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The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Donald Tsang, and HRH The Duke of York today (July 4, London time) jointly launched the largest and most diverse Hong Kong Festival yet staged in the United Kingdom (UK).
The 3-month summer festival has been organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London (HKETO) to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
"The festival will showcase the dynamism and energy of Hong Kong - a city of constant change and renewal; a city where East and West blend seamlessly; a progressive, free and stable city; a city of enormous opportunity where quality is premium. We call it Asia's world city," said Mr Tsang.
The Chief Secretary for Administration told guests that five years after reunification, Hong Kong remained an open, vibrant and plural society under the rule of law.
He said a new ministerial-style system of administration introduced on July 1 would help to provide more open, accountable and forward-looking government.
"After 35 years as a civil servant, I have left the civil service to take up the appointment as Chief Secretary for Administration. It's a bit like Humphrey Appleby stepping into the shoes of Jim Hacker," he said.
Looking ahead, Mr Tsang said that British businesses knew that Hong Kong is and would remain the premier international business city of Asia, as well as the best stepping-off point into the Mainland market.
"Nowhere else in Asia offers the access, experience and services that we do in Hong Kong," he said.
The UK's Special Representative for International Investment and Trade, HRH The Duke of York, also spoke at the launching ceremony.
HRH The Duke remarked that British businesses remained a robust and growing presence in Hong Kong and looked forward to closer ties between the two places.
In a congratulatory message to the festival, British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair said the links between UK and Hong Kong were expanding and covered a wide range of areas, including environmental co-operation, law enforcement and civil service reform.
"As co-signatories to the Joint Declaration, the UK remains firmly committed to Hong Kong," he said.
Leading figures and friends of Hong Kong attending the gala luncheon included Baroness Thatcher; the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine of Lairg; the UK's Minister of State for the Arts, Baroness Blackstone; UK's Minister of State for e-Commerce and Competitiveness, Mr Stephen Timms; and former Tory leader William Hague.
They were joined by politicians, senior government officials and ambassadors from across Europe, as well as prominent business leaders.
Also present was a host of leading personalities in the cultural and creative fields including Lord Foster, Sir Terence Conran, Mr Alan Whicker, actress Joan Collins and Ms Jung Chang, author of the world bestseller 'Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China'.
The Hong Kong festival in London is the most extensive Hong Kong event of its kind held in the city.
The Director General of the HKETO, Mr Andrew Leung, said the exciting, multi-faceted festival programme offered an interesting look at the lifestyle, painting, photography, film-making and performing arts of Hong Kong.
"Our aim is to introduce to London, as a world city in Europe, the different perspectives which underline Hong Kong as Asia's world city," he added.
Mr Leung said the festival was designed to capture the unique mixture of Hong Kong where the best of both the West and the East met, as a great city poised for the future.
A festival highlight is an exhibition showcasing Hong Kong's architecture and infrastructure. It will be held at the Royal Institute of British Architects between July 10 and August 15, 2002.
The exhibition, 'Hong Kong : City on the Move', will be opened by Lord Foster, the architect behind some of the most striking buildings in the world, including the Hong Kong International Airport and HSBC's Hong Kong headquarters.
A wide range of modern Chinese ink paintings from the Hong Kong Museum of Art will be on display at the Brunei Gallery, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London from July 9 to September 20. 'Hong Kong Cityscapes - Ink painting in Transition' will feature works of 21 established Hong Kong artists.
There will also be a roving exhibition of photographs by respected Hong Kong photographer Frank Fischbeck showing Hong Kong as a photographer's dream that can amaze at every turn.
A season of films, milestones of cinema over the past decade, will be shown at the Institute of Contemporary Arts between July 11 to 21, 2002.
The 17 films selected testify to the growth and maturity of Hong Kong's film industry. Director Stanley Kwan will address the audience on the first night of the film festival.
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts students will hold concerts at various Central London venues.
Alongside the variety of exhibitions and other cultural events, well-known figures from Hong Kong including Alan Chan, Freeman Lau and David Tang will give a series of lectures on Hong Kong Style.
On the sports and recreation front, there will be a Dragon Boat Race and a Hong Kong Golf Charity Day. The Hong Kong Jockey Club's annual Hong Kong Day at Ascot, which itself attracts many leading racing figures from Hong Kong, will this year feature as a festival event.
"The festival is a good opportunity to demonstrate that Hong Kong is not only the economic powerhouse of Asia, but also a culturally vibrant city in its own right," Mr Leung said.
To help promote the festival in London, a website has been set up at http://www.hongkongfestival.org
End/Thursday, July 4, 2002
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Photo 1: The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Donald Tsang, joins HRH The Duke of York and the Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Mr Andrew Leung, to toast the launch of the Hong Kong Festival in London.
