HONG
KONG
REVIEW
September 2016
Hong Kong Economic
and Trade Office, London
Promoting Hong Kong’s ‘Belt and
Road’ role in the UK and Lithuania
G
regory So, Secretary for Commerce
and Economic Development, visited
the United Kingdom and Lithuania in
May to promote business opportunities in
Hong Kong.
Mr So encouraged businesses in
both countries to take advantage of
opportunities under the Belt and Road
Initiative, which promotes economic and
cultural connections across more than
60 economies in Asia, Africa and Europe
(see page 4).
Speaking at a breakfast roundtable
hosted by Chatham House in London,
Mr So said he expected to see soaring
Right: Mr So (left) with
Algirdas Butkevicius,
Prime Minister
of Lithuania.
Photo: J.V.Turas.
Left: Mr So speaks at
a business seminar
on creative industries
in London.
investments in infrastructural facilities,
deepening financial integration and
growth in trade as a result of the
Belt and Road Initiative. “It’s
your ticket to the massive
Chinese consumer market and
its fast-rising middle class,”
he told the audience.
Later, he attended a luncheon
hosted by the Hong Kong Association
and updated UK business leaders
on the opportunities under the Belt
and Road Initiative, the business
outlook of Hong Kong and latest
developments in the trading, logistics
and
tourism sectors.
Left: Anaïs Aguerre (right), Head of International Initiatives
at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, shows Mr So
around an outdoor installation.
Continued on p3
Legislative Council elections
The election of Hong Kong’s Legislative
Council (LegCo) took place on 4 September.
A record 2.2 million people cast their
votes in the geographical constituencies, a
turnout rate of 58%, compared to 53.05%
in the 2012 election. A further 1.98 million
District Council (second) functional
constituency votes were cast, representing
57% of total electors, compared to 51.95%
in the previous election. About 170,000
people voted in other functional
constituencies, representing a turnout
rate of 74%.
Congratulating all elected members,
C Y Leung, Chief Executive said he and
the Government “look forward to closer
collaboration with all LegCo members
in the future”. He also expressed his
gratitude to the outgoing members.
Above: Mr So (front row,
seventh left), pictured in
London with members
of the Hong Kong
Association Committee.
Left: Sajid Javid, then
Secretary of State for
Business, Innovation and
Skills, (left) pictured with
Mr So during their meeting
in London.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE...
Work begins on
third runway
– Page 2
Inaugural Belt and
Road Summit
– Page 4
Food trucks arrive
on Hong Kong streets
– Page 6
NEWS UPDATE • • • NEWS UPDATE • • • NEWS UPDATE • • • NEWS UPDATE • • •
China-Hong Kong
Chairman of the Standing Committee of the
National People’s Congress visits Hong Kong
Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the Standing
Committee of the National People’s
Congress, visited Hong Kong in May.
During his three day visit, Mr Zhang
was briefed on the work of the Hong
Kong Government in various areas. The
highlight of his visit was to address the
participants of the inaugural Belt & Road
Summit (see page 4).
During a visit to the Hong Kong Science
Park, Mr Zhang met entrepreneurs from
five local start-ups working in areas such
as wildfire detection robots and bioartificial hearts, and discussed with
entrepreneurs the development of
Right: A young entrepreneur
innovation and technology
briefs Mr Zhang (far left)
during his visit to the Hong
industries in Hong Kong.
Kong Science Park.
Mr Zhang also met
CY Leung, Chief
Executive, Carrie Lam,
Chief Secretary for
Administration,
John C Tsang, Financial
Secretary, and Rimsky
Left: Mr Zhang (third right) visits the
Yuen, Secretary for
rehabilitation room at the Sheng Kung Hui
Tseung Kwan O Aged Care Complex.
Justice, and was the
guest of honour at a welcome banquet at
the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition
While in Hong Kong, Mr Zhang also
Centre, attended by 400 guests.
visited the Sheng Kung Hui Tseung
Kwan O Aged Care Complex to meet
senior citizens and to learn more about
the elderly care strategy adopted by the
Government to meet the challenges of
an ageing society.
Trade
Above: Mr Leung (front row, seventh left) and
Mr Zhang (front row, centre), pictured with other
representatives of the Hong Kong Government.
Above: Mr Zhang (front row, third right) views a
model of the Lantau development during his visit
to the Development Bureau.
Trade
Russia and Hong Kong
have “vast development
opportunities”
Yury Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister
of Russia, visited Hong Kong in May.
During his visit, he met Chief Executive
C Y Leung to discuss closer economic
and trade links between the two
places.
Noting that Russia is one of
the countries along the Belt
and Road (see page 4),
Mr Leung said Hong Kong could
play a key role in helping
Russian enterprises open up
more business opportunities in
Mainland China.
The two places could enhance
co-operation in areas such as
Right: Mr Leung (right) pictured with
Mr Trutnev, during his visit to Hong Kong.
2 HONG KONG REVIEW
culture, tourism, innovation and
technology to tap the vast development
opportunities brought about by the
initiative, Mr Leung said.
UK Chancellor and
trade minister
visit Hong Kong
Philip Hammond, UK Chancellor
of the Exchequer, and Lord Price,
UK Minister of State for Trade and
Investment (now Minister of State
for Trade Policy), visited Hong Kong
in July to strengthen economic
relations between the two places.
Philip Hammond visited Hong
Kong, where he hosted a reception
to promote business cooperation
opportunities, after attending the
G20 Finance Ministers meeting
in Chengdu in July.
During Lord Price’s visit to Hong
Kong, he met John C Tsang, Financial
Secretary, and other government and
business representatives and spoke
at an event organised by the British
Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.
Noting that 630 British companies
operate in Hong Kong, and that Hong
Kong is the UK’s second largest Asia
Pacific export market for goods, he
said the British Government would
work to “grasp future opportunities
both here and in the UK”.
NEWS UPDATE • • • NEWS UPDATE • • • NEWS UPDATE • • • NEWS UPDATE • • •
Environment
Waste into energy
Sludge produced in sewage treatment works is being turned
into energy at the new state-of-the-art T.PARK facility in Tuen
Mun, Hong Kong.
The new plant, which was officially opened in May, is the
largest of its kind in the world, capable of treating up to 2,000
tonnes of sludge a day and generating enough electricity to
power up to 4,000 homes.
T.PARK (the ‘T’ stands for ‘transformation’) will also desalinate
seawater and treat waste water and includes a nature reserve
and a 9,800 square metre garden. More information about
T·PARK is available at www.tpark.hk.
Transport
Work begins on third runway
T.PARK is the world’s largest sludge incinerator.
Construction has started on a third runway at Hong Kong
International Airport.
The project, which is similar in scale to the construction of a
new airport, will see around 650 hectares of land reclaimed from
the sea to make room for the new runway, terminal building and
expanded road and transport network.
The runway is designed to support the long-term development
of Hong Kong and is expected to be operational in 2022.
Terminal two will also be expanded as part of the development.
Above: Hong Kong International Airport’s new runway is expected to open in 2022.
Continued from p1
“Brewing creative ideas”
During a speech at a business seminar in London, Mr So
highlighted Hong Kong’s growing creative and cultural industries.
Hong Kong “has developed itself as a place for brewing creative
ideas and turning them into businesses”, and is now “one of the
most important business platforms in the world for creative
industries”, he said.
Mr So noted that fashion will be one of the new engines for
propelling the growth of Hong Kong’s creative industries in the
future, and said that it is important to support young designers
to capitalise on the opportunities and develop their brands.
Mr So visited Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design,
University of the Arts London and met with some Hong Kong
fashion, arts and design students, and he also visited Campus
London, a start-up facility in East London’s Tech City.
Food trucks
While in London, Mr So learned more about how food trucks
operate in the capital. Popular in many parts of the world,
these vehicles are being introduced in Hong Kong as part of
a Government pilot scheme (see page 6).
Mr So also officiated at the
opening ceremony of the new
office of the Hong Kong
Economic and Trade Office
(HKETO), London, and visited
Britain’s largest manufacturer
of bicycles, the Brompton
Bicycle Company, as well
as the Warner Bros Studio.
During his visit Mr So
had meetings with John
Above: Mr So (left) meets Mr Neverauskas,
Whittingdale, then UK
Lithuania’s Vice-Minister of Culture.
Above: Mr So (right), officiates at the
opening ceremony of the new office
of the HKETO.
Above: Mr Gustas, Minister of
Economy (right), pictured with
Mr So. Photo: J.V.Turas.
Secretary of State for Culture,
Media and Sport, and Sajid Javid,
then Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, as
well as the UK Parliament’s All Party Parliamentary China Group.
He also visited the Victoria and Albert Museum, and watched a
training session for the 2016 London Hong Kong Dragon Boat
Festival (see page 8).
‘Super-connector’
In Vilnius, Mr So addressed a business seminar co-organised
by HKETO, Invest Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Trade
Development Council. Mr So told the audience that ‘one country,
two systems’ has made Hong Kong “the ‘super-connector’ that
facilitates connections under the Belt and Road Initiative.”
Mr So also had talks with key government figures including
Algirdas Butkevicius, Prime Minister, Evaldas Gustas, Minister of
Economy, Raimundas Karoblis, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs,
and Arnas Neverauskas, Vice-Minister of Culture. He also visited
the Vilnius University Joint Life Sciences Centre, the Visoriai
Information Technology Park and a start-up accelerator.
Photo: J.V.Turas.
WWW.HKETOLONDON.GOV.HK 3
INTERNATIONAL • • • INTERNATIONAL • • • INTERNATIONAL • • • INTERNATIO
Economy
Belt and Road is “driving
force of world economy”
The Belt and Road Initiative will be a “driving force of the world
economy in the 21st century”, said C Y Leung, Chief Executive,
at the first Belt and Road summit, which took place in the Hong
Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in May.
The inaugural Belt and Road Summit brought together more
than 2,000 political leaders, policy makers, representatives of
international organisations and top business executives from
around the world to identify the new business opportunities
arising from the Initiative in various areas, as well as highlighting
the unique role that Hong Kong could play.
‘Super-connector’
“The Belt and Road Initiative is a vast project – in scope, scale
and diversity,” said Mr Leung, adding that Hong Kong was ideally
placed to contribute to co-operation among Belt and Road
economies because of its expertise in areas such as finance,
investment, professional services, trade, logistics, innovation
What is Belt and Road?
The Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic
Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, a significant
development strategy launched by President Xi Jinping of China
in 2013. Commonly called the Belt and Road Initiative, its aim
is to promote economic, political and cultural co-operation in
over 60 economies of the proposed Belt and Road network,
which stretches across Asia, Africa and Europe, and together
encompass around 65 per cent of the world’s population.
Historically, the Silk Road was an ancient network of trade
routes from China to the Mediterranean and Northern Europe,
dating back well over a thousand years, which were vital for
trade and cultural interaction.
Finance
Infrastructure financing boost
Hong Kong’s role in financing major infrastructure projects in
Asia will be boosted by the launch of the Government’s new
Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office (IFFO).
The IFFO, which is part of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, will
facilitate investment in infrastructure projects and their financing.
“Hong Kong is well-placed
to serve as the centre for
fundraising, project financing
and asset-management for
infrastructure projects in the
region,” said John C Tsang,
Financial Secretary, speaking
at the launch of the IFFO
in July.
Above: John C Tsang, Financial Secretary (third right), and Norman Chan, Chief
Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, (third left), cut the ribbon with
other guests at the launch of the Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office.
4 HONG KONG REVIEW
Above: Zhang Dejiang (seventh left), Chairman of the Standing Committee of the
National People’s Congress, officiates at the inaugural Belt and Road Summit.
and technology. “Hong Kong can serve as a ‘super-connector’
between Mainland China and the rest of the world,” he continued.
“Unparalleled connectivity”
Delivering the keynote speech at the summit, Zhang Dejiang,
Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s
Congress, said Hong Kong was “a key link for the Belt and
Road” and “an important gateway in the landscape of China’s
opening up”. Mr Zhang identified four key advantages for Hong
Kong: its location on the busiest international sea route; its
character as a ‘first mover’, a free economy and free port; its
diverse and advanced professional services sector; and its
long-standing history of cultural and people-to-people interactions
between the East and the West.
The summit was organised by the Hong Kong Government
in association with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council,
and with the support of the Central Government.
Trade
Tariff reductions for
transhipment cargo
Shipping consignments bound for Mainland China which
pass through Hong Kong will now enjoy tariff reductions
following the signing of a Co-operation Arrangement on
Origin of Transhipment Cargo.
The arrangement covers shipments between the Mainland
and its trading partners including the ten member states of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Brunei, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam) as well as Australia, Bangladesh, Chile,
Costa Rica, Iceland, India, Korea, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru,
Sri Lanka, Switzerland and Taiwan.
The move will strengthen Hong Kong’s role as an international
trade and logistics hub as well as encouraging companies to
choose Hong Kong as a transhipment location.
ONAL • • • INTERNATIONAL • • • INTERNATIONAL • • • INTERNATIONAL • • •
Technology
Hong Kong is technology
‘super connector’ for Asia
Hong Kong is the ideal place for research and technology
entrepreneurs who want to develop their ideas and tap into
the Mainland China market, said Priscilla To, Director-General
of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London, speaking
at a London Technology Week seminar in June.
Entrepreneurs and research institutes should choose Hong
Kong as a regional base for developing their ideas because they
can “make use of facilities just across the border to develop
prototypes over a few days,” she said, and also take advantage
of Hong Kong’s “connectivity and network to tap into the
Mainland and Asia markets”.
Hong Kong has what it takes to “play a key role in Asia for
innovation and technology”, she said.
The seminar, which was part of London Technology Week
supported by Tech London Advocates, was organised by Invest
Hong Kong and the Institute of Directors, City of London branch.
Finance
Business
British companies
launch in Hong Kong
British e-commerce consultancy Practicology has opened
a regional office in Hong Kong to help it access markets in
Mainland China and the Asia-Pacific region.
Practicology, which also has offices in London, Sydney
and Melbourne, now has more than 50 consultants around
the world helping clients face
e-commerce challenges.
eicó, a British company that makes
environmentally-friendly paints, has
also opened an Asia-Pacific regional
headquarters in Hong Kong to take
advantage of the growing demand for
green and sustainable paints in Hong
Kong as well as the Asia-Pacific region.
“Hong Kong is the ideal place to raise
the awareness of sustainability and green
Above: Joakim Cimmerbeck, living in Asia,” said Joakim Cimmerbeck,
managing director of eicó.
managing director of eicó.
Hong Kong hosts Asia
finance conference World’s most competitive
Economy
Asia will continue to be the main engine of growth for
the world economy in the 21st century, said John C Tsang,
Financial Secretary, at the Financial Cooperation Conference
in July.
The conference, organised by the Boao Forum for Asia
(BFA) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, attracted
around 250 participants from financial institutions,
multinational corporations and international organisations.
The focus of the event was on how finance could stimulate
economic growth. Topics included monetary policy and
economic growth, cross-border capital flows, financing
infrastructure, and financial co-operation across Asia.
Addressing the conference, Zhou Wenzhong, Secretary
General of the BFA said the event aimed to “bring forth
innovative solutions through brainstorming among regulators,
finance community and real economy actors”.
economy
Hong Kong is the world’s
most competitive economy,
according to the International
Institute for Management
Development (IMD) in its
World Competitiveness
Yearbook 2016.
Hong Kong was
ranked top among the 61
economies assessed, moving up from second place in 2015.
The report analysed each economy’s performance as well as
government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure.
The IMD also recognised Hong Kong’s commitment to providing
a favourable business environment, its low and simple taxation,
free flow of capital, and its role as a gateway between the
Mainland China and the global capital markets.
Investment
Second for global
foreign investment
Above: Mr Tsang addresses a luncheon at the Financial
Cooperation Conference.
Hong Kong continues to rank second in global foreign direct
investment (FDI) inflows, as measured by the United Nations.
The UN World Investment Report 2016 said Hong Kong
registered FDI inflows of US$175 billion in 2015, a 53.5%
increase on 2014. This places Hong Kong second behind only
the US (US$380 billion).
WWW.HKETOLONDON.GOV.HK 5
NEWS UPDATE • • • NEWS UPDATE • • • NEWS UPDATE • • • NEWS UPDATE • • •
Culture
Lei Yue Mun Barrack blocks declared monuments
Three historic buildings, namely Blocks 7, 10 and 25 at the old
Lei Yue Mun Barracks, have been declared monuments.
Situated at the northeast corner of Hong Kong Island
overlooking Victoria Harbour, the barracks are one of the earliest
and most important British Army fortifications in Hong Kong.
Constructed between 1890 and 1939, the barracks fell to the
hands of the Japanese during the Second World War, after which
they were used by the British Army as a training ground, before
being returned to the Hong Kong Government for civil use in
1987. The central area and the western ridge have been the
Lei Yue Mun Park and Holiday Village since 1988. The military
installations at the headland now form the Museum of Coastal
Defence, which was opened in 2000.
Information on the three declared monuments is available at
the heritage conservation website of the Development Bureau
(www.heritage.gov.hk).
Right: Block 10 at the old Lei Yue Mun Barracks is now a declared monument.
Gastronomy
Food trucks arrive on
Hong Kong streets
Sixteen food trucks will appear near Hong Kong tourist
attractions in the coming months, adding fun and vibrancy
to the already flourishing culinary scene.
Chefs from the various shortlisted companies were invited
to prepare their signature dishes at a special ‘cook-off’ in July to
select the 16 winners.
Food trucks, which are already a feature of many cities, will
be introduced to Hong Kong under the Government’s food truck
pilot scheme, which aims to create diverse, creative and high
quality food options for tourists and locals alike.
Of the 192 applicants to join the scheme, 51 were shortlisted
to take part in the cook-off. As well as fantastic culinary flair,
would-be food truck operators had to show they had robust
business and environmental plans. Eight of the winning signature
dishes were Chinese, four Western and four international. Seven
of the successful food truck businesses will be run by start-ups
or micro-enterprises.
Above: Food lovers enjoy tasty delights at the first Hong Kong Food Truck Festival,
which was held at PMQ in May. Four trucks, run by Hong Kong celebrities and
their cooking teams, offered an array of scrumptious food.
6 HONG KONG REVIEW
Culture
Cultural heritage
centre opens
The Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre was officially
opened in June.
The centre has the mission of enhancing the public’s
understanding and awareness of Hong Kong’s intangible cultural
heritage, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices,
rituals, festive events and traditional crafts.
The first exhibition at the centre, “Oral Legacies – Intangible
Cultural Heritage of Hong Kong”, looks at the different ways local
communities pass on their customs and traditions.
Finance
Shenzhen-Hong Kong
Stock Connect
The Chinese Government has approved the
implementation plan for Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock
Connect, a move which will allow investors in
Hong Kong and Shenzhen to invest directly in eligible
shares listed on each others’ stock markets via the
exchange and clearing house in their home market.
“The establishment of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock
Connect is beneficial for both sides. This will facilitate the
further opening-up of the capital markets of the Mainland
in a risk controlled manner and promote the
internationalisation of Renminbi,” said John C Tsang,
Financial Secretary. “I am pleased that Hong Kong
continues to play a significant role in the two-way
opening-up of the Mainland’s capital markets to the rest
of the world.”
NEWS UPDATE • • • NEWS UPDATE • • • NEWS UPDATE • • • NEWS UPDATE • • •
Education
UK students win places
at university summer
schools in Hong Kong
Five sixth-form students from the United Kingdom won the
chance to take part in summer courses at Hong Kong
universities to experience a taste of the city’s cosmopolitan
lifestyle and unique culture.
They were the winners of the “Hong Kong: A Smart City
in the World!” competition, organised by the Hong Kong
Economic and Trade Office, London (HKETO).
The students were asked to propose ways that technology
could be used to improve people’s quality of life in Hong
Kong. The winning entries were in various formats including
websites, Instagram pages, blogs and YouTube videos.
Priscilla To, Director-General of the HKETO, said at
the prize presentation ceremony at the House of Lords
in June, “This competition was designed to further deepen
our relationship with the UK in education, youth and
cultural exchange.”
One of the judges, Lord Wei of Shoreditch, chair of the
Hong Kong sub-committee of the All Party Parliamentary
China Group, said, “Hong Kong, like London, is one of the
world’s centres for commerce, trade and culture, and this
initiative allows for our youth to exchange ideas and learn
from one another.”
Culture
First permanent
venue for WKCD
The M+ Pavilion has been completed and becomes the first
permanent venue in the new West Kowloon Cultural District
(WKCD), one of the largest cultural projects in the world.
M+ Pavilion is part Hong Kong’s museum for visual culture,
M+, which encompasses twentieth and twenty-first century art,
design, architecture and moving image, and is due to open in
2019. In the run-up to the opening, the M+ Pavilion will host a
series of exhibitions displaying selections from the M+ collection.
The completion of the M+ Pavilion marks “a significant
milestone in the development of this major cultural undertaking
in Hong Kong”, said Carrie Lam, Chief Secretary for
Administration who is also the Chairman of the WKCDA Board.
The main roof has also been raised on the Xiqu Cantonese
Opera Centre, which will include a 1,100 seat main theatre, a tea
house theatre, rehearsal facilities and a spacious plaza, and is
due to open in 2018. The new Lyric Theatre Complex is expected
to open in 2021.
“We will continue to develop the WKCD into a world-class art
and cultural hub where everyone may relax, be inspired and
enjoy an extraordinary cultural experience,” said Mrs Lam.
The five winners were:
Alexander White, Highlands School, Enfield – studied
at the Chinese University of Hong Kong this summer.
Aliya Beck, Chelsea Academy, London – studied at the
University of Hong Kong.
Andrew Pilkington, Wirral Grammar School for Boys,
Birkenhead – studied at the University of Hong Kong.
Lakshmi Amulya Sannapureddy, Kendrick School, Reading
– studied at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Nizam Miah, Bow School, London – studied at the Hong
Kong University of Science and Technology.
Above: Mrs Lam (right)
visits M+ Pavilion with
Duncan Pescod, Chief
Executive Officer of the
West Kowloon Cultural
District Authority.
Right: Mrs Lam speaking
at a celebration to mark
the roof-raising of the
Xiqu Centre.
Culture
Brand Hong Kong
Above: The winning students pictured with competition judges
and sponsors (from left) Cherie Yeung, Deputy Director-General, HKETO;
Gordon Slaven, Director of International Higher Education at the
British Council; Neil Glenn, General Manager, Europe of Cathay Pacific;
Ms To; Karen Luard, Chairperson of the Hong Kong Society; and
Lord Wei.
Whether you want to do business, study or travel in Hong
Kong, you’ll find a wealth of videos, pictures, publications
and stories about life in Asia’s world city at the new Brand
Hong Kong website (brandhk.gov.hk). You can also find
them on Facebook (facebook.com/brandhk.isd),
Instagram (instagram.com/brandhongkong) or YouTube
(youtube.com/c/brandhongkong).
WWW.HKETOLONDON.GOV.HK 7
EVENTS & NEWS • • • EVENTS & NEWS • • • EVENTS & NEWS • • •
Culture
London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival 2016
Thousands of people flocked to London Docklands
in June for the 2016 London Hong Kong Dragon
Boat Festival.
Dragon boat racing, which dates back
more than two thousand years, has become an
integral part of Hong Kong’s lifestyle. More than
40 dragon boat teams from the local community,
businesses, public organisations and charities
Above: Ms To enjoys some of the
Above: Thousands flocked to London
took part in the London event.
many Hong Kong-themed games at
Docklands in June for the annual Hong Kong
the HKETO marquee.
Dragon Boat Festival.
“Hong Kong held the first international dragon
boat festival three decades ago, and since then it
Battling it out at the 2016 Hong
has developed into a truly global event. Here in London
Kong Dragon Boat Festival.
this festival has become a key event in the city’s cultural
calendar,” said Priscilla To, Director-General of the Hong
Kong Economic and Trade Office, London (HKETO),
which sponsored the event.
The festival also featured lion dancing, live music, martial
arts demonstrations and stalls selling traditional food from
Asia and across the world. The event was organised by
London Chinatown Lions Club, London Chinatown Chinese
Association, London Chinese Community Centre and the
Hong Kong Executives Club.
Culture
Around the world in song
Choral works from 13 countries were showcased at a
special concert at St John’s Smith Square in London
by The Learners Chorus on 24 July.
Led by music director Apollo Wong, the choral
group performed a wide variety of repertoire from
sacred Baroque music to Canto-pop, including:
Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine; Lo, the Full,
Final Sacrifice; So You
Want to Write a Fugue;
Rejoice, O Virgin
and Gloria.
The choir also made
use of their visit to
London to perform at
two Chinese community
centres, bringing their
Above: The Learners Chorus perform
music
into the wider
at St John’s Smith Square in July.
community.
The Learners Chorus
was founded in 1979
by a group of Hong
Kong University alumni.
Its performances in
London were supported
by the Hong Kong
Economic and Trade
Office, London.
Above: Ms To speaks before the
Culture
A Tale of Two Cities
reimagined
FORTHCOMING
EVENTS
Hong Kong’s Chung Ying Theatre
Company brought its new play,
A Tale of Two Cities: Blood for Blood,
to London and Edinburgh (for the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe) in July and
August respectively to give the show
its European premiere.
Created by award-winning writerdirector Jonathan Holloway, this
reimagining of Dickens’ classic tale
relocates the story in the present
day, shunning cosy Dickensian
theatricality in favour of a world of
shadows and fakery.
The performances were supported
by the Hong Kong Economic and
Trade Office, London, as part of
its commitment to promoting Hong
Kong culture in the UK.
Mon, 26 September 2016
Hong Kong Trade
Development Council
Annual Dinner, London, UK
commencement of the concert.
Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, 18 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3JA
Tel +44 (0)20 7499 9821 Fax +44 (0)20 7323 2336
Email [email protected] Website www.hketolondon.gov.hk
Hong Kong Review designed and project managed by hrscreative.com,
written by rodgersjohns.com and printed by www.bkt.co.uk
Sat, 12 November 2016
Hong Kong’s entry to the Lord
Mayor’s Show, London, UK
Wed, 8 February 2017
Chinese New Year Reception
in London, UK
FOR HONG KONG
EVENT DETAILS:
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