Cultural Exchanges
Exchanges with the International Community
The Department’s arts managers, curators and librarians regularly attend international conferences and festivals to keep in touch with the latest developments and to scout for quality programmes to be presented in Hong Kong.
In 2010-11, the Department’s representatives attended the Association of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Centres (AAPPAC) Annual Conference 2010 in Japan, the Annual Congress of the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) in the United States, the cultural exchange forum ‘ConverAsians’ organised by the Esplanade Theatres in Singapore, the European Network of Science Centres and Museums (ECSITE) Annual Conference 2010 in Germany, the Association of Science-Technology Centres (ASTC) 2010 Annual Conference in the United States, the International Planetarium Society Conference in Egypt, the 66th Federation of International Film Archives (FIAF) Congress in Norway, the 4th Seoul International Family Film Festival in Seoul, the ‘British Council Book Case’ programme presented by the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and the 8th Conference of Chinese Resources on Cooperation and Development cum Conference on Digital Archives of Chinese Library Resources.
Our Public Libraries strengthened ties with counterparts elsewhere to cooperate and exchange views on mutual interest. ‘The Best Book Design: Exhibition of award-winning books in Germany, Mainland China and Hong Kong’, was jointly organised with the Goethe-Institut in Hong Kong in 2010 to give the public an idea about the latest and best books produced in these three regions.
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. Among the visitors to Hong Kong in 2010-11 were delegates from the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China, the People's Government of Henan Province, the Fujian Provincial People’s Government, the Chengdu Municipal People’s Political Consultative Conference, the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sport and Tourism, the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, the Chinese Academy of Social Science, the Sun Yat-sen University and the Shanghai Oriental Art Center.
Under the umbrella of the Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Co-operation Meeting, an exhibition entitled Revolution Once More: Dr Sun Yat-sen from Xing Zhong Hui to the Governments in Guangzhou, organised by the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum, jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Guangzhou Museum, was held from September 2010 to March 2011.
Cantonese Opera Day was also held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza in November 2010. These programmes and activities were well received.
The annual Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Co-operation Meeting, organised to strengthen cultural exchange and co-operation among Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, discussed a range of topics, such as 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; intangible cultural heritage; and further study of the development of the cultural and creative industries.
Efforts to strengthen links with public libraries outside Hong Kong also continued throughout the year. 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 facilitate 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 the '4.23 World Book Day'. The winning entries from Hong Kong and Shenzhen were displayed in both libraries.
Expo 2010 Shanghai China
The Department coordinated 22 Hong Kong cultural programmes, under the theme 'Creativity‧Connectivity‧Vibrancy', at the Expo 2010 Shanghai China (Shanghai Expo) from May to October 2010. They included 47 performances, including 20 performing arts programmes and two visual arts exhibitions. The theme was projected through a variety of art forms, including Cantonese opera, Chinese and Western music, dance, drama, opera, theatre, multimedia performances and art exhibitions.
A series of seminars, workshops and master classes were also organised to introduce Hong Kong’s cutting edge creative concepts and dynamic cultural scene.
The cultural performances at indoor venues during the Expo attracted more than 17 000 audiences and an average attendance rate of 93 per cent, with some playing to a full house. The free concerts and programmes staged inside the Expo Park and at various locations in Shanghai were enjoyed by some 40 000 spectators, while the two art exhibitions under the Legacy and Creations Series, the Ink Art vs Ink Art Exhibition and Art vs Art Exhibition, attracted some 43 000 visitors.
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
The cultural programmes presented during the Expo period marked the first major arts collaboration between Hong Kong and Shanghai, when some 1 200 local artists participants demonstrated their creativity, garnering an enthusiastic response from the audience and media.
Various cultural organisations in Shanghai supported our cultural programmes at the Expo through co-presentations and joint publicity campaigns. They included the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, China Shanghai International Arts Festival, Shanghai Modern Drama Valley, Shanghai Grand Theatre, Shanghai Theatre Academy, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Shanghai Art Museum and Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai. The collaboration enabled Hong Kong arts groups and artists to make stronger networks with these cultural organisations, paving the way for more opportunities on the Mainland in the future.
Key participating arts groups include the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Ballet, the City Contemporary Dance Company, the Hong Kong Dance Company, the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong, Fredric Mao Theatre Project, Zuni Icosahedron, and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.
