Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival Launches with Diverse Programs Across 11 Cities Until October 16

2025-09-16 20:38 Last Updated At：09-17 12:33

Quality Hong Kong arts and cultural programmes and exhibitions launched at 5th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival

The 5th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival, jointly presented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the People's Government of Guangdong Province, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the Government of the Macao SAR, has been launched across 11 cities of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) today and will run until October 16. This year, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has curated 13 programmes and exhibitions to be held in Hong Kong and other GBA cities with participation from local artists and arts groups.

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Quality Hong Kong arts and cultural programmes and exhibitions launched at 5th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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Quality Hong Kong arts and cultural programmes and exhibitions launched at 5th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Six programme highlights as presented by the LCSD consist of the following:

Exhibitions in Hong Kong

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The "Standing Together for Peacebuilding: Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the War of Resistance in Guangdong and Hong Kong" exhibition is being held at the Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence. The precious artefacts, historical photos and multimedia programmes showcase the anti-war activities led by the Chinese Communist Party in Guangdong and Hong Kong during the War of Resistance, conveying and promoting patriotic education.The exhibition will run untilJuly 8 next year;

"The Pride of Hong Kong: Three Preeminent Collections of Ancient Paintings and Calligraphies"exhibition is being held at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, converging for the first time treasures from Hong Kong's three major collections of ancient Chinese paintings and calligraphy (namely Xubaizhai, Chih Lo Lou and Bei Shan Tang). It highlights Hong Kong's important role in preserving traditional Chinese art. The exhibition runs until October 7 this year;

The "Legacy of Lingnan School of Painting: In Commemoration of the 120th Anniversary of the Birth of Chao Shao-an" exhibition will be launched at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum tomorrow (September 17), where visitors can trace Professor Chao Shao-an's artistic journey from multiple perspectives, as well as experience his contributions to Hong Kong's art scene, the Lingnan School of Painting and the evolution of Chinese painting in the 20th century. The exhibition runs until February 23 next year;

Performances in other GBA cities

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"ChoreoMusica Soiree", under the artistic direction and choreography of Hong Kong cross-disciplinary artist Tsang Man-tung, will be performed in Guangzhou this Friday (September 19). It features musicians from the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra's chamber music ensemble and Hong Kong dancers interpreting the works of Ravel and Piazzolla, weaving music, dance and visuals for a rich audio-visual experience;

The Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble will join hands with Hong Kong conductor Ho Man-chuen to present the "Voices of Lingnan Concert" in Guangzhou on September 27. The concert will include classic Guangdong music pieces and other works with distinct Hong Kong characteristics, with the participation by veteran Cantonese opera artist Yuen Siu-fai and invitedrenowned wind instrument virtuoso and Class One musician Chen Fangyi from Guangzhou; and

Internationally acclaimed violinist Yao Jue with the Hong Kong String Orchestra will present the "Voyage from Nordic to Hong Kong - Jue YAO & HKSO Cantonese Opera Fantasia Concert"in Shenzhen on October 7. Young performers from the Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe will participate by performing the musical work "Cantonese Opera Fantasia"that blends Chinese and Western music with Cantonese opera elements.

The LCSD will also collaborate with municipal governments and cultural institutions of other GBA cities in supporting local arts groups and artists to curate four programmes. Hong Kong pop music producer Edward Chan will stage the concert "Music Beyond Dimensions: The Shape of Sound" at the "Golden Land" 2025 GBA (Zhongshan) Pop Music Week in Zhongshan on October 2. "A curated showcase of 'This Victoria Has No Secrets' - the A Cappella Theatre" by Hong Kong's a cappella group Yat Po Singers will be held in Macao on October 11 and 12 as part of the 37th Macao International Music Festival. The "Lingnan Images - A Cinematic Dialogue Across Hong Kong, Macao, Shenzhen & Guangzhou" with sharing sessions by local film curators Law Kar and Feng Yu will take place in Macao in October. The "Ink Art Ensembles" Exhibition Series in the Greater Bay Area - "Strata and Symbiosis", jointly organised by the LCSD Art Promotion Office and the Shenzhen Fringe Art Center, is running in Guangzhou from today until October 26, showcasing the art works of Hong Kong artist Ross Yau and the GBA artist group _.WAV_Studio_(Cao Yuxi and Lau Hiu-kong).

The LCSD will in parallel organise and sponsor a series of programmes and activities in Hong Kong, including the Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra's "World Concertmaster Series: David Kim plays Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto", "City under the Moon - Dance Drama 'Azure After the Rain'" by the Shanghai Dance Theatre, as well as the Mid-Autumn Lantern Display and Carnival 2025.

Details of the programmes are at the annex. For information on the 5th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival, please visitwww.cxlo.gov.hk/en/5th-gbaf.

Successful Return of 1,674 Households to Wang Fuk Court Completed After 15-Day Arrangement Post-Fire

Arrangements concluded for residents of seven blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po to return to their units in batches

The 15 days of arrangements for residents of seven blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po to return to their units in batches concluded today (May 4). Among the 1 736 households of the seven blocks, a total of 1 674 households (6 265 persons) have returned to their units. The process was generally smooth and completed in an orderly manner.

The Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, said, "We are very grateful for the understanding and co-operation of the residents. The vast majority of the residents returned to their units within the 15-day period, while only fewer than 10 households required other arrangements. About 50 households decided not to return to their units.

"There were safety hazards at different parts in the seven blocks after the fire. Arranging safe and orderly access for over 1 670 households was highly challenging. To ensure the safety of residents and working staff, meticulous planning was required, including removing unsafe scaffolding, strengthening building structures, installing window safety nets on damaged windows, clearing piles of rubble and debris from common areas, accompanying residents up to the units, providing emotional support, managing crowds, and deploying a large number of interdepartmental supporting staff."

Mr Cheuk expressed heartfelt appreciation to all staff involved in the arrangements. The staff worked together as one team, displaying commitment and empathy in supporting residents and attentively escorting residents and assisting in transporting their belongings on their way down. Their dedication helped ensure that the arrangements proceeded smoothly.

The Government spared no effort in supporting the residents returning to their units. Each day, the Government deployed over 1 000 personnel from various departments, including the Police, the Civil Aid Service (CAS), the Fire Services Department (FSD), the Auxiliary Medical Service (AMS), the Home Affairs Department (HAD), the Social Welfare Department (SWD), the Housing Bureau, and the Housing Department, as well as District Services and Community Care Teams volunteers (Care Team). The Civil Service Bureau (CSB) also activated the "Government-wide Mobilisation" mechanism to bring together greater interdepartmental deployment to support residents.

The Police were fully engaged in the cross-departmental operation from start to finish. Their roles included traffic management in the vicinity of Wang Fuk Court, crowd management at the registration centre, accompanying residents to and from their buildings and in and out of their units, deploying officers to stand guard at the main lobby of the building and on the floors reopened, handling requests from residents for police assistance,helping residents sift through the rubble and ashes to recover their property, assisting in the opening of safes found in the flats, forming quick response teams to attend to residents who might have felt unwell during their return, and helping residents move their belongings.

CAS personnel accompanied and protected the residents when they went upstairs to collect their belongings from beginning to end. CAS tasks included looking after the residents during their time in the buildings as well as assisting them as they went in and out of their units, assisting the elderly and persons with disabilities up and down the stairs, calming their emotions and helping the residents move big and small packages.

Fire and ambulance personnel from the FSD were stationed at the highest reopened floors, providing emergency and medical services. If needed, they transported injured persons from upstairs to the ground level where they would be taken to hospital by ambulance. The AMS set up a first aid station on-site to provide first aid and medical services to residents.

HAD was responsible for registration of residents at the registration centre at the Kwong Fuk Community Hall. The HAD’s duties included verifying identities, preparing identification badges, and matching staff to support the residents to return to their units, etc. HAD, together with the Care Teams from 18 districts, also distributed protective and lighting equipment (including helmets with hair nets, scratch-resistant gloves, and masks) and hygienic and personal items to residents, disinfected and cleaned helmets and flashlights for reuse, helped take care of accompanying persons in the waiting area, and provided trolleys and helped residents carry their belongings to the waiting area, boarding areas and other destinations.

Personnel of the "one social worker per household" scheme of the SWD notified households of their arranged dates and time slots, assisted with preregistration of persons returning to the units, and provided relevant guidance notes to residents. Video clips and leaflets produced by the SWD's clinical psychologists were disseminated and explained to residents to better prepare them psychologically by personnel of the "one social worker per household" scheme. The SWD deployed over 1 700 social workers under the "one social worker per household" scheme to support each household during this operation. Additionally, social workers and clinical psychologists formed specialised teams on reopened floors to provide assistance and accompanied residents with special needs (including family members of the deceased) in returning to their units. Upon completion of this retrieval arrangement, social workers under the "one social worker per household" scheme will continue to follow up on residents’ situations, and clinical psychologists of the SWD will also provide counselling service to those in need and help address their emotions.

To ensure a safe and smooth process, engineering teams of the Housing Bureau and the Housing Department performed several months of extensive preparatory work. These efforts included dismantling dangerous and seriously damaged bamboo scaffolding, conducting structural safety inspections, strengthening severely damaged units, manually clearing piles of rubble and debris from corridors, repeatedly inspecting the stability of ceilings and walls to ensure structural safety, cordoning off hazardous zones, installing window safety nets on damaged windows, and setting up temporary lighting systems, toilets and covered safety walkways. During residents’ return trips, structural engineers and other engineering staff stationed on the building's floors to provide immediate support.

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department deployed staff to carry out mosquito control work, including clearance of stagnant water and potential mosquito breeding places in the estate, setting up mosquito traps, and conducting fogging operations to kill adult mosquitoes. In addition, the department arranged for a number of mobile toilets to be placed on the ground floor of the buildings for the convenience of residents.

The Transport Department arranged free shuttle bus services to enable residents travelling between Wang Fuk Court and the Tai Po Market MTR Station.

Under the "Government-wide Mobilisation" mechanism, the CSB co-ordinated nine government departments to mobilise civil servants to form Government Quick Response Units to support these access arrangements. These civil servants came from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the Architectural Services Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Environmental Protection Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Lands Department, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Post Office, and the Water Supplies Department. They formed dedicated teams with social workers and clinical psychologists from the SWD, stationed on different floors to provide appropriate support according to residents’ needs, such as providing additional nylon bags and surgical masks, providing flashlight illumination while residents did their packing, helping residents move their belongings, and assisting the Police and the CAS in handling emergencies.

Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival Launches with Diverse Programs Across 11 Cities Until October 16

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