huigang Youth Measures Seminar to talk with young people
"Next, our activity design should have more elements of deep integration, do a better job of theming the exchange group, and do a more solid job of in-depth communication, which is a very important direction for us to do youth exchange work in the future." Leung Yuk-wai believes that although the young people of the two places have different growth environments, they can complement each other and give full play to Hong Kong's international background and the profound Chinese cultural heritage of young people in the mainland, and there is a lot of room for cooperation. "To give full play to the way of thinking brought to us by the advantages of 'one country, two systems', we look forward to everyone wiping out more new sparks in the future and jointly integrating into the overall situation of national development."
It is hoped to promote the introduction of a medium- and long-term development plan for Hong Kong youth
In the process of running for election, Leung said that Hong Kong youth are also most concerned about some common livelihood issues, such as housing problems. "Everyone is very concerned about the difficulties brought by hong Kong's high housing prices to young people, whether it is starting a family or starting a business, the basis is to solve the housing problem, which is a reassurance pill for young people." In fact, when I talk to many young people, they don't necessarily want to buy a house, but they want to have a stable residence. Therefore, reducing house prices is half the solution, and the other half is to improve the supply channels of housing, such as affordable public housing, which requires a two-pronged approach. ”
The career planning and diversified development of young people are also issues of great concern to Liang Yuwei. In his view, Hong Kong's traditional industries such as the service industry and the financial industry have limited employment opportunities. How to create more different industries to match the individual development interests of young people, such as cultural industries and sports industries, to create a diversified way out for young people?
In this regard, Leung Yu-wai is very confident, he introduced that in addition to supporting Hong Kong's four "traditional centers", namely international financial centers, international shipping centers, international business and trade centers, and the Asia-Pacific International Law and Dispute Resolution Service Center, the state has planned four "new centers" for Hong Kong, namely the international aviation hub center, the international innovation and technology center, the regional intellectual property trade center, and the Sino-foreign cultural and artistic exchange center. "Development requires talent. In line with the new positioning and development direction given to Hong Kong by the state, it is necessary for relevant departments to work together, make plans, and make in-depth and practical cooperation, such as our educational institutions to carry out corresponding curriculum planning. ”
In addition, Leung believes that it is necessary to help Hong Kong youth establish a big picture view, establish a broader thinking and vision, and encourage them to jump out of their comfort zone, participate in the development of the Greater Bay Area, and integrate into the overall situation of national development, so as to find their own opportunities. At the same time, as youth workers and legislators, I should actively promote myself and provide them with some guarantees from the government level to make them feel more secure. Leung explained that for example, hong Kong youth need to quickly integrate into local life when they develop in the mainland. If special agencies are set up to help them guide them, how to do residence permits, how to seek medical treatment when they are sick, etc., we can help them solve some difficulties on these basic issues. In order to strengthen the exchange of talents, it is also important for the Mainland and Hong Kong to recognize each other's academic qualifications, professional titles and work experience.
Leung Yu-wai (second from right) participates in youth life planning activities
In addition to issues such as housing and career planning for Hong Kong youth, Leung said his biggest hope is to promote the introduction of a medium- and long-term development plan for Hong Kong's youth. "At present, youth work in Hong Kong is still stuck in individual activities and projects, scattered and unsystematic. It is very necessary to meet the needs of the country's development and society and introduce a long-term youth development policy with a relatively high vision, so as to be conducive to the growth of Hong Kong youth. Liang Yuwei said that this is a big topic, involving many departments, but he will spare no effort and hope to promote the realization of this work during his term of office.
Serve the development of young people and convey the voice of young people
Speaking of the feelings of this candidacy, the biggest point that Liang Yuwei feels is "change". "After improving the electoral system and implementing the policy of 'patriots governing Hong Kong,' the Legislative Council has become a more pragmatic parliament with fewer quarrels and more people doing practical things." The Legislative Council election has broad representation, political inclusiveness and balanced participation, and everyone will participate in the administration and discussion of state affairs from the starting point of hong Kong's development interests and national development interests, and the atmosphere will certainly be better and the efficiency will be higher. ”
Liang Yuwei said that there were no youth representative seats before the election committee. After improving the election system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Election Commission was expanded from four sectors to five sectors, and the new sectors of "Hong Kong Members of Relevant National Organizations" were added, including the Invited Members of the All-China Youth Federation Hong Kong District. This time he was elected, and he had the opportunity to speak out for the youth, and Liang Yuwei said that he would make good use of his four-year term to do more.
"Serve the development of young people and convey the voice of young people", this is the slogan put forward by Liang Yuwei in the election, and it is also the direction of his work in the next four years. In order to perform his duties more efficiently, Leung yu-wai decided to give up his corporate job for the next four years and serve full-time as a member of the Legislative Council. He said he would make greater efforts to reach out to young people from all walks of life in Hong Kong, hoping to serve as a bridge between the Legislative Council and young people. Leung yuk-wai promised to organise 400 youth meet-ups during this term of office to listen to the views of young people from all walks of life on issues of concern to Hong Kong youth, help them understand Hong Kong's development policies, and promote their participation in Hong Kong's development.
For how to better connect with young people, Liang Yuwei talked about his own thinking: "We must talk to young people about national conditions, national policies, and the opportunities brought about by national development, and at the same time, we must also cooperate with their strengths and interests to understand the areas that every young person wants to develop. In doing youth work, we must not only set a general direction, but also go into the youth groups we serve to understand their wishes, so that the two aspects can be combined to do a good job. ”
At present, Leung Yuk-wai's parliamentarian's office is in preparation. He said that he hopes to form a young team with experience, professional ability and enthusiasm for youth work, and everyone will work together.
On 6 October 2021, Carrie Lam, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ,000,000, delivered her 2021 Policy Address at the Legislative Council. It mentions the need to study the establishment of a Youth Policy Bureau, which will be the first time in Hong Kong's history that a youth-named Policy Bureau will be established. Liang Yuwei said that he hopes to promote the establishment of the Youth Policy Bureau as soon as possible, and eagerly hopes that the youth measures in the Policy Address will be effective as soon as possible, through more effective channels, listen to the voices of young people from different backgrounds, understand the needs of young people in different fields such as education, career, housing, upward mobility, and development potential, and truly walk with young people.
Leung Yuk-wai (left) and Hong Kong CHIEF Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor at a consultation meeting on youth-2021 Policy Address on 28 August 2021
In Liang Yuwei's view, doing youth work is not an immediate effect in a short period of time, but a silent influence and change of moisturizers, which is a long-term undertaking that needs to be done with heart. Standing at a new starting point, Liang Yuwei feels that the mission is on his shoulders. Guide Hong Kong youth to love the motherland and Hong Kong, and be closely connected with the motherland in their hearts; unite young people to devote themselves to Hong Kong's construction and national development, and achieve a wonderful life in the integration of national development; tell the story of China in the new era in exchanges with different cities of the motherland and in international exchanges, as well as the new story of Hong Kong under the guarantee of Hong Kong's national security law and the improvement of the election system... The original intention of calling him to "contribute to the development of the country" will still guide him to forge ahead in the future, perform his duties and fulfill his mission.