Youth Internship Programme at Dunhuang 2026

Youth Internship Programme at Dunhuang 2026 is one of the projects under “HYAB Thematic Youth Internship Programmes to the Mainland”, which is fully funded by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau and supported by Dunhuang Academy. It aims at recruiting students from local or overseas tertiary institutions to participate in the promotion of Dunhuang culture. 

In a six-week internship programme, students are able to explore Dunhuang through studying its humanities and geography, tour guide training at caves, project-based learning and on-the-job training. Students can also understand more about the conservation work, such as knowing the protection of caves, murals and environment explained by professional instructors, and visiting the archaeological field site. Before becoming a guide trainee, every student needs to be instructed and trained by professional tour guides in Dunhuang, finished the course and passed the exam. During the three-week on-the-job internship as a guide trainee, he/she will be responsible to offer guided service for tourists in caves and telling the story behind for promoting the Dunhuang culture. After returning to Hong Kong, students will continue to promote Dunhuang culture, ensuring the transmission of this cultural heritage. The valuable experience of working under such incredible world heritage is unforgettable and will become your lifetime memory with no doubt, COME and JOIN US!

Programme Details

Recruitment Period: From now until March 26, 2026 (Thursday) 12:00nn (Participants are required to attend in-person for the selection and interview session being held on 14 April 2026; To be confirmed)

Internship Period: June 7 to July 18, 2026 (Six-week programme; To be confirmed)

Target:

1. Full-time tertiary institutions students aged 18-30.
2. Hong Kong permanent residents who are currently studying in an associate degree or equivalent, undergraduate or postgraduate programmes in Hong Kong or overseas. Or, Hong Kong residents who are currently studying associate degree or equivalent, undergraduate or postgraduate programmes in Hong Kong.
3. Participants are welcomed from different departments such as Chinese, History, Art, Humanities and Social Sciences, Tourism and Hospitality, etc. Interested in Dunhuang culture and have basic knowledge, proficiency in both Cantonese and Mandarin languages is a must.
4. Upon completing the programme and becoming a Dunhuang culture ambassador, participants must engage in promotional activities and sharing sessions as required by the organizers and all collaborating parties on a volunteering basis.

Briefing Session:

For more internship details, interested students can register to participate in the briefing session.

Date: March 18, 2026 (Wednesday)

Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Venue: The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Yasumoto International Academic Park - YIA LT2)

Date: March 19, 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Venue: MPR 608, 6/F, Youth Square

Registration: https://n9.cl/8xy5q

Selection and Interview：

Date: 14 April 2026 (To be confirmed; The exact date will be informed by E-mail)

Venue: MPR 608, 6/F, Youth Square

Result Announcement: Early May 2026

Pre-training Sharing Session:

Guest speakers from the Dunhuang Academy will be invited to provide a sharing session to successful participants, for helping them to have a certain understanding of Dunhuang culture and better preparation before the start of the internship programme.

Date: Late May 2026 (The exact date will be informed by E-mail)

Remarks: Programme content and courses may be subject to change depending on circumstances.

Application Method:

The programme is one of the projects under “HYAB Thematic Youth Internship Programmes to the Mainland”, interested parties please fill the online application form HERE, and submit the following information via email at eventmarketing@youthsquare.hk for application.

*Applicants could submit their work with a download link (WeTransfer/OneDrive, etc.).

Application Deadline: March 26, 2026 at 12:00nn

1. Submit the application form.
2. A passport photo (in e-format).
3. Soft-copy of Hong Kong Identity Card.
4. A self-introduction, reasons for joining the internship programme and expectations of the programme. (Within 200-300 Chinese characters and punctuation inclusive).
5. With the theme of "My Impression of Dunhuang", take a 1-minute video in Cantonese and Putonghua respectively (upload to cloud drive (We Transfer / OneDrive, etc.)); all submitted videos must meet the following specifications:

5.1 Resolution: 1080p (1920 px (W) x 1080 px (H))

5.2 Format: MP4 (H.264 format)

5.3 Ratio: 16:9

5.4 File size: Each video could not be larger than 100MB

5.5 The videos should be named in the requested format, e.g. CHANTAIMAN_CANTONESE/ CHANTAIMAN_MANDARIN

Fee and Deposits:

Fee: Round-trip air tickets, accommodation, meals, exchange and training fees of each participant will be fully funded by HYAB, the organizer. Other individual expenses are excluded.

Deposit: Successful participants are required to pay a deposit of HK$2,000. A full refund of the deposit will be made after the completion of the programme and fulfilling all the programme requirements, including participation in preliminary activities, promotional events and sharing session for Dunhuang culture, and timely submission of activity reports.

Participants who withdraw from the internship programme after confirming their participation or fail to complete the entire internship period, without providing a satisfactory explanation to the organizers or the government, may be required to compensate the organizers or the government for all expenses incurred for arranging the internship in the mainland, including transportation, accommodation, and others.

Eligibility and Important Notes:

1. Full-time tertiary Institutions students aged 18 and 30.
2. Hong Kong permanent residents who are currently studying in an associate degree or equivalent, undergraduate or postgraduate programmes in Hong Kong or overseas. Or, Hong Kong residents who are currently studying associate degree or equivalent, undergraduate or postgraduate programmes in Hong Kong.
3. Participants are welcomed from different departments such as Chinese, History, Art, Humanities and Social Sciences, Tourism and Hospitality, etc. Interested in Dunhuang culture and have basic knowledge, proficiency in both Cantonese and Mandarin languages is a must.
4. Participants must hold a valid Hong Kong Resident Identity Card and valid travel or identity document for travel to and from Chinese Mainland.
5. Participants must complete the whole six-week internship programme, which includes three weeks of training to gain an in-depth understanding of the caves and pass an assessment in order to become a tour guide at the Mogao Cave.
6. Upon completing the programme and becoming a Dunhuang culture ambassador, participants must engage in promotional activities and sharing sessions as required by the organizers and all collaborating parties on a volunteering basis.
7. Participants are required to cover their personal insurance during the internship period and submit supporting documents to the organizer at least 15 working days before the departure of the internship programme.
8. Participants must ensure that they are in good health to cope with local weather changes. The organizers have the right to require participants to submit health certificates before departure if necessary.
9. Any application form and supplementary information submitted after the application deadline will not be processed. All submitted work and related information are non-modifiable and non-returnable.
10. The organizers and all collaborating parties are granted the copyrights of all materials submitted, to use, reproduce and publish for educational and non-profit making purposes.
11. Participants should respect the decision of the judging panel and raise no objection to the decision of the organizers, all collaborating parties and judging panel.
12. The organizers and all collaborating parties reserve the right to alter the details of the internship programme. Should there be any disputes, The organizers and all collaborating parties reserve the rights of final decision.

Activity Report Submission and Sharing Session:

Participants are required to submit the report within 1 month after the completion of the internship programme (before 18 August 2026). The report includes:

1. Activity reflections (Within 200-300 Chinese characters, punctuation inclusive and please submit in MS Word).
2. At least 30 trip photos with brief introductions. Each photo must be at least 1MB.
3. Promotion plan with the topic of "Promotion of Dunhuang Culture” or “How to apply Dunhuang knowledge to promote art and historical and cultural industries in Hong Kong?” ( Details will be announced later).
4. Participants will also be invited to attend at least one post-internship sharing session and promote this programme in local secondary schools to share what they have learned during the internship programme, and to use the knowledge and experience gained to prepare and participate in activities to promote Dunhuang culture.

Event Moment:

Please visit HERE for the Youth Internship Programme at Dunhuang 2025 Programme highlight.

Enquiry:

Email: eventmarketing@youthsquare.hk

Tel: 3721 8888