Organised by the Education Bureau (EDB) of the HKSAR Government, with the support from the Hong Kong and South China Historical Research Programme (HKSCHRP) of Lingnan University, the 2024/25 Territory-wide Junior Secondary Chinese History and Culture Quiz Final and Prize Presentation Ceremony was held at the Chan Tak Tai Auditorium of Lingnan University today, 17 May. The 12 finalist teams were selected from over 22,000 students from more than 145 secondary schools across Hong Kong. The number of participants has increased by 38% over the 16,000 who took part in last year's inaugural event, which highlights the competition’s success in stimulating interest in Chinese history and culture in young people as well as the Government's achievement in promoting patriotic education.

Officiating guests were Ms Yvonne Lam Si-hang, Acting Principal Assistant Secretary (CD) of the EDB, and Prof Lau Chi-pang, Associate Vice-President (Institutional Advancement and External Affairs) cum Director of Institutional Advancement and Public Affairs and Co-ordinator of the HKSCHRP. Prof Vincent Leung Sueh-han, Associate Dean (Teaching & Learning) of the Faculty of Arts and Associate Professor of the Department of History at Lingnan University, Prof Tam Ka-chai, Associate Professor of the Department of History at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), Prof Agnes Pang Suk-man, Assistant Professor & Associate Head of the Department of History at Hong Kong Shue Yan University, and Dr Law Yuen-han, Lecturer I in the Department of History at HKBU, judged the competition.

This year's quiz covered topics ranging from the Ancient Period (the origins of the Chinese ethnicities and early states) to the People's Republic of China (the policy of reform and opening-up). There were also new subjects such as chapters on Chinese culture and the Selected Articles of Hong Kong History, and more than 20 covering the history of the Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong’s Chung Ying Street, Hong Kong’s resistance against Japanese aggression, and the handover of Hong Kong. Thirty-two monuments were selected for students to study to help the young generation understand the historical development of Hong Kong.

The 12 finalist teams from Forms 1 to 3 competed in a mixed match, and then the top four teams advanced to the Grand Final after a quiz and a scramble quiz session. To make learning Chinese history more interesting to youngsters, Lingnan University has designed an ‘Exploring Monuments’ virtual world session for the Grand Final, where teams use tablet computers to look for monuments in the metaverse and answer the corresponding questions to obtain function cards for the subsequent problem-solving session, making the competition more exciting and enjoyable.

After fierce competition, Po Leung Kuk Tang Yuk Tien College won the championship, Shun Tak Fraternal Association Tam Pak Yu College was the runner-up, and TWGHs Wong Fut Nam College and Buddhist Tai Hung College took third and fourth places respectively.

Ms Yvonne Lam Si-hang, Acting Principal Assistant Secretary (CD) of the EDB said “The various segments of the finals were wonderfully exciting and tightly paced. Students excelled in this year's new ‘Exploring Monuments’ segment, where teams used tablets to identify Hong Kong's declared monuments in a virtual environment, and function cards strategically, to prove their proficiency in history, intelligence, and teamwork skills. This learning approach, which integrates digital technology with history, not only improves the students' ability to grasp and apply historical knowledge, but also injects new momentum into history education and digital humanities. I hope everyone will continue to actively explore the history and culture of our nation, maintain the perseverance and team spirit demonstrated today in their daily learning and lives, and become citizens with fine humanistic qualities.”

Prof Lau Chi-pang, Associate Vice-President (Institutional Advancement and External Affairs) cum Director of Institutional Advancement and Public Affairs and Co-ordinator of the HKSCHRP said “The HKSCHRP is committed to history education. By organising this history quiz with the Government, we aim to spark young people’s interest in understanding and learning about Chinese culture. To fully harness the advantages of digital-age technology and improve scholarship, Lingnan University has, for the first time, introduced a virtual question-solving section, which presents the University's years of research to junior secondary school students in a lively and engaging manner. We hope this will break the stereotypes they may have about learning history and traditional culture, and encourage them to explore the subjects in an enthusiastic, interactive environment. This, in turn, will encourage self-learning and a proper understanding of historical perspectives.”

For more information about the Chinese History Self-learning Platform and the Selected Articles of Hong Kong History, please refer to the competition website: https://chist-competition25.ln.edu.hk/.

Competition Results

Champion: Po Leung Kuk Tang Yuk Tien College

Runner-up: Shun Tak Fraternal Association Tam Pak Yu College

Third Place: TWGHs Wong Fut Nam College

Fourth Place: Buddhist Tai Hung College

Alphabetical Listing of Finalists

Buddhist Tai Hung College

Good Hope School (Secondary School)

La Salle College

Ning Po College

Po Leung Kuk Lee Shing Pik College

Po Leung Kuk Ma Kam Ming College

Po Leung Kuk Tang Yuk Tien College

Pui Kiu Middle School

Shun Tak Fraternal Association Tam Pak Yu College

St. Paul's College

TWGHs Wong Fut Nam College

Ying Wa College

About the Territory-wide Junior Secondary Chinese History and Culture Quiz

The Territory-wide Junior Secondary Chinese History and Culture Quiz aims to enhance students' interest in learning, improve their understanding of Chinese history and culture, and encourage self-learning to consolidate and expand their knowledge, thereby fostering an appreciation of their rich national heritage of history and culture. The 12 finalist teams from Forms 1 to 3 competed in a mixed match, with the top four advancing to the Grand Final after a quiz and scramble quiz session. In addition to trophies and certificates, the Champion, First Runner-up, Second Runner-up, and Merit Award winners received book tokens worth HK$5,000, HK$4,000, HK$3,000, HK$2,000, and HK$1,000 respectively to encourage students to read.