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The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong-Taiwan Cultural Co-operation Committee:
A cultural extravaganza involving more than 300 Hong Kong artists, "Hong Kong Week 2012 - Culture and Creativity @ Taipei" (Hong Kong Week 2012), was officially opened today (November 23) in Taipei, marking a new chapter in Hong Kong-Taiwan cultural co-operation.
Speaking at the opening reception of Hong Kong Week 2012 this evening, the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, said in his capacity as the Vice-Chairperson of the Hong Kong-Taiwan Economic and Cultural Co-operation and Promotion Council (ECCPC) that Hong Kong is a kaleidoscope of cultural creativity as it has not only preserved the traditions of local culture, but has also absorbed different cultural contents from elsewhere. These different elements have created synergising effects and different combinations among themselves, bringing about new cultural contents and formats as well as vitality.
"This is the first time for us to organise Hong Kong Week in Taiwan. I hope that the event will showcase to Taiwan audiences the diversity of Hong Kong's culture," Mr Tsang said.
The Convener of the Hong Kong-Taiwan Cultural Co-operation Committee (HKTCCC), Mr Fredric Mao, pointed out that Hong Kong and Taiwan share similar cultural backgrounds. Having the same written language, Hong Kong and Taiwan have been influencing each other in movies, television programmes and pop music, and even in other more serious art forms.
Mr Mao said, "Nowadays, both Hong Kong and Taiwan attach great importance to the development of culture and creative industries, and we therefore seek to achieve more in-depth interaction and co-operation in view of this. Hong Kong Week is organised to seek interaction and concrete implementation."
He said he hopes Hong Kong Week can become not just a stage for showcasing the talent of the cultural and creative sector in Hong Kong, but go even further as a platform for deeper and more extensive exchange between Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Those attending today's opening reception also included the Chairperson of the ECCPC, Mr Charles Lee; the Chairman of the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council (THEC), Mr Lin Chen-kuo; the Vice-Chairperson of the ECCPC, Mr David Lie; the Convenor of the Cultural Co-operation Committee under the THEC, Ms Hsu Li-lin; the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mrs Betty Fung; the Director of the Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office (Taiwan) (HKETCO), Mr John Leung; cultural leaders; and other local personalities from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The debut Hong Kong Week is an extravaganza of arts performances and exhibitions organised by the HKTCCC, in association with the HKETCO in Taiwan. During the 10-day event, there will be a wide range of cultural programmes encompassing various art forms, ranging from the traditional to the innovative.
Hong Kong Week 2012's arts performances started with Hong Kong Repertory Theatre's "I Have a Date with Autumn". Other programmes include "Let's Swing, Taipei!", bringing together the leading big bands and swing dancers of Hong Kong and Taiwan; "1587, A Year of No Significance", a widely acclaimed multimedia production presented by Zuni Icosahedron; "Collision", a crossover work by SIU2 and HKCO4U; "Gen-S", a pop music performance featuring a new generation of singer-songwriters; and "Hong Kong x Taipei Dance Exchange", a six-hour dance marathon by Hong Kong dancer-choreographers and Taiwan artists.
Apart from the art performances, the line-up also includes "Jumping Frames International Dance Video Showcase: Taipei" presented by City Contemporary Dance Company; "Kaleidoscope - History of Hong Kong Comics Exhibition @ Taipei" by the Hong Kong Arts Centre; and "Hong Kong Contemporary Film Showcase" organised by the Hong Kong Film Development Council. The dazzling array of cultural programmes highlights Hong Kong's attractiveness as a cultural metropolis and the innovative power of Hong Kong's contemporary arts scene.
Details about Hong Kong Week 2012 are available at the website www.hongkongweek2012taipei.hk.
Tying in with the launch of Hong Kong Week 2012, a cultural publication in Chinese entitled "Art and Culture@Hong Kong" (November 2012) has just been published. Apart from introducing various aspects of Hong Kong culture, it also features the artists participating in Hong Kong Week 2012.
While an e-book will be uploaded to the HKETCO website (www.hketco.hk) and the Brand Hong Kong website(www.brandhk.gov.hk), hard copies of "Art and Culture@Hong Kong" will be available for free collection at the HKETCO, some Eslite bookstores and Xue Xue Institute in Taipei. For enquires, please contact the HKETCO (Tel: (886) 2 2720 0858; email: enquiry@hketco.hk; address: 25/F, President International Tower, 11 Songgao Road, Xin Yi District, Taipei, Taiwan).
Ends/Friday, November 23, 2012
Issued at HKT 19:45
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