***********************************************************
The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, met with the new Minister of Culture, Mr Luo Shugang, in Beijing today (February 10) and explored the opportunities presented by further promoting the development of culture and arts on the foundation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Co-operation signed between Hong Kong and the Mainland, with the hope of fostering cultural interaction between youngsters in Hong Kong and the Mainland as well as other regions in the future.
Mr Tsang said, "Hong Kong, together with the Department of Culture of Guangdong Province and the Tertiary Education Services Office of the Macau Special Administrative Region Government, have been jointly organising the annual Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Youth Cultural Exchange since 2009 to broaden the horizons of the younger generation."
Mr Luo noted that it has been 10 years since the Ministry of Culture and the Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) signed the Mainland/Hong Kong Agreement on Closer Cultural Partnership Arrangement. Two-way interaction has become the mainstream. At present, the cultural development of the Mainland has entered a golden age and Hong Kong may further bring its unique cultural edge into full play, he added.
With the support of the Ministry of Culture, Hong Kong has successfully hosted a number of major exhibitions, including those on terracotta figures, Dunhuang culture, Lingnan archaeology and the maritime porcelain road. In addition, Hong Kong has been taking forward the complementary work relating to the policies of the Ministry of Culture in active preservation and promotion of intangible cultural heritage.
During the meeting, Mr Tsang introduced to Mr Luo the latest work of the HKSAR Government in promoting cultural development and the progress of the West Kowloon Cultural District project.
Mr Tsang will return to Hong Kong tonight.
Ends/Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Issued at HKT 12:14
NNNN
