Hong Kong Dragon Lantern Debuts at OzAsia Festival in Adelaide Celebrating Cultural Exchange

2024-10-25 16:30 Last Updated At：16:38

New Hong Kong Dragon shines brightly at OzAsia Festival in Adelaide

Illuminated across the River Torrens of Adelaide, Australia, the spectacular 40-metre-long new Hong Kong Dragon Lantern is taking centre stage at the Moon Lantern Trail of the OzAsia Festival from October 24 to 27, showcasing Hong Kong's vibrant role as anEast-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange as well as celebrating the artistic synergy between Hong Kong and Australia.

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New Hong Kong Dragon shines brightly at OzAsia Festival in Adelaide Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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New Hong Kong Dragon shines brightly at OzAsia Festival in Adelaide Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney (Sydney ETO) is again supporting the OzAsia Festival with a view to promoting the unique arts and cultural scene in Hong Kong. This year, in collaboration with the organiser of the Festival, the Adelaide Festival Centre (AFC), Sydney ETO presented the new Hong Kong Dragon Lantern with a concept from a Hong Kong artist to foster arts and cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and Adelaide.

Addressing more than 200 guests at the OzAsia Festival Opening Night, the Director of the Sydney ETO, Mr Ricky Chong, said that 2024 marks the 15th year of partnership between Sydney ETO and theAFC. He is delighted towitnessthis milestone and celebrate the debut of the new Hong Kong Dragon Lantern.

"Sydney ETO treasures the opportunity for cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and Australia.Over the years, wehave supported numerous initiatives to help Hong Kongfulfilits role as anEast-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange undertheNational 14thFive-Year Plan, which includessupporting arts groups and delegations travelling betweenHong Kong and Australiatobring ourartcommunities closer together," Mr Chong said.

He also introduced the keymeasures announced in "The Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address" for bolstering thecultural andcreativeindustries. "The West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD), one of the largest arts and cultural projects in the world, provides over 20 professional venues capable of hosting a wide range of events. With a view to branding the WKCD as a must-visit landmark for cultural and creative tourism, the Government will roll out more special-experience activities and step up worldwide promotions in collaboration with the Hong Kong Tourism Board to bring in more tourists," Mr Chong added.

Mr Chong also shared with the participants the latest initiatives in the Policy Address to attract top-notch talent to Hong Kong, including updating the Talent List, expanding the list of universities under the Top Talent Pass Scheme and extending the validity period of the first visa of high-income talent under the scheme to three years.

Held annually over three weeks (October 24 to November 10) in spring in the southern hemisphere, the OzAsia Festival is Australia's leading contemporary arts festival that engages with Asia. This year's festival showcases various forms of arts and culture, including theatre, dance, music, visual arts, literature, cuisine and cultural events from across Asia. The vibrant line-up features over 300 artists from Australia and abroad including Hong Kong, with seven world premieres to be staged.

Hong Kong's delegation explores Germany's University of Stuttgart for insights on innovation and education for Northern Metropolis University Town.

CS leads delegation of Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town to continue visit to Germany (with photos/video)

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, led the delegation of the Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town under the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis to continue its trip to Germany yesterday (May 19, Stuttgart time). The delegation conducted on-site visits to local higher education and innovation and technology infrastructure, with a view to providing solid references for the planning and development of the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT).

The delegation visited the University of Stuttgart. Founded in 1829, the University of Stuttgart is a leading research-oriented university of technology in Germany, and a member of the TU9, the alliance of leading universities of technology in the country. The university excels in engineering sciences, intelligent systems, energy research, quantum technologies, and architecture, maintaining close co-operation with industry.

The delegation toured the High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart and the ARENA2036 research campus for automobiles on its campus, and met with university representatives. They gained an in-depth understanding of the university's experience in promoting deep integration and collaboration between academia and industry, accelerating the translation of research outcomes into practical applications, developing innovation campuses and industrial clusters, and facilitating interdisciplinary research and development as well as testing. They also exchanged views on strengthening exchanges in higher education and co-operation in talent cultivation between the two sides.

Mr Chan said that the NMUT is not only a cradle for nurturing talent, but also a core engine driving technological innovation and economic transformation. He noted that the University of Stuttgart excels in the deep integration of education, cutting-edge research, and industry development, and has successfully built an industry-led innovation model. He expressed hope that through the visit, the delegation could draw on the university's experience in aligning talent cultivation and academic achievements with market demands, thereby further strengthening Hong Kong's linkages between education, technological innovation and industrial application, facilitating knowledge transfers, and developing the NMUT into a vibrant education and innovation hub, injecting new impetus into Hong Kong's long-term development.

Mr Chan and other members of the delegation will proceed to Heilbronn, Germany, on May 20 (Stuttgart time) to continue their visit.

Hong Kong Dragon Lantern Debuts at OzAsia Festival in Adelaide Celebrating Cultural Exchange

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