Tag Archives: China

     The Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the sixth batch of representative bearers of the national intangible cultural heritage (ICH) on March 12. A total number of 942 representative bearers of the national ICH across the country were selected, including two from Hong Kong, Mr Lau Kam-tong, bearer of Hakka unicorn dance in Hang Hau, Sai Kung, and Dr Lee Yiu-fai, bearer of the Wong Tai Sin belief and customs.

     In response to the invitation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for nominations for the sixth batch of representative bearers of the national ICH, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government nominated Mr Lau and Dr Lee upon consulting the ICH Advisory Committee. Mr Lau and Dr Lee have been dedicated to promoting and preserving the Hakka unicorn dance in Hang Hau, Sai Kung, and the Wong Tai Sin belief and customs respectively. The HKSAR Government extended warm congratulations to the two representative bearers.
      
     The two ICH items were inscribed onto the fourth national list of ICH and the First ICH Inventory of Hong Kong respectively in 2014, as well as the Representative List of the ICH of Hong Kong in 2017. Information on the two representative bearers are as follows:

(1) Mr Lau Kam-tong, representative bearer of the Hakka unicorn dance in Hang Hau, Sai Kung

     The Hakka unicorn dance in Hang Hau, Sai Kung is a culture that has been passed down through generations among the Hakka people of the local community for more than 200 years. The Hakka people believe that the Chinese unicorn, the qilin, is an auspicious animal that can ward off evil and bring good luck. The Hakka unicorn dance is performed on all celebratory occasions such as the Chinese New Year, weddings, birthday parties, the inauguration of an ancestral hall, moving into a new home, welcoming guests, the jiao festivals, and birthdays of deities.

     Mr Lau has made substantial contributions to passing on the Hakka unicorn dance culture over the past 60 years. He has been learning the Hakka unicorn dance since he was 7 years old. He established the Joint Association of Traditional Hakka Unicorn in Sai Kung and Hang Hau, Hong Kong in 2013, and has since been the chairman. He has led the community to form unicorn dance teams and arrange training courses. He has also actively promoted this ICH item in Hong Kong and on the Mainland. Under his leadership, the Hakka unicorn dance in Hang Hau, Sai Kung was inscribed onto the fourth national list of ICH in 2014.
 
(2) Dr Lee Yiu-fai, representative bearer of the Wong Tai Sin belief and customs
 
     The folk religion of Wong Tai Sin originated in the Jinhua area of Zhejiang Province and was introduced into the Lingnan region at the turn of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Wong Tai Sin belief and customs in Hong Kong can be traced back to 1915. In 1921, Sik Sik Yuen was established to manage the Wong Tai Sin Temple. After a century of inheritance, the development of the Wong Tai Sin folk religion has nowadays incorporated charity, with the “To act benevolently, teach benevolence and grant every wish” spirit actualised through Sik Sik Yuen’s provision of various social services.
 
     Dr Lee joined the Wong Tai Sin Temple in Sik Sik Yuen in 1985 and has served as the Abbot of the Wong Tai Sin Temple since 2006. Dr Lee has been devoted to promoting the Wong Tai Sin belief and customs, organising courses, publishing ritual books and establishing the Cultural Centre for Wong Tai Sin Belief and Customs in 2021. Apart from being responsible for the religious matters of Sik Sik Yuen, Dr Lee also actively participates in public service activities, and promotes the “To act benevolently, teach benevolence” spirit. Under his stewardship, the item of Wong Tai Sin belief and customs was inscribed onto the fourth national list of ICH in 2014.

     The HKSAR Government will continue to preserve and promote local ICH, and encourage community participation in sustaining the development of Hong Kong’s traditional culture.

    

     Police arrested two men, aged 76 and 47 respectively, in Wong Tai Sin today (March 17) for conspiracy to murder. In addition, a 28-year-old woman was also arrested in Sheung Shui on the same day for assisting offenders and misleading police o… read more

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, today (March 17) expressed sorrow over the passing of Dr Lee Shau-kee.
      
     “Dr Lee was an outstanding business leader and entrepreneur who had made significant contributions to Hong Kong’s economic development, as well as the city’s prosperity and stability. He was also a highly respected philanthropist. He had made outstanding contributions to education and community service in the past decades, including his generous donations to a number of universities and tertiary institutions in Hong Kong and the Mainland, and his ardent support for the development of higher education and talent development. He had established the Lee Shau Kee Foundation and the Hong Kong Pei Hua Education Foundation, which promote education with special concern on the development of education and research in Chinese communities. He was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 2007.
      
     “I express sorrow over the passing of Dr Lee and extend my deepest condolences to his family,” Mr Lee said. read more

     The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, attended a press conference for the World Internet Conference (WIC) Asia-Pacific Summit in Beijing this morning (March 17) together with the Secretary General of the WIC, Mr Ren Xianliang, to announce the launch of the Asia-Pacific Summit 2025 in Hong Kong.
 
     In addition to the highly acclaimed annual Wuzhen Summit, the WIC has designated Hong Kong for the first time to host the Asia-Pacific Summit. Organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and co-organised by the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB), the Summit will be held April 14 and 15 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre under the theme of “Integration of AI and Digital Technologies Shaping the Future – Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace”.
 
     The Summit is expected to attract around 1,000 participants from the Mainland and overseas, including representatives from governments and enterprises, international organisations, leading corporations, experts and scholars. Through exploring the latest trends in various technology areas and in-depth exchanges of views and experiences, the Summit aims to enable all parties to seize the development opportunities brought about by digital and intelligent transformation, promoting high-quality development in innovation and technology (I&T), strengthening digital collaboration, and creating new momentum and new advantages for the development of the Asia-Pacific region.
 
     Mr Ren said that the WIC has chosen to organise the Asia-Pacific Summit in Hong Kong to leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantage of global connectivity, fostering a cross-regional, cross-sector and cross-cultural dialogue platform to inject new impetus and create new opportunities for building an open, inclusive, innovative, connected and co-operative community with a shared future for the Asia-Pacific region.
 
     Professor Sun expressed his gratitude to the WIC for choosing Hong Kong as the host city of the 2025 Summit, affirming Hong Kong’s pivotal role of bridging the country and the world as a dual platform. This creates a top-notch platform for exchanges, dialogue and co-operation in I&T, further strengthening Hong Kong’s position as an international I&T centre. The HKSAR Government endeavours to collaborate with the WIC in jointly making the Summit into the most influential regional I&T mega event. Professor Sun said he believes that the Summit will deepen regional co-operation in the I&T field, support Hong Kong’s development into an international I&T centre, as well as foster the vibrant development of the digital economy across the Asia-Pacific region.
 
     The rich content of the Summit will include the opening ceremony and the main forum on “The Future of Digital Intelligence”, and three sub-forums on “Large Artificial Intelligence Models”, “Digital Finance” and “Digital Government and Smart Life” on the second day of the Summit, when internationally renowned speakers will share their insights to explore the future development and potential across various domains in digital technology. The Summit will also organise a series of affiliated activities including a government-enterprise dialogue session, a cybersecurity emergency response advanced training programme and an information meeting on Practice Cases and Awards for Pioneering Science and Technology. Details of the Summit are available from the WIC announcement www.wicinternet.org/2025-03/17/c_1079097.htm.
 
     In addition to the Summit, Hong Kong’s annual I&T mega event, the Business of Innovation and Technology Week (BIT Week) will take place concurrently in April to feature a series of exciting I&T activities. Co-organised by the ITIB and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, InnoEX will take place from April 13 to 16, bringing together major I&T elites from the Mainland and overseas, industry leaders and buyers from around the world. Through a large-scale exhibition, seminars and a series of business networking events, InnoEX will foster exchanges and dialogues, enabling participants to grasp the latest advancements and applications in I&T and explore global collaboration opportunities.
 
     Professor Sun concluded his visit and returned to Hong Kong in the evening. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

    The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting on Wednesday (March 19) at 11am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, the Second Reading debate on the Protection of Critical Infrastructures (Computer Systems) Bill will resume. If the Bill is supported by Members and receives its Second Reading, it will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bill and its report is adopted by the Council, the Bill will be set down for the Third Reading.

     The Second Reading debate on the Air Pollution Control (Amendment) Bill 2024 will also resume. If the Bill is supported by Members and receives its Second Reading, it will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bill and its report is adopted by the Council, the Bill will be set down for the Third Reading.

     Meanwhile, the Stamp Duty (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Inland Revenue (Amendment)(Tax Concessions) Bill 2025, the Air Passenger Departure Tax (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Registration of Titles and Land (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2025, the Post Secondary Colleges (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2025 will be introduced into the Council for the First Reading and the Second Reading. The Second Reading debates on the Bills will be adjourned.

     On Government motions, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury will move a proposed resolution under the Public Finance Ordinance to seek the Council’s approval to give for a sum not exceeding $177,748,880,000 to be charged on the general revenue for expenditure on the services of the Government in respect of the financial year commencing on 1 April 2025. The proposed resolution is set out in Appendix 1. 

     The Secretary for Labour and Welfare will move four proposed resolutions under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance, the Pneumoconiosis and Mesothelioma (Compensation) Ordinance, the Occupational Deafness (Compensation) Ordinance and the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Ordinance respectively. The proposed resolutions are set out in Appendices 2-5 respectively.

     On Members’ motions, Mr Kenneth Lau will move a motion on making good use of Hong Kong’s island and coastline resources to promote the development of marine tourism. The motion is set out in Appendix 6. Ms Elizabeth Quat, Mr Kwok Wai-keung, Mr Yim Kong, Dr Hoey Simon Lee and Dr So Cheung-wing will move separate amendments to Mr Lau’s motion.

     Professor Priscilla Leung will move a motion on developing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into a world-class corporate restructuring centre. The motion is set out in Appendix 7. Dr Kennedy Wong will move an amendment to Professor Leung’s motion.

     Mr Robert Lee will move a proposed resolution under section 34(4) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to extend the period for amending subsidiary legislation. The proposed resolution is set out in Appendix 8.

     Members will also ask the Government 22 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.

     The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hk). Members of the public can watch or listen to the meeting via the “Webcast” system on the LegCo Website. To observe the proceedings of the meeting at the LegCo Complex, members of the public may call 3919 3399 during office hours to reserve seats. read more