The following is issued on behalf of the Executive Council Secretariat:
      
     Non-official Members of the Executive Council (ExCo Non-official Members) today (June 3) visited the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) to learn about its latest developments.
      
     Upon arrival, the ExCo Non-official Members were briefed by the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), Mrs Betty Fung, on the facilities of the WKCD. Accompanied by the Chairman of the Board of the WKCDA, Mr Henry Tang; Mrs Fung; the Museum Director of M+, Ms Suhanya Raffel; the Museum Director of the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM), Dr Louis Ng; and the Executive Director of Performing Arts of the WKCDA, Mr Paul Tam, the ExCo Non-official Members toured the M+ museum and were introduced to the design and architectural features of the M+ building. The M+ museum is the first global museum of contemporary visual culture in Asia. The construction of the museum building has been completed and the installation of internal fittings and fixtures is now under way, including the installation of the M+ Collection. The museum is set to open at the end of this year.
      
     The ExCo Non-official Members then visited the construction site of the HKPM to learn about progress of the works. The HKPM, which is scheduled to open in mid-2022, is a collaborative project between the WKCDA and the Palace Museum with the capital cost being fully funded by a donation of $3.5 billion from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Lastly, the ExCo Non-official Members visited the Xiqu Centre and enjoyed a short performance at the Tea House Theatre to gain first-hand experience of the performance programmes of the Xiqu Centre. The Xiqu Centre is a world-class performance venue with a wide range of facilities, such as a Grand Theatre with more than 1,000 seats, a Seminar Hall and a number of studios.
      
     The ExCo Non-official Members gladly noted that the construction works of the WKCD were making good progress and that the museums featured a distinct collection and curatorial style. With the M+ museum and the HKPM opening in phases, the ExCo Non-official Members were keenly awaiting the two world-class museums to become new landmarks for culture, arts and tourism in Hong Kong as well as a leisure and entertainment hot spot for members of the public. Together with the expanded Hong Kong Museum of Art, these new facilities would turn a new page in the development of arts and culture in Hong Kong, strengthening the position of Hong Kong as an international arts and cultural hub.
      
     The ExCo Non-official Members joining the visit today were Convenor Mr Bernard Chan, Mr Arthur Li, Mr Chow Chung-kong, Mr Ip Kwok-him, Mr Ronny Tong and Dr Lam Ching-choi.

Ends/Thursday, June 3, 2021
Issued at HKT 17:48

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