Deputy Chief Secretary Opens Qin and Han Dynasties Exhibition in Hong Kong, Showcasing Cultural Heritage

Speech by DCS at special session of "The Great Unity - Civilisation of the Qin and Han Dynasties in Shaanxi Province" Exhibition

Following is the speech by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, at a special session of "The Great Unity - Civilisation of the Qin and Han Dynasties in Shaanxi Province" Exhibition today (June 17):

The Honourable Commissioner Cui Jianchun (Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), Mr Gary Chan (Legislative Council Member),Ms Starry Lee (Legislative Council Member), Mr Holden Chow (Legislative Council Member), Acting Secretary Lau (Acting Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau), Director Chan (Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Manda Chan), consuls-general, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

It is great pleasure to welcome you to this special session of "The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Great Unity - Civilisation of the Qin and Han Dynasties in Shaanxi Province" Exhibition.

President Xi Jinping has, on many occasions, made important remarks on strengthening the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage, and promoting China’s magnificent traditional culture. Hong Kong has an important role to play here: deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture and extensively connected to the international communities, we are well positioned as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange to promote Chinese culture and history to the world and encourage mutual learning across nations and regions.

The Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) Government established the Chinese Culture Promotion Office (CCPO) last year. The CCPO is dedicated to promoting Chinese culture and history-related activities, exchanges and collaborations, thereby enhancing the public’s cultural confidence and national identity. In collaboration with the Hong Kong Museum of History, the CCPO launched in 2024 the first flagship project - the "General History of China Series" - for the public to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the development of Chinese civilisation. Last year, the first exhibition in the series, "The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Ancient Civilisation of the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties in Henan Province" and the inaugural Chinese Culture Festival have attracted more than 1 million in physical attendance, including 10 000 teachers and students, in the same place that we are standing today.

Following that remarkable success, "The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Great Unity - Civilisation of the Qin and Han Dynasties in Shaanxi Province" is the much yearned for second major exhibition in the General History of China Series. Qin and Han, spanning the 440 years from 221 BC to 220 AD, were two dynasties of immense significance. The Qin period saw the first unification of China in terms of adopting: political centralism, the system of prefectures and counties, "li shu" as the common written words, common currency, common weights and measures etc. Whereas the Han period saw the defeat of neighbouring and invading foreign tribes, the expansion of the national boundary, the prosperity of external trade via the Silk Road, and the adoption of Confucianism as the orthodox thinking and value etc. These developments profoundly influenced the course of China’s development for over 2,000 years.

The capital of Qin and Western Han was respectively Xianyang and Changan, which are today’s Xianyang and Xi’an in the province of Shaanxi. With the staunch and generous support of the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration, about 110 sets of priceless exhibits from Shaanxi, including figures from the world-renowned terracotta army of Emperor Qin Shi-huang (秦始皇), and warrior and animal figurines of Emperor Jing (漢景帝), the sixth emperor of Western Han, are presented in this exhibition. Among the exhibits, 11 are grade-one national treasures brought to Hong Kong under the auspices of Shaanxi Province, with four on exhibition outside Mainland China for the first time. We earnestly hope that the wide array of exhibits will give our distinguished guests today a taste of the grandeur of the two dynasties and a deeper appreciation of the richness and beauty of traditional Chinese culture.

I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong SAR and the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong for organising this special viewing session. I look forward to having more exhibitions of national treasures from different Chinese provinces in Hong Kong under the General History of China Series to further introduce Chinese culture and history to the global audience.

In closing, I hope you like the exhibition and have a delightful afternoon meeting the art pieces from 2 000 years ago. Thank you very much.

Speech by DCS at special session of "The Great Unity - Civilisation of the Qin and Han Dynasties in Shaanxi Province" Exhibition Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by DCS at special session of "The Great Unity - Civilisation of the Qin and Han Dynasties in Shaanxi Province" Exhibition Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Notice on appointments to advisory and statutory bodies

A Government spokesman said today (January 12) that Mr Chan Kin-por recently sought approval from the Chief Executive to suspend his three public positions as appointed by the Chief Executive, until the completion of the work of the Independent Committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po (Independent Committee). Mr Chan made this request to allow himself more time to dedicate to the work of the Independent Committee. After due consideration, the Chief Executive has agreed to and approved this request. The three public positions are: (1) Chairman of Independent Commission Against Corruption Advisory Committee on Corruption; (2) Non-executive Director of Urban Renewal Authority Board; and (3) Member of Honours and Non-official Justices of the Peace Selection Committee.

On December 12, 2025, the Government established the Independent Committee to examine the causes of the incident and related issues, ascertain the facts, and make recommendations on preventing similar tragedies and on improvement measures. The Independent Committee is chaired by Mr Justice David Lok, with Mr Chan Kin-por and Dr Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen serving as members. The Independent Committee held its first meeting on December 19 last year and aims to complete its work within nine months of commencing operations.

Mr Chan Kin-por wrote earlier to the Chief Executive, expressing his wish to suspend the aforementioned three public positions until the Independent Committee completes its work, in order to dedicate more time and focus to the Independent Committee's tasks. The Chief Executive has agreed to and approved the request.

A Government spokesperson said that since the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, both the Government and the wider community have been highly concerned about the causes of the incident and the follow-up work. The scope of the Independent Committee's work is extensive, particularly concerning systemic issues related to bid-rigging and connected interests. Given the numerous issues involved and their complex nature, the Government will fully co-operate with the Independent Committee to ensure that it can complete its work and compile its report within nine months. The Government extends its gratitude to Mr Chan for accepting the appointment as a member of the Independent Committee and for his professional and conscientious approach to the Committee's work. When the Independent Committee's work is completed, the Government looks forward to Mr Chan's continuous contribution through his aforementioned public positions.

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