2027 marks the 30th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. Generations of Hong Kong residents have built bridges of cultural, economic, and technological exchange between the mainland and Hong Kong. Behind the exchanges lies their deep connection to their hometown and their commitment to serving the country. The "Ningbo Merchants Group" is a typical representative of this sentiment. In the summer of 2024, President Xi Jinping responded to Hong Kong entrepreneurs of Ningbo origin, including Anna Pao Pui-hing and Ronald Chao Kee-young, fully affirming the patriotic and hometown-loving traditions of the Ningbo Merchants Group and encouraging them to integrate into the national reform and opening-up agenda.
DotDotNews will launch the "Ningboese Lineage in HK" documentary series starting tomorrow (Oct 13). Taking "Yong-Hong Kong ties" as its theme, it will follow the authentic stories of Hong Kong individuals of Ningbo origin across time and space. Through on-site visits to both Ningbo and Hong Kong, and in-depth interviews with historians and eyewitnesses, it will showcase the Ningbo Merchants Group's journey and contributions in promoting deep collaboration between Ningbo and Hong Kong, and supporting the development of Hong Kong, Ningbo, and the nation. Through heartwarming personal stories, it will concretely illustrate Hong Kong's unique strategic advantage of being backed by the motherland and connected to the world.
The first chapter features "World Shipping Magnate" Sir Pao Yue-kong, with interviews with his eldest daughter, Anna Pao, and grandson Philip Sohmen, detailing their patriotic philanthropy and educational dreams for their hometown. The second shifts to technology and manufacturing, interviewing "Textile King" Chao Kuang-piu's youngest son, Chao Kee-tung, and grandson Samuel Chao, on Chao Kuang-piu's journey from "Factory No. 1" to technological innovation's "stars and seas." The third chapter, themed on the rule of law, interviews Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, former HKSAR Legislative Council President, and her son Andrew Fan Chun-wah, as they envision Ningbo and Hong Kong "sailing out together" to capture global market opportunities. These enduring achievements across diverse fields are largely due to the younger generation taking the lead. Today, many Ningbo-origin Hong Kong youths, from medical professionals to lawyers to cultural ambassadors, are embodying their ancestors' pragmatic, diligent, and patriotic spirit, integrating their careers into national development, and demonstrating the Ningbo Merchants Group's continued dedication and contemporary relevance.
From industrial development and educational endowment to supporting "One Country, Two Systems" and driving technological innovation, successive generations of Ningbo-origin Hong Kong residents have consistently strengthened the bond between Hong Kong and Ningbo, fostering mutual integration and progress. They embody Hong Kong's role as a "super-connector," playing an irreplaceable part in the city's internal and global connectivity, its East-meets-West blend, and the nation's reform, opening-up, and high-quality development.
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