CE watches Cantonese opera by Hong Kong performers in Beijing (with photos/videos)

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, watched a Cantonese opera performance by children and teenagers from Hong Kong, met separately with the Minister of Science and Technology and the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), as well as visited the university students participating in the Beijing Palace Museum Conservation Internship Programme yesterday (July 27) in Beijing.

     Accompanied by the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, Mrs Lam visited the Guardian Art Center in the morning. The Centre is a new one-stop cultural landmark integrating art exhibition, auction, art warehouse, art education, authentication and restoration, and hotel. Mrs Lam briefed the management of the Centre on the cultural development in Hong Kong in recent years and the West Kowloon Cultural District project.

     Mrs Lam, along with the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang and Mr Chan, then met the CAS President, Professor Bai Chunli, and attended a lunch hosted by him. At the meeting, Mrs Lam expressed her gratitude to Professor Bai for the valuable advice he tendered on Hong Kong's development on innovation and technology (I&T) during his visit to Hong Kong last year and to CAS for arranging an internship programme in Beijing for Hong Kong university students. She said the programme is very beneficial to them and hopes the same will be organised next year. Noting that the achievements made by Hong Kong on I&T development in the past year is inseparable from the support of the Central Government, she expressed the hope that the CAS will continue to support Hong Kong, including participating in the research clusters on healthcare technologies and on artificial intelligence and robotics technologies to be set up in Hong Kong, as well as bringing together academicians from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to advance the development of I&T in Hong Kong. As an organisation directly under the State Council, the CAS is the nation's highest academic institution on natural science, integrating the functions of a scientific research institute, an academic society and an education organisation.  

     In the afternoon, Mrs Lam and the other officials, accompanied by the Director of the Palace Museum, Dr Shan Jixiang, met the students participating in the Beijing Palace Museum Conservation Internship Programme. She thanked the Palace Museum and related units for continuing to conduct the internship programme and including students from Macao this year. Young people from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao are able to exchange and learn from one another, and deepen the knowledge on the culture and history of the Palace Museum and China, broadening their horizon. Mrs Lam also visited the Palace Museum Furniture Gallery which features priceless furniture collected by the Palace Museum including chairs used by the emperors. The exhibits may be displayed at the Hong Kong Palace Museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District in the future.

     At the meeting with the Minister of Science and Technology, Mr Wang Zhigang, that followed, Mrs Lam said she was very pleased to visit the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) again since her last visit in August last year and thanked for the staunch support of MOST for I&T development in Hong Kong. Noting that she is advancing the city's I&T development in accordance with the eight-pronged approach set out in her Policy Address delivered last year and some achievements have been made in various aspects, she said that the new policy instructed personally by the President allowing universities and research institutions in Hong Kong to apply for central fiscal science and technology projects and the use of funding in Hong Kong is most encouraging to the science and technology sector in Hong Kong. She added that the support of the MOST is very important to I&T development in Hong Kong and she welcomed the visit by Mr Wang to Hong Kong any time to discuss further on strengthening of collaboration. 

     Accompanied by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, and Mr Chan, Mrs Lam watched a performance by the Sing Fai Cantonese Opera Promotion Association from Hong Kong in the evening, which is part of a Chinese opera show that brings together different local opera performances from across the nation. After the performance, Mrs Lam, together with the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr Luo Shugang, Director of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Zhang Xiaoming and Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Wang Zhimin, visited the backstage to meet with the 30 children and teenage performers, two of them performed in front of President Xi in the West Kowloon Cultural District when he paid an inspection visit to Hong Kong last year. Mrs Lam conveyed to them President Xi's warm regards, and congratulated them for their successful performances in Beijing. The Association also presented a souvenir to Mr Luo to express their gratitude to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for its arrangement which provides the Association with a precious opportunity to perform in Beijing.

     Mrs Lam will depart from Beijing this morning (July 28) and return to Hong Kong in the afternoon.