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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, at the opening ceremony of the "Mare Nostrum: Roman Navy and Pompeii" exhibition today (June 7):
Mr (Antonello) De Riu, Professor (Eugenio) Martera, Dr (Alex) Susanna, Mrs (Margaret) Leung, Mr (Stanley) Wong, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the opening ceremony of the "Mare Nostrum: Roman Navy and Pompeii" exhibition.
Ancient Romans gained control of the Mediterranean Sea and expanded from a humble city into a mighty empire with the supremacy of the Roman navy. Indeed, the naval fleet launched one of the first recorded rescue missions of civilisation in history when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79 to destroy the city of Pompeii.
The Mediterranean was already a connecting point to China as far back as the Han dynasty. The Silk Road that spanned Europe and Asia allowed business travellers to conduct trade. The maritime Silk Road was also founded through the exploitation of the Han dynasty and began in the east from the coastal cities of South China and travelled west.
The East and the West were connected by both land and maritime transport networks, promoting trade and enhancing cultural exchanges between the East and the West. With the foundation laid more than two millennia ago, we sincerely believe the economic and cultural connections between China and Italy will continue to flourish in the 21st century, especially under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Thanks to the co-organisers of the exhibition, Contemporanea Progetti and Expona, we can now enjoy an impactful exhibition which has brought together 110 sets of valuable exhibits from more than 10 museums and cultural organisations in Rome, Naples, Pompeii and other parts of Italy. With the help of modern techniques and an array of multimedia programmes, the greatness of the Roman Empire is reconstructed while the lifestyle of upper classes is presented.
The staging of this exhibition marks a milestone in the collaboration between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Italy. In this connection, I would like to extend my warmest gratitude to the Consulate General of Italy in Hong Kong for its ardent support.
My thanks also go to the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for their continuous support over the years for the promotion of the arts and culture in Hong Kong.
May I wish the "Mare Nostrum: Roman Navy and Pompeii" exhibition a great success. Thank you.
Ends/Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Issued at HKT 18:39
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