Education authorities in Hong Kong have updated the curriculum guides for two subjects, visual arts and music, with the aim of enhancing students' national identity and deepening their understanding of national security by encouraging greater appreciation and practice of Chinese art and culture. According to a circular from the Education Bureau, the new visual arts guide now includes the aesthetics of Confucian and Taoist culture and recommends that teachers use traditional Chinese painting theory as a criterion for evaluating students' artwork.
The new guides will be implemented in all primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong beginning next month. The Education Bureau explained that these changes follow the establishment of an ad hoc committee in 2022, which was assigned to update the guides and enhance students' understanding of Chinese culture. According to the circular, the revised curriculum will include experiences in music education such as the appreciation and performance of Chinese music, Cantonese opera, Chinese folk songs, and Chinese art songs. This approach aims to help students understand the connection between musical characteristics and their cultural background and significance, thereby fostering appropriate values and attitudes.
The previous versions of the two guides were published in 2003. Several revamped subject guides released previously, as well as some newly introduced subjects in primary and secondary schools, had already stressed raising students’ awareness of national security, identity, lawfulness and patriotism following social unrest in the city in 2019.
In the new guide on visual arts, schools are asked to design themes that convey positive messages and select artworks to cultivate students’ correct values and attitudes on cherishing Chinese culture and acknowledging national identity. “When experiencing traditional crafts, such as kneading flour dolls and making lanterns, students cannot only make them by hand, but also learn the craftsman’s dedicated spirit and pursuit of excellence, thereby cultivating the importance of traditional Chinese virtues”, it said.
The updated visual arts curriculum emphasizes strengthening national education and security, as well as establishing national identity—elements that were absent in the previous version. It also incorporates a Chinese perspective into the criteria for assessing students' work. For music, the new curriculum focuses on ensuring students understand the country's conditions and national security. It aims to promote national education and foster patriotism, enhancing students' national identity through the study of Chinese music.
The guide also instructs teachers to play the national anthem, lead students in singing it, and teach them the associated etiquette. It emphasizes that the subject should help students understand the connection between the anthem’s musical elements and its cultural significance, thereby deepening their grasp of national symbolism and identity. Education authorities stated that they would offer a range of resources and organize various professional development programs to assist schools in implementing the updates highlighted in the revised guides.
