First Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival opens today (with photos)
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     ​Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2023 was held at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre today (April 22).
 
     Addressing the opening ceremony, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, said that Hong Kong's pop music, films and TV dramas had been developing rapidly since the 1970s, and were well-received in Asia and even Europe and the United States in the 1980s and 1990s. Hong Kong's pop culture not only drove the economy, but also reflected the lives and stories of Hong Kong people at different times.     
 
     Mr Yeung pointed out that as the National 14th Five-Year Plan positioned Hong Kong as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, the Government will promote the development of the city's culture, including its unique pop culture through diversified policies.
     
     Mr Yeung added that the first Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival will take audiences to revisit, from different perspectives, the masterpieces of Hong Kong pop culture's golden era in the 1980s and 1990s, which witnessed the city's development and its spirit. The festival will rejuvenate the all-time classics with new elements to demonstrate the continuation of cultural flow, perpetual preservation, breakthroughs and development. He expected that the promotion will enhance the public's recognition towards the city's pop culture, and help tell tourists and people from overseas good stories of Hong Kong.
 
     Also officiating at the ceremony were the Chairman of the Museum Advisory Committee, Professor Douglas So, and the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Vincent Liu.
 
     After the ceremony, the opening programme "When Leslie & Anita Meet Hei & Gin" began with popular singer Gin Lee performing four theme songs from films of Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui, selected and re-arranged by renowned music producer Chiu Tsang-hei, followed by the film "Who's the Woman, Who's the Man" (1996) co-starred by the two superstars.
 
     The festival has curated some 20 programmes, with confirmed ones including seven performing arts programmes, four thematic exhibitions and four thematic film screenings, as well as a series of outreach activities. It is expected to attract an audience of over 200 000.
 
     For more information on other fascinating programmes of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival, please visit www.pcf.gov.hk/en.

Ends/Saturday, April 22, 2023
Issued at HKT 21:30

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