A group of about 700 -- led by the Hong Kong Federation of Meizhou Associations -- has travelled to Meizhou City in Guangdong province as part of a cultural exchange program.

Meizhou is the home of many Hong Kong residents and the program aims to help the younger generation especially learn more about its history and be part of its ongoing development. Meizhou is situated at the intersection of Guangdong, Fujian, and Jiangxi provinces, and is home to the Hakka people.

The Hakka people have emigrated to many regions of the world, and have had a significant influence on the course of modern Chinese history.

"Meizhou is the home-town of about 400-thousand Hong Kong residents. We hope to unite all the people which originated from Meizhou. Many of its young people were born in Hong Kong and grew up there. They seldom went back to Meizhou. They know very little about their home town. Some don't even speak the dialect. We hope by this trip, they will know more about Meizhou's transformation, and more young people will come back and learn about the town's history," Leung Leung-Shing, president of Hong Kong Federation of MEizhou Associations, said.

"The city has changed a lot since I visited last time as a kid. There were not many highways or tall buildings. But now it's more developed and prosperous," Member of Exchange Program said.