Awestruck visitors grab rare chance to tour Chinese warships visiting Hong Kong
‘Through this trip, we hope to let students see what an aircraft carrier really looks like and improve their sense of belonging to the country,’ teacher says
Hundreds of excited guests joined a special tour of the Shandong aircraft carrier in Hong Kong on Friday, grabbing a rare chance to explore the 70,000-tonne Chinese warship while others visited vessels in its fleet.
China’s first home-grown aircraft carrier arrived in the city on Thursday for a five-day port call, accompanied by missile destroyers Yanan and Zhanjiang, and the missile frigate Yuncheng, as well as a dozen advanced J-15 carrier fighters and helicopters.
Colonel Yang Yingnan, from the Shandong, said he hoped that the visit could show Hongkongers the nation’s combined strength and the power of its defence.
“We want to let our Hong Kong compatriots feel the pride that they get as a Chinese person, where they will love the country even more,” he said.
Students and their adult companions, including visitors from across the border and Macau, gathered in Mei Foo and Central to catch connecting shuttles to get aboard warships docked at Stonecutters Island and to the carrier, anchored to the west of Victoria Harbour.
Among those queuing were students from Ilha Verde Middle School of Macau Chamber of Commerce, who crossed the border in the morning.
