Happy National Day!

欢 度 国 庆 节！

This year marks the 75th anniversary of our country. Since the founding of New China, people have united as one to overcome difficulties and build the nation together. Today, our country stands tall on the international stage, and in the top flight among various comprehensive national power indices. On this day, which is worthy of celebration for all Chinese people, ASJ (Dongguan) organised a "National Day Special Assembly" before the National Day holiday to encourage students to learn about the motherland and the Greater Bay Area, and to enhance their national identity and pride in being a “Great Bayer”. 

今年是中华人民共和国七十五周年华诞。自新中国成立以来，全国人民万众一心，排除万难建设国家。如今，我国已俨然卓立于国际舞台，在多项综合国力指数中位列前茅。在这个值得所有中国人欢庆的日子，为了让同学认识祖国、认识粤港澳大湾区，提高同学的国民身份认同和身为“湾区人”的自豪感，东莞暨大港澳子弟学校特意在国庆节假期前举行了一场“国庆特别周会”。

The special assembly kicked off with the "2024 National Day Quiz Content" organized by the Personal, Social, and Humanities Learning Area. Our school’s four houses—Pegasus, Centaurs, Dragon, and Phoenix—each sent 5 representatives (two junior formers and three senior formers) to compete. The competition was conducted using the Kahoot application, where each house first had to answer a set of compulsory questions, followed by 10 "quick response questions" based on speed and accuracy. The questions covered topics such as national history, cultural heritage, economic strategies, social development, and geographical landscapes.

本次特别周会以个人、社会及人文学习领域组主办的《2024国庆常识及时事问答比赛》揭开序幕。我校中学部四社：Peagsus、Centaurs、Dragon 和Phoenix 各派出5名同学（两名初中同学、三名高中同学）代表参赛。比赛以Kahoot 应用程序进行，各社须先选一组必答题作答，然后以“斗快斗准”的原则作答10个共答题，题目涵括国家历史、文化传承、经济战略、社会发展和地理景观等。

The student audience was infected by the intense competitive atmosphere and continuously cheered for the participants, who demonstrated a strong understanding of national history, the Dongguan community, and the latest developments in the Greater Bay Area. The competition was fierce, ultimately resulting in Dragon winning the championship with a score of 10,159, while Pegasus and Centaurs took the second and third places respectively.

现场观赛的同学都受到浓厚的竞技气氛感染，不住为参赛同学打气；而参赛同学对国家历史、东莞社区和大湾区的最新发展等国情知识都拥有娴熟的认知，比赛争持激烈。最终结Dragon以

10,159分勇夺冠军，Pegasus 和 Centaurs 分列亚军和季军。

After the thrilling competition, the music department arranged for a group of students to sing patriotic songs, "Ode to the Motherland" and "Stars and the Sea," to celebrate the 75th National Day. The students sang patriotic songs while national flags, expressing their love for the country. Following that, the visual arts department showcased outstanding works from the "Handwritten Newspaper Design Competition" during the National Day assembly, with awards presented by our executive principal, Mr. Samuel Kam. 

经过扣人心弦的比赛后，音乐科安排一众同学献唱爱国主义名曲《歌唱祖国》及《星辰大海》，敬贺祖国七五寿辰。同学口唱爱国主义歌曲，手摇五星红旗，心中对祖国的热爱之洋溢于表。其后，视觉艺术科亦展示了本次国庆主题手抄报设计比赛中的优秀作品，并由本校执行校长金礼贤校长颁奖。

Students gained a wealth of knowledge about our country through the lively activities held during the special assembly. Such events are essential for nurturing students' patriotism and should be encouraged in future educational settings.

学生们通过本次特别周会上的丰富活动学习到了许多国家常识。这类活动对于培养学生的爱国主义精神至关重要，应当在今后的教育情境中予以鼓励。