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HK's global offices celebrate 15th anniversary with showcase of talent (with photos)
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     Hong Kong's offices in the Mainland and overseas have launched a kaleidoscope of events and activities to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

     Events and activities will highlight the successful implementation of "One Country, Two Systems" and showcase Hong Kong's creativity, vibrancy and unique culture.

     In Beijing, a two-week exhibition entitled "Towards a Better Future" at the National Museum of China opened on June 27 and will run until July 9. It provides visitors with an insight into Hong Kong's development over the past 15 years and into the future.

     A similar exhibition was also staged at the prestigious London Book Fair in April, and exhibitions will be held in different cities in more than 10 Mainland provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in the coming months.

     Two video productions promoting Hong Kong's unique character and strengths have been produced to enhance publicity and promotional activities.

     One video is being broadcast on the screen outside the China Pavilion at the Yeosu Expo in Korea, which runs from May 12 to August 12.

     The second was especially commissioned to be played on two giant LED screens at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The video was first aired at the end of June and will run for a year.

     Both videos have been sent to Hong Kong's global offices for their use and will also be uploaded onto the Information Services Department's YouTube channel.

     In Sydney, a spectacular laser light show entitled "Light Up Hong Kong House" was held from dusk to dawn on the facade of Hong Kong House from June 28 until July 2. The colourful light show was witnessed by thousands of Sydneysiders and created quite a buzz in the city centre. Hong Kong House is where the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney, is located.

     In Brussels on July 6 the iconic Manneken-Pis Statue - a favourite with tourists - will be dressed up as a hip Hong Kong youngster to provide visitors with an interesting and modern perspective on Asia's world city.

     Hong Kong's creativity will be on display over several months with a range of film festivals and performances.

     Under the spotlight of its "Hong Kong in Focus", the renowned Paris Cinema International Film Festival from June 29 to July 10 is featuring over 80 Hong Kong films from the 1950s until the present era.

     Included in the promotional activities will be master class sessions by Hong Kong director Johnnie To and action choreographer Yuen Wo-ping.

     The annual Vic Asian Summer Film Festival in Spain from July 12 to 21 will also focus on Hong Kong movies this year.

     In London, the Hong Kong 15 Film Festival will feature Hong Kong films including latest releases, films made since 1997 and classics from the 1960s.

     Over in New York, "Return of the King: Hong Kong Movies 15 Years After the Handover" is the theme of the New York Asian Film Festival running from June 29 to July 15.

     The festival features over 10 award-winning and box office hits showcasing Hong Kong's credentials as one of the world's major filmmaking and distribution centres, as well as the recent trend in successful Hong Kong-Chinese co-productions.

     Action megastar Donnie Yen and director Pang Ho Cheung will attend the festival and meet fans. Mr Yen will also receive the Star Asia Award at the Hong Kong reception on July 9.

     Film festivals are also planned in more than 14 cities in Europe, Canada, the United States, Australia, Russia and the Mainland between late June and the end of December.

     A new webpage has also been launched to help publicise and promote the large number of film festivals staged by Hong Kong's offices around the world. The page can be found under the "Film Festivals" link on the Brand Hong Kong website at www.brandhk.gov.hk .

     Hong Kong's performing talent will delight audiences with a variety of cultural performances and concerts over the next few months.

     These include:

- A concert tour to Australia and New Zealand by the Hong Kong Children's Symphony Orchestra in July;

- Hong Kong Children's Choir performances in Germany and Finland in August;

- Asian Youth Orchestra concerts in Sendai and Tokyo, Japan, in August;

- Hong Kong Ballet performances in Saint-Sauveur, Canada, and in Massachusetts, New Mexico and Colorado in the US between July and August;

- A concert by Barbara Fei and Allegro Singers from Hong Kong in Ontario, Canada, in October;

- Concerts by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta in Toronto, Canada, in October to be followed by a North American debut tour to New York City in the same month.

     Hong Kong musical talent and their works will also be showcased at the Manhattan Hong Kong Music Festival from October 30 to November 4 and in the HKSAR 15th Anniversary Concert in Ontario, Canada, at the end of October.

     Back in Europe, Hong Kong was the guest of honour at the 2012 Bordeaux Wine Festival from June 28 to July 1.

     Two Hong Kong pavilions were set up to showcase Hong Kong's unique blend of Eastern and Western culture and fantastic food, while local jazz-Chinese instrument fusion group SIU2 added their musical vintage to the mix in Bordeaux and with other concerts and workshops in Amsterdam.

     In addition to a design exhibition and workshop in Tokyo, as well as design forums in Tokyo and New York in April and May, Hong Kong's creativity will also be showcased with art and multimedia exhibitions in Sydney from the end of June to early September.

     Sporting events will also add to the dynamism of 15th anniversary celebrations, with the HKSAR 15th Anniversary Cup Table Tennis Tournament in Canada, and dragon boat races in Singapore, Boston, New York, Antwerp, Atlanta, London, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Ottawa.

     Also on the calendar for celebrations outside Hong Kong are receptions, business luncheons and seminars, a speech contest, a poster design contest and student events.

     For more details, please visit www.hksar15.gov.hk .

Ends/Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Issued at HKT 15:59

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