Art Hong Kong Expo: Cultural leaders rally to promote HK's global hub vision
HONG KONG: Hong Kong enjoys ample strategic determination, as well as a global profile, together with enough policy and talent support to be a frontrunner of the future culture and creative industry, cultural pundits and government officials said on Friday (May 30).
The remarks sparked ovations at a cross-boundary exchange session during a forum on Hong Kong's international cultural and creative industry, a highlight of the third edition of the Art Hong Kong Expo, which opened on Friday at AsiaWorld-Expo near the international airport.
The four-day expo showcases the city's burgeoning culture and creative industries in a kaleidoscope of themes, ranging from cultural industry integration, digital cultural tourism, and low-altitude economy, to gaming and e-sports, digital creativity, international culture, Hong Kong-mainland culture exchange, intangible cultural heritage, and national trend cultural creativity.
Addressing the forum, Raistlin Lau Chun, Hong Kong's undersecretary for culture, sports and tourism, underscored the city's resolve to elevate local characteristic brands such as 'Hong Kong Culture', 'Hong Kong Design' and 'Hong Kong Manufacturing', while strengthening ties with the Chinese mainland and international industry to help step up Hong Kong industrial players' influence in broader markets.
'My bureau will work hand-in-hand with the industry, leveraging government resources to better support creative projects that exhibit big industrial potential,' noted Lau.
Recognising creative industries as the city's new economic booster, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government promulgated the Blueprint for Arts and Culture and Creative Industries Development in 2024, aiming to turbocharge the city's establishment of a conducive industry ecosystem and as a platform for international arts and cultural exchanges.
Two dedicated government funding programmes — the Film Development Fund for moviemakers and the CreateSmart Initiative for other creative sectors — have respectively approved a cumulative total of over HK$1.3 billion ($165.7 million) and about $3.4 billion in funding that benefited more than 120 film projects and 30,000 enterprises since their establishment, according to the 2025-26 budget.
Ding Wei, deputy general manager of the Bauhinia Culture Holdings Limited — the expo's advisor — highlighted Hong Kong's strategic strength as both a 'cultural reception room' for Chinese civilization to engage with the globe and a 'crucial pivot' where international creative resources converge.
'Hong Kong's highly open economic system, international financial platforms, and strong business networks, made it deeply integrated with the global creative ecosystem,' noted Ding.
'This is where Eastern and Western cultures interact and merge, where tradition and modernity shine in mutual glamour.'
John Howkins, a leading mover in the global development of creative economies, who is also program leader and academic advisor at the University of Hong Kong's Institute for China Business, added an optimistic note.
Hong Kong's greatest asset lies in its free flow of creative talents, said Howkins.
He noted that true creativity thrives on free exchange of ideas, and being a regional transport hub with world-class universities offering high-quality programs in the field, Hong Kong is advantageously positioned to attract top faculty and students who can contribute to its creative landscape. - China Daily/ANN
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