SCST visits Sichuan (with photos)

     The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, visited the Dujiangyan Base of the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) this morning (August 16) and attended the co-operation agreement signing ceremony on the gift of a pair of giant pandas from the Central Government to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The agreement was jointly signed by the Party Committee Secretary and Deputy Director of the CCRCGP, Mr Lu Yongbin, and the Chairman of the Ocean Park Hong Kong, Mr Paulo Pong, on the arrival arrangements of the giant pandas, as well as on the collaboration between the two parties about the rearing and caring, breeding research and popular science education.

     Mr Yeung arrived in Sichuan yesterday afternoon (August 15) and visited the Eastern Suburb Memory, a zone for cultural and creative industries in downtown Chengdu, to learn about its operation and how it has been developed into an international stage for fashion and cultural industries. Located in the Chenghua District of Chengdu and originally named Eastern Music Park, it was built on the site of the former state-run Hongguang Electronic Tube Factory, and has now been turned into a multicultural zone for a variety of cultural activities including music, arts, drama and photography. Major attractions, such as the Industrial and Cultural Square, the Old Train Display and the World of Pandas, appeal to the younger generation interested in arts and culture. The CCRCGP also hosted a dinner for the HKSAR delegation.

     Mr Yeung will depart from Sichuan for Hong Kong this afternoon.