Tag Archives: China

     Emerging local violinist Nina Wong will give a recital in June as part of the “Hong Kong Artists” Series presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). The recital will feature a repertoire spanning different eras with diverse musical styles, showcasing Wong’s exceptional technique and versatile musicianship. 

     Wong will open the recital with Bach’s “Chaconne” (from “Violin Partita No.2 in D minor, BWV 1004”) in solo. She will then be joined by young pianist Shelley Ng to perform two works by Norwegian composers, namely “Preluminado for Violin and Piano” by contemporary composer Terje Bjørklund and “Violin Sonata No.2, Op.13” by renowned Romantic era composer Edvard Grieg. Afterwards, Wong will perform three pieces (Nos. 3, 4 and 6) from “Tango Etudes for Solo Violin” by Piazzolla, a celebrated Argentine composer in the 20th century. She, in collaboration with Ng, will top off the performance with an interpretation of “Violin Sonata in E-flat, Op.18” by Strauss, bringing the recital to a magnificent conclusion. 

     Wong is the co-founder and Music Director of the ANIMA Ensemble, and serves as the guest concertmaster and section principal of various ensembles, such as Opera Hong Kong, Hong Kong Grand Opera, Musica Viva and City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. She also performs regularly with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta as a freelance musician, and is a member of Musicus Soloists Hong Kong. Wong has performed in internationally renowned concert halls such as Carnegie Hall and Konzerthaus Berlin. She was the first violinist in the world premiere of “Purity . Transcendence”, an immersive opera by Tan Dun, in 2022, and presented Beethoven’s “Triple Concerto” as a soloist with Tan Dun and the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra in 2023. 

     The “Hong Kong Artists” Series: Violin Recital by Nina Wong will be staged at 8pm on June 11 (Wednesday) at the Theatre of Hong Kong City Hall. Tickets priced at $200 and $240 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. Package discounts will be available for the programmes under the “Hong Kong Artists” Series 2025 (including the Piano Recital by Anson Wong on July 4, the Cello Recital by Alex Lau on September 9, the Vocal Recital by Viola Cheung on November 13 and the Guzheng Recital by Grammy Yeung on December 1). For discount schemes and programme enquiries, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_1825.html.

     The “Hong Kong Artists” Series of the LCSD aims to provide a platform for local artists to showcase their remarkable talents. In addition to individual performances, it also encourages cross-genre works to highlight their unique styles. This year’s series will introduce 10 distinguished musicians in six stunning programmes, featuring violin, piano, cello, guzheng and vocal arts. Among them, a cross-genre performance of music and painting was staged to showcase Hong Kong’s unique cultural character, embracing diversity and innovation. For more information, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/groups_1823.html.

    

     A property owner was convicted and fined over $120,000 at the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts last month for failing to comply with a removal order issued under the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123).
 
     This case involved unauthorised building works (UBWs) with an area of about 60 square metres on the roof of a village house in D.D.109, Yuen Long. Since the Lands Department would not issue a certificate of exemption for the UBWs and the UBWs were carried out without prior approval and consent from the Buildings Department (BD), a removal order was served on the owner under section 24(1) of the BO.
 
     Failing to comply with the removal order, the owner was prosecuted by the BD and was fined $122,940 in total, of which $102,940 was the fine for the number of days that the offence continued, upon conviction at the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts on April 25.
 
     A spokesman for the BD said today (May 12), “UBWs may lead to serious consequences. Owners must comply with removal orders without delay. The BD will continue to take enforcement action against owners who have failed to comply with removal orders, including instigation of prosecution, so as to ensure building safety.”
 
     Failure to comply with a removal order without reasonable excuse is a serious offence under the BO. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $200,000 and one year’s imprisonment, and a further fine of $20,000 for each day that the offence continues. read more

     A man who went missing in Sau Mau Ping has been located.      Chan Chi-wai, aged 52, went missing after he left his residence in Shun On Estate on May 7 afternoon. His family made a report to Police on Ma… read more

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, today (May 11) led a business delegation comprising representatives from Hong Kong and Mainland enterprises to commence its visit programme to Qatar. He met with leaders and government officials of Qatar and leant about the latest development of the country’s sovereign wealth fund. He also exchanged views with representatives of a local financial institution. He inspected Qatar’s town planning and visited local cultural and tourism facilities.

     In the morning, Mr Lee met respectively with the Amir of Qatar, Mr Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the head of state of Qatar; the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Mr Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani; and the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Mr Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed Al Mannai, to exchange views on strengthening bilateral relations and economic co-operation between Hong Kong and Qatar.

     Mr Lee said that Qatar and Hong Kong are economic powerhouses in the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region respectively. Noting that Qatar is Hong Kong’s third-largest trading partner in the Middle East with bilateral trade in goods worth US$1.6 billion last year, Mr Lee said that there is plenty of room for further growth in trade and business between the two places. He also expressed his anticipation that during this visit, multiple memoranda of understanding and agreements will be made between Hong Kong and Qatar, covering various areas including trade and investment promotion, financial services, innovation and technology (I&T), and cultural tourism, with a view to further enhancing co-operation among the governments and institutions of the two places.

     Mr Lee said that Hong Kong, as a functional platform of the Belt and Road Initiative, is committed to deepening international exchanges and co-operation and leveraging its strengths as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” to facilitate and add value to government and business projects along the Belt and Road through the city’s world-class professional services. He also said that the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Belt and Road Initiative align in their values and aspirations for achieving high-quality development through all-round co-operation, embracing economic diversification and innovation, as well as fostering friendship and facilitating exchanges.

     Mr Lee also highlighted that both Hong Kong and Qatar attach great importance to technological development and regard artificial intelligence as an engine of new economic development. He said he hoped that Hong Kong and Qatar would enhance collaboration through joint research and exchanges, joint ventures, and cross-border investments to achieve mutual benefits.

     Mr Lee also visited Qatar Investment Authority this morning to learn about the development of Qatar’s financial sector. Established in 2005, the Qatar Investment Authority is Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund. It manages and grows Qatar’s financial assets, with an aim to diversify Qatar’s economic development and ensure the country’s long-term financial sustainability. Mr Lee received an in-depth briefing on the operation and investment strategies of the sovereign wealth fund, and explored with the Qatar Investment Authority the development and co-operation opportunities for both sides in finance and the economy.

     In the afternoon, Mr Lee attended a luncheon hosted by an international financial group, where he gained insights into the group’s analysis of Qatar’s banking and financial services industry, as well as its capital markets.

     Noting that Hong Kong, an international financial centre now moving towards also becoming an international green finance hub, Mr Lee said that last year the total amount of green and sustainable debt issued in Hong Kong exceeded US$84 billion, with green and sustainable bonds accounting for approximately US$43 billion. It captured around 45 per cent of the total Asian market, ranking first in the region for seven consecutive years. Mr Lee said that under the principle of “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong and Mainland enterprises complement each other’s strengths, and that Hong Kong would give full play to its bridging role in attracting international investments to China and “going global” with Mainland enterprises. He welcomed Qatari enterprises to leverage Hong Kong’s broad and deep capital markets, professional financial services and seamless connectivity with the Mainland market to raise international funds for their sustainable infrastructure projects.

     Afterwards, Mr Lee led the delegation to visit Lusail City, the second-largest city in Qatar, to understand how the city integrates I&T with urban planning and infrastructure development. Lusail City is one of Qatar’s flagship smart cities, focusing on information and communication technology, with the aim of developing into a model for intelligent living, urban evolution and diverse cultural landscapes. Mr Lee said that Hong Kong, as the world’s third-largest financial centre, offers world-class professional services that can support Qatar’s investment needs. He also noted that Hong Kong and Qatar can explore co-operation and exchanges in areas such as sustainable urban development.

     Mr Lee will later visit the National Museum of Qatar to learn about the country’s history and rich cultural heritage. The museum, which opened in 2019, is dedicated to vividly presenting the story of Qatar and its people in an innovative and immersive way.

     The delegation led by Mr Lee will attend a dinner hosted by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the State of Qatar, Mr Cao Xiaolin. Mr Lee expressed his gratitude to the Embassy for its strong support to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Dubai, and for making meticulous arrangements for the visit.

     Mr Lee will lead the delegation to continue its visit to Qatar tomorrow (May 12) to meet with local political and business leaders before departing for Kuwait.

                                                                

     â€‹Hong Kong Customs yesterday (May 10) detected a drug trafficking case involving a passenger at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 1.45 kilograms of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of over $1.1 million. A man was arrested.
      
     A 30-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Entebbe, Uganda via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia yesterday. During customs clearance, Customs officers found the batch of suspected cocaine concealed in 7 pieces of cardboard inside his check-in suitcase. The man was subsequently arrested.
      
     After an investigation, the arrested person has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (May 12).
      
     Following the increasing number of visitors to Hong Kong, Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
      
     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
      
     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).