Hongkongers snap up tickets to visit PLA naval ships during National Day stop
Qi Jiguang training vessel and Yimeng Shan amphibious landing ship will be open to public on Wednesday and Thursday
The first batches of free tickets to visit two PLA naval ships during their stop in Hong Kong next week have been quickly snapped up, as enthusiasts welcome the second port call by Chinese warships in three months.
The Type 680 training vessel Qi Jiguang and Type 071 amphibious landing ship Yimeng Shan will be open to the public at the Ngong Shuen Chau Naval Base on Wednesday and Thursday as part of the October 1 National Day celebrations.
The 11,000 tickets are up for grabs through the PLA Hong Kong Garrison’s WeChat account. They are released in batches three times a day at 10am, 3pm and 8pm starting from Saturday until all are booked.
A Post reporter observed that the second batch of tickets were snapped up in 10 minutes on Saturday, while those for the last round of the day were booked in three minutes.
Lau Siu-kai, a consultant for the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank, said the growing number of the country’s naval ships provided more opportunities for them to visit the city.