Student hearts beat in unison and in unity

Staying with his peers from all across China for four years also allows Kong to gain new perspectives. "We all have different opinions. And when we bounce ideas off each other we often end up developing new understandings of things."

Kong's love for new experiences also took him to a primary school in a small mountain village in Hunan province in the summer of 2019. During his one-week stay there he taught children about music, English and taekwondo.

"I was hoping to see a different side of China. Yes, top-tier cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai are part of China, and fourth- and fifth-tier cities are also part of it. Only when we see both the glamorous and the underdeveloped sides of China can we know that young people like us are needed to make our country better."

This is why Kong takes his role as a communicator so seriously. He uses his phone to livestream with primary school students in Hong Kong to take them on tours to visit Beijing hutong and to introduce them to traditional Beijing delicacies and handicraft, such as sugar-figure blowing. And during the Beijing Winter Olympics early this year Kong appeared as a presenter in Phoenix Television's Winter Olympics series, reporting behind-the-scenes stories of the Games to overseas Chinese people.

Kong says he has always believed that communication is the key to bridging gaps and eliminating misunderstandings, and that it is the responsibility of young people like him to work hard to make that happen.

In Bauhinia he writes: "We are born with the same yellow skin, black hair, and black eyes. With renewed hope, we shall embark on the journey once more. We'll write a new chapter of Hong Kong, and strive for a better future."