Rolling out of more exciting activities celebrating HKSAR 25th anniversary

     To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China, the Government and different sectors of the community will organise a full range of exciting activities for members of the public to join and share the joy of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

    The Steering Committee for the Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the HKSAR said the Government today (May 31) released two promotional videos, marking the beginning of a wealth of activities to be launched. A dedicated Facebook page and an Instagram account were also launched today to keep members of the public posted of various celebration activities.

     One of the promotional videos presents the 25th Anniversary theme song titled "Heading Forward" produced by the Radio Television Hong Kong. It showcases new opportunities brought about by the country to Hong Kong and encourages young people to seize these opportunities and work together to enable Hong Kong to move forward in sustaining prosperity and stability. The theme song is written and produced by renowned musician Keith Chan and composed, arranged and recorded by musician Alan Cheung. A total of 28 local and Mainland singers are invited to perform together for the first time. The theme song and its lyrics have been uploaded to the dedicated website www.hksar25.gov.hk.

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, said, "I am glad that activities for celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland can be rolled out smoothly as the epidemic situation has been brought under control, adding joy to the gradual restoration of the society's normal operations and economic activities. I am deeply grateful to the two musicians and all singers for their unwavering support. It was a formidable task to complete the production during the pandemic."

     Singers participating in the first edition of the theme song are: Alan Tam, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Kenny Bee, Priscilla Chan, Grasshopper, Hacken Lee, Joey Yung, Miriam Yeung, Patrick Lui, David Lui, Jason Zhang, Jane Zhang, Karrie Wu, Edmond Leung, Raymond Lam, Janice M Vidal, Gin Lee, AGA, Hana Kuk, Jinny Ng, Hubert Wu, Jerry Lamb, Michelle Siu, Gigi Yim and Mike Tsang.

     Another video is to promote the theme for the 25th anniversary celebrations: "A New Era – Stability. Prosperity. Opportunity". It highlights that for the past 25 years since the return to the motherland, Hong Kong has been resilient when facing challenges. Through actively integrating into the overall development of the country, Hong Kong will embrace more opportunities and build the future together. 

     Regarding celebration activities, the Steering Committee said a rich array of celebration activities would be gradually rolled out across the territory, including arts and culture, leisure and recreation, wines and cuisine as well as various thematic seminars.

     As for arts and cultural activities, apart from the inaugural exhibitions for the new extension of the Oil Street Art Space (Oi!), the much-anticipated Hong Kong Palace Museum will be opened to the public soon, showcasing over 900 precious relics from the Palace Museum and artefacts from around the globe. Moreover, artwork installations that integrate science with art will be displayed on both sides of Victoria Harbour from end-June. In July and August, exhibitions showcasing precious dinosaur fossil skeletons, featuring Italian treasures from the National Museum of Capodimonte and displaying invaluable cultural relics of Dunhuang grottoes will be held.

     In addition, the Happy@Parks series will be held from mid-June for everyone to enjoy the fun-filled parks through a variety of activities and games.

     The Hong Kong Tourism Board will also organise various mega celebration events, including the Special Edition of "A Symphony of Lights" and "Hong Kong Cocktail Hopping" in July, as well as "Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival" in October, etc.

     The Steering Committee said celebratory events would also spread the message of caring and inclusiveness. The Home Affairs Department (HAD) will co-ordinate the "Celebrations for All" project, in which the elderly and the less privileged families can share the joy of the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland through family visits and participation in territory-wide as well as district celebratory events.

     The HAD will also organise promotion projects under the theme of "connecting to homeland and searching for roots" with clansman organisations, among which a signature event, "Clansmen Culture Exhibition", will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from July 6 to 12.

     Hongkong Post will issue on July 1 a set of commemorative stamps to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR.

     In addition to the activities, the joyful atmosphere in the community will be further enhanced in 18 districts with various publicity and city dress-up installations which beautify the cityscape and offer attractions for phototaking. The major programmes include installations at the Victoria Harbour promenades, as well as erecting floral fields, floral walls, setting up theme garden displays and enhancements of roadside amenity areas at major locations and parks under the "Blossom Around Town" programme.

     The Steering Committee said that on top of local celebratory events, the overseas Economic and Trade Offices of the HKSAR and offices in the Mainland would also organise promotion activities overseas and in major Mainland cities, including economic and trade promotion seminars, cultural performances, outdoor activities, film festivals and roving exhibitions to promote Hong Kong's unique advantages under "one country, two systems".

     The Steering Committee encourages all sectors of the community including the commercial sector, professional groups and community organisations to continue organising activities under the accreditation scheme to bring celebratory ambience around town. 

     Members of the public are welcome to visit the dedicated website www.hksar25.gov.hk, and social media pages (Facebook page：www.facebook.com/HKSAR25A and Instagram account：www.instagram.com/hksar25) for the latest information about the celebratory events.