Photo exhibition highlights blood ties between Hong Kong, motherland over past century

Guests visit a photo exhibition at Hong Kong Central Library in Hong Kong, south China, Oct. 8, 2021. A photo exhibition that opened Friday in Hong Kong showcased the unfading blood ties between Hong Kong and the motherland over the past 100 years, as well as the great achievements of China.(Xinhua/Wang Shen)

HONG KONG, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A photo exhibition that opened Friday in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) showcased the unfading blood ties between Hong Kong and the motherland over the past 100 years, as well as the great achievements of China.

Most of the exhibits displayed at Hong Kong Central Library are selected from over 10 million precious pictures in Xinhua News Agency's China photo archives, which will bring Hong Kong residents back to the historic moments captured by cameras. There is also a special segment for Hong Kong.

The exhibition, sponsored by the China Merchants Group and running from Friday to Oct. 17, is jointly hosted by the HKSAR government, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR and Xinhua News Agency.

Amid the centenary anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the exhibition offers an opportunity for Hong Kong residents to have a better understanding of the country, HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

Lam said she hopes the exhibition will help residents learn about the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation over the past century so that they can feel deeply the blood ties between Hong Kong and the motherland, and strengthen their national identity and pride.

Hong Kong has returned to the right track of "one country, two systems" thanks to the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong and the improvement of Hong Kong's electoral system, she said.

Hong Kong will consolidate and enhance its advantages in the future, better integrate into the overall development of the country, and play an irreplaceable role on the country's journey toward its second centenary goal, Lam said.

Lu Xinning, deputy head of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, also delivered a speech at the ceremony.

Deng Zhonghua, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, and He Ping, president of Xinhua News Agency, made speeches via video link, extending their congratulations on the exhibition.

Zheng Yanxiong, director of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Liu Guangyuan, commissioner of the Chinese foreign ministry in the HKSAR, and Chen Daoxiang, commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Garrison in the HKSAR, attended the ceremony.

The event also gathered HKSAR government officials, Hong Kong deputies to the National People's Congress, Hong Kong members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, HKSAR Legislative Council members, and representatives from political groups, commercial chambers and youth organizations, as well as school principals.

After the exhibition ends, some of the photos will be on display in Hong Kong schools and local communities.