Cultural Policy

It is the Government's policy to create an environment which is conducive to the freedom of artistic expression and creation, and the wider participation in cultural activities. The policy comprises the following four major elements:

• respect freedom of creation and expression;
• provide opportunities for participation;
• encourage diversified and balanced development; and
• support environment and conditions (venues, funding, education and administration).

The Government's cultural policy is descriptive (rather than prescriptive). As a facilitator, the Government will neither impose an official definition on culture and the arts, nor influence the specific operation of artistic creation or contents of creativity. Instead, the Government is committed to upholding the freedom of cultural and artistic creation and expression, as well as providing an environment that keenly supports the development of culture and the arts. Therefore, the Government provides support both to certain forms of high culture with traditional values as well as to those avant garde artistic expressions.

Hong Kong's Cultural Position

While the great majority of the population in Hong Kong is Chinese, the 150 years of British administration has shaped Hong Kong as a modern city, which embraces both the essence of the Chinese culture and the diversities of other cultures. The long tradition of Chinese culture has offered a great treasure house for the sustained development of the city's local culture, as well as its pluralistic and international character, which contributes to Hong Kong's unique cultural position, "diversity with identity". Hong Kong people's cultural identity should start from acknowledging its local character as well as the deeply-rooted Chinese cultural traditions. It should also possess a global vision which is open and pluralistic. As a special administrative region of China established under the principle of "one country, two systems" and the Basic Law, Hong Kong should position itself as a metropolis in China which is most capable of bridging China and the world. It is on this premise that Hong Kong will be able to open up new opportunities on the cultural front and to achieve the aim of becoming an international cultural metropolis.

Culture and Heritage Commission (CHC) Policy Recommendation Report

The Government's existing cultural policy is generally in line with the six principles and strategies put forward by the CHC in its Policy Recommendation Report issued in April 2003. The six principles are "people-oriented", "pluralism", "freedom of expression and protection of intellectual property", "holistic approach", "partnership" and "community-driven". The CHC, set up in April 2000, was a high-level advisory body responsible for advising the Government on the policies as well as funding priorities on culture and the arts. The CHC adopted a broader perspective in considering the overall cultural development and cultural position of Hong Kong, and took a narrower definition in matters relating to resource deployment, cultural facilities and arts education. In April 2003, after three years of efforts and two public consultation exercises, the CHC submitted its Policy Recommendation Report to the Government. The Administration then submitted the Report to Members of the Legislative Council on 28 April 2003. The Government has adopted the Report as the blueprint of Hong Kong's cultural policy.

The Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) set up the Committee on Performing Arts (CPA), the Committee on Museums and the Committee on Libraries in November 2004 to follow up on and implement the policy recommendations on arts education, cultural facilities, resource deployment and institutional framework put forward by the CHC. The CPA issued its Recommendation Report (I) subsequently in June 2006. Three separate Committees, namely Funding Committee for the Performing Arts, Committee on Venue Partnership and Programme and Development Committee have been established under HAB and LCSD to follow up on the recommendations relating to funding and venue support for performing arts groups as well as presentation of performing arts programmes. CPA is now looking into the subjects of arts education, venue hiring policy and programme promotion policies and audience building in its second term. The Committee on Museums is tasked to conduct a detailed study on the modes of governance and the community involvement and development strategy of the museum services. The Committee on Libraries is responsible for the study on the development strategy on provision of library services and ways to enhance community involvement and promote reading and literary arts. Besides, the Government set up in May 2004 the Cantonese Opera Advisory Committee tasked to advise the Secretary for Home Affairs on the promotion, preservation, study and development of Cantonese opera. To further the development of the Cantonese operatic art, the Cantonese Opera Development Fund under the administration of the Secretary for Home Affairs Incorporated was established in November 2005. Its aim is to raise and disburse funds for projects and activities for the promotion and development of Cantonese opera, as well as supporting research and studies on the development of Cantonese opera.

Government Support to Culture and the Arts

The Government allocates a total of $2.7 billion (about 1% of the Government's total expenditure) on culture and the arts in 2008 / 09. This percentage share is broadly comparable to that in some Western countries¹ . The resources are mainly deployed for the provision of venues, funding support to arts groups, arts education and promotion, as well as relevant administrative costs. The HAB provides support primarily through the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Hong Kong Arts Development Council and Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

Funding for the Major Performing Arts Groups

Following up on the recommendation of the 2006 Recommendation Report (I) of the Committee on Performing Arts to put the major performing arts groups on the same platform for consideration of funding support, the funding responsibility for the major performing arts groups has been transferred from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and Hong Kong Arts Development Council to the HAB as from 1 April 2007. At present, the HAB provides regular funding to nine major performing arts groups, namely, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the Hong Kong Dance Company, the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, the Hong Kong Ballet, City Contemporary Dance Company, Chung Ying Theatre Company and Zuni Icosahedron, reaching a total of around $259 million in 2008 / 09. The aim of the subvention is to enable the public to have access to quality performing arts programmes of these groups at affordable prices for the purpose of enriching the cultural life of the community at large. At present, the Funding Committee for the Performing Arts advises the Government on the funding policies and strategies for the major performing arts groups.

Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD)

LCSD's vision and mission are to provide quality cultural services which are commensurate with Hong Kong's development as Asia’s world city. Vision and mission statements are formulated in respect of performance venues, museums and libraries for the effective and quality management of public cultural services. LCSD aims at enhancing the cultural literacy of the public in the appreciation of culture and the arts, and promoting culture and the arts in the community. It also actively encourages community involvement and forges strategic partnership in the delivery of cultural services. On the recommendation of the Committee on Performing Arts, LCSD has set up a Programme and Development Committee (PDC) and six Art Form Panels (AFP) since late 2006 to advise the Department on the strategies of presenting performing arts programmes, formulating plans in identifying and supporting the development of budding and small-scale performing arts groups. Besides, the LCSD has introduced the Venue Partnership Scheme for implementation at its performing arts venues. This 3-year Scheme running from April 2009 to March 2012 aims to foster partnership between venues and performing arts groups with the primary objectives of building up the venues’ artistic image and character, enlarging the audience base, optimising facility usage, encouraging community involvement in the development of the arts and contributing to the healthy development of the performing arts scene. 20 Venue Partners, including individual groups, joint groups and consortia, are currently engaged in organising performing arts activities of varied art forms at 11 LCSD venues.

LCSD's mission in respect of performing arts covers the following five areas:

• Nurture talents and strive for excellence: by supporting both established and budding local artists to strive for excellence and enrich Hong Kong's cultural heritage.
• Serve the public and enhance the quality of their life: by strategic line-up of distinguished, diverse and challenging cultural programmes to serve the different needs, aspirations and interests of the community and keep the society abreast of the international cultural scene.
• Develop arts and cultivate creativity: by providing arts education programmes for schools and the community to foster creativity, and to raise in particular young people's cultural literacy.
• Promote Chinese culture and traditions: by showcasing outstanding Chinese performing artists from the mainland and elsewhere with a view to preserving Chinese cultural heritage and their contemporary manifestation.
• Foster cultural exchange and maintain cultural links: by collaborating with cultural organizations and institutions worldwide in the organization of cultural exchange activities.

• International Arts Carnival (July to August)
  • The six-week Carnival provides performing arts events and participatory activities of a healthy and educational nature for children, teenagers and families. In 2008, over 400 programmes were held attracting an audience of about 134 000, with the overall attendance rate reaching almost 90%.
• Autumn Thematic Festival (mid October to mid November)
  • A thematic arts festival is organised every autumn with a different theme set for each year.
  • The biennial New Vision Arts Festival organised since 2002 features innovative and outstanding cross-cultural performances with an Asian focus. The fourth New Vision Arts Festival held in 2008 featured 100 activities attracting an audience of over 80 000.
  • The World’s Cultures Series is presented in alternate years with the New Vision Arts Festival. Further to the Latin Passion Festival in 2005 and the Mediterranean Arts Festival in 2007, the Silk Road Arts Festival will be featured under this series in 2009.

Apart from major festivals, the Department also presents and sponsors over 2 400 performances / activities in 2008 / 09 featuring small and medium-sized local performing arts groups and individual artists, serving an audience of one million. Moreover, LCSD presents regularly world renowned arts groups and artists to bring performances of a high artistic standard to the local community and visitors - a must if we are to further enrich Hong Kong’s cultural life and attract wider support from our community. To promote appreciation of performing arts, LCSD puts much effort in partnering with local arts groups/artists to organise audience building and arts education activities at schools and at the community level. The creativity and enthusiasm of these local arts groups/artists contribute much to the success of these activities. Examples include:

• Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme: To enhance the accessibility of the performing arts to the community, the Scheme invites local performing arts groups / artists to be Community Cultural Ambassadors to interact with the community via intensive outreach arts programmes. Such programmes aim to cultivate a wider audience base for the performing arts and develop participants' creativity.
• District Cantonese Opera Parade: The Parade promotes Cantonese opera and provides performance opportunities for amateur artists to develop their skills. Selected groups are invited to perform at regional/district venues. Performance fee and publicity support are being provided.
• School Arts Animateur Scheme: To promote the appreciation of performing arts among students as a means to stimulate creativity, the LCSD works with professional performing arts groups to conduct arts education projects at schools.
• School Culture Day: LCSD encourages schools to take part in arts education activities held at LCSD venues which mainly feature local artists and arts groups. Many of these programmes are designed especially for students.
• Experience the Arts Scheme for Senior Secondary Students: To tie in with the implementation of the New Senior Secondary School Curriculum in 2009 / 10 school year with the inclusion of the component on the “Other Learning Experience – Aesthetic Experience”, the LCSD launched this scheme with the presentation of a wide spectrum of performing arts programmes tailor-made for the secondary school students. With an aim to encourage their attendance and participation, these programmes embraced interactive and educational elements that invigorated their creativity, aesthetic and arts appreciation abilities.

In respect of museum services, according to the Code of Ethics of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), public museums have the mission to preserve tangible and intangible cultural heritage of mankind to facilitate research, education, and appreciation, as well as to enhance the quality of our life. The public museums in Hong Kong aim to provide quality museum services to enrich the cultural life of the people in Hong Kong, to preserve cultural heritage and to play a vital role in education. The mission of museums reflects a long-term responsibility for our future generations, covering the following six areas:

• to provide quality museum services for the enrichment of cultural life in Hong Kong, and to enhance the public's interest and awareness in arts, science and technology, history and traditional Chinese culture;
• to promote professionalism and excellence in museum services by strategic acquisition of artistic, historical and scientific artefacts to execute the core museum functions of collection, preservation, research, interpretation and education;
• to support and promote local art and culture by encouraging pluralistic cultural activities and artistic creations, and to provide various opportunities for nurturing talents;
• to preserve cultural heritage to enhance citizens' knowledge of local cultural tradition;
• to create synergy with the Education Bureau, schools, scholars, collectors, artists, cultural and community organizations in enhancing the development of territory-wide museum services ; and
• to collect and preserve Hong Kong films and relevant materials and to provide facilities to film industries for research and educational purposes in order to enhance our citizens' appreciation of film art.

As regards public library services, the UNESCO Manifesto proclaims the belief in the public library as a living force for education, culture and information, and as an essential agent for the fostering of peace and spiritual welfare through the minds of men and women. The provision of public library services in Hong Kong aims to provide public library services to meet the community's need for knowledge, information, research and recreation, to support life-long learning, continuous education and profitable use of leisure time and to promote reading and local literary arts, serving the public in the following ways:

• as an information centre where information and the latest development on all subject disciplines are freely and readily available to the public;
• as a tool for self-education and continuing education through resource-based learning;
• as a centre for the promotion of literary arts and literary research in Hong Kong to cultivate public interest in creative writing and literary research, to encourage and promote literary writing, preserve Hong Kong literature, and to promote cultural exchange;
• as a source of enjoyment for the profitable use of leisure where library materials may be borrowed for home use; and
• as a source for the enrichment of everyday living where members of the public may learn about current affairs, hobbies, and leisure pursuits.

Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC)

The Hong Kong Arts Development Council is a statutory body established in 1995 to promote the development of the arts in Hong Kong. The HAB provided an annual recurrent subvention of over $70 million to HKADC in 2008 / 09.

As the statutory body promoting the arts in Hong Kong, the HKADC is dedicated to creating a thriving environment for artistic pursuits. It supports the diversified development of local artists and arts groups through its One-Year Grant, Multi-Project Grant, Devolved Grant and Project Grant schemes, etc. It is also committed to forging strategic partnerships with many different sectors in the community to promote arts development in Hong Kong.

Looking ahead, the HKADC will implement the following development strategies:

• developing Hong Kong into an arts and cultural hub by facilitating artistic creation and exchanges with mainland and overseas counterparts;
• building platforms to enhance the artistic milieu in the community and assist arts groups in reaching out;
• forging partnerships to promote the development of arts education and arts educators;
• exploring community resources and development space for the arts sector; promoting community-wide support for arts development;
• steering arts groups and artists towards professional development; and
• providing greater support to the arts community for future development.

Apart from the annual recurrent Government subvention, the HKADC also applies for funding of major projects from the Arts and Sport Development Fund (ASDF) (Arts Portion), which is administered by HAB. In February 2009, the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council approved the injection of $60 million into the Arts and Sport Development Fund (Arts Portion) to buttress support for arts development.

Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA)

Established by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Ordinance in 1984, the HKAPA is Hong Kong’s only degree-granting institution that provides professional education, training and research facilities in performing arts, theatre and entertainment arts, as well as film and television. Its educational policy reflects the cultural diversity of Hong Kong with emphasis on Chinese and Western traditions and interdisciplinary complementarity.

The HKAPA strives to be:

• an internationally recognized institution of excellence in the provision of training and education in all fields of the performing arts, the related theatre and entertainment arts, and film and television;
• an institution dedicated to the encouragement of talent, creativity, knowledge and skills in the conservation and development of the best traditions in the performing arts, the related theatre and entertainment arts and film and television as well as innovation of ideas and appropriate use of technology for future advancements in these fields;
• a premium institution of higher education where students are well trained and educated in their respective professional disciplines in both established and new forms of artistic expression, as well as being exposed to the widest possible spectrum of other arts disciplines, being well-prepared for an active career in the arts and related professions, and being fully-equipped for life-long improvement and future changes;
• an institution that encompasses a full range of academic programmes up to post-graduate level and a complementary programme of continuing education and professional short courses as well as extension and outreach activities for young and adult citizens in the performing arts, the related theatre and entertainment arts and film and television; and
• an institution where the primary objective of training and education for competent professionals is supported by a strong commitment to assist in the career development of our graduates, the promotion of a life-long interest in the arts amongst our citizens, and the nurturing of talents amongst young people at school age.

Cultural Exchange

In recent years, HAB implements a series of measures to establish a wider cultural network in the Greater Pearl River Delta and with other countries:

Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Cooperation

Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao cultural authorities held the First Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Summit in November 2002 and signed the Agreement on Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Cooperation in August 2003. Under the Agreement, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao would take turn to host the Summit. Ten Summits have since then been held. In February 2009, the Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Exchange and Co-operation Development Plan 2009-1013 was signed. The six working groups will continue to strengthen collaborations and exchanges in the following areas:

• training of performing arts talents and joint organization of programmes;
• interflow of cultural information;
• heritage and museum issues;
• library issues ;
• promotion of Cantonese Opera; and
• study on the development of cultural and creative industries.

• It is planned to invite renowned Cantonese opera artists from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to perform in Hong Kong in October 2009.

• Promoting and enriching the content of the new Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Information Net (www.prdculture.org)
• Exploring the feasibility of enhancing cross-region ticketing collaborations.

• Implementation of research project on archaeological discoveries of Hong Kong;
• Organization of "International Museum Day" activities; and
• Exploration of staging more joint exhibitions, and it is planned to organize the “Guangdong Painting Through the Ages” exhibition at Guangdong Province Museum in Guangdong from September to November 2009.

• Continuation of promoting "Pearl River Delta Libraries Internet Reference Enquiry Service";
• Establishment of the local document collections;
• Networking of online public catalogues and enquiries;
• Exploration of the creation of "Online Book Review"; and
• Exchanges and visits of libraries; and
• Exchange of materials on subject talks among the libraries.

• Joint application through the Central Government for the inscription of Cantonese Opera on the UNESCO‘s “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity". It is anticipated that the result will be announced in the fourth quarter of 2009;
• Promotion of the activities of “Cantonese Opera Day” in the three places; and
• Enhancing training in Cantonese opera

• Discussion of joint studies on the development of cultural and creative industries.

Mainland / Hong Kong Agreement on Closer Cultural Partnership Arrangement

In November 2005, HKSAR Government signed an Agreement on Closer Cultural Partnership Arrangement with the Ministry of Culture of the Central Government to further promote cultural exchange and cooperation with the Mainland and jointly promote the development and dissemination of Chinese culture. Meetings are held from time to time to explore concrete collaboration initiatives.

Cultural Network with Other Countries

The Government have been making efforts to enhance cooperation with other countries in the field of culture and the arts through the signing of Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Cooperation (MoU). So far, the HKSAR Government has signed MoUs with eleven countries (including Canada, Italy, the Philippines, Egypt, Singapore, South Korea, Croatia, the Netherlands, Hungary, Vietnam and France). We are planning to sign MoUs with a few more countries in the coming year.

Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum

HAB launched the Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum (ACCF) in 2003 with the objective of fostering cultural co-operation with the major economies in the region. The theme of ACCF 2009 is "The Cultural Asian" and the event will be held from 8 to 10 October 2009 inclusive. The three days’ programme will comprise official ministers meetings and open forum sessions which will be co-organised by partner organisations to enable wider participation of the stakeholders and the community. This exciting series of programmes will generate discussions, inspire visions and reflect Hong Kong's cultural environment as being vibrant, pluralistic, and community-driven. Details of the ACCF 2009 will be announced shortly.

Intangible Cultural Heritage

The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted by the General Conference of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in October 2003 and was formally entered into force on 20.4.2006 following its ratification by 30 States Parties, including China.

One of the key obligations of States Parties to the Convention is inventory-making. We have commissioned an agency to conduct a pilot study of the intangible cultural heritage in Hong Kong. We will examine in detail findings of the study report and consider way forward on compilation of a comprehensive inventory of Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage, with a view to strengthening their preservation and promotion in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's Cultural Vision

We have provided an account of Hong Kong's cultural policy and the major implementation measures as above. We have a clear cultural vision for Hong Kong, which is to raise our cultural literacy and to develop Hong Kong into an international cultural metropolis. After all, culture is life and pursuing arts is a lifestyle. If Hong Kong becomes a city where life is celebrated through cultural pursuit, a city where its people are enchanted by the arts, enlightened by different cultures and enriched by social diversity, we will certainly have a vibrant cultural scene.

¹ The French Government provides enormous funding on culture and the arts. The resources allocated are about 1% of the Government's total budget.