Hong Kong’s West Kowloon arts hub ‘may delay some infrastructures’ to fix funding crisis
- Bernard Chan, West Kowloon District Authority’s vice-chairman, says losses expected as cultural institutions generally ‘unprofitable’
Bernard Chan, vice-chairman of the West Kowloon District Authority, told local and mainland Chinese reporters on Saturday that losses were to be expected from the arts hub as cultural institutions in general were “unprofitable”.
“This discussion is still ongoing, but my understanding is that it is rather favourable. They understand the importance of this, so they are not going to pull the plug,” Chan said. “I am sure they will probably come back with certain conditions required.”
The vice-chairman was speaking at a briefing to introduce the city’s premier arts hub to both mainland and local media under a Beijing-organised media tour to promote the Greater Bay Area.
The bay area is Beijing’s plan to turn Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong province into a hi-tech economic powerhouse by 2035.
Chan’s comments came a month after Henry Tang Ying-yen, chairman of the West Kowloon District Authority, warned the government it had until August to make a decision on the hub’s proposed funding plan, or risk having its museums open two fewer days every week while its Cantonese opera centre reduces its opening time.
