Latest news with #LCSD
HKFP
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- HKFP
Hong Kong Coliseum to prioritise concerts over sports in mega-event push
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has said it will offer the Hong Kong Coliseum more concert booking slots in a move to reposition the venue from sports events to live concerts. Under an updated policy, the LCSD aims to provide more performance slots for arts groups and establish clearer venue identities, 'thereby fostering a diversified, professional, industry and mega-event development of performing arts,' a Thursday statement read. The Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom, previously given priority for sports events, will be repositioned to prioritise concerts, thereby promoting the development of a 'concert economy,' the department said. The move also comes after the flagship Kai Tak Sports Park recorded 590,000 concertgoers in the first three months since its opening, with over half of them tourists. A total of 15 large-scale concerts, including those by British band Coldplay, Taiwanese band Mayday, and Hong Kong pop star Nicholas Tse, have been held at Kai Tak Stadium and Kai Tak Arena since the sprawling sports park officially opened on March 1. Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou is set to perform for three nights this month, starting on Friday. Post-pandemic, the Hong Kong government has made it a key policy priority to hold large-scale events in the city, ranging from sports to arts and music, in a bid to boost its tourism industry. The LCSD also said on Thursday that the East Kowloon Cultural Centre, still under construction and expected to be operational by the end of the year, would be reserved for long-running local performances and arts technology programmes. 'The objective is to promote the curation, production and long-running performances of more local signature performing arts programmes, thereby fostering the development of the sector as an industry, and enhancing cultural tourism,' the statement read. The Sha Tin Town Hall auditorium will be reserved mainly for Cantonese opera, considered Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage item. According to the LCSD, it will also enhance the Venue Partnership Scheme, which aims to foster ties between venues and performing arts groups. The scheme, set to run for three years from April next year, will provide more performance slots for different arts groups and deepen partnerships between the venues and performing arts groups or organisations.
HKFP
25-06-2025
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong public libraries receive 140 reports on ‘objectionable content,' including nat. sec violations
Hong Kong public libraries have received around 140 reports from the general public about suspected national security violations and other potentially 'objectionable content' since the reporting mechanism was introduced in 2023. In response to HKFP's enquiries, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) said on Tuesday that it had received 'around 140 views' from the public since the launch of the 'Collection of Views on Library Collections' mechanism in July 2023. The department said that if any reported library materials were found to have 'objectionable content' – such as exaggerated violence, pornography, vulgarity, content that endangers national security, or violates Hong Kong laws – they would be withdrawn from the shelves. According to the Hong Kong Public Libraries (HKPL) website, the reporting mechanism aims to 'maintain the quality of the collection.' Members of the public can submit their views via an online form, by email, or in person using a paper form. Those submitting a report are asked to provide the title, author, publisher, and reasons why they believe the item is unsuitable for the collection. They are also required to identify specific content – such as page numbers or text excerpts – and the library branch where the material was found. The department did not respond to questions about the details of the library materials in question, nor the number of reports linked to suspected national security violations. Books purged The LCSD stepped up efforts to scrutinise library materials in the name of safeguarding national security after the Audit Commission advised in April 2023 that greater efforts were needed to ensure collections at government-managed libraries were appropriate and did not contravene the Beijing-imposed security law. According to the commission, the LCSD had launched a preliminary review of library materials for 'national security risk considerations' in 2021. The HKPL had completed the review of library books, with those deemed 'manifestly contrary' to national security removed. Chief Executive John Lee said a month after the commission's report that the Hong Kong government has a duty to identify books with 'bad ideologies.' Only titles that reflect values it wishes to foster in society would be recommended by the government, he said. In 2022, the government cited security reasons for refusing to tell a legislator which books had been removed from public libraries because of the Beijing-imposed national security law. The LCSD said at the time that making the list available 'may lead to wide circulation of such library materials with malicious intent.' In 2023, local newspaper Ming Pao found removed during the past three years. It comes after HKFP revealed in 2021 that 29 books about the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown had been axed from libraries. Monday, June 30, marks five years since Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong's mini-constitution in 2020 following months-long pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. Separate from the 2020 Beijing-enacted security law, the homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, sedition, theft of state secrets and espionage. It allows for pre-charge detention of up to 16 days, and suspects' access to lawyers may be restricted, with penalties involving up to life in prison. Article 23 was shelved in 2003 amid mass protests, remaining taboo for years. But, on March 23, 2024, it was enacted having been fast-tracked and unanimously approved at the city's opposition-free legislature. The law has been criticised by rights NGOs, Western states and the UN as vague, broad and 'regressive.' Authorities, however, cited perceived foreign interference and a constitutional duty to 'close loopholes' after the 2019 protests and unrest.
HKFP
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- HKFP
Sculpture with figures in yellow raincoats will not be reinstalled ‘in situ' after repair, Hong Kong gov't says
An artwork by famed Taiwanese sculptor Ju Ming, which includes figures in yellow raincoats, will not be reinstalled at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre despite the completion of the restoration work, the government has said. Ju's sculpture 'Lining Up' featured 10 figures standing in a line. Some wore black suits, two were in yellow raincoats, and one woman stood in pink holding a yellow umbrella. It was installed outside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui in 2017. The artwork was removed in June after being covered by hoarding boards, sparking censorship concerns online. The government said at the time the piece was 'under repair.' Locally, yellow is associated with pro-democracy movements, particularly yellow umbrellas. During the 2019 protests and unrest, a demonstrator wearing a yellow raincoat died after falling from a platform outside a mall – yellow raincoats subsequently became a protest symbol. An HKFP reporter on Monday saw that the hoarding boards had been removed, leaving a white mark on the ground where the sculpture used to be. A few steps away, figures of Xi Yang Yang and Le Rong Rong, mascots for the upcoming National Games and other sports events, stood on display. In response to HKFP's enquiries, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) said that 'the restoration has been completed' and that the artwork 'is now in [the] LCSD's collection storage.' It also said: 'As the sculpture concerned had been on display at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza (the Piazza) for many years since 2017, it would not be reinstalled in situ.' The LCSD did not reply to HKFP's question of whether the artwork would be displayed elsewhere. The Chinese white dolphin-inspired mascots Xi Yang Yang and Le Rong Rong are currently exhibited outside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre to promote the 15th National Games, as well as the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games, the department added. The LCSD 'reviews its public art installations from time to time,' the department said. Created by the late Ju in 2002, Lining Up is part of his Living World series. The LCSD hosted an exhibition of artworks from the series at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in 2014 – three years before Lining Up was displayed outside the centre. In a Facebook post published in 2017, the Art Promotion Office under the LCSD invited members of the public to take photos with the artwork. 'Painted with vibrant colours, ten figures with different poses, clothes and body shapes are lining up casually… the queuing figures are expressively sculpted to large blocks with rough edges, which present a vivid depiction of people's contemporary life,' the post read. 'Among the figures, the one who wears a cap is actually the representation of Ju Ming himself!' The artwork was covered with the hoarding boards, which bore a photo of the sculpture. However, the two figures in yellow raincoats in the image were obscured by a notice, informing people that a reinforcement project was underway, with the yellow umbrella barely visible.
South China Morning Post
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour doubles as a floating art gallery
The city's premier art space draws millions with its large-scale installations by artists like Kaws in a space bigger than the M+ museum There's one venue that has revolutionised the way art is consumed in Hong Kong over the past decade or so. It isn't the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, home to Art Basel; neither is it M+, the undoubted quality of the art museum's extensive collection notwithstanding, and nor is it any of the city's many clusters of private galleries. Instead, one of the venues most responsible for popularising art in the city is one that many of its residents walk past, gaze at or cross over every day, and might not immediately think of as an art space: Victoria Harbour. In recent years, the waterway that defines the city has hosted a series of head-turning, agenda-setting artworks. The die was cast in 2013, with the pioneering visit of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's Rubber Duck, a 16.5-metre-high replica of the classic bath toy that won the city's hearts; the duck returned to the harbour a decade later accompanied by a friend. The KAWS: HOLIDAY sculptural piece at Victoria Harbour. Photo: Felix Wong Then, in 2019, a 37.5-metre-long, inflatable incarnation of US art celeb Kaws' mouse-like character sprawled across the harbour. Rather more enigmatic were the harbour's 2024 visitors – a collection of glowing ovoids that spilled into it from neighbouring Tamar Park, and Japanese hi-tech art collective teamLab's 'Resonating Life Which Continues to Stand' exhibition, part of the Art@Harbour initiative from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), which kicked off in 2022. Then, in December 2024, the skies above the harbour were lit up by the city's first pyrotechnic drone show, as part of Hong Kong's ubiquitous recent descent into panda-related delirium. It's fairly obvious why any artist would like the harbour as a backdrop for their work: it's one of the world's most iconic scenes. It has the advantage of being able to both frame and become part of any work that's floated on its waters. 'Rather than serving merely as a backdrop for artworks, the harbour itself becomes part of the installations,' says a spokesperson for the LCSD. 'The expansive views and reflective waters enhance the visual impact, facilitating visitors to experience art in a context that is both inspiring and immersive.' Two giant inflatable giant pandas on the waterfront opposite the Tsim Sha Tsui Cultural Centre. Photo: Edmond So Indeed, the location, according to a teamLab spokesperson, 'was one of the unique points of this exhibition in Hong Kong. 'We have been creating art since the year 2001 with the aim of changing people's values and contributing to societal progress. The environments where viewers and artworks are placed together allow us to decide how to express those changes. In that sense, Hong Kong harbour is very interesting in many ways. Newsletter SCMP Global Impact By submitting, you consent to receiving marketing emails from SCMP. If you don't want these, tick here {{message}} Thanks for signing up for our newsletter! Please check your email to confirm your subscription. Follow us on Facebook to get our latest news. 'We wanted to make something that would make the sea look different from the way it normally looks, as if it is connected to the land. The ovoids extended all the way across to Victoria Harbour [and] into the city. There is a kind of experience where the sea and this place merge seamlessly, without a boundary.' Similarly, Hofman, who specialises in large-scale outdoor works, found Hong Kong to provide both a uniquely scenic canvas and a particularly receptive audience for Rubber Duck. This installation by Japanese art collective teamLab was part of the Art@Harbour initiative at Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour. Photo: AFP 'The first time we did it in Hong Kong, it was overwhelming. We offered a sneak peek of the making of it, and there were massive queues of people waiting just to see it tested. I stayed for three weeks and did six or seven interviews a day. So many people came out. What I was struck by is that people in Hong Kong are often quite rushed, but this really changed; people took time – they even left work early just to have a peek. Victoria Harbour changed; people told me it would never be the same again.' The biggest challenge, he says, are the elements – it was the Hong Kong heat that caused one of the two ducks to deflate in 2023. The location also creates other issues, adds the department spokesperson. 'One of the biggest challenges was managing the heavy maritime traffic, strong winds and rough waves. Setting up and securing the exhibits at sea was significantly more complex than land-based installations. 'Key concerns included ensuring the safety and stability of the floating artworks for nearly three months during the rainy season. Manpower was required to regularly inspect and maintain both the marine and land installations.' One thing is clear from the reactions to the various harbour-based artworks, though: whatever the practical challenges, the buzz generated by the backdrop is more than enough to make them worth enduring.
South China Morning Post
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour doubles as a floating art gallery
There's one venue that has revolutionised the way art is consumed in Hong Kong over the past decade or so. It isn't the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, home to Art Basel; neither is it M+, the undoubted quality of the art museum's extensive collection notwithstanding, and nor is it any of the city's many clusters of private galleries. Instead, one of the venues most responsible for popularising art in the city is one that many of its residents walk past, gaze at or cross over every day, and might not immediately think of as an art space: Victoria Harbour. Advertisement In recent years, the waterway that defines the city has hosted a series of head-turning, agenda-setting artworks. The die was cast in 2013, with the pioneering visit of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's Rubber Duck, a 16.5-metre-high replica of the classic bath toy that won the city's hearts; the duck returned to the harbour a decade later accompanied by a friend. The KAWS: HOLIDAY sculptural piece at Victoria Harbour. Photo: Felix Wong Then, in 2019, a 37.5-metre-long, inflatable incarnation of US art celeb Kaws' mouse-like character sprawled across the harbour. Rather more enigmatic were the harbour's 2024 visitors – a collection of glowing ovoids that spilled into it from neighbouring Tamar Park, and Japanese hi-tech art collective teamLab's 'Resonating Life Which Continues to Stand' exhibition , part of the Art@Harbour initiative from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), which kicked off in 2022. Then, in December 2024, the skies above the harbour were lit up by the city's first pyrotechnic drone show, as part of Hong Kong's ubiquitous recent descent into panda-related delirium. It's fairly obvious why any artist would like the harbour as a backdrop for their work: it's one of the world's most iconic scenes. It has the advantage of being able to both frame and become part of any work that's floated on its waters. 'Rather than serving merely as a backdrop for artworks, the harbour itself becomes part of the installations,' says a spokesperson for the LCSD. 'The expansive views and reflective waters enhance the visual impact, facilitating visitors to experience art in a context that is both inspiring and immersive.' Two giant inflatable giant pandas on the waterfront opposite the Tsim Sha Tsui Cultural Centre. Photo: Edmond So Indeed, the location, according to a teamLab spokesperson, 'was one of the unique points of this exhibition in Hong Kong.
