The Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) opened today (28 February) with continued support from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, a partnership that dates back to the Festival’s launch over five decades ago. The opening ceremony was held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, with officiating guests including HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee; Deputy Director General of the Department of Publicity, Cultural and Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Li Shuguang; HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law; HKSAR Government Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Manda Chan; Club Chairman Michael Lee; HKAF Chairman Lo Kingman and HKAF Executive Director Flora Yu.
HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee (front row, centre), Deputy Director General of the Department of Publicity, Cultural and Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Li Shuguang (front row, 2nd left), HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law (front row, 2nd right), HKSAR Government Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Manda Chan (front row, 1st left), Club Chairman Michael Lee (front row, 3rd left), HKAF Chairman Lo Kingman (front row, 3rd right), HKAF Executive Director Flora Yu (front row, 1st right) and other guests officiate at the opening ceremony of the 53rd Hong Kong Arts Festival.
As a long-term partner of the HKAF, the Club has supported the highly-regarded arts festival in presenting three pillar programmes under The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series each year since 2008. This year, the series features the Festival’s opening performance by Italy’s Orchestra of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, conducted by world-renowned maestro Donato Renzetti. It also includes La Sylphide, an enchanting fairy tale performed by the Czech National Ballet, and the world’s most enduring romantic opera, Bizet’s Carmen.
Furthermore, the Club’s Charities Trust is the sole sponsor of the world premiere of the Putonghua adaptation of Jules Verne’s timeless sci-fi classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,part of the newly launched Jockey Club East-meets-West Series. This world stage play’s Putonghua adaptation, commissioned by the HKAF, will see masterminds from France collaborate with top-notch Chinese theatre artists to create a new rendition of the literary classic.
Each year The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series brings world-class performances to the city,which this year includes the 53rd Hong Kong Arts Festival’s opening performance by Orchestra of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna (Photo credit: © Casalucci Ranzi).
To encourage local students from varied backgrounds to appreciate top-class artistic performances, the Club has long supported The Hong Kong Jockey Club Student Matinee Programme, which enables them to enjoy free performances. This year, the programme includes Beethoven Wars: A Battle for Peace, performed by the Insula orchestra and accentus.A guided talk will be provided for students before the performance, to enhance their understanding of the shows and theatre etiquette, as well as their capacity for arts appreciation.
The Club is also delighted to support the Jockey Club InnoArts Series with the aim to promote the convergence of art and technology. This year, the series features No Reality Now — an immersive theatre experience that combines dance with virtual reality (VR) technology. Audience members can switch between the live performance on stage and the augmented version using a VR headset that can be worn or removed at any time.
In collaboration with the National Health Commission (NHC) and funded by the Institute of Philanthropy (IoP), The Hong Kong Jockey Club Medical and Health Scholarship-cum Fellowship for Top Talent in the Mainland (the “Initiative”) has supported 29 top medical and health professionals from the Mainland to undertake Master’s, doctoral studies and post-doctoral training at three universities in Hong Kong. Additionally, in mid-April, the programme supported 25 senior officials of the national health system to undertake a National Health System at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).
The inaugural Hong Kong Jockey Club Medical and Health Scholarship-cum-Fellowship for Top Talent in the Mainland awarded a total of 29 long-term programme scholarships and fellowships, supporting top medical and health talent in the Mainland to undertake Master’s, doctoral studies and post-doctoral training at three universities in Hong Kong during the 2024/25 academic year.
Since the signing of the “Collaboration Agreement Between the National Health Commission and The Hong Kong Jockey Club on a Scholarship-cum-Fellowship for Top Talent in the Mainland” between NHC and The Hong Kong Jockey Club (“the Club”) in March last year, and with support from the Health Human Resources Development Centre of the NHC (“Programme Management Office”), preparation and selection work for the Initiative has been well underway. The goal is to nurture a cohort of core talent with professional competence, strategic thinking and a global perspective in the fields of medicine and health. After rigorous assessment by a selection committee comprising leading medical and health experts in the Mainland and Hong Kong, 29 medical and health professionals across the nation were awarded scholarships or fellowships to pursue Master’s degrees, doctoral degrees and post-doctoral training in medical research, public health, biomedical sciences and health management at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and The University of Hong Kong (“HKU”). The scholarship recipients commenced their studies or training in the 2024/25 academic year.
Chief Executive of the HKSAR John Lee (2nd right), the then Vice-minister of the National Health Commission Lei Haichao (2nd left), Club Chairman Michael Lee (1st right) and Secretary for Health of the HKSAR Government Professor Lo Chung-mau (1st left) pose for a photo at the signing ceremony in March 2024 in Beijing.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Leadership Programme for Senior Executives in the National Health System completed in April 2025 at HKUST was the first short course under the Initiative. It aims to enhance the leadership and professional competency of senior officials in the national health system in support of the implementation of the Healthy China 2030 Blueprint. The 25 scholarship recipients included senior officials from central ministries (including the NHC), as well as health commissions and medical institutions from 19 provinces and cities. The training course not only provided participants with opportunities to broaden their horizons and deepen their professional knowledge, but also laid a solid foundation for future co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland in the fields of medicine and health. The Programme Management Office is planning to organise a second short course at HKU in June 2025.
The Initiative also awarded scholarships to 25 senior officials from the central ministries (including the NHC), as well as various provincial and municipal health commissions and medical institutions in April 2025 to participate in The Hong Kong Jockey Club Leadership Programme for Senior Executives in the National Health System at HKUST.
Mr. Lester Huang, Chairman of IoP and a Steward of the Club, stated: “Talent and sector development is one of the key priority areas of our charity strategy. This scholarship programme fully leverages Hong Kong’s role as an international education hub, working closely with local universities to provide training for the country’s medical and health talent, exemplifying our commitment to community betterment. We are grateful for the support given to the scholarship programme by the universities, and will continue to support other local universities in participating in the high-quality development of the national medical
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Medical and Health Scholarship-cum-Fellowship for Top Talent in the Mainland is funded by a donation of about HK$300 million from IoP, established jointly by the Club and its Charities Trust in September 2023. The programme focuses on the development of top professional talent in clinical services and health management, demonstrating IoP’s strong support for the Healthy China 2030 Blueprint and the 14th Five-Year Plan on health-talent development.
