On July 21st, 2021, “Communication Between China and the World·Mutual Learning among Civilizations--Hong Kong Communication Center to Develop Chinese and Foreign Culture and Art” Summit was held in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR Government, Zhang Xu, vice minister of Culture and Tourism, Lu Xinning, deputy director of Central Government Liaison Office in Hong Kong, and Ma Fengguo, from Hong Kong General Association of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, attended the summit and delivered key speeches. More than 600 representatives participated in the summit, including those from China National Arts Fund Management Center, Home Affairs Bureau of the HKSAR Government, Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Hong Kong General Association of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, main cultural communities and cultural circles.
The forum was hosted by Hong Kong General Association of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles as well as invited organizing institutes, including Home Affairs Bureau of the HKSAR Government and Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The aim was to support China’s “14th five-year plan” to realize Hong Kong’s new position as the “Hong Kong Communication Center to Develop Chinese and Foreign Culture and Art”. Relating departments would discuss how to make full use of Hong Kong’s advantage in a new era and to promote the communication and development of culture and art of China and the world.
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said that Hong Kong was filled with Chinese and western culture and was of wide international connection, so it’s able to attract talents from home and abroad and be an international platform to improve the influence of Chinese culture. The SAR government would make concerted effort with all social sectors to make full use of the support of the national “14th five year plan”; to use the special advantage of the “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong; to build world-level cultural institution and various cultural space; to establish close relationship with famous oversea cultural institutions, to promote the cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and the mainland of China; to make full use of science and technology in a suitable way and to shape Hong Kong into an attractive communication center of culture and art from home and abroad.
Zhang Xu, vice minister, said in his speech that in the “14th five year plan”, the country firstly brought up the policy to “support Hong Kong to be a communication center of culture and art from home and abroad” which was a response to Hong Kong’s urgent need for development. The government hoped that Hong Kong would be a communication center of humanistic thoughts from home and abroad, a place for exchanges between creative industries between China and the world and a highland for Chinese and foreign cultural talents. He said that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism spent a lot of effort to support Hong Kong’s cultural and art development, the policies of which were already released or were under close study. The cultural and art circle were hoped to seize the opportunity, to maintain and improve the advantage of competition and to make new achievements after overcoming difficulties.
Lu Xinning, deputy directer, said that if Hong Kong wanted to be a communication center for culture and art between China and the world, it must improve it’s ability to communicate with international cultural and art circle; to solidify it’s cultural base and improve cultural attraction, so as to carry out Chinese culture’s creative transformation and development; to stimulate cultural vitality and nurture new advantages like technological innovation and culture, so as to create new increasing point and growth pole. Ma Fengguo said that recently, China National Arts Fund released it’s policy to fully open to Hong Kong, offering new opportunity to the cultural and art circle of Hong Kong. He would lead Hong Kong General Association of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles to participate the construction of communication center for culture and art between China and the world to present China’s spirit to the world and tell China’s story well.
During Zhang Xu’s visit to Hong Kong, he exchanged ideas with local practitioners of cultural and tourism circles; introduced policies to recover Hong Kong’s culture and tourism and listened to suggestions of people from relating industries.