Cultural and Creative Industries
Cultural Development
84. Hong Kong is an international cultural metropolis where the eastern and western cultures meet. Cultural and arts activities not only enrich life experience and foster the cultivation of personal qualities, but also create room for young people to display their creativity and offer them job opportunities. In 2019-20, the Government's total expenditure on culture and arts exceeds $5 billion.
85. We will continue to promote traditional Chinese culture actively through the Intangible Cultural Heritage Funding Scheme and the Cantonese Opera Development Fund. At the same time, we will encourage local arts groups and artists to showcase to the world the cultural strength and artistic achievements of Hong Kong.
86. Promoting diversity in cultural and arts development requires the joint support of the community and the business sector. I will allocate an additional $900 million to the Art Development Matching Grants Scheme this year to further promote sponsorship of culture and arts.
Cultural Facilities
87. The West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest cultural projects in the world, with the Xiqu Centre and Freespace already commissioned in 2019. The remaining cultural and arts facilities, including the visual culture museum M+, the Hong Kong Palace Museum and the Lyric Theatre Complex, will be completed in the next few years to provide world-class venues for artists.
88. The Hong Kong Museum of Art re-opened at the end of last year, while the East Kowloon Cultural Centre under construction is targeted to commence operation in 2022. We are also actively planning for the construction of a number of new cultural facilities, and the expansion and renovation of existing facilities.
Creative Industries
89. The Government allocated $1 billion each to the CreateSmart Initiative and the Film Development Fund in the past two financial years, more than doubling the total amount of resources allocated in the preceding years.
90. In the coming year, we will focus on helping industries explore the Mainland and overseas markets. On films, we will enhance co-operation with countries in Southeast Asia in a more proactive manner. Last November, Hong Kong signed a memorandum of understanding with Thailand, facilitating co-operation between the creative sectors of both sides. The Agreement Concerning Amendment to the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement Agreement on Trade in Services announced earlier will also facilitate the entry of the local film, television and printing industries into the Mainland market.
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