The 103rd Board Meeting of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

The Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA or the Authority) held its 103rd meeting today. At the meeting, Mrs Betty Fung, Chief Executive Officer of WKCDA, reported on the latest progress in various areas of the West Kowloon Cultural District (West Kowloon or the District).

M+, Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture, held its opening ceremony on 11 November. Mrs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, officiated the ceremony at the museum’s invitation. The monumental occasion was witnessed by guests who attended the event in person as well as those who joined via livestream. More than 180 media representatives took part in a media preview of M+ on the same day.

Mrs Fung said M+ has been well received by the public and recorded an attendance of 280,000 between its public launch on 12 November and 16 December. More than 17,500 people participated in some 280 activities held to celebrate the museum’s opening. Local, Mainland China and international media have covered the official opening of M+ extensively and generated more than 1,200 pieces of news coverage, including features on opening exhibitions, interviews with curators and more. Mrs Fung concluded that the opening of M+ was undoubtedly a great event that raised the museum’s international profile.

The construction works of another museum in West Kowloon, Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM), are progressing smoothly. The Occupation Permit was issued at the end of September, and procedures have been initiated to apply for the Places of Public Entertainment Licences for the museum’s exhibition spaces and auditorium from the relevant government departments. The museum staff moved into the new museum office last Monday (13 December), and the refurbishment of the exhibition space has progressed as planned. The museum is planning to have objects from the Palace Museum delivered to Hong Kong in May 2022 and has already started preparing the exhibitions.

The last presentation of Part II of the Palace Museum Culture Lecture Series was given last Saturday (11 December) with Mr Yan Yong, Head of the Court History Department, Palace Museum, as the speaker. He introduced some 170,000 weaving and embroidery works from the Palace Museum and explored the imperial costume system of the Qing Dynasty and its cultural significance. Part III of the Lecture Series will be held from March to May 2022. Recruitment for the HKPM Volunteer Programme has started. Chinese art and culture enthusiasts as well as HKPM supporters are welcome to apply. The application deadline is 23 December.

As for performing arts, the Tea House Theatre at the Xiqu Centre launched a new Tea House Chamber Music Series, inviting a number of prominent chamber orchestras to perform. The Series offers music lovers the enjoyment of appreciating these concerts at near distance in a small but exquisite venue. The first programme, Eight Colours and Trout Quintet, was performed to the delight of the audience on 13 December by the principal string players of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) and acclaimed pianist Colleen Lee. At Freespace, ON VIEW: Panoramic Suite will be staged for three days starting from today (17 December). The performance is a grand crossover of three art disciplines presented in the form of dance film installations featuring portraits of dance artists from Hong Kong, Japan and Australia.

In addition, Winter Holiday Comedy: The Emperor, produced by the Canto Op and commissioned by the Xiqu Centre will premiere at the Xiqu Centre on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Mrs Fung said WKCDA was pleased to become a strategic partner of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). Following previous collaborations, WKCDA has joined with HKTB on two landmark events: Christmas Town for 2021 Hong Kong Winterfest, and the Hong Kong New Year Countdown Concert. As the highlight of 2021 Hong Kong Winterfest, a towering 20-metre Christmas tree and a Christmas Town have been moved from where they used to be displayed in Central to the Harbourside Lawn in the District’s Art Park. The Christmas tree, equivalent in height to a six-storey building, has now become a ‘check-in’ hot spot for the public. In the Hong Kong New Year Countdown Concert to follow, 3,000 lucky winners will be able to appreciate performances in the District by famous artists and art groups including boyband MIRROR and HK Phil. The performance will be broadcast live on television. The countdown clock will be displayed on M+’s gigantic LED facade so that the public can welcome 2022 together.

These collaborations with HKTB have enabled WKCDA to diversify the District’s activities and visitor experiences significantly. Bolstered by the opening of M+, the District has become a new landmark welcomed by the general public and a must-see spot for visitors from all territories.

Following a tendering process, WKCDA has signed a short-term tenancy agreement with Right Grace Entertainment Limited. The company will stage a diverse range of outdoor entertainment and performances in the 140,000-square-feet Nursery Park. Rubber Band, a local Cantopop band, will be the first to perform there in January 2022.

Works of the Artist Square Bridge connecting MTR Kowloon Station and the District’s Artist Square have generally been completed. WKCDA is arranging works inspections with the relevant government departments and aims to have it open for public use by the end of this month. Once opened, the Bridge will significantly improve the accessibility of the District.

On commercial development front, WKCDA invited tenders for the development of Artist Square Towers, the Authority’s first commercial development project, on 26 November. The project, strategically located at the heart of the District, will comprise three commercial office buildings with a total gross floor area of approximately 65,000 square metres. The completed Towers would leverage the synergy derived from the District’s world-class arts and cultural facilities. Working under the Build–Operate–Transfer (BOT) model, the developer awarded the tender will be responsible for the design, construction, financing, marketing, leasing and maintenance of the project and will be granted its development and operational rights for 34 years. The Artist Square Towers project will create a unique Cultural CBD. The tender for the project will end on 11 February 2022.

Remarks

About the West Kowloon Cultural District
The West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest and most ambitious cultural projects in the world. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong on forty hectares of reclaimed land located alongside Victoria Harbour. With a varied mix of theatres, performance spaces, and museums, the West Kowloon Cultural District will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances and cultural events, providing twenty-three hectares of public open space, including a two-kilometre waterfront promenade.