"Even the Hong Kong SAR government has done a lot better in planning celebration activities," Wu, who is also an HKSAR legislative councilor told Xinhua Friday evening when attending a national day cocktail reception held by the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions at the Hong Kong Exhibition Center.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is passing a festive month with plenty of red lanterns and national flags hanging, and the unceasing strain of Chinese National Anthem, to celebrate the 53rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China due on Oct. 1.

With barely four days to go before the red letter day, Hong Kong's businessmen, civil servants, politicians and various local communities have been holding their own celebration receptions, wishing a more prosperous China.

The daily event schedules here were recently chock-a-bloc with national day activities. Wu said this year, he has had to rush through five cocktail receptions on a single day.

Rushing on his way to the a celebration held by the Zhongshan Community Organizations in the evening, Joseph Wong, the HKSAR secretary for civil service recently told reporters hurriedly before shooting off to another cocktail reception that "These days, I have been attending parties every evening. I think I am going to be late for the dance performance part, even if I get there by 6:50 pm."

Tung Chee Hwa, the HKSAR chief executive is also expected to have a rather hectic day on Oct. 1 According to the event diary issued by the HKSAR Government Information Services Department Friday afternoon, Tung has been scheduled to attend at least four official events on Oct. 1. They include the flag raising at the Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai, followed by the National Day reception at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Wanchai, before joining his wife Betty Tung in enjoying the Hong Kong Compatriots National Day Cultural Show at the Hong Kong Coliseum and finally, the fireworks display in Victoria Harbor in the evening.

Despite all the routine flag-raising and fireworks display, the festive mood and patriotic sentiments are conspicuously stronger felt here this year. Henry Wu said even the communities at the grass-root or district level, such as those under the district councils have been actively holding one kind of celebration or another.

He explained, "I think the fact that we've been having more frequent exchange with the Chinese mainland and that more and more people from the mainland come to visit Hong Kong are the reasons for the strong patriotic sentiments here.

"We've seen more academic and cultural exchange, even in sports in recent years. Such are the factors nurturing closer relationship and more friendly feelings," he said.

Wu added that China's active involvement in world sports, such as the World Cup and in particular, the holding of the Olympic Games in 2008, has also contributed to arousing patriotic feeling and promote the concept of Chinese national amongst the people of Hong Kong.

The deepened patriotic feeling is also reflected from a number of church-run schools, such as the Anglican St. Basil's Primary School recently launching National Day celebration activities to reinforce the pupils' understanding of their national identity.

The school has set the theme "Knowing New China" and will organize a wide range of activities from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4. The activities on Sept. 30 will include flag raising, national anthem singing, identifying simplified Chinese characters and rivers in China, Chinese folk songs singing, Chinese operas, as well as lessons about the social and economic development of China and China's cultural history.

(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2002)