Shot in the arm for film, arts

Hong Kong has been a "bridge" between Eastern and Western cultures and this is happening because of one country, two systems, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said at the opening ceremony of the first Hong Kong International Cultural Summit at Xiqu Centre.

"This event and your welcome presence here reflects Hong Kong's longstanding role as the multicultural bridge between East and West," Lee said.

"Hong Kong is the only city in the world that enjoys both the China advantage and the global advantage."

He said under the 14th Five-Year Plan, the SAR government attaches great importance to "propelling Hong Kong's rise as a cultural hub." Lee added that the government will inject funds into its Film Development Fund and CreateSmart Initiative to support projects in film, arts, design and other cultural initiatives.

"We will introduce a signature performing arts programme to encourage world-class performing arts productions and international cultural brands to be staged as long-running shows in Hong Kong," said Lee. He said he is delighted that the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority is signing more than 20 memorandums of understanding and cultural cooperation agreements during the two-day summit.

On the first full day, more than 1,000 people from around the world gathered at the cultural district, including French ambassador Bertrand Lortholary and Beijing Palace Museum director Wang Xudong.

Henry Tang Ying-yen, council chairman of summit organizer WKCDA, said the cultural district will continue its mission to turn Hong Kong into an international cultural exchange hub.

"With its unique cultural and historical background of Eastern and Western cultures, Hong Kong will continue to expand our international endeavors," he said.

He added that the district has become a popular cultural landmark, with the ratio between locals and tourists rocketing from less than 5 percent early last year to 65 to 70 percent as of February this year.

"Our museums are embraced not only by locals, but also by a lot of visitors from the mainland and overseas," Tang said.

The Hong Kong Palace Museum said it is reviewing its ticket price amid financial difficulties, director Louis Ng Chi-wa said. The district has said its HK$21.6 billion grant will be used up by March next year.

Ng said: "Since our museum opened to the public, we have seen a total of 2.2 million visitors. They were satisfied with ticket pricing and many of them are repeat visitors."

He said the authority hopes to strike a balance between the sustainability of the museum operations and keeping it affordable for people, adding the museum is providing free tickets to people in need.

The museum recently signed cultural agreements with seven national museums in Japan, the Middle East and the mainland. It will hold a large-scale Islamic culture and art exhibition next year.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com