Chinese Culture Festival Carnival Highlights Intangible Heritage with 18,000 Attendees at Sha Tin Town Hall

2025-06-22 20:20 Last Updated At：20:28

Chinese Culture Festival 2025's "Encountering Chinese Culture" Carnival held today

The "Encountering Chinese Culture" Carnival of the Chinese Culture Festival (CCF) 2025, organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), was held this afternoon (June 22) at Sha Tin Town Hall and New Town Plaza. Through stage performances rich in Chinese cultural characteristics, "Vibrant ICH" performances, booth activities and more, the Carnival raised people's awareness of and interest in Chinese culture as well as intangible cultural heritage (ICH) items. These enchanting free activities attracted an attendance of around 18 000. "Vibrant ICH" performances and booth activities are also programmes of Hong Kong ICH Month 2025.

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Chinese Culture Festival 2025's "Encountering Chinese Culture" Carnival held today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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Chinese Culture Festival 2025's "Encountering Chinese Culture" Carnival held today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Carnival kicked off with an exciting dance by the Pok Fu Lam Village Fire Dragon Association, followed by a number of performances by outstanding arts groups and ICH practitioners from the Mainland and Hong Kong. Some of the music and dance performances were excerpts from this year's CCF highlights, including the Museum Series: "The Sounds from Cultural Relics", "Ancient Styles ‧ Modern Chants" Classical Literature × Contemporary Dance and "Taisheng and Huayin Lao Qiang: Big Uncle, Second Uncle are All His Uncles" Concert. The "Vibrant ICH" performances featured ICH items of Jiangxi Province, such as Xingguo folk songs, Gannan tea-plucking opera as well as Hakka folk songs and dances. These were complemented by local puppet show and Hakka song performance, which received an enthusiastic response from citizens and visitors with rounds of applause throughout the event.

The Carnival featured various booth activities covering a wide range of ICH items of traditional craftsmanship, including Chinese brush making, Hong Kong cheongsam making, puppetry, fishing net plaiting, movable-type printing, patterned band weaving and gold leaf decoration. Many citizens also made special visit to watch demonstrations and participate in workshops to closely explore the essence of ICH.

Mentees from the Strive and Rise Programme were invited to participate in today's Carnival. Apart from watching live stage performances, they also took part in the activities at different booths to experience the charm of Chinese culture and ICH items.

In addition, the "Library-on-Wheels" from the Hong Kong Public Libraries brought books with Chinese cultural themes to the Carnival, and story ambassadors also delivered stories with the children. The "Mobile ICH" vehicle attracted members of the public with its on-board displays and interactive devices. Meanwhile, the "ICH Story-telling" sessions helped participants of all ages learn about the characteristics of ICH items in Hong Kong through illustrated books on ICH.

Many visitors also joined the "Mystery of Chinese Writing" Roving Exhibition and explored the photo display on ICH and cultures of Ganzhou, Jiangxi at scene. They also enjoyed Chinese music performances by a trainee's ensemble from the Music Office of the LCSD.

The CCF, presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) and organised by the Chinese Culture Promotion Office under the LCSD, aims to promote Chinese culture and enhance the public's national identity and cultural confidence. It also aims to attract top-notch artists and arts groups from the Mainland and other parts of the world for exchanges in Chinese arts and culture. The CCF 2025 is held from June to September. Through over 280 performing arts programmes in various forms and related extension activities, the festival provides members of the public and visitors with more opportunities to enjoy distinctive programmes that showcase fine traditional Chinese culture, thereby facilitating patriotic education and contributing to the inheritance, transformation and development of traditional Chinese culture in Hong Kong. For details, please visit www.ccf.gov.hk.

Hong Kong ICH Month 2025 is presented by the CSTB and organised by the ICHO of the LCSD with ICH June as the strategic partner. Delightful programmes include 80 ICH performances, 60 interactive experiential booths and 20 "ICH Highlight Tours", covering over 100 ICH items and bringing together over 50 ICH practitioners, including representative bearers of the national ICH. For details, please visit www.icho.hk/en/web/icho/hk_ich_month_2025.html.

EDB Urges Parents to Participate in Primary One Central Allocation Process for 2026 Admissions

EDB reminds parents to choose primary schools under Central Allocation process for their children

The Education Bureau (EDB) today (January 12) reminded parents that children who have joined the Primary One Admission (POA) System for 2026 but have not yet secured a discretionary place can take part in the Central Allocation process for a Primary One (P1) place in a government or aided primary school. Parents concerned should make their choice of schools within the period from January 19 to 25.

Digitalisation of POA

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In line with the Smart Government strategy, the EDB has fully implemented digitalisation of the POA. Parents who have registered as POA e-Platform (ePOA) users and have bound their account to "iAM Smart+" may submit the Choice of Schools Form for Central Allocation from January 19 to 25 through the ePOA. Please refer to the related videos and Parent's Guide on the EDB's website (www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/spa-systems/primary-1-admission/poa_eplatform/index.html) for details of the procedures for activating and logging into an ePOA account and for making school choices for the Central Allocation of POA via the e-Platform.

Making school choices at Central Allocation Centres

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The EDB will send letters to parents on January 14 inviting them to make their choice of schools. To cater for the needs of different parents, parents can still submit the Choice of Schools Form in paper form by visiting the designated Central Allocation Centre at the suggested time slot (i.e. 9.30am to 12.30pm or 1.30pm to 4.30pm on January 24 (Saturday) or 9.30am to 12.30pm on January 25 (Sunday)) stated in the letter.

Parents who are ePOA users may choose to submit the Central Allocation Application via the ePOA or in paper form to the Central Allocation Centre but should not submit duplicate applications. Parents who have not yet received the letter by January 19 should call the School Places Allocation Section of the EDB (Hotline: 2832 7700) as soon as possible.

Only one parent of an applicant child is required to complete the school choice-making procedures. Parents are advised not to take their children to the Central Allocation Centre if possible. Parents who cannot make school choices within the suggested time slot can go to the designated Central Allocation Centre from 1.30pm to 4.30pm on January 25. The Choice of Schools Form will be sent together with the letter to parents who have submitted a paper Application Form at the Discretionary Places stage for filling out in advance.

In the event of adverse weather or other special conditions on any day during the period of making school choices, please pay heed to radio or television announcements on the relevant special arrangements.

Unable to submit application within specified choice-making period

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For individual parents who are unable to use the ePOA or go to the Central Allocation Centre to make school choices, they can authorise in writing a representative to bring the completed Choice of Schools Form and their signed Letter of Authorisation to the Central Allocation Centre to proceed with the related procedures.

To apply for POA 2026 for their children after January 25, parents need to complete necessary procedures with the School Places Allocation Section, which will separately arrange P1 places for the applicant children in June.

Change of residential address

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An EDB spokesman reminded parents that, if they have recently moved their residence or have such plans in the near future, they are required to inform the School Places Allocation Section as soon as possible so that they can make school choices in the POA School Net where their new home is located. Parents should fill in the actual residential address of their child. If they provide a false address for securing a P1 place, the POA application of their child will be rendered void and the P1 place allocated will be withdrawn.

The EDB has put in place a monitoring mechanism to verify the residential addresses of applicant children as given by the parents. Random checks have also been stepped up. The public may call the School Places Allocation Section to report suspected cases of using a false address by parents for their children's POA application. The EDB will take action against false address cases.

Mechanism of Central Allocation

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Central Allocation is composed of two parts. Part A, which takes up 10 per cent of the P1 places earmarked for Central Allocation, is for unrestricted school choices. Parents can choose up to three government or aided primary schools in any school net. Part B takes up the remaining 90 per cent of the P1 places earmarked for Central Allocation. Parents of applicant children residing in the school net concerned are to select schools from the "Choice of Schools List for Central Allocation (Primary One Admission 2026)" of their school net, while parents of applicant children who intend to commute daily to schools in Hong Kong are to select schools from the "2026 Choice of Schools List for Central Allocation (For Applicant Children who intend to commute daily to schools in Hong Kong)". Parents should fill in the Choice of Schools Form in the order of their preference.

The mechanism of the Central Allocation is based on parents' choices in general. The computer-programmed allocation will first process the school choices in Part A and then the school choices in Part B. For oversubscribed schools, the order of priority in allocating places will be determined by random numbers generated by the computer for individual applicants to ensure fairness.

For information about the procedures for Central Allocation, please call the EDB's 24-hour automatic telephone enquiry service at 2891 0088.

Release of Central Allocation results

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For parents who have already activated their ePOA account via "iAM Smart" or "iAM Smart+", they will receive their Central Allocation results through the ePOA from 10am on June 3. Parents who wish to receive the allocation results via SMS on June 3 may choose such an option in the Choice of Schools Form. In addition, the allocation results will be sent to parents by post on June 3 and 4.

Chinese Culture Festival Carnival Highlights Intangible Heritage with 18,000 Attendees at Sha Tin Town Hall