75th Board Meeting of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Held Today

The Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) held its 75th meeting today.
 

WKCDA’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Duncan Pescod reported that WKCDA terminated the employment under the contract for the M+ construction project with Hsin Chong Construction Company Limited on 17 August 2018. WKCDA announced the appointment of a management contractor, Gammon Construction Limited, on 7 September to take over the M+ project through to completion.  WKCDA are now focused on delivering the M+ building by the end of 2019 with the opening of the M+ museum in 2020.
 

For the Xiqu Centre, fitting out works of the Grand Theatre are nearing completion. The theatre audio and lighting system together with the rigging system are being tested, getting ready for the first performances. 
 

Members noted that the Art Park with Freespace is nearing completion. However, the schedule for statutory inspections has some minor delay due to issues with the Interfacing Car Park which is being delivered under the M+ main works contract.
 

For the Lyric Theatre Complex and relevant part of the integrated basement project, the excavation works have been temporarily suspended due to water ingress from the pipe pile walls. Remedial measures are being implemented on site following discussions with Buildings Department. The Hong Kong Palace Museum project remains on schedule.
 

Riding on the Fourth Plenary Session of the Hong Kong/Shanghai Cooperation Conference held in Hong Kong on 24 August 2018, WKCDA signed cooperation agreements with Shanghai West Bund (Shanghai Xuhui Waterfront Area Comprehensive Development and Construction Management Committee), SMG Performing Arts Group, and Power Station of Art, as well as renewing the partnership agreement between the Xiqu Centre at the West Kowloon Cultural District and The Shanghai Center of Chinese Operas.
 

WKCDA also signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts on 3 September to build a strategic platform for collaboration.
 

Members also noted that the first Freespace Happening of the new season was held on 8 and 9 September at its permanent site in the Art Park, attracting an attendance of over 7,000. The October’s Freespace Happening will take place on 14 October.
 

Mr Pescod was pleased to report that the Experimental Cantonese Opera ‘Farewell My Concubine’ (New Adaption) was awarded the ‘Best Experimental Xiqu Performance of 2017’ in Beijing at the Beijing Performing Arts Expo on 9 September.
 

WKCDA is also delighted that Hongkong Post will issue a stamp sheetlet featuring the Xiqu Centre in March 2019. The stamp sheetlet is designed by Michael Miller Yu and features the unique outlook of the Xiqu Centre.  Calligraphy by the late Professor Jao Tsung-i is found at the top right hand corner of the sheetlet against a background in red, symbolising prosperity of the art form.
 

Remarks
 

About West Kowloon Cultural District
Located on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest cultural projects in the world. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong. With a complex of theatres, performance spaces and museums, the West Kowloon Cultural District will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances and cultural events, as well as provide 23 hectares of public open space, including a two-kilometre waterfront promenade.