HK unveils 71 measures to strengthen arts and creative development

The Hong Kong government has released the blueprint for arts, culture, and creative industries development, outlining 71 measures for the future growth of the arts and creative sectors.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday (26 November), secretary for culture, sports and tourism Kevin Yeung said it is a comprehensive policy document of the government on the long-term development of the arts, culture and creative industries. “We expect the added value of the cultural arts and creative industries to reach HK$200 billion in 10 years, with employment rising to 264,000 positions." 

The blueprint sets out 71 measures across four strategic directions and six guiding principles to promote profound traditional Chinese culture and develop cultural content that reflects Hong Kong's unique character.

To achieve this, the blueprint proposes to enhance the structure of museums; promote the cultural characteristics of the Lingnan legacy; organise and subsidise more activities, exchanges and collaboration related to Chinese culture and history; and nurture talent who are familiar with profound traditional Chinese culture and complement work on patriotic education.

Another strategic direction involves developing diverse arts and culture industries with an international perspective, including measures to develop Hong Kong into a "capital of creativity" (創意之都) and "capital of pop culture" (流行文化之都), improving the quantity and quality of hardware; enhancing the cultural environment and broadening audience participation.

As for the third direction, the government plans to establish international platforms to foster East-meets-West arts and cultural exchanges, which cover consolidating Hong Kong's position as the "capital of international mega arts and cultural events" (國際文化盛事之都) by hosting and supporting more large-scale, diverse and innovative arts and cultural events.

In addition, Hong Kong's international curatorial and creative skills will be utilised to promote both traditional Chinese culture and the city's unique culture, both locally and abroad. This aims to develop related arts and culture industries and encourage participation in national arts initiatives, while also attracting arts groups and practitioners from the mainland and overseas for cultural exchanges with Hong Kong.

The final strategic direction aims to enhance the ecosystem for the arts, culture and creative industries by establishing relevant industry chains in Hong Kong; enhancing ecological chains of the cultural and creative talent pool, as well as strengthening market forces to establish mutually beneficial relationships between the arts, cultural and creative industries, and the business sector; supporting industries to explore the mainland and international markets; and providing better infrastructure and enhance conditions for developing the sectors as industries.

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The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau encourages private sector participation to support the cultural arts and creative industries, with the goal of attracting talent from both local and international sources and fostering greater cross-sector and interdisciplinary collaboration in content creation and development, according to Yeung.

Yeung added that the blueprint acts as a foundation for further advancing current initiatives, with efforts being expedited. Out of the 71 measures, 36 have already been launched, while the remaining measures will be gradually rolled out starting next year.

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