To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 25th anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland, Ma Man Kei and Lo Pak Sam College (MLC) of the University of Macau (UM) invited Dr. Ma Chi Ngai, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), to hold a special sharing session on “Youth and Dreams: A Special Speech on the ‘Two Sessions’” on the evening of March 28, 2024. The event aimed to encourage young people to take up the responsibility of loving the country and Macau, to strengthen their sense of social responsibility, and to contribute to the prosperity of the country and the harmonious development of the region. Prof. Mok Kai Meng, Vice Rector of UM (Student Affairs), and 150 UM academic staff and students, and guests from Tsinghua University, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, colleges in Zhuhai, and residential colleges, faculties, and administrative departments of UM attended the sharing session.
The event began with enthusiastic applause from all students as the guests made their entrance, followed by singing of the university anthem. Prof. YANG Liu, College Master of MLC, delivered a welcoming speech, introduced the theme of the event and the keynote speaker, Dr. Ma Chi Ngai. She praised Dr. Ma for inheriting his grandfather Dr. Ma Man Kei’s patriotic spirit, love for Macau and caring for the people’s livelihood, and his outstanding contributions to the development of Macau and to the nation. She expressed hope that through Dr. Ma’s keynote speech, young people would be inspired to shoulder the responsibilities of the nation and contribute their strength to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Dr. Ma Chi Ngai, member of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC, Executive Member of the Macau S.A.R Government, Chairman of the Macau Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and third-generation descendant of the Ma‘s family who donated to MLC, delivered a fascinating speech. He conveyed the overview of this year’s national “Two Sessions” to the attending academic staff, students, and guests, and in particular, he provided detailed information about the composition of the Macau delegation, the main agenda of the assembly, the focus of the meetings, the main content and tasks of the CPPCC Standing Committee’s work report and the handling of proposals.
In his speech, Dr. Ma referred to the important remarks made by President Xi Jinping during his visit to the representatives of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, the science and technology field, and the environmental and resources sectors. From these remarks, we can understand that President Xi’s guidance and emphasis: the Revolutionary Committee must further find its proper role in leveraging its strengths in Taiwan related work, take active steps to better unite every patriotic force at home and abroad, inside and outside Taiwan, oppose the independence of Taiwan and continuously promote the peaceful reunification of the motherland. It is necessary to actively promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation in science and technology, agriculture, humanities, and youth development, and to deepen the integrated development in various fields across the strait. President Xi urged the scientific community and scientific workers to enhance their ambition to rejuvenate the country through science and education, take on the responsibility of scientific and technological innovation. He also called for the environmental and resources sectors to strengthen ecological and environmental protection, support high-quality development, promote the greening and low-carbon development of economic and social development and actively and push toward carbon neutrality.
Dr. Ma also shared with the audience the essence of the important speech delivered by Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang of The State Council, during the consultation of the national affairs with members from Hong Kong and Macau: First, to fully recognize the historic achievements made in the development of the Party and the country over the past years; second, the Central Government’s determination and confidence in “one country, two systems” remains unchanged; third, to continue to fortify the national security barrier, safeguarding the steady and long practice of “one country, two systems”; fourth, strive to create a better development environment for Hong Kong and Macau, love the country, love Macau and love Hong Kong.
Finally, Dr. Ma shared his understanding and experience of youth and dreams with everyone and reflected on the significant meaning of China’s development over the past 75 years and Macau’s return to the motherland. He hoped that students would pay more attention to the national, regional and family affairs, engage in the development of the country, study hard, adjust their mindset, and make contributions to the future for the country and the prosperity of Macau.
During the communication session with students, Dr. Ma Chi Ngai kindly inquired the students’ studies and gave advice to their plans for the future. He showed special concern for the lives of international students and enquired about whether they have been adapted to the life in Macau. When he learned that the students were very fond of Macau and MLC, Dr. Ma felt immensely gratified. He encouraged the students to interact with society actively and welcomed them to intern at his company, which greatly inspired the students. They expressed their intentions to learn the spirit of the “Two Sessions” very seriously and to devote themselves to the national development.
On behalf of MLC, Prof. YANG Liu presented Dr. Ma Chi Ngai with a certificate of appreciation. She thanked him for the profound enlightenment he brought to the students and for the generosity and unwavering support from him and his family towards MLC! She also wished all the guests good health, a happy life, successful work, prosperity for the motherland, and flourish development for Macau and UM!
After the sharing session, students expressed their thoughts.
Wang Yanze: The lecture on the spirit of the “Two Sessions” by Dr. Ma Chi Ngai was profound and ambitious, with a far-reaching vision and impressive scope. It had political significance and theoretical depth, warmth for the future development of youth, and precision in understanding the country’s major policies. It inspired the patriotic young people of Macau to shoulder the heavy responsibilities of national reform and development. It made the young students feel warm and greatly inspired. Dr. Ma Chi Ngai’s insightful explanations on the working functions of CPPCC members and sharing on the Party and the country’s expectations from the essence of the spirit of the “Two Sessions,” its characteristics of the times, and societal demands. During close interactions, Dr. Ma Chi Ngai took a detailed interest in the situation and aspirations of many students and provided practical and valuable advice. The conveyance of the spirit of the “Two Sessions” by Dr. Ma Chi Ngai deeply inspired young students like us. We will surely remember his teachings and transform his spirit of the “Two Sessions” into practical actions, actively integrate into the national development, and write a new chapter for the development of the motherland in the new era!
Xu Weijian: Dr. Ma’s speech on the “Two Sessions” and his related explanations were detailed and profound, allowing me, a student with only minimal knowledge of the “Two Sessions,” to gain a further understanding of its content. Dr. Ma talked about the composition of Macau delegates at the “Two Sessions” and the main agenda of this conference. The aims at promoting the integration of Hong Kong and Macau youth into the country’s overall situation, the specialized field trips to deepen the exchanges between Hong Kong, Macau, and the mainland, and the improvement of the working mechanisms for the contact with the Hong Kong and Macau Committees all made me personally feel the Central Government’s emphasis on the development for Hong Kong and Macau regions which makes me believe and look forward to a future where life and work will be more convenient and satisfactory for young students from Hong Kong and Macau regions to work in mainland.
Shen Yue: Dr. Ma Chi Ngai’s sharing on the spirit of the “Two Sessions” has clarified for me the direction and goals of national development, as well as President Xi’s theory of “new productive forces” and its implications for us, the youth of the Greater Bay Area. The Greater Bay Area is also focusing on using advanced technology, through data sharing and analysis, to promote cultural exchanges and technological innovation, while enhancing the diversified development of the economy, and improving the quality of urban management and services. As a graduate student in data science, I feel that we need not only solid theoretical knowledge and technical capabilities but should also learn to apply professional knowledge and skills to solve social problems and contribute to national development.
Lai Zhen Ni: After listening to Dr. Ma’s sharing, I deeply feel that young people have a long way to go. As the new generation, our dreams are closely related to the future development of the country. We young people need to have dreams and dare to dream. As a student from the Faculty of Science and Technology, the sharing session on the spirit of the “Two Sessions” deeply moved me. As part of the country’s future force in scientific and technological innovation, we should strive for the country’s prosperity. As a student of civil engineering, when Dr. Ma mentioned the content related to environmental resources and science and technology benefiting the nation, I felt a sense of responsibility. This feeling drove me to listen more intently to the professor’s lectures in professional courses, not wanting to miss a single minute. Dr. Ma’s sharing was like the sound of wind chimes, opening the hearts of the young people and letting us know that our growth is closely linked to the strength of our motherland. We must show our love for the country through concrete actions, practise the spirit of the “Two Sessions,” continuously improve ourselves, study our professional knowledge seriously, and display the vitality and energetic spirits of the youth, so that we can better step onto the world stage and display the style and responsibility of the youth from the new era.
Hui Guanhao: I am deeply moved by Dr. Ma’s sharing, youth and dreams are just like fertile land nourishing the budding seedlings. Without the fertile soil for youth, dreams cannot take root and sprout; conversely, if we do not sow on this land, even the most fertile soil will remain barren. As university students in the prime of our youth, we are in a growing stage and continuously seek for improvement to pursuit of dreams. On the journey of chasing dreams, we will encounter countless challenges and difficulties, but these are precisely the stepping stones for young people. The beauty of youth lies not only in its brightness and passion but also in the infinite possibilities it bestowed upon us. Although not all dreams may come true, the process of chasing them is a valuable experience and treasure in itself. Even if we stumble along the way, such efforts are better than standing still. With every step and every drop of the tears we worked for in our youth, we can feel proud because we have fought for it with all our heart! Once again, I thank Dr. Ma for these enlightenments and valuable teachings!
(Reported by MLC, March 28, 2024)