Commentary
Last week was China’s ninth national memorial day for the victims of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre. As part of China, schools at all levels in Hong Kong held various activities to mourn the victims. In 2021, schools were mandatorily requested by the Education Bureau (EDB) to hold a memorial for the first time, but it got into trouble: some primary school students were horrified to tears by the EDB-assigned massacre documentary film.
This year, EDB still recommended the same film, only reminding the teachers that such teaching materials inevitably contain disturbing content and should be used with caution.
Hong Kong’s education authority has never recommended using disturbing materials in school. Why the exception for the Nanjing Massacre?…