The University of Macau (UM) Faculty of Education (FED) Centre for Language and Literacy Education (CLLE) is co-hosting a “Children’s Literature Creation Joint Exhibition” with the Hou Kong Middle School (Primary Section) to promote the creation of children’s literature.
The three-day exhibition held its opening ceremony yesterday at the FED Main Lobby.
Macao Children’s Literature Association President and UM Assistant Professor Elizabeth Hsiang Tien Ping told reporters on the sidelines of the ceremony that when evaluating Hou Kong students’ work, she values genuine emotion and authentic life experience most – specifically whether the work reveals a childlike spirit appropriate to the author’s age – while also considering aesthetic form. She noted that from preparation through to viewing, those young creators enhance their reading and writing literacy and abilities by thinking, writing, interacting with teachers and their peers, and appreciating others’ works, making the students themselves the greatest beneficiaries.
Two students whose works were selected for the exhibition expressed their joy and honour. Student Jin Hunmong, whose piece titled “Planting Flowers in the Heart” likened parental love to a gardener, drew inspiration from a speech delivered under the national flag. She said her greatest gain was an improvement in writing skills and expressed hope to try writing poetry in the future.
Student Ng Teng Pan drew on flowers and nature encountered during travels. Ng enjoys describing the scent and appearance of flowers to immerse readers in the scene, noting that observing others’ works helped expand his writing knowledge. He looks forward to continuing to write and exhibit his work.
Both students’ parents expressed delight over their children’s selection. Jin’s father said that his daughter adapted quickly after moving to Macau from the mainland, emphasising the importance of parent-child companionship, putting aside mobile phones to read together, and providing encouragement while allowing her to create freely. Ng’s mother similarly allows her son to think freely and give full rein to his imagination without imposing opinions. She observed that her son was both nervous and happy at the exhibition, noting that his vocabulary and choice of words had become noticeably more refined. Both parents praised the event as meaningful and expressed hope for more similar activities to encourage children to deepen their creative efforts.
Chinese subject teacher Mai Wenji said the main challenge when guiding young writers is that children either do not know what to write about or strive too hard for perfection. She guides students to first express their ideas and observations aloud before transforming them into text. She added that displaying their work physically gives students a strong sense of achievement and boosts their interest in writing. Mai particularly praised a piece by a Primary 4 student titled “A Turtle’s Life,” inspired by observing a turtle’s daily habits, which reflected a child’s ability to notice small details in daily life and translate them into genuine reflections on slowing down and enjoying life.
Rebecca Choi Keng Man, director of Hou Kong Middle School (Primary Section), said the school creates learning contexts through festive events such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day, and the Lantern Festival, guiding students to write, deliver speeches, and compose poetry and prose in the past decades.
Students’ outstanding works are published in local newspapers and compiled into books to give students a sense of accomplishment. Choi highlighted that the school builds a solid foundation from primary levels through to comprehensive secondary training, with several graduates having gone on to become professional writers or journalists. Looking ahead, themed creative writing competitions will be organised for each year level, student works will be published as small books, and campus exhibitions will be followed by exchange activities with universities in Macau and mainland China.
Hsiang added that the joint exhibition requires a year of preparation and that university and primary school teachers are already discussing next year’s theme. They are also exploring ways to guide parents in giving children creative freedom to prevent works from becoming overly adult-orientated. Regarding artificial intelligence (AI), Hsiang maintains an open attitude but stressed that ethical principles must be observed – including disclosing AI contributions – and that educators and students should collaborate in using AI responsibly across different grade levels.
Student Jin Hunmong poses with her father at the UM Faculty of Education (FED) Main Lobby yesterday.
Student Ng Teng Pan poses with his mother at the UM Faculty of Education (FED) Main Lobby yesterday.
Macao Children’s Literature Association President and UM Assistant Professor Elizabeth Hsiang Tien Ping poses at the UM Faculty of Education (FED) Main Lobby yesterday. – Photos: Armindo Neves
Hou Kong Middle School (Primary Section) students pose with their parents and teachers, as well as representatives from the University of Macau (UM) at the Faculty of Education (FED) Main Lobby yesterday.
