"Innovative Music Making: MO x e-Orch" concert to demonstrate fruits of learning
The public concert of the Innovative Music Making: MO x e-Orch music training programme during the 2025/26 academic year will be held at 7pm on July 11 (Saturday) at the Theatre of the East Kowloon Cultural Centre. The programme is organised by the Music Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, in association with the Education University of Hong Kong.
Four digital music orchestras (e-Orchs) formed by students participating in the training programme from Chan Sui Ki (La Salle) Primary School, Hennessy Road Government Primary School (Causeway Bay), the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union Logos Academy and the Mission Covenant Church Holm Glad Primary School will showcase their original collaborative multimedia works at the concert. Musicians from the e-Orch@EdUHK Contemporary Music and Digital Instrument Lab will also be invited to present their original works at the concert in a performance bringing together music and technology. Various awards and certificates of attendance will also be presented to participating students at the concert as encouragement.
The concert also presents the world premieres of works for e-Orch and instrumental ensemble by local composers, Luk Wai-chun's "The Sound of Spring" and Lau Hiu-lam's "Robot Fantasia", which are commissioned by the Music Office with sponsorship from the CASH Music Fund.
To promote the integration of music and technology on school campuses, the Music Office launched the first Innovative Music Making: MO x e-Orch music training programme in 2022 for students of participating primary and secondary schools to form e-Orchs and learn musical knowledge and music creation with the use of tablets.
Tickets priced at $80 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2158 6467 or 3842 7776 or visit
www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/mo/activities/schoolprogrammes/arttech/26art/2026imm.html.
Photo source: .lcsd.gov.hk
DH convenes 14th Meeting of International Advisory Board on Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards
The Department of Health (DH) today (July 14) convened the 14th Meeting of the International Advisory Board (IAB) on Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards (HKCMMS) to review the reference standards for 16 types of Chinese Materia Medica (CMM) commonly used in Hong Kong, and to discuss the future development of the HKCMMS. Over 60 experts from the Chinese Mainland, overseas and Hong Kong attended the meeting.
Since 2002, the DH has been implementing the HKCMMS project in phases to develop standards for commonly used CMM in Hong Kong to ensure their safety and quality.
In his opening remarks, the Director of Health and the Chairperson of the IAB, Dr Ronald Lam, said, "One of the key initiatives of the Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute (GCMTI) under the DH is the implementation of the HKCMMS. With the publication of the Volume 12 of the HKCMMS, standards for 357 types of CMM have been established so far. They have become widely recognised international reference standards for Chinese medicine testing and certification, thereby promoting the high-quality scientific development of Chinese medicine. In addition, the work of GCMTI is closely aligned with national priorities. The National 15th Five-Year Plan made it clear that we need to 'advance the inheritance and innovation of Chinese medicine' and 'promote the integration of Chinese and Western medicine'. It also calls for us to 'strengthen the conservation and utilisation of Chinese medicine resources', 'improve the quality of Chinese medicine, and build up and strengthen the Chinese medicine industry'. These are exactly the goals that the HKCMMS Project is helping to achieve - by setting rigorous quality standards for CMM and conducting applied research and development on testing methods that underpin the entire industry, establishing the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as a bridgehead for the global expansion of Chinese Medicine."
Dr Lam emphasised that the success of the HKCMMS project depends on the active collaboration of stakeholders across different sectors. He expressed his sincere appreciation to the four research partners attending the meeting, commending their dedicated contributions to advancing the project's research efforts. They were the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the China Medical University. He also thanked the Government Laboratory for conducting inter-laboratory verification studies. Dr Lam emphasised that these collaborations are crucial for establishing a rigorous and solid scientific foundation for the HKCMMS and gaining international credibility. The DH is also deeply grateful to the National Medical Products Administration, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission for their continuous valuable advice and support in developing the HKCMMS. To align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan to advance the inheritance, innovation and high-quality development of Chinese medicine, expand and promote Chinese medicine culture, the DH will continue to steadfastly promote the development of Chinese medicine and better integrate into and serve the overall national development.
The two-day meeting brought together experts from the Chinese Mainland, Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as representatives from research institutions, the DH and the Government Laboratory of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The 16 types of CMM commonly used in Hong Kong that were discussed at the meeting included Bambusae Caulis in Taenias, Pyrolae Herba, Natrii Sulfas, Dichroae Radix, Dioscoreae Hypoglaucae Rhizoma, Cynanchi Atrati Radix et Rhizoma, Jasmini Flos, Tinosporae Caulis, Inulae Flos, Haematitum, Lasiosphaera seu Calvatia, Vespae Nidus, Dioscoreae Rhizoma, Aconiti Kusnezoffii Folium, Meliae Cortex and Tripterygii Wilfordii Radix.
Previous editions of the HKCMMS can be accessed at the website of the Chinese Medicine Regulatory Office of the DH.
DH convenes 14th Meeting of International Advisory Board on Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
DH convenes 14th Meeting of International Advisory Board on Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
DH convenes 14th Meeting of International Advisory Board on Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
