Tag Archives: China

     To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the passing of renowned culture figure James Wong, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum (HKHM) will stage the exhibition “A Laugh at the World: James Wong” from tomorrow (July 17). Around 140 sets of exhibits, selected from collection items of various museums of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and loan exhibits, will be displayed to illustrate the pop culture master’s contributions to music, film, television, advertising, literature and more. Members of the public will be able to learn about the cultural integration of his works, as well as how he translated traditional contents into contemporary pop culture creations. The exhibition will run until February 10 next year with free admission.
 
     Addressing the opening ceremony of the exhibition today (July 16), the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, said that Hong Kong’s pop culture reflects its eclecticism and contains cultural elements of the East and the West, of old and new and of high and low. Cantonese pop songs, movies and TV dramas showcase the blossoming of Hong Kong’s pop culture scene since the 70s and 80s in the last century. The thriving in Hong Kong’s pop culture industry was attributable to the efforts paid by artists in the music, television and film industries as well as the production crew members behind the scenes. Credits should also be given to talented local creators, one of whom is Dr Wong Jum-sum, aka James Wong. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of Wong. The LCSD specially presents the “A Laugh at the World: James Wong” exhibition, relish his classic works to appreciate his unique creativity, deep knowledge and great dedication, and feel the immense charm of Hong Kong’s pop culture.
 
     He added that the exhibition is a key programme of the second Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival. The second edition this year features “Arts & Action” as its theme and has attracted over 400 000 participants as at late June. The first Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival presented by the LCSD last year organised a total of 21 programmes drawing over 530 000 participants.
 
     Other officiating guests included the eldest son of Wong, Mr Johan Wong; the Chairman of the Museum Advisory Committee, Professor Douglas So; the Acting Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Miss Eve Tam; and the Museum Director of the HKHM, Mr Brian Lam.
 
     James Wong (1941-2004), born Wong Jum-sum, was a renowned cultural figure and literary genius in Hong Kong. Wong, who moved to Hong Kong with his family in his childhood, was raised and received education in the city. He was a complete local. Having been active in various cultural and performing arts media platforms since the 1950s, Wong was good at writing lyrics, writing and composing music, writing columns, making movies, advertising creations and stage performances. He had been contributing articles to newspapers since the age of 12, and later became a professional writer. His columns and articles on newspapers had reached 10 million words. Wong’s musical tastes spanned a diverse spectrum, encompassing Western classical, European and American pop, Indian, and avant-garde styles. He took an eclectic approach in adopting the various musical styles, while actively passing on traditional Chinese opera culture. His life coincided with several important development stages of post-war Hong Kong, making a significant impact on the development of the city’s pop culture.
 
     Wong created many popular songs, four of which are used to connect Wong’s life in the exhibition. The song “Below the Lion Rock” portraits the spirit of Hong Kong people sharing joys and sorrows and staying united in times of trouble. The exhibition begins with this song which tells the story of Wong moving from the Mainland to Hong Kong in the 1940s and seeing trams on the Hong Kong Island for the first time. The second part “Ask Me” reveals how Wong’s literature and music teachers enlightened him during his years of studying in Hong Kong, which paved the way for his achievements in the future. The third part “Breadth and Depth of Mountains and Waters” introduces Wong’s participation and creative works in different media, such as the advertising song “Two is Enough” that Wong wrote for the publicity campaign on birth control launched by the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong. The final section “It’s him, you and me” allows visitors to learn more about how Wong had had close ties with cultural celebrities and stories behind his classic works.
 
     Selected collection items from the HKHM, the Hong Kong Museum of History, the Hong Kong Film Archive and the Hong Kong Central Library as well as loan exhibits are on display in this exhibition. They include precious record covers of the popular TV drama series theme song “Below the Lion Rock” with lyrics by Wong and composed by his music collaborator Joseph Koo, and another classic work by the pair, the theme song of TV drama series “The Bund”; as well as the classic children’s song “It’s a Small World” for which Wong wrote the Cantonese lyrics. The exhibits also include two film posters for “The Love Eterne” and “Lady General Hua Mulan”, in which Wong provided backing vocals, and the film poster for “In-Laws, Out-Laws”, which stars Wong as one of the actors and marked his final film appearance.
 
     The exhibition also showcases many exhibits related to Wong and his friends, such as the painting of Joseph Koo and Wong painted by Koo based on a photograph of the pair, courtesy of Koo’s family; script and lyrics manuscripts for the major musical “Liuyi’s Letter” produced by Roman Tam with Wong as the script writer and lyricist; and a photo of Wong and Eddie Lau.
 
     Visitors can scan the QR codes in the gallery to listen to sound clips of Wong’s audio interviews and watch his interview videos to understand his thoughts and feelings about creative works and life. A lyrics room is set up to show projections of lyrics written by Wong with music playing.
 
     To tie in with the exhibition, a series of cultural activities will be held by the HKHM. They include two talks by renowned scholars to be held on August 10 and August 31 on Wong and the heyday of Hong Kong’s pop culture, and characteristics of Wong’s music composition. The music sharing “James Wong’s Greatest Hits on Vinyl” to be held on September 14 will revisit Wong’s signature playlists. A workshop on laughter yoga to be held on October 5 and November 16 will pay a special tribute to Wong for his enduring legacy in infusing positive energy into his lyrics. In addition, the HKHM will hold a film screening of “Peking Opera Blues” (1986) with a post-screening talk on November 23 about Wong’s musical works for the film. In January, 2025, a workshop “A Stroke of Luck: Having Fun with Festive Couplets” will be organised in which local artist Vivian Chia will reinterpret Wong’s finest lines on festive couplets with her signature style of “typing” calligraphy.
 
     Other programmes centered on Wong by the LCSD include “The Hong Kong Musicians Series: Music Document Highlights of Joseph Koo & James Wong” exhibition being held by the Hong Kong Public Libraries. Meanwhile, Tai Kwun is staging Summer Show “Soundtrack of Our Lives: Joseph Koo x James Wong x the Rise of Cantopop”.
 
     The “A Laugh at the World: James Wong” exhibition is presented by the LCSD and organised by the HKHM. For details of the exhibition, please visit
hk.heritage.museum/en/web/hm/exhibitions/data/james-wong.html, or call 2180 8188 for enquiries.
 
     The exhibition is one of the programmes of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2024. The LCSD presented the first Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival last year to great acclaim. This year’s second edition features “Arts & Action” as its theme, taking audiences on a journey through time to show the dynamic inheritance, diffusion, integration and breakthroughs within Hong Kong’s pop culture. The 2024 festival lineup offers a diverse range of formats including thematic exhibitions, film screenings, stage performances and outreach activities. Its rich content spans across literature, various art forms and martial arts, clearly showcasing how Hong Kong’s vibrant and diverse pop culture stands out from the rest. For more information, please visit www.pcf.gov.hk/en.

                          

     â€‹The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will remove two Old and Valuable Trees (OVT) at South Bay Beach in Southern District and the Hong Kong Railway Museum in Tai Po District on July 22 (Monday), in view of their poor health and structural conditions.

     The tree at South Bay Beach is a Casuarina equisetifolia, listed on the Register of OVTs (registration number LCSD S/16). 

     The tree is around 15 metres tall. Its health and structural conditions have been deteriorating since 2023, showing signs such as an imbalanced crown, sparse crown density, splitting of co-dominant stems, and wood decay at the trunk base and limbs. The LCSD has carried out regular inspections and maintenance of the tree, including application of fungicides, cabling, and pruning and removal of decayed branches to alleviate the tree risk. Despite the implementation of various measures thus far, the health and structural conditions of the tree were found to be deteriorating, and it is considered irrecoverable.

     The tree at the Hong Kong Railway Museum is a Ficus microcarpa, listed on the Register of OVTs (registration number LCSD TP/9). 

     â€‹The tree is around 17 metres tall. It was confirmed to have brown root rot disease (BRRD) infection in July 2020. Despite immediate tree management work carried out by the LCSD, including regular inspections and specific maintenance work, a crown reduction, cabling and application of fungicides, the health condition of the tree has been deteriorating since 2023. Decreasing foliage density and obvious signs of wood decay at the roots and trunk base have been found, indicating that the BRRD infection is becoming worse, causing irreversible health and structural damage to the tree.

     Considering the heavy visitor traffic at the trees’ locations, they will be removed by the LCSD for protection of public safety.

     To facilitate the removal of LCSD TP/9, the Hong Kong Railway Museum will be temporarily closed on July 22 (Monday) and reopen on July 24 (Wednesday). Please note that Tuesday is the museum’s closing day.
 
     The LCSD has consulted and obtained the support of the Urban Forestry Advisory Panel through the Tree Management Office on the proposed removal of the two trees. The LCSD will replant Terminalia catappa or Barringtonia acutangular at the nearby locations.

     A spokesman for the LCSD reiterates that the department will continue to adopt a prudent approach in inspecting and managing trees under its care. Removal of problematic trees will be considered only when no other viable risk mitigation measure is available. read more

     The period of visa-free entry for holders of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passports to Thailand has been extended from up to 30 days to 60 days.      An Immigration Department spokesman said, &qu… read more

     A man who went missing in Tseung Kwan O has been located.      Heung Man-ki, Jacky, aged 30, went missing after he left his residence in Ming Tak Estate on July 15 morning. His family then made … read more

     Thirty secondary students who have been selected to participate in the Young Astronaut Training Camp 2024, jointly organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, will visit Beijing, Wenchang of Hainan Province and Jiuquan to receive a nine-day training camp from July 16 to August 3. A send-off ceremony of the training camp was held at the Hong Kong Space Museum today (July 16).
          
     Addressing the send-off ceremony, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, said that upon the country’s plan to expedite its development to become the world’s leading space-faring nation, Hong Kong shoulders the responsibility as an international innovation and technology hub to contribute its own power to the country’s aerospace endeavours. He encouraged students of the training camp to grasp the opportunity to learn in earnest, broaden their horizons and gear up themselves. He also encouraged them to learn from the country’s aerospace heroes as their role model and make greater contributions to the betterment of the country and Hong Kong in future.
      
     Other officiating guests included the Director-General of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Dr Wang Weiming; the Chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Dr Jonathan Choi; the Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau; member of the Working Group on Patriotic Education of the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee Ms Melissa Kaye Pang; the Chairman of the Museum Advisory Committee, Professor Douglas So; the Acting Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Miss Eve Tam; Deputy Manager of the Science Technology and Innovation Division, Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Centre Mr Franky Chan; and Vice-Chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce Mr Charles Cheung.
           
     Launched in 2009, the Young Astronaut Training Camp has entered its 13th year. A total of 360 students have participated in the programme so far. The recruitment of this year’s training camp started in May and received an overwhelming response. After three rounds of the selection, which included a quiz on astronomy and space science, a three-day training camp and an interview, 30 students from Secondary Two to Secondary Six were selected as Young Astronauts out of around 200 applicants from more than 130 secondary schools.
          
     The students participating in the nine-day training camp will visit various key astronomy and aerospace facilities. They will also have a chance to meet with aerospace experts and astronauts to learn more about the development of the country’s aerospace programmes and distinguished achievements. This year’s students will be among the first participants of the long-running programme to visit the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site. Being China’s most-advanced rocket launch facility, the site is primarily responsible for launching missions of the Tiangong space station modules and the Tianzhou cargo craft. After visiting the launch site, they will visit the Wenchang Aerospace Science Center, the Wenchang Aerospace Supercomputing Center, and more. The students will then travel to Beijing to visit the National Astronomical Observatories. At the China Astronaut Research and Training Center, they will experience astronaut training activities, including the donning and doffing of spacesuits, wilderness survival training and savouring space food. Their final stop will be the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, which is responsible for launching manned spaceflights, and the National Time Service Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Xian.
      
     The training camp is jointly presented by the LCSD and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, in association with the Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Centre. It is co-ordinated by the Hong Kong Space Museum and sponsored by the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce. For details of the training camp, please visit the website of the Hong Kong Space Museum at hk.space.museum/en/web/spm/activities/yatc.html or call 2734 2765.
      
     The training camp is one of the activities in the Chinese Culture Promotion Series. The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture. For more information, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ccpo/index.html.