The groups were assigned individual "flags" at a ceremony yesterday to boost their team spirit.

(HK Edition 07/29/2005 page2) - More than 600 secondary students take a five-day "Red Tour" of the mainland from July 30 to enrich their understanding of the motherland.

The tour to Jiangxi Province, known as "the cradle of Chinese revolution", has been organized by the Fukienese Association for which each student pays only HK$600.

The students have been divided into 20 groups, with each having teachers as their leader and his deputy. The groups were assigned individual "flags" at a ceremony yesterday to boost their team spirit.

The students will first head for Jinggangshan, where they'll pay homage to the people who died in the Long March and other revolutionary events.

Another important spot on the trip is Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi, where on August 1, 1927, the Nanchang Uprising took place. That marked the founding of the Red Army (the People's Liberation Army today) and changed the course of China's history. They will visit the August 1 Uprising Museum, too.

The students will also visit Lushan, the meeting place of Mao Zedong and other senior Chinese leaders.

Among the youngsters is Tsang Sau-kiu, a Secondary Four student of Fukien Secondary School (Siu Sai Wan). She said: "I hope to learn more about the history of my own country. Therefore, I've joined this trip."