Welcome remarks by SDEV at Project Cost Management Forum 2025
Following are the welcome remarks by the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, at the Project Cost Management Forum 2025 today (November 7):
Deputy Financial Secretary (Mr Michael Wong), our esteemed speakers from Qatar, Singapore, the United Kingdom and our close neighbour, the Guangdong Province and to all the practitioners from the sector, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning! First of all, welcome to you all for joining this Project Cost Management Forum 2025 organised by the Centre of Excellence for Major Project Leaders spearheaded by the Development Bureau. We are privileged today to have renowned experts and practitioners from different parts of the world to share with us their advice on project cost governance and cost management, with their insights on project financing and delivery as well as adoption of innovative technology.
Hong Kong has made remarkable achievements as an international metropolis: we are well-known for our free economy, we are among the most desirable places to do business across the globe, and we ranked at the top among cities for our air cargo throughput etc, the list goes on. World-class infrastructure has been fundamental to this success, driving economic growth and sustaining our long-term competitiveness.
As you may have already known and as highlighted by the Deputy Financial Secretary just now, the 15th National Games will start this Sunday. We are hosting events like fencing, rugby sevens and handball. When it comes to sports, for sure, as the Deputy Financial Secretary has mentioned, the Kai Tak Sports Park would come to mind. Since its opening in March this year, numerous international events, games and concerts have been held, attracting not only locals but tourists around the world. The facility has lifted Hong Kong to greater heights. So it is a great example to testify how world-class facilities and infrastructure could drive our economy.
With a view to providing further impetus to drive Hong Kong's economy, as highlighted in the latest Policy Address and Budget, the Government is committed to accelerating the development of what we called the Northern Metropolis in the northern part of Hong Kong, a new engine for Hong Kong's future growth. This would entail involvement of significant amount of resources by both the public and private sectors to implement an array of infrastructure and development projects, delivering quality premises, as well as facilities for businesses and households.
Notwithstanding the benefits brought about by the investment, we are mindful of the need to use public money prudently. Since the inaugural Project Cost Management Forum held in 2021, we have been actively fostering a culture of cost-consciousness within the construction industry. Over the years, we have implemented holistic project cost management at various stages of public works projects to ensure the careful use of public funds. With the rollout of major development like the Northern Metropolis and an annual capital works expenditure exceeding HK$120 billion in the short to medium term, this cost-consciousness mindset is more critical than ever.
Given the current global financial situation, we must hold on to the principle of prudent use of public funds. Specifically, we are planning ahead with an "ownership" mindset - to comprehensively evaluate the cost-effectiveness of different implementation proposals and review site selection, usage mix, the scale of the project, design, implementation programme etc, in the very upfront stages, to formulate practical and cost-effective proposals.
We also fully embrace the full integration between technological and industrial innovation to enhance productivity, and we will adopt transformative solutions in our public works, echoing with our country's 15th Five-Year Plan. For example, the Development Bureau is actively formulating various measures to promote the use of Artificial Intelligence in the construction industry.
We are also keen to continuously uplift capabilities of our diverse construction talent pool, promote knowledge exchange with our Mainland and international partners, and strengthen collaborations with close working partners around the world, thereby reinforcing our role as international infrastructure centre.
As a concrete step to take forward the initiatives I mentioned just now, I am pleased to announce that we would shortly witness the exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding with Singapore. It demonstrates our shared commitment to fostering deeper collaboration in construction innovation and project management.
Lastly, just as robust infrastructure is fundamental to the progress of our society, so too is active civic participation. So you all know what I am going to say next. Please allow me to repeat an important message, an important appeal to you all, to actively participate in one such upcoming exercise to demonstrate civic mindedness, one that also bears significance to Hong Kong's development in the coming four years as we take forward major land development and infrastructure projects, and that is of course the Legislative Council election on December 7. I urge you to not just vote in your various capacities. I think all the practitioners here, you do have various capacities. So just vote in your various capacities and encourage your family, friends and colleagues to do the same. Just as our infrastructure helps shape a better city, your votes help build a better Hong Kong, the place we are proud to call home.
I am confident that today's Forum will be enlightening and inspiring. Let us make the most of this opportunity to collaborate, innovate, and drive progress together.
Thank you.
Source: AI-found images
LCSD to launch thematic talks and workshops to deconstruct theatre creation from panoramic perspective
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present "Deconstructing Theatre for a Panoramic Perspective - Theatre Talk and Workshop Series" from February to March. Focusing on three key theatrical disciplines, namely playwriting, dramaturgy and scenography, the series traces the creative pathway of theatrical production: from the genesis of a story, through the construction of narrative logic, to the imaginative potential of spatial and visual elements on stage. Featuring local industry professionals as speakers, including screenwriter Ivan Kwok, writer-directors Kingston Lo and Vee Leong, stage and costume designer Cindy Ho and spatial designer Jan Wong, the series offers accessible explanations, experience sharing, work appreciation and practical exercises to discover multiple entry points of theatre-making and explore its boundless creative possibilities.
Details of the thematic talks and workshops are as follows:
Playwriting Workshop: For Those Who Know How to Tell Stories
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Speaker: Ivan Kwok
Venue: Function Room AC2, Level 4, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Session 1: Where Stories Begin - The Instinct to Tell
Date: February 25 (Wednesday)
Content:Starting with narrative exercises drawn from dreams, conversations, and memories from daily life, this session examines the distinctions between narrators and audiences in prose and drama, guiding participants to turn a "slice of daily conversation" into an opening scene of a play.
Session 2: Let the Characters Speak - The Birth of Dialogue
Date: March 4 (Wednesday)
Content:Introducingthe three layers of dialogue (subconscious, rational and emotional), this session examinates how to turn a character's words into the pulse of a play. Participants will practice adapting a prose passage into a dialogue between two persons.
Session 3: The Structure of Drama - From Emotion to Conflict
Date: March 11 (Wednesday)
Content:Introducing the dramatic triangle of drama (desire, obstacle and transformation), this session contrasts a character's action logic with the emotional impulses of the author. Through exercises, participants will practice devising what a character "wants" and "cannot obtain".
Session 4: Scenes and Rhythm - How Theatre Breathes
Date: March 18 (Wednesday)
Content:Exploring how scripts transform into spatial arrangements on stage and characters' physical actions, this session analyses rhythm and silent moments in drama, illustrating how silence and action are more powerful than the spoken word. Participants will practice rewriting a phone conversation into a dramatic scene.
Session 5: Draw From Life, Write the Play Within You
Date: March 25 (Wednesday)
Content:This session explores how to transform personal experiences into dramatic archetypes and how to "find yourself and go beyond yourself" in a story. It concludes with a group sharing where participants will present script readings.
Ivan Kwok is currently the Manager of the Theatre Literature Department of the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre (HKRep). His play, "Principle", in film version, won Best Screenplay at the Asian Academy Creative Awards (Hong Kong Region) in 2022, while another work, "True Lies" won Best Script at the Hong Kong Theatre Libre in 2019.
Talks on dramaturgy
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VenueLecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum
Session 1: Dramaturgy from a Director's Perspective
Date: February 28 (Saturday)
Speaker: Kingston Lo
Content:Sharing creative collaborative experiences with dramaturgs, this session examines the practical roles and positioning of dramaturgs through case studies of local theatre productions. It further explores how Hong Kong's creative ecosystem and operational models shapes their possibilities for engagement.
Session 2: Interdisciplinary Arts and Dramaturgy
Date: March 1 (Sunday)
Speaker: Vee Leong
Content:This session introduces the rise and evolution of interdisciplinary arts within the contexts of contemporary theatre and contemporary arts. It discusses how different artistic media influence artists' creative methodology, and explores the frameworks and perspectives through which such works can be appreciated.
Session 3: A Dialogue on Dramaturgy
Date: March 8 (Sunday)
Speakers: Kingston Lo and Vee Leong
Content:Exploring diverse dimensions of dramaturgy, this session draws on experience sharing and case studies to examine the multiple roles and ways of participation of dramaturgs. It also reflects on how Hong Kong's artistic landscape fosters room for the development of dramaturgical thinking.
Kingston Lo is a theatre practitioner who performs the multifunctional roles of playwright, director, drama critic, and lyricist. For directing "The Bucket" at the HKRep, he received multiple local directing awards. His work, "Century Egg & Pork Congee", was selected as an Outstanding Script (Hong Kong Region) at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Drama Script Writing Competition. Vee Leong is a writer-director in text-based theatre and intermedia art. She is currently the Co-Artistic Director of On & On Theatre Workshop while teaching dramaturgy at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA). She has been commissioned by or featured at numerous local and international arts festivals.
Scenography workshop
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Speakers: Cindy Ho and Jan Wong
Venue: Function Room AC2, Level 4, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Session 1: Costume Design
Date: March 5 (Thursday)
Content:Through sharing of selected works, this session examines how costume design functions as a narrative medium to convey characters' emotions and show the period and background of the drama. A hands-on component will allow participants to experience the process of theatrical prototype-making.
Session 2: Spatial Design
Date: March 12 (Thursday)
Content:Using cases studies of diverse works, this session traces the design process and collaboration with other creative leads, and analyses the role of spatial design in performing arts. Participants will gain insights into how spatial and scenographic environments are conceived and realised.
Session 3: Costume × Space
Date: March 19 (Thursday)
Content: Integrating the two key elements of design - costume and space, this session investigates how the time, place, people, and narrative of a performance gradually take form through scenographic thinking.
Cindy Ho was Artist-in-Residence and Guest Lecturer in Stage Design at Theatre Design Department of the HKAPA, and continues to work as an independent stage artist. Her innovative design for "Marriage" has won multiple awards. Jan Wong is spatial designer in Hong Kong whose works have received several stage design awards. He was honoured with the Award for Young Artist (Drama) at the 19th Hong Kong Arts Development Awards by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council in 2025.
The above-mentioned talks and workshops will be conducted in Cantonese and will start at 7.30pm. Each session will run for about one hour and 30 minutes. Tickets priced at $80 (for each ession, with free seating) are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. Package booking discounts will be available for purchasing different sessions under this series. For discount schemes and programme enquiries, please call 2268 7325 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/theatre/programs_1940.html.
Source: AI-found images
