The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) has recently received a generous donation of $100 million from Mr Wu Keyu, the son of Wu Guanzhong, for the establishment of the Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship, to support the promotion of Wu and related Chinese modern art. With the support of the fund, the HKMoA is launching three new programmes which opened today (March 21). They are: the Thematic Exhibition Series: "Wu Guanzhong: Between Black and White", the Cross-disciplinary Series: "Wu Guanzhong x Chris Cheung" and the Dialogue with 20th Century Chinese Art Series: "True Likeness: The Art and Collection of Jingguanlou". The programmes will shed new light on the late renowned artist Wu's artistic theory and showcase the development of modern Chinese art from different perspectives and approaches.

     The acknowledgement ceremony for the Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship and opening ceremony of the sponsored exhibitions was held today at the HKMoA. Addressing the opening ceremony, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, noted that Wu once said his finest works should be preserved for the country and the public. He had regarded the HKMoA as a kindred spirit and had made numerous donations to the museum over the years. After Wu's passing, his son, Mr Wu Keyu, continues to uphold his father's support and trust in the museum by donating more artworks. The establishment of the Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship represents the trust of Wu and his family to the HKMoA, as well as Wu's affirmation of the museum over the past 30 years. Mr Wu Keyu's unconditional donation of $100 million fully supports the museum in promoting Wu's art and modern Chinese art, which is truly a gift for the people of Hong Kong.

     Mr Wu Keyu said that he has witnessed the museum's continuous and passionate efforts in promoting the art of Wu over the past 30 years. Based on his late father's dear friendship and unwavering trust in the museum, apart from donating Wu's significant works, he also expressed his wish to establish the Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship at the HKMoA, to contribute to the promotion of Wu's art and related Chinese modern art at the Museum.

     Other officiating guests included the Chairman of Museum Advisory Committee, Professor Douglas So; the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Vincent Liu; and the Museum Director of the HKMoA, Dr Maria Mok.

     Wu (1919-2010) was a master of the Chinese and international art scene in the 20th century. He had deep connections with Hong Kong and held multiple exhibitions and participated in various art events here. He specifically went to the streets of Hong Kong for sketching, with works featuring the city's urban scenery. Over the years, Wu and his family have continuously made donations of Wu's works and personal archives to the HKMoA, making up a huge collection of over 450 items. The HKMoA has become the institution with the largest and most diverse collection of Wu's works, establishing itself as an important international hub for the collection and research of modern Chinese paintings. With the support of the Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship, the HKMoA will promote Wu and modern Chinese art to audiences in different regions and at various levels through comprehensive and diversified perspectives.

     The three new programmes will be open to public at the HKMoA starting from March 22.

     The Thematic Exhibition Series: "Wu Guanzhong: Between Black and White" features over 30 pieces of Wu's ink and oil paintings in two phases. Wu, in his early years, studied traditional Chinese ink painting and later ventured into the colorful world of oil painting. After studying in France, he returned to China and dedicated his entire life to exploring the integration of Chinese and Western art. In his later years, he returned to the realm of black and white with ink. Among the exhibits, there is "Cascade" which is the first artwork he donated to the HKMoA in 1995. This significant piece is not only a quintessential black and white painting by Wu, but also a work that marks the beginning of the profound friendship between Wu Guanzhong and the HKMoA.

     In the Cross-disciplinary Series: "Wu Guanzhong x Chris Cheung", Hong Kong artist Cheung has been commissioned to take inspiration from Wu's waterfall series of works and has created a site-specific art installation, "Falling Tears". Driven by rainfall data, the intricately programmed mechanical device pumps water upwards and lets it drip onto a specially made canvas. The resulting ink wash-like traces form a dynamic series of waterfalls. Another art installation is "Sentient Pond" by Cheung's creative team XCEED. Processed by artificial intelligence, the installation generates exclusive paintings by audience members that embody Wu's brushstrokes and style through machine learning over hundreds of Wu's paintings.

     To let members of the public to know more about the outstanding works of Wu and masters of his time, the HKMoA is also launching the Dialogue with the 20th Century Chinese Art Series: "True Likeness: The Art and Collection of Jingguanlou", which showcases renowned collector and photographer Dr Leo Wong photographic works and his collection of 20th century Chinese paintings and calligraphy. The HKMoA has also invited Hong Kong artist Olivier Cong to create original pieces of music for the exhibition. In his work "Diary 23", Cong creates music videos as a response to Wong's transformative artistic journey, capturing moments of transition and introspection. During the exhibition period, Cong will also put on three live music performances in the museum.

     For details of the exhibitions, please visit the website at hk.art.museum/en/web/ma/exhibitions-and-events.html, or call 2721 0116 for enquiries.

                  

     The Director of Architectural Services, Mr Michael Li, was deeply saddened by the passing of a staff member of its contractor in an incident that happened at the construction site of Kwai Chung Hospital Phase 2 Redevelopment today (March 21) and expressed his deepest condolences to the deceased's family. The Architectural Services Department (ArchSD) has requested the contractor to provide appropriate assistance to the deceased's family.
 
     At about 5.30pm today, a male foreman aged about 30 was suspected to have fallen to the ground at the site. He was certified dead on spot.
 
     The ArchSD will render full assistance to relevant departments to investigate the cause of the incident and related works have been suspended until it has confirmed that the contractor has implemented all necessary measures to ensure construction safety. The ArchSD will also immediately issue reminders on and continue monitoring the compliance with safety requirements for sites under its purview targeting work-at-height.

     The Labour Department (LD) is investigating a fatal work accident that happened in Kwai Chung this afternoon (March 21) in which a man died.

     The LD immediately deployed staff to the scene upon receiving a report of the accident, and is now conducting an investigation to look into its cause.

     Hong Kong maintained the fourth place globally in the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) 35 Report published today (March 21) by the Z/Yen from the United Kingdom and the China Development Institute from Shenzhen.

     In response to the report, a Government spokesman said, "Under the 'one country, two systems' principle, Hong Kong enjoys the unique advantages of being backed by the motherland and connected to the world. Hong Kong has been striving to align with the national development strategies and serve as an important node in the domestic and international dual circulation of our country through proactively integrating into the national development of the reform and opening up of the financial market, while maintaining the internationalised nature of our market and playing the role as the gateway between the Mainland and the world.

     "To this end, a series of policy initiatives have been announced in the 2024-25 Budget, seeking to better integrate 'capable government' with 'efficient market' and to propel our financial markets to new heights."

     These policy measures include enhancing the development of Hong Kong's offshore Renminbi (RMB) market from three aspects, namely increasing offshore RMB liquidity, promoting the development of offshore RMB products, and improving financial infrastructure such as the Central Moneymarkets Unit, to strengthen Hong Kong's status as an offshore RMB business hub; working with Mainland authorities to accelerate work relating to promoting mutual market access, including the issuance of Mainland government bond futures, the inclusion of RMB counters under the Southbound Trading of Stock Connect, and the inclusion of more international enterprises under the scope of Southbound Trading; and through waiving the stamp duties payable on the transfer of real estate investment trust (REIT) units and enhancing the preferential tax regimes for related funds, single family offices and carried interest etc. to continue to promote Hong Kong as the preferred asset and wealth management hub for international investors.

     In respect of the developments in asset and wealth management, according to the Market Study on the Family Office Landscape in Hong Kong conducted by Deloitte which was commissioned by the Invest Hong Kong, there are over 2 700 single-family offices in the city. The market study sheds light on the flourishing development of the family office sector in Hong Kong, and reaffirms Hong Kong as one of Asia's major asset and wealth management centres.

     In addition, the Financial Mega Event Week will be held in Hong Kong next week, with a series of top-tier international conferences to take place in the city. These include the highly acclaimed Wealth for Good in Hong Kong Summit exclusively for family offices; the inaugural One Earth Summit organised by the Institute of Sustainability and Technology and co-organised by the Giving to Amplify Earth Action (GAEA), a World Economic Forum initiative, on global climate and the green economy; and the Global Investors' Symposium organised by the Milken Institute, the first large-scale summit held in Hong Kong by the Institute since 1998. The Financial Mega Event Week will further showcase the strengths, development potential and investment opportunities of Hong Kong as an international financial centre.

     The GFCI Report is released in March and September every year since 2007. In GFCI 35, 121 financial centres were assessed and Hong Kong ranked fourth globally with an overall rating of 741.

     Hong Kong Customs today (March 21) arrested a salesman of a medicine shop suspected to have engaged in unfair trade practices involving a misleading omission in the course of selling Chinese medicines, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).

     Customs earlier received information alleging that a salesperson of a medicine shop in Central was suspected of engaging in unfair trade practices when selling Chinese medicines. An investigation found that, during the course of selling three types of Chinese medicines, the salesperson provided material information in an untimely manner about the total price of the Chinese medicines. He only revealed that one of the medicines was priced per mace and disclosed the actual total price of the medicine after it was ground. The charged price was 10 times higher than what was expected.  

     After an in-depth investigation, Customs officers today arrested the salesman, aged 31, of the medicine shop concerned.

     An investigation is ongoing and the arrested man was held for inquiry.

     Customs has all along been concerned about visitors being misled to make purchases by unfair trade practices and has established a Quick Response Team to handle urgent complaints lodged by short-haul visitors. The complaints will be promptly referred to investigators to handle with priority.

     Customs reminded traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO and consumers to purchase products from reputable shops. Consumers should also be cautious about the unit price and ask for more information, including the total price of the goods selected, before making a purchase decision.

     Under the TDO, any person who engages in a commercial practice that omits or hides material information or provides material information in a manner that is unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely, and as a result causes, or is likely to cause, an average consumer to make a transactional decision, commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the TDO to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).