IAS and Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin renewed agreement on promoting the collaborative project
between Macao and Hengqin on “Healthy Life Education”
2026.07.02
The Social Work Bureau of the Macao SAR Government and the Livelihood Affairs Bureau of Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin jointly held the signing ceremony for the “Renewal on the Collaborative Project between Hengqin and Macao on ‘Healthy Life Education’” on 2 July at the Hengqin Culture and Art Centre. It marks the official launch of the second phase (2026-2029) of the collaborative undertaking.
The renewed agreement was jointly signed by the Director of the Social Welfare Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Hon Wai, and the Director of the Livelihood Affairs Bureau of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Feng Fangdan, in the presence of the Deputy Director of the Social Development Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Zhong Rui, the Deputy Director of the Executive Committee of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Zhang Guoji, the second-level inspector of the Health Commission of Guangdong Province, and the head of Division of Exchange and Cooperation of the Health Commission of Guangdong Province, Zhang Yiyu. The ceremony was attended by more than 120 representatives from the Health Commission of Guangdong Province, the Zhuhai Health Bureau, the Narcotics Control Committee of the Macao SAR Government, and from schools and institutions in the In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.
In his address at the ceremony, Director Hon Wai of the Social Welfare Bureau of the Macao SAR Government stated that the Healthy Life Education Programme is internationally recognised, and has been run for over 25 years in Macao, attending to approximately 20,000 children and adolescents each year. In July 2023, the Social Welfare Bureau and the Livelihood Affairs Bureau of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin signed their first collaboration agreement to bring the Healthy Life Education Programme to the In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. So far, both parties have conducted instructor training and developed teaching materials tailored to children and adolescents from all grade levels in school in an organised manner. It fully demonstrates the efficient synergy and wisdom involved between Macao and Hengqin, setting an exemplary model for the efficient alignment in social services between Macao and Hengqin. In the days to come, both parties will continue to uphold the tenets of “concerted efforts between Hengqin and Macao to promote health and wellness”, and work together to establish a standardised instructor-training system, expanding the coverage of the Healthy Life Education Programme, and develop community outreach approaches, with a view to create the “Hengqin model” that contributes to the shaping of a healthy Bay Area.
Director Feng Fangdan of the Livelihood Affairs Bureau stated that after the signing of the agreement, both parties have closely collaborated and committed to pragmatic innovation, which produced fruitful results, as in the co-construction of the Hengqin-Macao Children’s Health Lifestyle Science Museum, and the joint development of a Healthy Life Education Programme tailored to the distinctive characteristics of the In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. The collaborative project is an important initiative to facilitate the structured alignment of public services and social security systems between the In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin and Macao, and is an exploratory endeavour between Guangdong and Macao in favour of the well-being of their people.
Following the ceremony, guests and participants toured the exhibition marking the “Three-Year Anniversary of the Collaborative Project on Healthy Life Education Programme between Hengqin and Macao” and the Hengqin-Macao Children’s Health Lifestyle Science Museum, and visited the classrooms in the In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin used for holding the Healthy Life Education Programme. The aforementioned exhibition runs from July to August, and families from Macao and Hengqin are welcome to better their knowledge of healthy lifestyle through immersive learning and interactive games. It would be an enjoyable edutainment experience for families.
