The 5th Tianjin Exchange Programme for Macao University Students was inaugurated at the Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao (IFT) on 6 June. The programme was organised by Committee for Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as well as Macao Foundation, and co-organised by IFT and College of Tourism and Service Management of Nankai University. The attending guests believed that the programme will enhance young people’s understanding of Tianjin and Mainland China, as well as to promote exchanges between Tianjin and Macao, which will help strengthen future collaborations between the two cities.
The ceremony was held at IFT on 6 June, attending guests included Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Ho Teng Iat, Deputy Director of Committee for Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Zhang Rongshun, Deputy Director of Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region, Zhang Jinyin, Vice Chairman of Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Wu Zhiliang, President of the Administrative Committee of Macao Foundation, Fanny Vong, President of IFT, and Li Zhong, Vice Dean of College of Tourism and Service Management, Nankai University, among others.
Addressing the ceremony, Dr. Fanny Vong remarked that Tianjin, as a pivot city of the Belt and Road Initiatives, while Macao is dedicated to shaping itself into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure Center, it serves as an important economic and trade between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. Collaborations between the two cities mutually enhance their socio-economic development, which can contribute immensely to the development of the country. She hoped that the students would treasure the opportunity to broaden their horizon and gain knowledge and understanding of the city of Tianjin, and thereby benefit from the programme.
The “Tianjin Exchange Programme for Macao University Students” has been organised since 2015 under the initiative of Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. The aim of this programme is to allow Macao’s university students to get to know the cultural heritage conservation and tourism development of Tianjin, in order to better understand the history and culture of their motherland. The programme also serves as a platform to promote cooperation between Tianjin and Macao.
Starting from 8 June, 28 undergraduate students from Macao will go to Nankai University in Tianjin for a half-month exchange programme and will learn from the city’s experience in cultural heritage conservation. To better prepare for the programme, the students will have a preparatory class at IFT before departure.