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The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, today (February 10) expressed his deepest gratitude to Mr Michael Lynch, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), for his valuable contributions to the development of cultural hardware and software in Hong Kong.
"With unflinching determination and unswerving efforts, Mr Lynch has charted the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) project forward with exemplary results. On hardware development, he has diligently overseen the design and construction of world-class performing and visual arts venues, notably the Xiqu Centre and M+, which are essential cultural infrastructure to develop Hong Kong into an international cultural metropolis."
Mr Tsang added, "Mr Lynch, though an expatriate, fully and passionately embraces Chinese culture, as seen in the promotion of Cantonese opera. The West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre and the Rising Stars series, spearheaded by Mr Lynch in collaboration with the industry's stakeholders, have developed into flagship programmes of the WKCDA and an important platform for nurturing young talents in Cantonese opera. All these efforts are instrumental to grooming artists and building audience in preparation for the opening of the Xiqu Centre and supporting the sustainable development of Cantonese opera."
Commending Mr Lynch's work, Mr Tsang said, "I greatly admire Mr Lynch's dedication and professionalism. Thanks to his extensive international network, he has assisted in giving our local artists international exposure through featuring them in major exhibitions, thereby raising the profile of the city and the WKCD project in the international arena.
"Mr Lynch's planned early retirement will be a loss to the Authority. My colleagues and I would like to extend our best wishes to Mr Lynch and his family," Mr Tsang said.
Ends/Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Issued at HKT 18:15
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