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The 21st Century will see Hong Kong embarking on a new Silk Road trading for creative ideas, creative products and creative talents, the Hong Kong Commissioner for Economic and Trade Affairs in the United States, Miss Jacqueline Willis, said on Thursday (January 19, US time) evening in New York.
Miss Willis was speaking to some 300 guests attending a reception co-hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department in honour of the 20th International Congress of the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) to be held in Hong Kong in June this year.
"We have already seen many rewarding explorations in regional cultural co-operation along this modern Silk Road," Miss Willis said. "To further this co-operation, Hong Kong hosted the Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum three years in a row. Hong Kong was also privileged to host on two occasions the ministers responsible for culture and arts of the ASEAN countries, plus China, Japan and Korea.
"We see the fruits of such co-operation with the signing of Memoranda of Understanding on Cultural Cooperation with the governments of Singapore, the Philippines, Korea, Egypt, the Netherlands, Hungary and Croatia in recent years. We have also a Memorandum of Understanding with the Mainland Ministry of Culture.
Miss Willis took the opportunity to introduce to the audience - who were mostly ISPA members attending the 58th annual conference in New York - the thriving and vibrant art and cultural scene of Hong Kong.
"Hong Kong is home to more than 10 professional performing groups. The Government itself manages 15 cultural venues of varying sizes and is a major presenter of the performing arts to ensure that Hong Kong people have access to a rich cultural life. The Government also manages more than 25 museums, each recording various facets of Hong Kong's history. A variety of arts festivals was hosted annually, including the Hong Kong Arts festival, the Hong Kong International Film Festival, the International Arts Festival, etc."
On the role of the Government, Miss Willis said her government had spared no effort in supporting arts and cultural developments, partly through the provision of financial support, education and publicity. "To enhance Hong Kong's position as a world city of culture, we have made a bold and visionary move to develop a prime 40-hectare site at the West Kowloon waterfront into a world-class integrated arts, cultural and entertainment district where local and international arts communities will meet."
Also speaking at the reception, Assistant Director (Performing Arts), Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Miss Agnes Tang, said that Hong Kong was in a pivotal position to facilitate arts and cultural exchanges between the East and the West, and between the Mainland and other areas.
"We hope that the Congress would provide the opportunities for members of ISPA to discover the latest developments in the area of performing arts in the region," she added.
Miss Colleen Ka-Ling Lee, a top prize winner in the Frederick Chopin International Piano Competition, was invited to perform two piano pieces at the reception. Miss Lee was born in Hong Kong and graduated from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. She is now studying at the Hochschule fur Musik und Theatre in Hannover, Germany.
More information on the 20th International Congress of the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) can be found at http://www.ispa.org.
Ends/Friday, January 20, 2006
Issued at HKT 11:15
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