Zhixin High School Model United Nations Conference (15-17 November 2024)

Seven members of the DGS Model United Nations Team participated in the Zhixin High School Model United Nations Conference (ZXMUN) in the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region in November this year, travelling to China for this exciting programme. This event primarily included a one-day visit and a two-day conference at Guangzhou Zhixin High School (Tianhe Campus). 

Leaving Hong Kong on 15 November, we arrived at Guangzhou East Station at around 6:30pm and met up with the student ambassadors and students from other schools. We then had dinner together, and the meal was delectable and definitely satisfying. We communicated with the ambassadors and learned a lot about Guangzhou’s rich and diverse cultural background and lifestyle that differ from Hong Kong, expanding our horizons. The student ambassadors also patiently helped us set up and taught us how to use the app “QQ” to communicate with them.

After a night of rest, we went to ZXMUN on a coach arranged for us. Student ambassadors of ZXMUN gave us a tour of their school, and we were able to learn about their architecture, hobbies, and clubs which varies from ours in Hong Kong. This was a memorable part of the weekend. Not only were the students extremely helpful and very friendly, the campus was truly stunning. Beautiful buildings and peaceful nature dotted the campus, creating a lovely atmosphere for students to learn there. It opened our eyes to so many different things, leaving us with profound appreciation for the sense of community and opportunities that lie in both schools. After a short break, we gathered in the auditorium to attend the opening ceremony.

After the captivating performance by the students from Zhixin High School which introduced the council backgrounds and themes, we were allocated to our council rooms respectively and the conference officially began. However, we found the council sessions extremely hard and challenging due to the unique and unfamiliar procedure which was very different from the regular MUN procedure in Hong Kong. But thanks to the help from the chairs and other delegates, we soon adapted to this special mode and started participating actively in the council sessions. 

This ZXMUN exchange opportunity was truly eye-opening, and the three days passed by quicker than we expected. Not only did we learn about the Zhangzhou way to conduct a MUN conference, countless friendships blossomed in this short amount of time. The collaboration and hard work between our double delegate partners led to a deeper understanding of MUN, and everyone in the council was curious about the Hong Kong ways to conduct MUN. Heated debate and in-depth discussions sharpened our MUN skills. Most importantly, we got to know our MUN peers better during this trip. We stayed in the same hotel, prepared speeches together and helped each other. Overall, this was an enriching and unforgettable experience, and we would love to participate again.

We would like to express our gratitude to the Zhixin High School student ambassadors for showing us around and showing their hospitality as we got to know about their school and culture more. We would also like to thank the Chairs and the Secretariat for inviting us to participate in their wonderful conference. Their hard work and effort is evidence in the pleasant experience we had since the moment we received their invitation and till the social dinner night. Our deepest gratitude also goes to Mr. G.M. Lent, our teacher-in-charge who looked after us throughout this trip. His guidance made our trip safe and memorable for all of us. Lastly, we are grateful to our principal Mrs. Lau for providing us with such an opportunity to take part in the ZXMUN. It is only with the unwavering support and efforts of all of these people that our trip was carried out successfully, and it has certainly left a lasting impression in our hearts.