| Officiating guests at the Exhibition on Contemporary Picture Book Illustration in Germany viewing the poetic and surreal illustrations of German artists. |
Cultural Exchanges
Exchanges with the International Community
Departmental arts managers and curators regularly attend international conferences and festivals to keep abreast of the latest developments in the arts and in science education, to engage in exchanges with their international counterparts, and to scout out quality overseas programmes for presentation in Hong Kong. In 2009-10, representatives of the Department attended the Cambridge Summer Music Festival, the World of Music, Art and Dance (WOMAD) Festival, the Stockton International Riverside Festival, and Public Library Authorities (PLA) Conference 2009 in the UK, the Association of Science and Technology Centre 2009 Conference in the US, and the Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres 2010 Conference in New Zealand.
On-going collaboration with international cultural institutions in the presentation of library extension activities took place throughout the year. An Exhibition on Contemporary Picture Book Illustration in Germany was jointly organised with the Goethe-Institut Hongkong to introduce the work of 13 leading German illustrators.
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Exchanges with Mainland China and Macao
Reciprocal visits were arranged between the Department and cultural bodies from Mainland China and Macao to enhance cultural exchange, improve co-operation and extend networking. Amongst the visitors to Hong Kong in 2009-10 were delegates from the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China, the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Culture, the Dengfeng Municipal People's Government, the Guangdong Science Centre, the Shanghai Grand Theatre, the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sport and Tourism, the Shenzhen Museum, Shenzhen Library, the Macao Science Centre and Hubei Library.
Under the umbrella of the Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Co-operation Meeting, two performances of a cultural exchange programme entitled Cantonese Operatic Songs Gala Concert by Cantonese Opera Masters from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China were staged in October 2009 at the Hong Kong Coliseum. These performances were well received by the Hong Kong audience.
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To further strengthen and promote cultural exchange and co-operation amongst Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, the Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Co-operation Meeting is held annually, with the three locations taking turns to play host. The discussion topics covered various aspects of cultural co-operation, including the development and exchange of performing arts talent and programme collaboration; the interflow of cultural information; heritage and museum co-operation; library co-operation and exchanges; the promotion of Cantonese opera; and further study of the development of the cultural and creative industries.
Efforts to strengthen cultural links and co-operation with public libraries outside of Hong Kong also continued throughout the year. The websites and online catalogues of the Hong Kong Public Libraries, the Sun Yat-Sen Library of Guangdong Province, Shenzhen Library and the Macao Central Library were linked to allow the sharing of library news and collections. As part of the cultural exchange programme, the Hong Kong Public Libraries and Shenzhen Library also held creative writing competitions to celebrate '4.23 World Book Day', with the winning entries from Hong Kong and Shenzhen displayed together.
As part of the cultural exchange programme with libraries in the Pearl River Delta region, representatives from the Hong Kong Public Libraries attended the International Summit on Public Libraries held in November 2009 in Shenzhen.
Participation in Expo 2010 Shanghai China
The Department has arranged 22 cultural events, including 20 performing arts programmes and two visual arts exhibitions, for presentation during Expo 2010 Shanghai China from May to October 2010. The programmes, whose theme is 'creativity, connectivity and vibrancy', embrace a variety of art forms, including Cantonese opera, Chinese and Western music, dance, drama, opera, music theatre and multimedia performances, as well as art exhibitions.
Participating arts groups include the Yat Po Singers, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, The Hong Kong Ballet, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts School of Dance, the City Contemporary Dance Company, the Hong Kong Dance Company, Edward Lam Dance Theatre, the Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong, Musica Viva and The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Alumni Association, the Hong Kong Arts Festival and Fredric Mao Theatre Project, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Theatre du Pif, Zuni Icosahedron, the Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Fringe Club, Opera Hong Kong, Hong Kong Singer-Song Writers and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.
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The rich diversity of programmes by some of Hong Kong's best-known and respected cultural talent, as well as the next generation of young and emerging stars, is designed to highlight the uniqueness of the Hong Kong cultural scene and provide an exchange platform for artists from Hong Kong and the Mainland.
In addition to the performing arts programmes, two large-scale visual art exhibitions ----- Legacy and Creations ----- Ink Art vs Ink Art, and Legacy and Creations ----- Art vs Art ----- were jointly presented by the Hong Kong Museum of Art and two leading museums in Shanghai, the Shanghai Art Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai. These exhibitions reflect the culture and lifestyle of the Hong Kong people and complement the Expo theme: 'Better City, Better Life'.
