Author Archives: hksar gov

     A special three-day showcase, “Heart of the Richmond: Stephen Chow Film Festival”, where the cinematic genius of Stephen Chow was celebrated with seven of his most iconic films, was held at the Balboa Theater in the Richmond district in San Francisco, California from July 12 to 14 (San Francisco time). Nearly 1 500 attendees enjoyed Chow’s classics over the summer weekend. The festival was the first collaboration between the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco (HKETO San Francisco); the Office of Supervisor Connie Chan; Balboa Theater; and Another Planet Entertainment.

     Paying tribute to one of Hong Kong’s most well-known filmmakers, the festival allowed audiences to revisit Chow’s unique blend of humor and creativity through a curation of timeless hits. The line-up included Chow’s international breakthrough “Shaolin Soccer”; Golden Globe-nominated “Kung Fu Hustle”; Chinese New Year family comedy “All’s Well Ends Well”; crowd-pleasing culinary drama “The God of Cookery”; Chinese literature parody “Flirting Scholar”; as well as East-meets-West cult classics “A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora’s Box” and “A Chinese Odyssey Part Two: Cinderella”.

     At the opening reception on July 12, the Director of the HKETO San Francisco, Ms Jacko Tsang, delivered welcome remarks. She said, “One of our office’s missions is to foster cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and the western United States. This is why we are excited to bring the films of Stephen Chow to San Francisco. His films have become a cultural phenomenon in Hong Kong and beyond, and occupy a unique place in Hong Kong cinema. This festival offers audiences the chance to experience the timeless classics of Chow on the big screen. We hope audiences in the San Francisco Bay area will enjoy his films with a good laugh.”

     San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan also welcomed the community with introductory remarks at the reception. “I am excited that we could showcase Hong Kong filmmaker and actor Stephen Chow’s globally celebrated, locally loved cinematic talent at the Richmond district’s storied Balboa Theater this summer, said Supervisor Chan.

     “I am excited to share these films, in their original Cantonese, with San Francisco. Bringing together film lovers and Chinese speakers to enjoy the show, help boost our small businesses, and bring community enrichment to our neighborhood.”

     The opening reception featured a traditional kung fu performance and Chinese calligraphy. The subsequent screening of “Shaolin Soccer” was well attended by movie lovers who filled the two-house theater. Special guests included the President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Mr Aaron Peskin, and Assistant Director of “Shaolin Soccer” Rainy Zhao.

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     Three charities have been issued Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales from 7am to 12.30pm today (July 20). They are, on Hong Kong Island, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Hong Kong Limited; in Kowloon, Community Med Care; and in the New Territories, Hong Kong Women Development Association Limited, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.
      
     Arrangements have been made with the charities to help people to distinguish among the three flag-selling activities.    
      
     Information on the three flag-selling organisations on July 20 is as follows:
 

Region	Name of organisation	Colour of collection bag	Colour of flag
Hong Kong Island	Make-A-Wish Foundation of Hong Kong Limited	White	Grey
Kowloon	Community Med Care	Green	Beige
New Territories	Hong Kong Women Development Association Limited	Maroon	Yellow

 
     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities, including any updated information, covered by the issued Public Subscription Permits have been published on the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search). Permits for flag days containing information on contact methods of the flag-selling organisations and the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD’s website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/ngo/controlofc/flagdays) for reference. For enquiries, please call the SWD’s hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678.
      
     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added.
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     The Town Planning Board (TPB) on July 19 agreed to the draft San Tin Technopole Outline Zoning Plan (OZP), the draft Mai Po and Fairview Park OZP and the draft Ngau Tam Mei OZP, and agreed to submit these draft OZPs to the Chief Executive in Council for approval. The three draft OZPs provide a statutory planning framework and planning control for the development of San Tin Technopole (the Technopole) (except the Loop) and the Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park (SPS WCP).
      
     TPB heard the oral submissions of about 160 representers or their representatives and the responses from the Government team in the four-day hearing held in end-June and early-July, and conducted several hours of deliberation in the afternoon on July 19. TPB finally decided to agree to the draft OZPs, and agreed to adopt some suggestions from the representers and incorporate them into the Planning and Design Brief (PDB), which will subsequently be submitted to the TPB for approval. To enhance the planning and design of the Technopole, the project proponents of the information and technology (I&T) development will be required to comply with the relevant requirements under the PDB.
      
     TPB acknowledged that most representers support the I&T development at the Technopole while some have differing views on the need to fill the ponds for some I&T land. Majority of members concurred that from the perspective of Northern Metropolis development, the Technopole is strategically located near the Loop and the Shenzhen I&T Zone, which can create synergy effect. Owing to geographical constraints (surrounded by mountains) and the need for the Technopole to be of considerable scale to achieve a cluster effect, pond filling in a reasonable manner is necessary for the provision of I&T land.
      
     Members noted that the Environmental Impact Assessment Report was approved by the Director of Environmental Protection in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance, and relevant government departments have to comply with the approval conditions in accordance with the law to achieve a balance between development and conservation. In order to compensate for the ecological loss due to pond filling and to take forward active conservation policy, the Government will construct the 338-hectare SPS WCP to ensure no-net-loss of the ecological function of the wetlands. In addition, the Government has committed to resume private land for the development of the WCP and start the pond filling only after the commencement of the works for the SPS WCP in 2026/2027. The Government will also implement various measures, including formulation of a Habitat Creation and Management Plan and setting up of an Environmental Committee.
      
     Members agreed that while flexibility should be allowed for the I&T sites, the detailed planning and appropriate control should be achieved through the PDB. The Government will prepare the PDB and submit it to the TPB for approval after consultation with relevant stakeholders. Apart from stipulating the planning, engineering and urban design requirements for individual I&T sites, the PDB will also cover the following aspects in response to the representations:
 

• while flexibility has been allowed for a number of always permitted uses, the I&T land must be used for purposes in line with its planning intention;
• improve the connectivity of wetland habitats;
• enhance the design of birds’ flight paths;
• formulate design requirements for wildlife corridors and bird-friendly buildings;
• preserve historical monuments and respect traditional village culture, promoting urban-rural integration;
• lower building heights and provide setbacks for non-building areas, and the sites adjacent to the SPS WCP and “Village Type Development” zone;
• incorporate nature-based solutions and ‘sponge city’ concept to enhance flood resilience;
• adopt smart, green and resilient measures to address extreme weather conditions and climate change;
• integrate blue-green elements into the I&T land; and
• encourage urban agriculture and diverse landscape.

 
     The PDB will be incorporated in the land leases or land grant documents for the I&T sites, requiring the project proponents to prepare Master Plans based on the PDB, which will be subject to approval by a committee under the Development Bureau.
      
     Members agreed to revise the Explanatory Statement of the San Tin Technology OZP to incorporate the requirements of the PDB mentioned above and to ensure that the Government will maintain communication with local villagers on those village facilities to be affected by the project, with a view to working out the appropriate arrangements.
      
     The TPB will convey other views or suggestions related to I&T, environmental and ecological planning, financial arrangement, road alignment (e.g. Road L6), etc. to the Development Bureau for follow-up. read more

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is highly concerned about the massive technical outage of Microsoft system today (July 19) and has assigned the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration (DCS) to moni… read more

     The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, will lead a delegation of the Housing Department on July 21 (Sunday), together with 16 Legislative Council (LegCo) members, including members of the LegCo Panel on Housing, to Zhuhai and Shen… read more