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The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, said today (August 31) that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government would continue to work with the Federation of Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community Organisations and the Chiu Chow community in the promotion of the Yu Lan Ghost Festival following the successful inscription of the festival onto the third national list of intangible cultural heritage.
The Government would also formulate comprehensive measures for the preservation, promotion and passing on of intangible cultural heritage in Hong Kong, Mr Tsang said.
Attending a dinner reception held by the Federation to celebrate the successful inscription of the festival onto the third national list of intangible cultural heritage, Mr Tsang said Yu Lan promoted the traditional values of reverence for ancestors, support to the disadvantaged, solidarity and mutual support, the very essence of Chinese culture.
He said, "Over the years, the Federation has been proactively promoting and striving for the inscription of the Yu Lan Ghost Festival onto the national list of intangible cultural heritage. The HKSAR Government supports the efforts made by the Federation and the relevant parties, and thus formally submitted an application to the Central Government. It was thrilling that in the middle of this year, the Yu Lan Ghost Festival as well as three other items were all successfully inscribed onto the national list of intangible cultural heritage."
Mr Tsang said that the HKSAR Government, the Federation and the Chiu Chow community would continue to work together for the preservation of the festival after the successful inscription. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department's Hong Kong Heritage Museum is now in close contact with the Federation, with the aim of implementing a series of conservation programmes that were proposed at the time of application, including promotion, research, archive and data documentation, book publishing and encouraging interested young people to help take part in the preservation.
Meanwhile, the HKSAR Government is conducting a territory-wide survey of intangible cultural heritage in Hong Kong. The whole exercise is expected to be completed early next year, and the survey findings will help the Government formulate comprehensive measures to preserve, promote and pass on intangible cultural heritage.
Ends/Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Issued at HKT 19:01
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