More than 1,300 students and teachers from Hong Kong and Macau attended a flag-raising ceremony at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Sept. 20 as part of a youth exchange program, according to the Hong Kong government.
The trip later drew attention after a student accused the Hong Kong Commercial Daily of altering remarks made by students during interviews aboard a high-speed train to Beijing, including changing references to “China” to “the motherland.”
The newspaper had earlier posted footage of students from St. Paul’s Co-educational College singing I Love You, China aboard the train, describing the singing as “moving.”
‘Chinese history’ changed to ‘history of the motherland’
Hong Kong outlet Pulse HK News, citing the education news platform Education Needle, reported that a St. Paul’s student interviewed by the Hong Kong Commercial Daily said in Cantonese that he was “somewhat interested in Chinese history.”
However, the subtitles changed “Chinese history” to “the history of the motherland.” According to the report, the newspaper’s social media headline went further, describing the student as “deeply interested in the history of the motherland,” although the student had originally said he was only “somewhat” interested.
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A second student reportedly thanked his principal for giving him the opportunity to “go to Beijing, the capital of China.” In the newspaper’s subtitles, the word “China” was removed, leaving the phrase “go to the capital, Beijing.”
The student who contacted Education Needle criticized the alterations, saying, “We’re already so ‘red’ that we’re practically dripping with it, yet they still have to edit what we say?”
The student also claimed that many participants did not want to attend the flag-raising event and described the Beijing trip as a “waste of time.” Those remarks reflected the account of one unidentified student and do not establish how the broader delegation viewed the trip.
Education platform accuses newspaper of misrepresenting students
Education Needle accused the Hong Kong Commercial Daily of sacrificing the students’ “authentic words” in favor of more politically favored terminology, according to Pulse HK News.
The platform argued that replacing “Chinese history” with “the history of the motherland” made the student’s remarks sound more overtly patriotic, while deleting “China” from “Beijing, the capital of China” avoided language that could present Hong Kong and China as separate identities.
It described the changes as “professional misconduct” and accused the newspaper of turning ordinary student remarks into expressions of stronger patriotic sentiment. These assessments were made by Education Needle and have not been independently established.
The Hong Kong Commercial Daily describes itself as a newspaper that has long maintained a “patriotic and pro-Hong Kong” editorial position.
Official account emphasizes national identity
The Hong Kong government presented a markedly different account of the visit. In its Sept. 20 statement, the government said participants had “deeply experienced a sense of belonging to the country and national pride.”
Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin said “patriotic education is never an abstract concept”, adding that the Beijing trip allowed students to experience the capital firsthand and deepen their identification with the country and Chinese nation.
The trip fits within Hong Kong’s broader expansion of mainland exchange and study programs. The Education Bureau says mainland study tours are intended to give students firsthand experience of China’s development while strengthening their “sense of national identity.”
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