The exhibition entitled "Harmony of Rites and Music: Exploring the Qilu Culture through Shandong Relics" opened today (May 28). It is advised by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the Shandong Provincial People's Government and the Development Bureau (DEVB), and jointly presented by the Commissioner for Heritage's Office of the DEVB and the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. The exhibition displays fine artefacts from Shandong and Hong Kong, enabling the public to learn about the unique Qilu culture and the pluralistic integration of Chinese civilisation. 

     The Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, and the Standing Committee Member and Secretary-General of the Shandong Provincial Committee, Mr Fan Bo, officiated at the opening ceremony. The Secretary of the Shandong Provincial Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of Shandong Provincial People's Congress, Mr Lin Wu, and the Director-General of Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Ms Wang Lei, also attended the ceremony. 

     A total of 60 sets (about 200 items) of fine artefacts from Shandong are being displayed for the first time in Hong Kong. Highlight exhibits include the "eggshell black pottery high stem cup with perforations" that represents the pinnacle of Chinese prehistoric pottery craftsmanship; the "white pottery tripod 'he' wine vessel" solely used by nobles in the Neolithic period; the "red pottery 'gui' with bag-shaped legs", a representative object of prehistoric Shandong culture; the ritual bronze yue-axe inscribed with "Ya chou" of Shang dynasty; the stacked bronze tableware from Qi State during the Warring States period; the chime bells inscribed with "You" and the stringed crystal and agate ornaments from the Spring and Autumn period; and a delicate bronze ding inscribed with "Lu Ji" from Western Zhou period. Other exhibits include jade and stoneware, pottery ware, bronze ware and musical instruments, illustrating the development of Qilu culture from the Neolithic period to Ming dynasty.

     Also on display are significant artefacts unearthed in Hong Kong, including yazhang-tablet, stone yue-axe, stringed stone ornament set, quartz rings, perforated pottery basin with incised wave pattern, white pottery basin with perforated ring-foot and bird-shaped pottery jar with handle. Through the comparison of artefacts of both places, the pluralistic integration of Chinese civilisation is demonstrated. 

     The exhibition is being held at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre, Kowloon Park, Haiphong Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, until October 6. Admission is free. For details, please visit the website of the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) of the DEVB (www.amo.gov.hk/en/news/index_id_150.html?year=2024) or call 2208 4488.

     A short video about the preparation for the exhibition can be viewed at the AMO website.

                

The following is issued on behalf of the Communications Authority:

     The Communications Authority (CA) has approved an application by Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), a domestic free television programme service (free TV) licensee, for changes in its shareholding structure on account of the allotment of 8 743 836 new shares to GF Global Capital Limited (GF Global) (Note).
 
     According to TVB, the shareholding changes would not bring about any material change to the legal and beneficial ownership of the licensee.
 
     In approving the application, the CA is satisfied that after completion of the shareholding changes, TVB will continue to comply with all applicable regulatory requirements under the Broadcasting Ordinance (Cap. 562) and its free TV licence, and be able to honour the investment and programming commitments it has made under its licence.
 
Note: GF Global is a company incorporated in Hong Kong and is principally engaged in investment trading activities.

     The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, and her delegation began the visit to Hangzhou yesterday (May 27) to meet with Mainland government officials to exchange views in areas such as public housing policies, people-oriented designs, innovative construction technologies, and smart property management. Officials of the Housing Bureau (HB) and the Housing Department (HD) also joined the visit.
 
     Ms Ho and the delegation arrived in Hangzhou yesterday evening. They visited a major cultural landmark there, the Hangzhou National Archives of Publications and Culture, to learn about its unique architectural structure and how the application of Building Information Modelling (BIM) facilitated its construction. They were also briefed on a variety of Chinese classics and Chinese cultural relics.
 
     Ms Ho today (May 28) met with Chief Economist of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) Mr Cao Jinbiao, who came all the way from Beijing to Hangzhou. She attended the inaugural Mainland and Hong Kong Housing Forum with officials of the MOHURD and the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of Zhejiang Province afterwards. Ms Ho mentioned that at a meeting with the Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Mr Ni Hong, in Beijing last year, both sides discussed meeting and visiting each other as well as different Mainland cities with a view to improving the housing and living standard of citizens. There has been close liaison since then for arranging this visit to Hangzhou for in-depth exchanges and experience sharing among Beijing, Hangzhou and Hong Kong on topics including smart construction, smart property management, community building, and housing policies.
 
     Ms Ho said that the current-term Government has been sparing no effort in increasing the supply of public housing to provide accommodation to grassroots who are inadequately housed or cannot afford private rental housing. In addition to traditional public rental housing, the construction work of a number of Government-led Light Public Housing (LPH) projects has already commenced at full speed. Intake for the first batch of about 2 100 units is tentatively scheduled for the first quarter next year, with a target to completing about 30 000 LPH units by 2027-28, so as to improve the living conditions and quality of family life for those currently living in inadequate accommodation at the soonest.
 
     On promoting innovative construction technologies, green building and property management, Ms Ho and officials of the HD exchanged views with MOHURD officials on continuous enhancement of applications of technologies like Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) and Multi-trade Integrated Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MiMEP). They also discussed how to adopt more widely various construction robots in public housing projects to further enhance construction efficiency, safety and quality.
 
     Ms Ho also shared with relevant government officials the HB's effort in improving the well-being of citizens as well as enhancing the quality of housing supply apart from construction speed, efficiency and quantity. She said that the HD team has been collecting views from its residents, stakeholders and professionals in formulating the "Well-being design" guide for improving the planning and design of new public housing projects. The HD is also working to enhance the sense of well-being among residents through improving open space design of existing housing estates and carrying out minor improvement works. The two parties also exchanged views on property management in Hong Kong and the Mainland, especially on enhancing management efficiency by utilising technologies. Ms Ho shared the HD's effort and experience in continuously enhancing the management efficiency and service quality of nearly 200 public housing estates.
 
     Ms Ho will continue the visit to Hangzhou tomorrow (May 29). She will visit various projects to learn about the development of subsidised rental housing, smart property management and liveable housing design there. The delegation will depart for Beijing afterwards to visit the China Railway Construction Corporation Limited and the China State Construction International Holdings Limited. Their respective group companies are participating in the constructions of the Light Public Housing.

        

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Regarding an earlier announcement on a cluster of Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE) cases, the spokesperson for TWGHs Wong Tai Sin Hospital (WTSH) gave the following update today (May 28):
      
     Following a contact-tracing investigation, one more patient, an 87-year-old female in the rehabilitation and extended care ward of WTSH, was identified as a VRE carrier. She has been transferred to Kwong Wah Hospital for further medical care in isolation and is in stable condition.
      
     The following enhanced infection control measures have already been adopted in the ward concerned:
      
     1.    Isolation of VRE cases and application of stringent contact precautions;
     2.    Enhanced environmental cleaning and disinfection; and
     3.    Enhanced hand hygiene for staff and patients.
      
     The hospital will continue the enhanced infection control measures and closely monitor the situation of the ward concerned. The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow-up.

     Police are investigating a fatal traffic accident in Lok Ma Chau this afternoon (May 28), in which a man died.     

     At about 1pm, a special purpose vehicle driven by a 66-year-old man was traveling along San Tin Highway towards Kwu Tung. When approaching the San Tin Interchange, it reportedly went out of control and rammed into barriers before hitting an overhead sign gantry.

     Sustaining serious head and multiple body injuries, the man was rushed to North District Hospital in unconscious state and was certified dead at 1.53pm.     

     Investigation by the Special Investigation Team of Traffic, New Territories North is underway.     

     Anyone who witnessed the accident or has any information to offer is urged to contact the investigating officers on 3661 3800.