Discover Jiangxi's Hakka Culture at Free Intangible Heritage Exhibition in Hong Kong

2025-06-13 20:20 Last Updated At：20:28

Ninth edition of "Genesis and Spirit" exhibition and demonstration series opens and showcases highlights of Jiangxi ICH

The "Genesis and Spirit - Treasures of Nature · Extraordinary Hakka: Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition of Jiangxi" presented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau will be held from tomorrow (June 14) to July 1 at the Exhibition Gallery, G/F of the Hong Kong Central Library. As one of the programme highlights of Hong Kong ICH Month 2025, the exhibition showcases nearly 40 intangible cultural heritage (ICH) items from Jiangxi Province, including three items inscribed onto the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Representative List of the ICH of Humanity, and 10 representative items of the national ICH. Admission is free. Members of the public are welcome to enjoy the unique ICH culture of Jiangxi.

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Ninth edition of "Genesis and Spirit" exhibition and demonstration series opens and showcases highlights of Jiangxi ICH Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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Ninth edition of "Genesis and Spirit" exhibition and demonstration series opens and showcases highlights of Jiangxi ICH Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Addressing the opening ceremony today (June 13), the Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau, said that the "Genesis and Spirit" exhibition and demonstration series has reached its ninth edition and has consistently been a key collaboration project for the preservation of ICH in the country and Hong Kong. Jiangxi Province and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area have close ties in terms of geographical proximity and social interactions with deep historical connections and shared a cultural foundation. The Hakka community is characterised by its simplicity and warmth, drawing from nature to nurture world ICH such as Gannan Hakka Pounded Tea Making Technique. Through exploration of nature and dedicated craftsmanship, they also inherited national ICH such as Gannan Hakka Clothes. This exhibition provides a chance for Hong Kong people to understand and experience Jiangxi's Hakka culture and traditional craftsmanship, and resonate with the shared heritage and common roots of Jiangxi and Hong Kong.

Other officiating guests included the Director of the Asia Tourism Exchange Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mr Zhang Dong; the Deputy Director General of the Department of Publicity, Cultural and Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Li Shuguang; member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Mayor of the Ganzhou Municipal People's Government, Jiangxi, Mr Zou Zhiyu; the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Manda Chan; the Chairperson of the ICH Advisory Committee, Professor Ricardo Mak; member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Ganzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Media and Tourism, Jiangxi, Ms Xia Hanhan; the Deputy Director of the Xiangdong Culture, Media and Tourism Bureau of the Pingxiang Municipality, Mr Chen Shugang; and the Head of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office (ICHO), Ms Judith Ng.

The exhibition is divided into four sections, including "Elegance of Hakka Culture", introducing traditional techniques integrated into Hakka everyday lives; "Heavenly Creations", displaying crafts with unique artistic styles; "Fragrant Tea of Jiangxi", which showcases traditional Chinese tea making techniques inscribed onto UNESCO’s Representative List of the ICH of Humanity; as well as "Scent of Calligraphy and Ink", with traditional skills of making "The Four Treasures of the Study".

Visitors can also appreciate three world ICH items in Jiangxi at a glance, namely Wuyuan Green Tea Making Technique, Ning Black Tea Making Technique and Gannan Hakka Pounded Tea Making Technique, as well as 10 representative items of the national ICH, including Shicheng Lantern Festival, Gannan Hakka Clothes, Pingxiang Xiangdong Nuo Masks, Jingdezhen Porcelain Making Technique, Ruichang Bamboo Weaving, Ramie Embroidery, Jialu Paper Umbrella Making Technique, Yanshan Liansi Paper Making Technique, Wengang Chinese Brush Making Technique and Shicheng Inkstone Making Technique.

Over 100 sessions of performances, demonstrations, talks and interactive experiential activities during the exhibition period will be organised. Nearly 70 representative bearers of ICH and performers from Jiangxi, including Representative Bearers of the National ICH, National Class One Performer and renowned art groups will give demonstrations of various craftsmanship on-site. Members of the public can also participate in experiential activities including Longnan Hakka Patterned Band Weaving Technique, Gannan Hakka Paper Cutting, Hakka Bamboo Carving Technique in Zhanggong District.

It is also the first time that the exhibition will extend beyond the exhibition venue to the community and schools through mobile displays and experiential activities, to enable the public and students to experience the profound Hakka culture in depth.

The exhibition is supported by the Department of Publicity, Cultural and Sports Affairs, Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, organised by the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, curated by the Ganzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Media and Tourism, the Pingxiang Municipal Bureau of Culture, Media and Tourism and the ICHO.

This exhibition is one of the programmes of Hong Kong ICH Month 2025, Chinese Culture Festival 2025 and the Chinese Culture Promotion Series. For more details, please visit the ICHO's website at www.icho.hk/en/web/icho/genesis_and_spirit_2025.html.

Hong Kong's Health Secretary Reviews Antimicrobial Resistance Strategies at High-Level Committee Meeting

2025-07-07 17:45 Last Updated At：17:58

Secretary for Health chairs 10th meeting of High Level Steering Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, convened the 10th meeting of the High Level Steering Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) today (July 7) to review the implementation of the Hong Kong Strategy and Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (2023-2027) and discuss the response strategies with relevant government departments and organisations.

Professor Lo said, "AMR poses a significant challenge to public health. Since human health is closely intertwined with the health of animals and the environment, a 'One Health' approach is required to tackle the issue of AMR, and interdepartmental and multidisciplinary co-ordination and collaboration are particularly important. I am pleased to see continuous improvements in various aspects through cross-sector collaboration."

Under the leadership of the Steering Committee, a series of initiatives laid down in the Action Plan were implemented, including the launch of the Computerised Transaction Record System on June 19 this year for voluntary participation by licensed pharmaceutical traders (including pharmacies), while legislative amendments will be initiated in a timely manner to mandate the systematic recording of antimicrobial prescriptions and dispensing through electronic means; enhancing surveillance and dissemination of AMR data in food; and implementing the "veterinary prescription-only medication supply" policy in local food animal farms.

At today's meeting, the Steering Committee evaluated the latest local situation of AMR by analysing the relevant latest surveillance data from various sectors:

Human health data showed that the wholesale supply of antimicrobials to community pharmacies continually dropped from 18.5 per cent in 2016 to 3.4 per cent last year.Moreover, out of the total antibiotic supply in Hong Kong, the proportion of the antibiotics under the "Access" classification of the World Health Organization (i.e. antibiotics less likely to result in resistance) has increased from 55.8 per cent in 2016 to 62.2 per cent last year. The results from the 2024 survey on AMR by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) also demonstrated improvements in the knowledge, attitude and practice on antibiotic resistance among the general public.

The Hospital Authority (HA) has been promoting the prudent use of antimicrobials through its Antibiotic Stewardship Programme (ASP). The HA introduced an electronic platform known as "Smart ASP" last year to leverage data analytics to generate automatic reminders to clinicians to facilitate the review of antibiotic usage. In 2024, the use of relevant broad-spectrum antibiotics had dropped by 3.1 per cent compared with 2023. Furthermore, the HA closely monitors AMR patterns, for instance, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter (CRA), which showed a reduction by 0.6 and 3.3 percentage points respectively in 2024 compared with 2023.

With regards to animal health, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has commenced a phased withdrawal of the Antibiotics Permits previously issued to local livestock farmers since October 1, 2020, to progressively implement the "veterinary prescription-only medication supply" policy as well as to tighten the regulation on the use of antimicrobials in animal husbandry, in particular those critically important antimicrobials for humans. With the provision and maturation of veterinary services and pharmaceutical supplies to local livestock farmers supported by the Sustainable Agricultural Development Fund, the AFCD has ceased issuing relevant permits. The "veterinary prescription-only medication supply" policy has been fully implemented since January 1 this year.

With regard to food safety, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has taken a series of measures, including organising workshops for food handlers, formulating guidelines for the food trade, conducting joint inspections and promoting public education, with a view to further enhancing public awareness of AMR and the importance of personal and environmental hygiene. The CFS stresses that the most effective way to reduce AMR bacteria in food is to observe the Five Keys to Food Safety, namely, choose safe raw materials, keep hands and utensils clean, separate raw and cooked food, cook thoroughly, and keep food at safe temperatures, in daily life.

The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) commissioned local universities and testing institutions to conduct baseline surveys on residual antibiotic amount and environmental AMR levels respectively in different environmental waters (seawater, rivers, beaches, etc) during the period from 2020 to 2025.The findings of the surveys showed that the median levels of residual antibiotics in the local aquatic environment were below the "Predicted No Effect Concentration", indicating that there was no material impact on the aquatic environment. Moreover, the surveys found that the levels of Escherichia coli and its resistance to key classes of antimicrobials, such as carbapenems, third-generation cephalosporins, etc in the local aquatic environment were generally low, indicating the relatively low risks to the associated environment and human health.

The Steering Committee will continue to make every effort to combat the threat of AMR through multi-sectoral collaboration. The progress achieved so far underscores the importance of implementing evidence-based strategies, strengthening surveillance and research, and enhancing public awareness.

For detailed information about AMR and the Action Plan, please visit the thematic website of the CHP.

Chaired by the Secretary for Health, the Steering Committee was set up in May 2016 and comprises representatives from the DH, the AFCD, the FEHD, the EPD, public and private hospitals, healthcare organisations, academia and relevant professional bodies.

Discover Jiangxi's Hakka Culture at Free Intangible Heritage Exhibition in Hong Kong

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