Author Archives: hksar gov

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:

     Ballots were drawn today (June 6) for the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA)’s Sale of Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH) Flats 2023 (GSH 2023). The Chairman of the HA’s Subsidised Housing Committee, Ms Cleresa Wong, officiated at the ballot drawing.

     “During the application period, the HA received a total of around 56 000 applications for GSH 2023 comprising around 35 000 carry-over Green Form applications from the Sale of Home Ownership Scheme Flats 2023 (HOS 2023) and around 21 000 new applications, out of which around 13 000 were received online. Amongst the applications received, around 46 000 came from family applicants (in which around 24 000 applied under the Priority Scheme for Families with Elderly Members) and around 10 000 were from one-person applicants,” a spokesman for the HA said.

     The ballot drawing conducted today is to determine the applicants’ priority sequence for GSH 2023 based on the last two digits of their application numbers. For applicants holding the same drawn digits within the different application categories, their order of priority will be randomly generated by computer.

       The ballot results have been uploaded to the dedicated webpages on the HA/Housing Department (HD)’s website (www.housingauthority.gov.hk/gsh/2023). Applicants who have submitted online applications will receive email notification of the ballot results after the ballot drawing ceremony.

     The randomly generated order of all application categories will be uploaded to the dedicated webpages tomorrow (June 7). It will also be displayed at the GSH Sales Office in Kwun Tong, the HA Customer Service Centre in Lok Fu, estate offices and District Tenancy Management Offices of the HA, rental estate offices of the Hong Kong Housing Society and the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of the Home Affairs Department from tomorrow. Applicants may also call the HA Sales hotline 2712 8000 for enquiries.

     The HA will, in accordance with the order of priority, invite applicants holding a valid Green Form Certificate to submit the income and asset declaration form and supporting documents within a specified period for detailed vetting, so as to ascertain whether individual applicants meet the eligibility criteria for GSH 2023 and the final priority for flat selection of eligible applicants.  

     “Notifications will be sent to eligible applicants in batches starting from the third/fourth quarter of 2024 to invite them to select flats for sale under GSH 2023 at the GSH Sales Office in Kwun Tong according to their priority under the respective application category. When it comes to an eligible applicant’s turn for flat selection, he/she may select a GSH flat or a recovered TPS flat subject to the availability of flats”, the spokesman said.
   
     If applicants under the carry-over arrangement from HOS 2023 to GSH 2023 have successfully purchased a flat under HOS 2023, their applications for GSH 2023 will be cancelled immediately.

     Flats for sale under GSH 2023 include:

(1) a total of 2 359 flats from the new GSH development, Lai Yuet Court in Cheung Sha Wan; 

(2) around 300 unsold or rescinded GSH flats as at May 31, 2024, from Kai Chuen Court in Diamond Hill sold under GSH 2020/21, Ko Wang Court in Yau Tong and Kam Pak Court in Ma On Shan sold under GSH 2022, and any additional rescinded flats from these three GSH developments as identified up to about two months before commencement of flat selection; and

(3) a new batch of recovered TPS flats (estimated to be about 350 flats). The final number and detailed flat list will be drawn up around three months before the flat selection of GSH 2023.

     “Sales brochures for GSH developments (and sales pamphlets for recovered TPS flats) and price lists will be made available for public collection at the GSH Sales Office, and viewing on the HA/HD’s designated websites starting seven days before commencement up to the end of the flat selection period for GSH 2023. During the same period, doll houses of typical flats and project models of Lai Yuet Court, virtual videos and virtual reality tours of the interior of samples of GSH flats, virtual reality tours of the interior of samples of recovered TPS flats, photos and video clips of the interior of all recovered TPS flats for sale, exhibition panels and other information on GSH developments and TPS estates will be available for public viewing at the GSH Sales Office and on the HA/HD’s designated websites. Arrangements will be made with relevant stakeholders to facilitate the viewing of the recovered TPS flats put up for sale under GSH 2023 as far as practicable,” the spokesman said.

  

     Hongkong Post announced today (June 6) that, as advised by the postal administration of Iceland, due to the impact of severe weather, mail delivery services to Iceland are subject to delay. read more

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met the Mayor of the Guangzhou Municipal Government, Mr Sun Zhiyang, today (June 6) to exchange views on deepening Hong Kong’s co-operation with Guangzhou. Also attending the meeting was the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai.
                                                                       
     Mr Lee said he is pleased to meet with Mr Sun again since they last met at the inaugural meeting of the Organising Committee of the 15th National Games in Guangzhou this April. Noting that both Hong Kong and Guangzhou are core cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) that act as key engines for regional development, Mr Lee said that the two places have been actively taking forward a series of co-operation initiatives in recent years, including the high-quality development of Nansha, investment by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited in the Guangzhou Futures Exchange, and the equine industry development.
      
     Mr Lee said that according to the Global Innovation Index 2023, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou science and technology cluster has ranked second globally for four consecutive years, which shows that the three places embrace great potential for innovation and technology (I&T) development. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), established in Nansha, nurtures students to become top I&T talent, fostering the joint building of a major I&T platform of Hong Kong and Guangzhou, and making contributions to the construction of China as a strong country in science and technology, he added.  
                                                                                                     
     Mr Lee noted that this year marks the fifth anniversary of the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and he believes that Hong Kong and Guangzhou will continue to work together under the spirit of complementarity and mutual benefits, with a view to promoting co-operation between the two places at a higher level, and the high-quality development of the GBA.
      

  

Attention TV and radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:      Here is an item of interest to swimmers.      The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (June 6) that … read more

　　After a 17-year hiatus, the Centre for the Safeguarding of Liuzi Opera of Shandong is returning to Hong Kong, upon the invitation of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), to stage the classic hualian (painted face) work “Zhang Fei Crashing the Palace Gate” and the signature piece “Sun An Presenting Memorials” with its best line-up at the first Chinese Culture Festival in July. National Class One performer Wang Wei will bring immediacy to the “hualian” (painted-face) characters (Zhang Fei and Xu Long) he portrays in these two plays respectively with his exquisite, high-pitched singing and vivid acting, demonstrating the explicit charm of Liuzi opera as a regional opera genre. This programme is one of the highlights of the 12th Chinese Opera Festival.　

　　Liuzi opera has a history of nearly 600 years and is known as one of the four ancient Chinese opera genres. It was also one of the four major vocal styles in Chinese opera in the early days of the Qing dynasty. With its comprehensive repertoire of set tunes, Liuzi opera has significant value for research on Chinese opera music during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and was inscribed on the first list of Intangible Cultural Heritage at the National Level. Liuzi opera originated from popular vernacular songs and short tunes during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, blending the robust style of the North with the graceful, delicate features of the South. Its lyrics extol naturalness and simplicity while maintaining a rich vernacular touch.

　　The first performance is “Zhang Fei Crashing the Palace Gate”, which is the signature piece of Zhang Chunlei, a famous actor who played hualian roles in Liuzi opera and was hailed as the “living Zhang Fei”. This time, Wang Wei, who is trained in Zhang’s iconic style, will take the hualian role, performing with a thunderous and grinding singing style, mostly in falsetto. In the excerpt “Crashing the Palace Gate”, which is the climax of the play, General Zhang Fei enters the stage in a civil way of holding a folding fan, and his conflict with Zhuge Liang is highlighted with the intense music of the “jianzi” trombone and the “four big hand fans” (a pair of large cymbals). Zhang Fei rises above the chorus with his high-pitched singing, thus enhancing the dramatic moment of the play.
 
     The second performance, “Sun An Presenting Memorials”, is a representative work of Liuzi opera. Zhou Jinwei, a third-generation actor of Sun An, will perform the set tune called “Zanzi” with a robust vocal style that befits the aged character. He will be joined by Chen Fengying, who will act as Sun’s wife, and Wang Wei, who will play the role of Duke Xu Long. Together, the three will inject a fresh burst of youthful energy into this traditional opera genre.
 
　　Details of the two performances are as follows:

“Zhang Fei Crashing the Palace Gate”
———————————————————
Date and time: July 5 (Friday), 7.30pm
Main cast: Wang Wei, Hou Pengtao, Zhou Jinwei, Zhang Zhongqiu, Chao Dahai, Peng Yanhui
Synopsis: During the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei stations his army at Xinye and appoints Zhuge Liang as his marshal. As Zhuge is young and new to the position, Zhang Fei, one of the valiant generals, regards him with spite. Zhang deliberately turns up late during the officers’ roll call at the Palace Gate. Zhuge intends to shape up the army under stricter martial law, and Zhang is so enraged that he crashes into the gate, threatening to kill Zhuge. Other generals reprimand Zhang, and in great anger, Zhang decamps. When Xinye is under attack, Zhuge shows his military acumen and lures the enemy into his ambushing troops, and is greatly impressed by Zhang.
 
“Sun An Presenting Memorials”
———————————————————
Date and time: July 6 (Saturday), 7.30pm
Main cast: Zhou Jinwei, Chen Fengying, Wang Wei, Li Weiguo, Chen Yanmiao, Chao Dahai, Zhang Zhongqiu
Synopsis: During the Wanli reign of the Ming dynasty, the Grand Tutor Zhang Cong holds sway at court, embezzles relief funds and causes many innocent people to die under his despotic governance. Sun An, a local official, petitions the emperor thrice to impeach Zhang. However, the young emperor, influenced by Zhang’s slander, sentences Sun to death. Duke Xu Long goes on a rampage at court, sternly pleading for justice. In the end, Sun is pardoned, and justice prevails.
 
　　The Centre for the Safeguarding of Liuzi Opera of Shandong, established in 1959, is affiliated with the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. It is the only professional performing group in China that specialises in Liuzi opera. The troupe’s representative works include “Sun An Presenting Memorials”, “Zhang Fei Crashing the Palace Gate”, “Rendezvous on the Boat after the Fair”, “The Story of the White Rabbit”, and more. In recent years, the troupe has dedicated itself to safeguarding, inheriting, developing, and innovating the art form, with the aim of promoting exemplary traditional culture and ensuring the legacy and development of Liuzi opera.

　　The two performances will be held at the Auditorium of Ko Shan Theatre New Wing. Each performance will run for about two hours and 30 minutes, including an intermission of 15 minutes. Lyrics and dialogue are with Chinese and English surtitles. Tickets priced at $180, $280 and $380 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7325 or visit
www.ccf.gov.hk/en/programme/centre-for-the-safeguarding-of-liuzi-opera-of-shandong/.

　　A meet-the-artists session entitled “Upholding Traditions and Innovating: The Artistic Essence of Liuzi Opera” (in Putonghua) will be held at 7.30pm on July 4 (Thursday) at AC2, 4/F, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The speakers include Chen Yuan, a winner of the China Theatre Plum Blossom Award, and Yang Chunwei, a second-generation Sun An actor, also the former deputy director of the troupe. Chinese opera researcher Chen Liangliang will be the moderator. Admission is free and online registration is required (www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/chinese_opera/programs_1716.html#tab_13_0). Limited seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
 
　　The programme will also feature a session under the “Chinese Culture for All: A Special Performance Series” at 2.30pm on July 7 (Sunday) at the Auditorium of Ko Shan Theatre New Wing, with free admission specially for local primary and secondary school students. Performers from the Centre for the Safeguarding of Liuzi Opera of Shandong will stage six selected excerpts, giving students a chance to learn more about and appreciate the artistic style of Chinese regional opera so as to experience the wonders of Chinese culture and arts. Interested schools can call 2268 7325 for details.
 
　　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 amongst 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.