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The tenth Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Cooperation Meeting (with photos)
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     Cultural officials from the Guangdong Province, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and Macao Special Administrative Region met today (February 20) in Hong Kong at the tenth Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Cooperation Meeting, and signed the ¡§Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Exchange and Cooperation Development Plan 2009-2013¡¨ to strengthen the scope of cooperation and to bring the cooperation to a higher level for the mutual benefit of the three places.

     The Director General of the Department of Culture of Guangdong Province, Mr Fang Jian Hong, Secretary for Home Affairs of the HKSAR, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, and President of Macao Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ms Heidi Ho attended the meeting.

     The meeting, hosted by the three places alternately, included a group session held at the Sha Tin Racecourse this morning. More than 200 people, including over 80 from the Guangdong Province and Macao took part in this session.

     The six groups held discussions on specific areas of collaboration, namely ¡§exchange and training on performing artists and co-organisation of cultural programmes¡¨,¡§mutual exchange of cultural information¡¨, ¡§development of museum network as well as excavation, preservation and promotion of cultural relics¡¨,¡§cooperation and exchange of libraries¡¨, ¡§promotion of Cantonese opera¡¨, and ¡§research on development of cultural (creative) industries¡¨.

     The six groups also exchanged views on the planning and development of the West Kowloon Cultural District, which is a large-scale cultural facility in the region.

     The reporting and concluding sessions wereas held at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in the afternoon.

     Speaking at the meeting, Mr Fang said the development plan was formulated under the premise of strict adherence to the ¡§One country, Two systems¡¨ principle. He said, ¡§As Hong Kong and Macao have good experience in cultural operation management while Guangdong has a large market and a wealth of cultural resources, the cooperation plan will benefit the cultural and the arts sectors and the general public of the three places.¡¨

     Mr Tsang in his concluding remarks said, ¡§The National Development and Reform Commission announced the ¡¥Framework for PRD Region's Development and Reform Planning¡¦in January this year.  The Development Plan signed today follows the directions set by the Framework and seizes the opportunityies arisen . I hope that the Plan will further facilitate cultural industries in the Greater River Pearl Delta region to flourish, enhance the competitiveness of the region, enrich people¡¦s lives as well as strengthen the cohesion of the community in the three places.

     In her concluding speech, President of Macao Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ms Heidi Ho noted that the meeting had three distinctive characteristics ¡V high efficiency, strong confidence and far-sighted vision. She said that the meeting, built upon past achievement, seizing the present moment and exploring the opportunities for future development, had laid a solid foundation for ¡§One Country, Two Systems¡¨, ensuring the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao, and the enhanced development of PRD.  Each side would complement the others with its own strengths, with a view to achieving the grand vision of developing into a globally competitive metropolis.

     Before the meeting ended, the three parties exchanged souvenirs. To show support and encouragement to the creations of young artists, as well as to commemorate the tenth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao meeting, the HKSAR government has specially selected the works of a young artist and a student artist as souvenirs. The two pieces resembled the new way of presentation of the new generation deriving from the Chinese traditional culture.

     The two pieces of works are ¡§Guanyin¡¨ and ¡§Free mine1-Decorated Fire Goby¡¨. ¡§Guanyin¡¨ was a 3-D sculpture created by Ho Ho-yuen, a secondary six student of HKICC Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity, by using modern materials and new methods to re-sculpt a traditional Chinese figure. The other piece was painted by young artist Celia Wong Sze-hang, who,inspired by Zhang Zi¡¦s ¡§Relaxing Paradise¡¨, attempted to give people a sense of relaxation through art.

     Since November 2011, the Department of Culture of Guangdong Province, the Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR have established a framework for strengthening cultural co-operation within the Greater River Pearl Delta region. An agreement on cultural co-operation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao was signed in August 2003 with meetings held in the three places. Six working groups have been set up to implement and follow up on the co-operation recommendations in different areas.

Ends/Friday, February 20, 2009
Issued at HKT 20:08

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