"Hong Kong Week 2014 @ Taipei" to show the essence of Hong Kong culture (with photos)

"Hong Kong Week 2014", one of the most eagerly anticipated annual cultural exchange events involving Hong Kong and Taiwan, will be launched in Taipei on October 17. Under the theme of "Hong Kong Folklore • Literary Footprints", the event will feature an exciting range of programmes and extension activities to offer Taiwanese audiences a closer look at the essence and spirit of Hong Kong culture.

The Convenor of the Hong Kong-Taiwan Cultural Co-operation Committee (HKTCCC), Mr Fredric Mao, introduced the event at a press conference today (September 18). He noted that this year's theme, "Hong Kong Folklore • Literary Footprints", will reveal the importance of folk traditions and literary works in reflecting the character and culture of Hong Kong.

Mr Mao said one of the most important local performing arts, Cantonese opera, will be presented to Taiwanese audiences for the first time in a direct on-stage collaboration with Taiwan's traditional Chinese opera. On the literary side, the works of Leung Ping-kwan (pen name Yasi), who is among Hong Kong's most influential poets and writers, will also be introduced during the event, allowing the public of Taiwan to get an insight into his writing, which fully embraced the culture of Hong Kong.

At the press conference, the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Michelle Li, said she was delighted that the department had again participated in the event. In addition to inviting local art groups and organisations to arrange performances and activities for the event, the department is also directly involved in co-ordinating the programmes, among which is the "Indigenous Hong Kong - An Exhibition on our Intangible Cultural Traditions" curated by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. The exhibition will showcase 13 items of Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage to reveal the city's folk traditions. Another colourful exhibition is "Journeys of a Hong Kong Poet, Leung Ping Kwan (1949-2013)", which is jointly organised by the Art Promotion Office and the Hong Kong Fringe Club.

Presented by the HKTCCC in association with the Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office (Taiwan), "Hong Kong Week 2014" is also supported by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong Film Development Council.

Other programmes at this year's event include "When Jingkun Met Cantonese Opera - A Chinese Opera Exchange Project", which marks the first collaboration between the GuoGuang Opera Company of Taiwan and Lung Fei Cantonese Opera Troupe of Hong Kong. The performance will introduce Hong Kong's indigenous local opera, Cantonese opera, to Taiwanese audiences alongside their familiar Jingkun opera genre.

The concert, "A Poet and His Muse - Yu Kwang-chung's Poetry in Music", will showcase works by Yu which, over the past 30 years, have been set to music by composers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Mainland.

The dance drama "Thunderstorm" by the Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio is a collaborative creation by the three-time winner of the Best Director Award at the Hong Kong Drama Awards, Tang Shu-wing, and the award-winning dance choreographers Xing Liang and Mui Cheuk-yin, based on Cao Yu's classic literature work "Thunderstorm".

The "Heart of Coral - A Chamber Opera after the Life of Xiao Hong", organised by the Hong Kong Arts Festival, will explore Xiao Hong's life from Hong Kong's point of view and pay respect to this major female literary figure, whose works have transcended the social and political contexts which she failed to break free from during her lifetime.

The exhibition "50 Years of Hong Kong and Taiwanese Animation" by the Hong Kong Arts Centre will feature animated films produced by the two places from the 1970s to the present day, while the "2014 Hong Kong Contemporary Film Showcase" by the Hong Kong Film Development Council will screen 13 high-quality commercial feature films produced in 2013, ranging from small to medium-sized productions, as well as three compilations of award-winning short films in the past two years.

In addition, the Po Leung Kuk will organise the "Creative Arts Market", inviting local Hong Kong handicraft artists to showcase their creative works and elaborate skills to the Taiwanese by presenting and selling their handmade arts and craft items.

The "Hong Kong Lantern Festival" organised by the Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office (Taiwan) will feature lanterns modelled on some of Hong Kong's famous local dishes, including Hong Kong style milk tea, egg tarts, curry fish balls, rice noodle rolls, poon choi and cart noodles.

A wide range of extension activities such as workshops, art and craft demonstrations and academic forums will also take place in Taipei, allowing the people of Taiwan to fully experience the unique charm of Hong Kong's arts and culture.

For programme details of "Hong Kong Week 2014 @ Taipei", please visit its official website at: www.hongkongweek-taiwan.hk.

Thursday, September 18, 2014