　　Following the announcement yesterday (January 15) of three food poisoning clusters involving the Golden Lilies International Banquet Hall in Kowloon Bay, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (January 16) r… read more
The Security Bureau (SB) today (January 16) said that a Hong Kong resident sought assistance from the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit of the Immigration Department (ImmD) earlier. Follow-up actions and assistance were provided through the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Chinese Embassy in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Chinese Embassy in the Kingdom of Thailand, the SB’s dedicated task force and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Bangkok ETO) in Bangkok. The relevant person, with the assistance from staff of Bangkok ETO and relevant Thai authorities, returned to Hong Kong from Myanmar via Thailand today. Upon arrival, the SB dedicated task force provided assistance to that person and followed up with investigation on the case.
The SB attaches great importance to cases where Hong Kong residents are suspected of being lured to Southeast Asian countries and detained to engage in illegal work. Following the departure for Thailand by the dedicated task force comprising members from the SB, the Hong Kong Police Force and the ImmD to follow up on these cases, the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, met with the Consul-General of Thailand in Hong Kong, Mr Chaturont Chaiyakam, this morning. Mr Tang thanked the Thai government for sending high-level officials to meet with the task force, demonstrating great importance to these cases and offering positive feedback. Mr Tang exchanged views on the cases and discussed follow-up work with Mr Chaiyakam, with a view to assisting more assistance seekers in returning to Hong Kong safely as soon as possible.
In August 2022, the SB established a dedicated task force to co-ordinate follow-up work on the cases by relevant law enforcement departments. Since 2024 to date, law enforcement agencies received a total of 28 requests for assistance in relation to Hong Kong residents alleging to be detained in Southeast Asian countries and unable to leave. Together with the individual who returned to Hong Kong today, 17 of them have already returned. The remaining 11 cases reported restrictions on their movement but were still safe and able to contact their families or the task force.
Hong Kong residents who encounter difficulties or require urgent assistance outside Hong Kong may call the ImmD’s 24-hour assistance hotline (852) 1868; call the 1868 hotline using network data or use the 1868 Chatbot via the ImmD Mobile Application; send messages to the 1868 WeChat or 1868 WhatsApp assistance hotlines; or submit online forms to seek assistance.
“The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Cézanne and Renoir Looking at the World – Masterpieces from the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay” exhibition will be staged at the Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) starting from tomorrow (January 17). The exhibition features 52 iconic works from the renowned Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay, bringing to Hong Kong national treasures of France. It is the first major showcase in Hong Kong dedicated to the work of two French Impressionist giants, Paul Cézanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
Addressing the opening ceremony held today (January 16), the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, said that the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay are internationally celebrated for their outstanding Impressionist art collections, and Hong Kong is delighted to exhibit these national treasures of France that are cherished by audiences worldwide. It is a brilliant illustration of a cultural exchange between East and West, a glowing testament to Hong Kong-French co-operation, and a tribute to last year’s 150th anniversary of the world’s first Impressionist exhibition.
Miss Law added that the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will partner with another internationally renowned French museum, the National Museum of Asian Arts – Guimet for the fourth edition of the Museum Summit, in late March this year. He said that Hong Kong is a melting pot of Chinese and Western cultures. Hong Kong has the advantage of strong support from the motherland and close connections to the world. The world-class arts and culture facilities, as well as the diverse arts environment, help Hong Kong to further develop its role as a cultural hub for the region and the world.
Other officiating guests included the Head of International Exhibition Projects of the Musée d’Orsay, Ms Stéphanie de Brabander; the Chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Mr Michael Lee; the Chairman of the Museum Advisory Committee, Professor Douglas So; the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Manda Chan; and the Museum Director of the HKMoA, Dr Maria Mok.
Renoir’s use of light and shadows in his works played a pivotal role in the development of Impressionism. Cézanne’s art theory, meanwhile, laid the groundwork for the development of various art styles in the 20th century, unveiling a new era in modern art. Fifty-one of 52 exhibits are debuting in Hong Kong, including still life paintings with fruits and flowers, landscapes, portraits and paintings of bathers. The exhibits serve as a testament to the remarkable artistic achievements of Cézanne and Renoir, highlighting the intersections in their careers.
Highlight exhibits include Cézanne’s “Apples and Biscuits”, “Still Life with Soup Tureen” and “Landscape with Red Roof (The Pine at l’Estaque)” and Renoir’s “Claude Renoir in Clown Costume”, “Nude in a Landscape” and “Bouquet in a Theatre Box”. The exhibition also showcases two invaluable artworks, “Large Still Life” and “Large Nude with Drapery”, from Spanish artist Pablo Picasso to demonstrate how the two Impressionists’ innovation inspired the next generation of great masters.
The HKMoA has created an education corner that mimics a French train platform, inviting visitors to board a time-travel train and immerse themselves in the creative worlds of Cézanne and Renoir. The Hong Kong version of this exhibition also features specially designed simulated conversations between the two masters, footprint maps, and more. These elements highlight the fascinating lives and enduring friendship of these two iconic artists, allowing visitors to appreciate Cézanne and Renoir, and their art from a new perspective.
The HKMoA has also invited two Hong Kong artists, Trevor Yeung and Lai Kwan-ting, to draw inspiration from the works of the two art masters and create their own new art. In “Garden Cruising: Bathers and Watchers”, an art installation with photographic works and large soft sculptures, Trevor Yeung explores the idea of the gaze associated with the depiction of nudity in the bathers painting series by Cézanne. His artwork intends to blur the distinction between the natural and the man made in this space, unsettling the audience’s understanding of their environment, activating different ways of perception. Inspired by the still life works and portraits of the two French masters, Lai Kwan-ting’s installation work, “Everyday Whispers”, creates figure and still-life paintings in a traditional Chinese meticulous style that captures fleeting moments in daily life, reinterpreting the styles of the 19th-century Western masters through the lens of contemporary Chinese ink painting.
The exhibition will run from January 17 to May 7 at the HKMoA (10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon). The admission fees for this exhibition are $50 for standard tickets, $35 for group tickets (groups of 20 persons or more) and $25 for full-time students, people with disabilities (and one accompanying minder), senior citizens aged 60 or above and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients. Tickets for the exhibition are available up to seven days in advance at all URBTIX outlets and self-service ticketing kiosks at the HKMoA or other designated locations (www.urbtix.hk/kiosk). Holders of Museum Passes can enjoy free admission to this exhibition. The exhibition is solely sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, presented by the LCSD, and jointly organised by the HKMoA, the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay.
To tie in with the exhibition, the HKMoA will organise a series of special programmes, including a talk series by experts and artists to enhance public understanding of Impressionism. In addition, there will be multiple sessions of theatrical tours that guide the audience on an intimate artistic journey through theatrical approach and drawing workshops.
For details of the exhibition and activities, please visit the website at hk.art.museum/en/web/ma/exhibitions-and-events/cezanne-and-renoir-looking-at-the-world.html.
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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Museum of Art exhibition “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Cézanne and Renoir Looking at the World – Masterpieces from the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay” today (January 16):
Ms de Brabander (Head of International Exhibitions Projects of the Musée d’Orsay, France, Ms Stéphanie de Brabander), Mr Michael Lee (Chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club), Professor Douglas So (Chairman of the Museum Advisory Committee), Counsels-General, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
On behalf of the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, I welcome you all to the opening ceremony of this captivating exhibition, featuring 52 priceless masterpieces from two renowned museums, Musée de l’Orangerie and Musée d’Orsay, in France.
The two museums are internationally celebrated for their outstanding Impressionist art collections, and Hong Kong is delighted to exhibit these national treasures of France that are cherished by audiences worldwide.
The exhibition will open to the public tomorrow and run here at the Hong Kong Museum of Art until May 7. It is a brilliant illustration of cultural exchange between East and West, a glowing testament to Hong Kong-French co-operation, and a tribute to last year’s 150th anniversary of the world’s first Impressionist exhibition.
The exhibition focuses on two of the leading figures of Impressionism, Paul Cézanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and these two masters are renowned for their distinctive styles and friendship that spanned the whole of their artistic careers.
Alongside the exhibition, the Hong Kong Museum of Art has commissioned two Hong Kong artists to create installations inspired by the art, which will also open to the public tomorrow.
There will also be a series of public talks, drawing workshops and other events associated with the exhibition. And I’m pleased to note that guided tours are being arranged for schools and charitable organisations.
Let me add that the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will partner with another internationally renowned French museum, the National Museum of Asian Arts – Guimet, for the fourth edition of the Museum Summit, in late March this year, here in Hong Kong.
As always, we are supporting the annual French May Arts Festival. This year marks the 32nd anniversary of French May – another remarkable example of Hong Kong’s rising status as the world’s East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.
Ladies and gentlemen, Hong Kong is a melting pot of Chinese and Western cultures. We have the advantage of strong support from our motherland and close connections to the world. Our world-class arts and culture facilities, as well as our diverse arts environment, help further develop Hong Kong’s role as a cultural hub for the region and the world.
Allow me to express the Chief Secretary’s and my heartfelt gratitude to the French museums participating for lending us their priceless art.
I would also like to thank the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the sole sponsor of this exhibition, for its generosity and boundless community spirit.
I know we will all treasure the exhibition and our longstanding friendship with France.
I wish you all an enjoyable evening. Merci beaucoup. read more
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (January 16) investigating a food poisoning cluster affecting 22 persons, and reminded the public to maintain personal, food and environmental hyg… read more