The inaugural Chinese Culture Festival (CCF), organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), will present the dance drama "Mulan" by Ningbo Performance & Arts Group, which is a winning production of the Lotus Award, China's highest award for dance in mid-September. With an ingenious blend of dance, martial arts and theatre elements together with exquisite modern stage technology, the dance drama reshapes the story of well-known legendary heroine Hua Mulan, and celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival with Hong Kong audiences with a symbol of reunion. This is one of the programmes of the "Chinese Performing Arts Hong Kong Season" Series, and is also a celebratory programme of the 35th anniversary of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
      
     The storyline of dance drama "Mulan" focuses on the virtues of filial piety, loyalty and love, highlighting the love for the homeland and the glory of humanity. It tells the story of how young and beautiful Hua Mulan embarks on a heroine's journey in the Northern Wei dynasty. From disguising herself as a man to take her father's place in the army, fulfilling her missions, pursuing love, and ultimately returning to peace and freedom, Mulan sets off on a journey of self-discovery and self-identity.
      
     The programme consists of 21 scenes, including the delicate "Serenade" and "Brass Mirror", as well as the grandiose "To the Battlefield" and "The Last Battle". The blend of the dance and martial arts is one of the main features of this programme, in which forms of martial arts movements are reconstructed through modern dance techniques, and the richness of the characters' emotions and tension are illustrated through their vigorous body movements on stage. Meanwhile, "circle" is an important symbol throughout the story narration and stage design. Apart from symbolising reunion and perfection, the revolving circular stage also breaks the limitations of time and space to create more scenes and possibilities for the stage setting. The music of the work is a contemporary arrangement of traditional Chinese folk tunes, blended with a variety of styles and types of musical instruments. Together with the heart-rending interpretation by the dancers, the production interprets the rich heritage of a traditional Chinese story with innovative dance vocabulary and stage aesthetics of the new era.
      
     The dance drama "Mulan" is directed by Zhou Liya and Han Zhen, known as the "twin stars" of the dance scene on the Mainland. It is starred by Hao Ruoqi (as Mulan), one of the highly sought-after young dancers on the Mainland and a Gold Award winner of the Lotus Award, and Xia Tian (as General Wei), the principal dancer of Ningbo Song and Dance Theater. Since its premiere in 2017, the dance drama has been performed over a hundred times in different Mainland provinces and cities. It won the 11th China Dance Lotus Award for Dance Drama and the Orchid Award of the 14th Zhejiang Provincial Drama Festival, and was invited to participate in the 20th China Shanghai International Arts Festival and the 50th Festival Internacional Cervantino in Mexico. Last year, the production toured the United States and won critical acclaim.
      
     Ningbo Performance & Arts Group is the only municipal state-owned performing arts troupe in Ningbo. It has produced approximately 90 repertories, such as dance dramas "Mulan", "Xian Xinghai" and "The Great Harbour in the East". Its productions have been awarded the China Dance Lotus Awards, and were selected to be funded by the China National Arts Fund. The group's performances have been staged on the Mainland and overseas such as France, the United States and Germany, presenting Ningbo's splendid and long-lasting regional culture to audiences at home and abroad.
      
     City Under the Moon – Dance Drama: "Mulan" by Ningbo Performance & Arts Group will be held at 7.30pm on September 14 (Saturday) and at 2.30pm on September 15 (Sunday) at the Grand Theatre of Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Tickets priced at $200, $260, $340 and $420 are available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk) and the Xiqu Centre Ticket Office, West Kowloon Cultural District. For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7323 or visit www.ccf.gov.hk/en/programme/city-under-the-moon-%e2%94%80-dance-drama-mulan/.
      
     "Mulan" will also feature a session under the "Chinese Culture for All: A Special Performance Series". An open rehearsal of the dance drama will be held at 2.15pm on September 13 at the Grand Theatre of Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Local primary and secondary school students have been invited to join for free so as to encourage them to participate in cultural activities and experience the wonders of Chinese culture and arts.
      
     The CCF, presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the LCSD's Chinese Culture Promotion Office, aims to enhance the public's appreciation of Chinese culture and cultivate citizens' national identity and cultural confidence. The inaugural CCF is held from June to September. Through different performing arts programmes in various forms and related extension activities, including selected programmes of the Chinese Opera Festival, exemplary local arts projects recognised by the China National Arts Fund, performing arts programmes from arts and cultural organisations, film screenings, exhibitions, talks and more, the festival allows members of the public and visitors to experience the broad and profound Chinese culture with a view to promoting Chinese culture and patriotic education as well as enhancing national identity among the people of Hong Kong, making contributions to the steadfast and successful implementation of "one country, two systems". For details, please visit the CCF website www.ccf.gov.hk.

     The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture. For more information, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ccpo/index.html.

                  

     â€‹As the Heat Stress at Work Warning is now in effect, the Labour Department (LD) reminds employers and employees to take appropriate measures during the effective period of the warning to prevent heat stroke when working in hot weather or hot environments.
      
     Employees who work outdoors or in non-air-conditioned indoor environments face high levels of heat stress and are at a relatively higher risk of heat stroke. Employers should assess the risk factors of heat stress for employees at work and, based on the identified risk factors, take necessary preventive and control measures, including rescheduling work periods, setting up shading covers, providing ventilation and heat dissipation equipment, and reminding employees to replenish water and rest in a timely manner.
      
     The Heat Stress at Work Warning is formulated by the LD based on the Hong Kong Heat Index. There are three levels of the warning: Amber, Red and Black, which help employers and employees better understand the level of heat stress while working outdoors or indoors without air-conditioning systems.
      
     A spokesman for the LD said that when the department issues the Heat Stress at Work Warning, employers must refer to the criteria and recommendations provided in the "Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work" to conduct risk assessments, according to the workloads and other relevant heat stress risk factors, for employees who work outdoors or in non-air-conditioned indoor workplaces. Appropriate rest breaks should be arranged every hour, as far as reasonably practicable, based on various levels of the Heat Stress at Work Warning, to reduce employees' risk of heat stroke.
      
     Employees must also follow instructions to rest on time. Whenever there are any symptoms of heat-related illnesses, such as headache, dizziness, thirst, and nausea, they should rest in a cool and shady place, drink water, and inform employers/supervisors to take appropriate action immediately.
      
     The LD issued the "Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work", detailing the various risk factors that should be considered when conducting heat stress risk assessments and recommending corresponding control measures for identified risk factors for employers' and employees' reference. For the Heat Stress at Work Warning and related guidelines, please refer to the department's thematic webpage: www.labour.gov.hk/eng/news/prevention_of_heat_stroke_at_work.htm.

     Supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Toronto) (Toronto ETO), six Hong Kong movies will be screened at the Mulan International Film Festival in Toronto, Canada, showcasing the multi-faceted movie culture and talents in Hong Kong to the Canadian audience.
      
     Before the screening of the well-received movie "All Shall be Well" directed by Ray Yeung on August 11 (Toronto time), the Director of the Toronto ETO, Ms Emily Mo, briefed the audience that Hong Kong stands as a unique East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchanges especially in the creative industries.
      
     She said, "The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is working hard with the film industry to create more movies that satisfy global audiences, by financing film productions, training, and participation in international film festivals."
      
     "New initiatives were introduced to promote Hong Kong-European-Asian film collaboration."
      
     Running from August 9 to 17 (Toronto time), the festival also presents five other Hong Kong productions, namely Eighteen Springs; The Arch; Elegies; Lust, Caution; and Red Rose White Rose, including some were written or co-written by Eileen Chang, or adapted from her works or translation.

    

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
 
     The delegation of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Education began the four-day duty visit to Shanghai and Suzhou today (August 12) to learn about the latest development of the two cities in promoting patriotic education, strengthening research-academic-industry collaboration, expediting digital transformation in education and enhancing the quality of education services.
 
     The delegation arrived at Shanghai in the morning and first visited the Grand neoBay of Shanghai Jiao Tong University to receive a briefing on the development of Grand neoBay and visit the 1km Incubator exhibition hall. Positioning as a world-class innovation bay area, Grand neoBay comprehensively promotes the transfer of scientific and technological achievements. At present, the Grand neoBay has a cluster of over 4 000 technology enterprises and over 600 high-tech enterprises.
 
     The delegation then visited Shanghai Jiao Tong University Student Innovation Center and exchanged views with the leaders of the university on how to cultivate students' creative and entrepreneurial spirit. Members also visited Minhang Special School for Mentally Retarded Children to understand its education services provided for students with intellectual and physical disabilities.

     In the evening, the delegation had dinner and exchanged views with the leaders of East China Normal University on issues such as patriotic education, teacher training and digital transformation in primary and secondary education, etc.
 
     The delegation will continue its duty visit in Shanghai tomorrow (August 13).
 
     A total of 14 members and non-members of the Panel on Education joined the duty visit. At the invitation of the Panel, the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, also joined the duty visit.

      

     The Court of Final Appeal (CFA) today (August 12) unanimously dismissed the appeals of seven appellants including Lai Chee-ying arising out of their knowingly taking part in an unauthorised assembly on August 18, 2019. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government welcomes the CFA's judgment.
      
     The CFA reiterated that the defendants' applications for leave to appeal on the ground of challenging the trial Judge's factual findings had been refused. The court also stated in its judgment that the appellants' constitutional challenges against section 17A(3)(a) of the Public Order Ordinance (Cap. 245) had failed, and they had not raised any constitutional challenge against the Commissioner of Police's decision to ban the march, and that was not to suggest that such a challenge would have succeeded as there were compelling reasons to accept that the Commissioner of Police's decision had been constitutionally sound and proportionate. 
      
     The CFA has explained and modified the legal concept of "operational proportionality", placing it in the well-established framework for constitutional challenges in this jurisdiction. In view of the differences between the respective frameworks for human rights challenges in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom (UK), the court also held that the decisions of the two UK cases should not be followed in Hong Kong, and rejected the appellants' argument that each of a defendant's arrest, prosecution, conviction and sentence must be separately justified as proportionate.
      
     The HKSAR Government reiterated that Hong Kong citizens have the rights to peaceful assembly and procession conducted in accordance with the law. That said, these rights must be exercised in conformity with the relevant legislation to ensure the safeguarding of national security, public order, public safety and the protection of the rights and freedom of others. The impact of such public events on members of the public should also be minimised.
      
     The HKSAR Government spokesman said, "Hong Kong residents have the obligation to abide by the laws in force in the HKSAR. Equality before the law is one of the fundamental facets of the rule of law, and all persons, regardless of race, rank, politics or religion, are subject to the laws of the land."