​Hong Kong Customs has fully adopted the Chinese-style foot drill from today (May 4). All service members are required to adopt the protocols of the Chinese-style foot drill for ceremonial events, passing-out parades and other occasions while in uniform.
Foot drills play a crucial role in developing a sense of discipline and team spirit in the disciplined services. The Chinese-style foot drill emphasises uniformity and teamwork, requiring an elaborate display of synchronised movements with steady and sonorous steps to showcase high spirit, confidence and the commanding presence of the team. Today is May Fourth Youth Day, an important day for the country to commemorate the May Fourth Movement, which gave rise to the emergence of the May Fourth spirit focusing on patriotism, progress, democracy and science, with patriotism at the core. Hong Kong Customs has chosen to fully adopt the Chinese-style foot drill on this meaningful day to demonstrate the strong commitment to continuous improvement, and to express the sense of belonging to and patriotic feelings for the country.
In recent years, Hong Kong Customs has progressively adopted the Chinese-style foot drill in training, ceremonial events and passing-out parades. The Chinese-style foot drill not only enhances the attractiveness of foot drill performance, but also helps in better integrating the department into the governance system of the country and enriching the practice of "one country, two systems". Customs expresses sincere gratitude to the Chinese People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison for providing Chinese-style foot drill training to Customs officers and valuable advice on adopting the Chinese-style foot drill in various ceremonial events, including the Chinese-style flag-raising and foot drill performance on National Security Education Day and a Customs passing-out parade on April 15 and October 19 last year respectively.
The full adoption of the Chinese-style foot drill demonstrates Hong Kong Customs' national sentiment and patriotic feelings for the country, and showcases the demeanour of the disciplined services of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Ends/Wednesday, May 4, 2022
