Editorial | Hong Kong’s cultural vision waits for finishing touches
- Hong Kong may no longer be a desert when it comes to quality arts and performances, but it is still far from being a capital of culture
There was a time when Hong Kong was derided as a “cultural desert”, an infamous reference to its emphasis on commerce over quality arts and performances.
That perception has gradually been diluted by the addition of more dates on its cultural calendar over time. Notwithstanding the cultural awakening, the city still has a long way to go in its quest to become a cultural capital.
Following the creation of a new bureau on culture, sports and tourism earlier this year for more focused development, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu pledged in his election manifesto to foster a city of culture and make it a hub of such exchange between the mainland and the world.
Commendable as it is, the way forward is anything but clear until he fills the gaps in his first policy address.
Apart from forming a high-level commission and a strategy development blueprint, the government would also subsidise more events, nurture talent and build more facilities.
It aims to expedite the city into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, one of the key roles for Hong Kong under the national 14th five-year plan, and establish a thriving and diversified arts, cultural and creative ecosystem.