A student from St. Paul’s College, a prestigious secondary school in Hong Kong, recently died in the mainland Chinese city of Hangzhou while participating in a compulsory exchange tour. The cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
The Hong Kong government has required all high school students to participate in such exchange program tours in mainland China to “enhance their national identity.”
The Education Bureau responded to The Epoch Times inquiry on March 1, confirming that the student was participating in a Citizenship and Social Development (CSD) exchange excursion in Hangzhou.
St. Paul’s College issued a press release on March 3, stating that it was informed of the death of one of its fifth-year high school students on Feb. 28. “The incident is currently under investigation, and it is not appropriate for us to make any speculations at this stage,” it added.
CSD, a compulsory subject established by the Hong Kong Education Bureau in 2021, requires all Hong Kong high school students to go to the mainland for exchange and study at least once as part of the curriculum.
The tour also includes a visit to the former residence of Mao Dun, a founding CCP member and leftist writer. Students are asked to learn from his “patriotic sentiments.”
Cause of Death Remains Unknown
The death of the student during a CSD study tour shocked the Hong Kong public, triggering speculations about the cause of death, which remains unknown as of March 6.Hans Yeung Wing-yu, a historian and former manager of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, told The Epoch Times that several theories and unconfirmed reports are circulating about the student’s cause of death, ranging from suicide to an asthma attack.
He said there was currently no evidence for any of the claims.
“Whether it is natural or unnatural death, the most basic information has not been disclosed,” Yeung said.
Yeung said the death has caused great concern in Hong Kong, especially for parents, as mainland exchange tours are mandatory for all high school students.
The predecessor of CSD was General Studies (GS), which included current affairs issues. Since the anti-extradition movement in 2019, pro-CCP elements blamed the student protests on the “critical thinking” offered as part of the GS curriculum.
CSD Teacher: Exchange Tour a ‘Political Mission’
Mr. Cheung, a school teacher who preferred to use a pseudonym, said GS and CSD have a key difference.“The biggest difference between CSD and GS is the reduction of critical thinking. GS talks about the good and the bad, while CSD only talks about the good things in China,” he told The Epoch Times.
“Regarding globalization, it discusses China’s global influence, such as the Belt and Road Initiative,” he said. “When it comes to Hong Kong, GS allowed topics on social problems, including poverty, while CSD talks primarily about the NSL and how the Hong Kong government can cooperate with China’s development.”
As for the content within the CSD exchange tours, he said that they are mainly about praising China’s purported accomplishments. After the trip, students have to write down their thoughts, and the content is always expected to be “China is great,” and the teachers didn’t need to mark it.
Cheung has never led an exchange tour to mainland China but needs to persuade students to participate. If some students do not want to go, teachers must find ways to persuade them.
He described the exchange tours as “political missions.”
He said there are rumors that if a student does not join a mainland exchange tour, they might fail their public examination. Although the Education Bureau has never publicly confirmed this, he said, it let this rumor go around as a way to force students to participate. He said this approach “has an impact on the credibility of our public examinations.”
Cheung also said many students told him they heard that they would be unable to study for the CSD exam if they did not join the mainland exchange tours. Since CSD is a compulsory subject, students who skip the tour might be unable to apply for university. He said he hopes the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) can clarify whether this is true.
The HKEAA didn’t respond to a request for comment by publication time.
