Work together to create a happier and better life (to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland)

　　Accompanied by a low and short horn, the MTR East Line train with a history of more than 100 years roared through Victoria Harbour — — In the early morning of May 15th, more than 2,000 Hong Kong citizens rushed to take the "first day special class" from Wan Chai Convention and Exhibition Station on Hong Kong Island to witness the official opening of the cross-harbour section of the MTR East Rail Line. This is the fourth cross-harbour railway in Hong Kong, which will run through the New Territories, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.

　　On July 1, 2017, General Secretary of the Supreme Leader attended the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland and the inauguration ceremony of the fifth government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and delivered an important speech, stating: "We should concentrate on our strengths and open up a new world for Hong Kong’s economic development; We must be people-oriented, solve problems, focus on solving outstanding problems in the economy and people’s livelihood that citizens are concerned about, and effectively improve people’s sense of gain and happiness. "

　　Travel is more and more convenient, development opportunities are more and more, and living standards are getting higher and higher … … It has been 25 years since Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, which is the personal experience and true feelings of the general public in Hong Kong. Over the past 25 years, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has developed the economy, improved people’s livelihood, and United and led the people of Hong Kong to create a happier and better life.

　　Extend the transportation network and make travel more convenient.

　　"After the opening of the East Rail Line of the MTR, it takes only 44 minutes from Luohu in Shenzhen to Admiralty in Hong Kong, which will promote personnel and economic and trade exchanges between the two places and build Greater Bay Area ‘ One hour ’ Life circle. " Jin Zepei, Chief Executive Officer of MTR Corporation, said that in 1997, there were only four railways in Hong Kong, about 100 kilometers. Now, a railway network with 10 railways and more than 270 kilometers has been built, and it is connected with the national high-speed rail network through the 26-kilometer-long Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed rail section.

　　The third runway of Hong Kong International Airport is expected to be put into use this year; The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge flies in three places, and the journey from Hong Kong to Zhuhai and Macao is shortened from about 3 hours to about 45 minutes. Huanggang Port, Wenjindu Port, Shenzhen Bay Port, Shatoujiao Port and Liantang Port have been opened one after another, and customs clearance procedures have been continuously simplified; The number of licensed private cars in Hong Kong has increased from 315,000 in 1997 to 581,000 in 2021, and the total road mileage has increased from 1,625 km to 2,193 km … … In the 25 years since Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, the transportation network has been continuously extended, making it easier for citizens to travel.

　　Investing in infrastructure means investing in the future. In recent years, a series of major projects closely related to the daily life of Hong Kong citizens have been completed: in 2013, the West Kowloon Cultural District, which integrates world-class culture, art and entertainment, started construction, and the M+ Visual Culture Museum, Opera Center and Art Park have been completed, bringing new cultural experiences to the citizens; In 2019, the Central and Wan Chai Bypass winding along the north shore of Hong Kong Island was opened to traffic, which not only ran through the east and west of Hong Kong Island, but also cooperated with the surrounding environment to create a vibrant seaside promenade … …

　　The construction of these major infrastructure and livelihood projects has made people’s lives more convenient, strengthened Hong Kong’s ties with the Mainland and the world, and laid out a clear blueprint for Hong Kong’s future development.

　　Increase assistance and serve the needs of people’s livelihood.

　　High property prices, tight land supply and long waiting time for public housing … … Housing is one of the livelihood issues that Hong Kong people are most concerned about.

　　Do not seek easy, do not take refuge. In order to fundamentally solve the housing problem, the SAR Government announced a long-term housing strategy in 2014 to speed up the construction of public housing; In 2017, the transitional housing policy was introduced to alleviate the situation of families who failed to "go upstairs" … … "Hong Kong has 7.27 million residents, with a total of 2.66 million households, of which 1.21 million households live in public housing, accounting for 45%. Our strategy is supply-oriented, and we will make every effort to increase the supply of housing, hoping to meet the needs of families waiting for public housing. " Wang Tianyu, Permanent Secretary for Transport and Housing and Director of Housing, HKSAR Government, introduced.

　　From the implementation of the statutory minimum wage to the abolition of the MPF "hedging" mechanism; From the introduction of non-local training doctors to a total ban on e-cigarettes; From the introduction of "Youth Committee Self-recommendation Plan" to the formulation of "Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Plan" … … Every livelihood initiative reflects the determination and responsibility of the SAR Government to improve people’s livelihood and well-being. "People’s livelihood is no small matter." Huang Weilun, director of the Development Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government, said, "We will try our best to go one step further and do our work better."

　　Creating a better life requires the participation of the whole society. Shi Jialing and Shi Chonglin, who live in Xinghua Village, Baishawan, East Hong Kong Island, are both students of Hanhua Middle School. Last autumn, they were selected for the project of "Growing with You, Inviting Merchants with You", which not only subsidized the tuition fees of the poor brothers and sisters for the whole year, but also paired them with the young employees of China Merchants Bureau. This is a grassroots service project carried out by China Merchants Hong Kong Youth Federation. "We strive to go to universities in the Mainland and realize the value of life in the vast world of the Mainland after graduation." The two brothers and sisters have already made efforts.

　　"In recent years, China Merchants Group, while fulfilling its social responsibilities, fighting the epidemic with Qi Xin, a Hong Kong citizen, and solving the problems of people’s livelihood at the grassroots level in Hong Kong, has further increased its assistance to young people in Hong Kong, with a cumulative investment of more than 25 million Hong Kong dollars to help more than 20,000 grassroots families." Chu Zongsheng, assistant general manager of China Merchants Group, said.

　　For many years, the Hong Kong Jockey Club has insisted on allocating funds to respond to the real needs of poor families and children, and set up an "emergency assistance fund" to help victims and their families in unexpected accidents; The Hong Kong Association for Promoting Poverty Alleviation, initiated by Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a member of the Hong Kong District Committee, not only helps the country to fight poverty, but also provides warmth and relief to the grassroots continuously … … Over the past 25 years since China’s return to the motherland, the total number of registered volunteers has reached nearly 1.4 million, with more than 3,300 participating organizations. All sectors of society have shown the spirit of mutual help and sharing weal and woe.

　　Promote industrial upgrading and enhance urban vitality.

　　Looking at Hong Kong Island in the south and Lantau Island in the west. In the West Kowloon Cultural District of Hong Kong, a golden giant building resembling Fang Ding stands on the waterfront of Victoria Harbour, which is a new landmark of world-class culture — — Hong Kong Palace Museum of Culture. On July 2nd, 914 precious cultural relics from the Palace Museum in Beijing will be unveiled in Xiangjiang, where they will meet visitors.

　　"Backed by the motherland, based in Hong Kong and looking at the world." Wu Zhihua, director of the Palace Museum in Hong Kong, is busy preparing for the opening of the museum recently. He said that the Palace Museum in Hong Kong can give full play to its unique advantages of internationalization, spread the Forbidden City culture to the world with new thinking and new eyes, and show the profoundness of Chinese civilization. "This will not only enhance the sense of identity of Hong Kong citizens, especially the younger generation, but also help Hong Kong build a cultural and artistic exchange center between China and foreign countries and promote dialogue and exchanges between Chinese and foreign civilizations."

　　"Cultural and artistic exchange center between China and foreign countries" is a new orientation given to Hong Kong by the outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan. Over the past 25 years, while consolidating advantageous industries such as finance, shipping and trade, Hong Kong has continuously promoted industrial upgrading in line with the national development strategy, adding new impetus and stimulating new vitality to Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability, and providing new opportunities and a new stage for the development of Hong Kong citizens.

　　“‘ Fourteenth Five-Year Plan ’ The planning outline supports Hong Kong’s construction and development in four emerging areas, namely, the International Innovation and Technology Center, the Asia-Pacific International Law and Dispute Resolution Service Center, the Regional Intellectual Property Trade Center and the Sino-foreign Cultural and Art Exchange Center. " Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said that Hong Kong should seize the opportunities brought by the outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan and make contributions to the long-term development of the country.

　　Chang ‘e took the moon, "Tian Wen" ran for fire, and built a dream palace … … In recent years, China’s space industry has been reported frequently, and many citizens are proud that there are many Hong Kong elements in it. Hong Kong society has also set off a "space fever" again and again. "Our team participated in the third, fourth and fifth lunar exploration projects and the first Mars exploration mission ‘ Tianwen-1 ’ 。” Since 2010, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University has actively participated in the national deep space exploration program. The camera pointing system developed by Rong Qiliang, a professor in the Department of Precision Engineering, has been successfully launched with several spacecraft. He said, "We look forward to further exerting our strengths and contributing to other deep space exploration projects in the country."

　　"Hong Kong is very strong in basic scientific research. Five universities in Hong Kong rank among the top 100 in the world, two medical schools rank among the top 50 in the world, and there are 16 national key laboratories and six sub-centers of national engineering technology research centers. The construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area also provides a good opportunity for Hong Kong to give full play to its advantages and enhance the level of innovation and technology. " Xue Yongheng, Director of the Innovation and Technology Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government, said that in the past five years, the SAR Government has invested more than 150 billion Hong Kong dollars to vigorously promote the development of innovation and technology. The number of start-ups established in Hong Kong has greatly increased from 2,229 in 2017 to 3,755 in 2021.

　　"We are in an exciting new era, come on!" The 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland is approaching, and Hong Kong youth Xie Zihan excitedly wrote words of self-encouragement. As the theme song "Before", which celebrates the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, sings: "In the face of this opportunity and hope, exercise well … … The dreamer set off from the starting line and crossed the line under the Lion Mountain … …” Over the past 25 years, people under the Lion Mountain have been striving for a better tomorrow with firm confidence and unremitting struggle.