Local talents feted for writing on filial love
Seventy-eight Hong Kong participants, including teenagers, were awarded on Saturday (June 23) for their creative submissions on the theme of the Chinese tradition of filial piety, or xiao.
The competition drew more than 2,000 entries from Hong Kong. The youngest participant was aged only 9, and the eldest, 89. Six winners, six first runner-up awardees, six second runner-up awardees and 60 merit-prize winners were named. The competition was aimed at fostering literary interest and honing Chinese and English writing skills among local writing talent. Participants were invited to communicate the importance of filial love and respect for parents and the elderly as part of the competition themed “Love is all around”.
“Writing is a self-learning and reflective process that helps hone an individual’s emotional and logical thinking,” Tsang Yok-sing, president of the fourth and fifth Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said at the awards ceremony. Tsang was also honorary director of the competition’s organizing committee.
Chan Pak-li, under-secretary for commerce and economic development, a guest at the event, praised the highquality submissions.
The contest was organized on three tiers — primary school, secondary school and open — and further sub-divided into Chinese and
English sections.
“The prize is a huge encouragement for me. Through the contest, I can now better fathom the concept of filial piety and I’m driven to brush up my writing skills further,” said Kristie Cheung Wai-yin, 12, a primary-six student of St. Paul’s Co-educational College Primary School, who took the top prize in the Primary School Division (English Group).
“Love is all around” — the first Hong Kong Chinese and English essay writing competition — was organized by the Hong Kong Federation of Journalists. Representatives from the Education Bureau, the Home Affairs Bureau and the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR — co-organizers of the contest — attended the prize presentation ceremony.