On June 4, the opening ceremony for the 2026 "Meet You in Henan" Summer Camp for faculty and students from Hong Kong and Macao, hosted by the Education Department of Henan Province and organized by Zhengzhou University of Light Industry (ZZULI), took place at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at ZZULI's Kexue Campus. Wang Huaxing, Second-Level Inspector of the Education Department of Henan Province, and Cao Jian, Vice President of ZZULI, attended the ceremony. Attendees included the Head of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, heads of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office and relevant departments of ZZULI, 22 faculty members and students from four universities including the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, City University of Macau, Lingnan University, and the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, as well as student volunteers from ZZULI.

Prior to the ceremony, Zhang Zhijian, Secretary of the Party Committee of ZZULI, met with the delegation led by Wang Huaxing. On behalf of ZZULI, he expressed his gratitude to the Education Department of Henan Province for its long-term strong support for ZZULI's foreign exchange and cooperation. He also stated that ZZULI will remain committed to the strategy of open education, and advance the high-quality development of ZZULI through high-level opening-up and high-efficiency governance.

At the ceremony, Cao Jian briefly introduced ZZULI's school-running strength and its exchange and cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao. She noted that entrusted by the Education Department of Henan Province, ZZULI has successfully hosted the Summer Camp for faculty and students from Hong Kong and Macao for three consecutive years. It is committed to promoting in-depth exchanges among young people from Henan, Hong Kong and Macao, and effectively enhancing Hong Kong and Macao students' understanding of the Central Plains culture and their sense of national identity. She hoped that all participants could understand Henan through on-site exploration, gain friendship and personal growth. This memorable trip to the Central Plains will become a precious memory in their youth and serve as a bond linking Henan, Hong Kong and Macao.

In her address, Wang Huaxing pointed out that Henan is an important birthplace of the Chinese nation and Chinese civilization, bearing the shared cultural roots. Henan, Hong Kong and Macao share the same roots and cultural lineage. Henan Province has always attached great importance to educational exchanges and cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao. In recent years, a series of events including the Henan-Hong Kong Education Exchange and Cooperation Matchmaking Conference and the Universities of the Central Plains Tour to Hong Kong and Macao have been organized, building a broad platform for faculty and students from the three regions. She hoped that students could experience the Central Plains culture wholeheartedly, deepen mutual understanding, foster friendship, and act as inheritors of Chinese culture.

Student representatives from ZZULI and the participating universities in Hong Kong and Macao took the stage respectively to exchange ideas. They introduced their respective universities, shared campus life and hobbies, and expressed their joy and anticipation for this educational exchange and cultural experience tour in Henan.

Following the opening ceremony, faculty and students from Hong Kong and Macao visited the University's Scientific and Technological Achievements Exhibition Hall, University Physics Laboratory and Electronic Museum in groups. Over the next eight days, participants will exchange ideas at six sister universities in Henan Province. They will travel to sites including the Longmen Grottoes, Yinxu Ruins and Millennium City Park to experience the profound history and culture of the Central Plains. They will also visit Liuzhuang Village, a model new socialist countryside, and BYD Space to witness the dynamic development of modern Henan. In addition, they will take handcraft courses of intangible cultural heritages such as paper-cutting and dough sculpting at the ZZULI.