The cascades of dawn accentuated a group of eager faces as 40 Secondary Four girls boarded the flight headed towards Shanghai, upon commencement of the S4 China Programme.

As we reached our destination, the prestigious Soong Ching Ling School, everyone let out gasps of astonished delight at the glimpse of the stunning campus, with its sprawling meadows and elegant architecture. We were warmly welcomed into the main building, where we were treated to a spread of assorted desserts.

Once the delectable repast was polished off, we set off to attend the ceremony for the two institutions’ inauguration as sister schools. In addition to the students, teachers and headmistresses of both schools, several leading officials who oversee education in Shanghai also attended this ceremony, showing their support for this significant milestone in education collaboration between the two cities.

To begin the event, Soong Ching Ling School’s musicians first welcomed us with the piece Pearl of the Orient, symbolizing the conflation of the rich cultural heritages in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Student representatives from both schools expressed their excitement for the exchange of knowledge in the following days. Their speeches fully conveyed our eagerness to develop deeper personal relationships and cultivate appreciation for each other’s unique cultures and perspectives.

The headmistresses shared the backgrounds of the two schools and their enthusiasm for the future exchange opportunities. Mrs. Lau expressed her desire for students to gain a broader worldview and develop their national identity from the exchange, while Madame Feng encouraged us to learn from our differences, and in turn foster a more inclusive and harmonious society.

Mrs. Lau and Madame Feng then proceeded to sign the memorandum of cooperation, binding the two institutes as sister schools. With this remarkable display of cross-cultural collaboration, Soong Ching Ling and Diocesan Girls’ School thus embarked on a journey to create a platform where knowledge is shared across borders. Both schools joined hands to sing the piece “Tomorrow Will Be Better”, an encouraging song which reminds us that we, as young people, light the future of the country. Despite our differences, this began our friendship which would last not only for the next four days of eye-opening educational exchange, but many more.