Hong Kong’s 1872 Young Writers Class Nurtures Youth

On weekends across Hong Kong, a growing number of secondary school students head to a classroom that offers something increasingly rare in exam-driven education systems: the freedom to write. The 1872 Hong Kong Young Writers Class, profiled this week by Xinhua News, has become a literary sanctuary where teenagers from dozens of schools gather to read classics, share their work, and discover the power of their own voices.

Founded in 2022 and fully funded by China Merchants Group, the free program has grown from five partner schools to 50, with more than 500 primary and secondary students now participating. Its name honors the founding year of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, the state-owned enterprise’s predecessor established during the Qing Dynasty’s Self-Strengthening Movement.

A Window to the Motherland

Writer Zhao Yang, a member of the China Writers Association who leads the program, chose the name deliberately. “1872 is taken from the founding year of China Merchants Group’s predecessor,” he told Xinhua, “hoping students can understand the century-old central enterprise’s roots in Hong Kong and service to the nation, building a window to understand the motherland.”

Zhao’s connection to Hong Kong runs deep. His father, a military writer who died in the line of duty, once told him that “Hong Kong, which belongs to China, also has excellent Chinese culture.” Carrying that wish, Zhao first visited Hong Kong in 2005 and has since made more than 100 round trips, writing five prose collections about the city.

The program emerged partly in response to a concerning trend Zhao observed among Hong Kong students. Some told him they rarely used Chinese after taking the DSE examination; others believed Chinese writing had no practical value for future careers in fields like medicine. “Exam drilling and score improvement are short-term ‘visible achievements,’” Zhao said. “Cultural immersion is long-term ‘hidden achievement’ that requires patient cultivation. Someone must be willing to work quietly.”

Nurturing Young Voices

The results speak through the students themselves. Wang Zhe, a 14-year-old Form 2 student at Ying Wa College, arrived at the program shy and uninterested in formulaic exam writing. After two years of mentorship, he has published multiple works in Hong Kong Literature and Wen Wei Po, with poetry appearing in People’s Literature. “My literary dream is just beginning,” he said.

Li Jianbang, a Form 5 student at St. Louis School, found that writing strengthened family bonds. His poem “Moonlight,” published in People’s Literature, moved his parents to tears when he read it aloud. “Writing is not just a personal matter,” he reflected. “Words can connect us with those who deeply love us.”

For Huang Zhengsheng, a Form 3 student, a study trip to Yanji transformed his approach to writing. “Before, I only knew how to polish beautiful sentences,” he admitted. “Now I understand that writing is about recording real life.”

National Recognition and Expansion

The program’s impact has drawn official recognition. It has been included in the Hong Kong SAR government’s “Mindful of the Nation” joint-school national education naming scheme, an initiative that has expanded significantly since the Patriotic Education Law took effect in January 2024. According to Parents Daily, the scheme received nearly 80 approved applications in the 2025/26 school year, involving more than 200 schools across all 18 districts of Hong Kong.

In April 2026, more than 30 outstanding students participated in a week-long customized training program at the Lu Xun Literary Academy in Beijing, China’s national literary academy. As Bauhinia Magazine reported, renowned literary figures including Cao Wenxuan, Zhu Yong, and Zhou Xiaofeng provided instruction, alongside cultural study tours to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall.

Wu Yiqin, Dean of the Lu Xun Literary Academy, described the young writers as “both the hope of Hong Kong’s literary cause and an important force for telling China’s story well and spreading China’s excellent traditional culture.” Li Yongming, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of China Merchants Group, emphasized that “whether Hong Kong society can maintain long-term prosperity and stability, and whether ‘one country, two systems’ can go far and steady, is closely and inseparably related to the healthy growth of the new generation of Hong Kong youth.”

A Cultural Bridge

At the 2026 Hong Kong Book Fair, Zhao Yang and his students held a special dialogue event that drew more than 100 teachers, students, and principals from over 30 schools. As China Writers Association noted in its coverage of the fair, the program has become a model for cross-boundary cultural engagement.

The People’s Daily Overseas Edition highlighted how the Lu Xun Literary Academy program combined lectures, cultural study, and manuscript editing sessions, allowing students to “experience literary charm in Beijing.”

Student Wu Dien from Heung To Middle School captured the program’s essence at the book fair: “Teacher Zhao Yang is both a writer and literary mentor. He not only takes us on journeys through the literary world, but also uses literature to open our eyes to the motherland, allowing us to deepen our cultural literacy as Chinese people and strengthen our cultural confidence.”

Looking Ahead

This summer, Zhao Yang and his students are heading to Xinjiang for creative writing practice, with plans to visit Inner Mongolia as well. The Wen Wei Po columnist Xiao Zhen, reflecting on the program’s graduation ceremony, observed: “Literature inspired a group of secondary school students, and the students moved me.”

When friends ask Zhao Yang whether his extensive investment of time is worthwhile, he quotes writer Bing Xin: “With love, there is everything.” As Hong Kong enters a new phase of development, the 1872 Young Writers Class stands as a testament to the quiet power of cultural education — one young voice at a time.