Two Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) naval vessels — the training ship Qi Jiguang and the amphibious landing ship Yimengshan — sailed into Victoria Harbour on Tuesday morning, drawing crowds eager to witness the arrival.
The ships will be open to the public at the PLA Hong Kong Garrison’s naval base on Stonecutters Island on October 1 and 2 as part of National Day celebrations.
At about 9am, the two vessels entered Victoria Harbour en route to the Ngong Shuen Chau base, escorted by Marine Police vessels and the garrison’s guided-missile frigate Suqian (Hull 666).
Red banners bearing slogans such as “Strive for a strong maritime and shoulder our mission; uphold our original aspirations by caring for the people and protecting Hong Kong” and “The PLA Navy is loyal to the party and never loses its way even after traveling thousands of miles” were hung on deck.
Crew members of the Qi Jiguang lined up in formation and sounded the ship’s horn as the Yimengshan entered the harbour.
Government Flying Service helicopters carrying the national and Hong Kong flags flew overhead, while fireboats sprayed arcs of water to welcome the vessels.
Dozens of military enthusiasts, many armed with cameras and long lenses, gathered along the harborfront to photograph the warships.
He, a visitor from Beijing on his first trip to Hong Kong, said he arrived at 6am to secure a vantage point.
“Hong Kong has a weight of history and a sense of belonging,” he said, adding that seeing warships here felt different from viewing them in Beijing and that the timing of their arrival carried “special meaning.”
Wu, who took a pre-dawn bus from Zhuhai in Guangdong, said he did not want to miss the ships after failing to see the aircraft carrier Shandong during its last Hong Kong visit. He expressed regret that boarding would be limited to Hong Kong residents.
Liu, a Sichuan-born Hong Kong resident, said the sight of the vessels left him feeling excited, proud of China’s navy and reassured about national security.
He described the ships’ passage as a “fundamental guarantee” for the development of China, including the two SARs, Hong Kong and Macao.
The Qi Jiguang (Hull 83) is a 163-metre-long, 9,000-tonne training vessel commissioned in 2017, the largest and most modern ship of its kind in the PLA Navy.
The Yimengshan (Hull 988), with a displacement of about 19,000 tonnes, is an amphibious landing ship capable of combat operations, disaster relief and medical support.
