Taiwan Internal Security Military Diplomacy

Time Forges a Prosperous Era, Loyal Hearts Guard the Fragrant Harbor — Naval Vessel Formation's Arrival in Port Stirs Deep Feelings of Home and Country

时光铸盛世赤心护香江——海军舰艇编队抵港激发浓浓家国情

PLA Daily (解放军报) 8 July 2026

Summary

On July 2, a PLAN formation comprising the guided-missile destroyers Nanning and Hengyang made their first port call to Hong Kong, conducting open-vessel visits and cultural exchange activities at Stonecutters Island Barracks pier, escorted by Hong Kong Government Fleet vessels and PLA Hong Kong Garrison warships. The article is a commemorative feature timed to the 28th anniversary of the handover; its operational value is narrow, but it documents the specific hulls used for this iteration of the recurring Hong Kong port-call series and confirms the PLA's continued use of these visits as a domestic legitimacy exercise framing naval modernization as inseparable from national reunification. The human-interest framing — centering a sailor named at Hong Kong's 1997 handover — is a studied editorial choice that extends a well-established pattern of PLA media using personal biography to personalize sovereignty narratives for a civilian audience.

Translation

In July 1997, the joyous news of Hong Kong's return to the motherland spread across the land of China, and the whole nation celebrated. Ning Wusong, a farmer from Fuzhou, Jiangxi, broke his family's tradition of naming children according to generational hierarchy and named his newborn child "Ning Shenghua," expressing a simple wish: that the child would grow up strong and bear witness to a land at peace and a China in its golden age.

Twenty-nine years have passed. The infant of that time has grown into a naval soldier guarding the maritime frontier. This July, Ning Shenghua, a sailor aboard the Hengyang, set foot on Hong Kong soil to fulfill a pledge to home and country spanning 29 years.

On July 2, a naval vessel formation comprising the Nanning and the Hengyang arrived in Hong Kong to conduct open-vessel visits and cultural exchange activities.

In the height of summer, the Fragrant Harbor was ablaze with flowers, and a gentle sea breeze blew across Victoria Harbour. The two principal combat vessels cut through the waves into port, while citizens on shore waved national flags and cheered in welcome. On fishing boats on the water, Hong Kong fishermen solemnly raised the Five-Starred Red Flag alongside the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Cheers rang out on both shores of the harbor, music floated through the air, and officers and soldiers aboard the vessels waved in response — scene after scene of warmth reflecting deep feelings of home and country.

"Only by carrying out support work with thoroughness and care can we present ourselves in the best possible manner to welcome our compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao," said Ning Shenghua. In his role as an electrical technician aboard the vessel, he moved between compartments, carefully inspecting circuits and checking the status of equipment.

Escorted by vessels of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Fleet and warships of the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison, the two warships sailed steadily into the Stonecutters Island Barracks pier. This was the first visit to Hong Kong by the Nanning and the Hengyang, and compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao extended a warm welcome to the arrival of the naval vessel formation.

As major instruments of national power made their appearance in the Fragrant Harbor, compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao experienced at close range the pulse of a strengthened military and witnessed the leapfrog development of the People's Navy in the new era. Zhao Huajuan, a Hong Kong resident, was attending a vessel open-day event for the second time. Watching naval equipment that changes with each passing day, she said with feeling: "There are more and more naval warships, and they are more and more advanced. I feel genuinely proud."

Over the 29 years since the handover, the "Pearl of the Orient" has grown ever more brilliant with the support of the motherland. Twenty-nine years: a city thriving with vitality, an armed force striving to grow strong. Ning Shenghua, named in anticipation of a prosperous era, has grown into a soldier defending the mountains and rivers, and the People's Armed Forces, striding boldly forward, defend with resolute action the nation's sovereignty, security, and development interests.

Original Chinese

1997年7月，香港回归祖国的喜讯传遍神州大地，举国欢腾。江西抚州农民宁武松打破家族按辈分取名的惯例，为刚出生的孩子取名“宁盛华”，表达质朴期许：愿孩子茁壮成长，见证山河无恙、盛世中华。二十九载光阴流转，当年的襁褓孩童，已成长为守护海疆的海军战士。今年7月，衡阳舰战士宁盛华踏上香港土地，奔赴一场跨越29年的家国之约。 7月2日，由海军南宁舰、衡阳舰组成的舰艇编队抵达香港，开展开放参观和文化交流活动。盛夏香江繁花似锦，维多利亚港海风和煦。两艘主战舰艇劈波入港，岸边市民挥舞国旗欢呼迎接。海面渔船上，香港渔民庄重挂起五星红旗与香港特别行政区区旗。港湾两岸欢声阵阵、乐曲悠扬，舰上官兵挥手回应，一幕幕温情画面映照出浓浓家国情。 “只有细致周全地做好保障工作，才能以最佳姿态迎接港澳同胞。”作为舰艇电工兵，宁盛华穿梭在各个舱室，细致排查电路、巡检设备状态。在香港特区政府船队、驻香港部队舰艇伴航下，两艘战舰平稳驶入昂船洲军营码头。这是南宁舰、衡阳舰首次到访香港，港澳同胞对海军舰艇编队的到来表示热烈欢迎。大国重器亮相香江，港澳同胞近距离感受强军脉动，见证新时代人民海军的跨越式发展。香港市民赵华娟已是第二次参加舰艇开放活动。看着日新月异的海军装备，她感慨：“海军战舰越来越多、越来越先进，我由衷地感到自豪。” 回归29年来，“东方之珠”在祖国的支持下愈发璀璨。29年，一座城市蓬勃发展，一支军队向强图强。因盛世期许得名的宁盛华已成长为守卫山河的战士，阔步向前的人民军队以坚定行动，捍卫着国家主权、安全、发展利益。