Speech by SCST at opening ceremony of Hong Kong Week 2023@Bangkok (English only)
21.10.2023

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, at the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Week 2023@Bangkok in Bangkok, Thailand, today (October 21): Minister Sermsak (Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Thailand, Mr Sermsak Pongpanit), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon! Welcome to the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Week 2023@Bangkok. Hong Kong and Bangkok enjoy close ties. In recent years Thai cultural and arts offerings are always well-received in Hong Kong. Likewise, the pop culture and high arts offerings from Hong Kong are also very popular among citizens in Thailand. Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Cooperation between Hong Kong and Thailand in 2018, we have developed even deeper cultural partnership and bonding. It is our pleasure to present our overseas edition of Hong Kong Week in Bangkok, to showcase to our Thai friends Hong Kong's enchanting arts and cultural offerings. In the coming weeks, we will connect Hong Kong's unique artistry and creativity with audiences and viewers in Bangkok. We have brought a wide variety of programmes, covering music, dance, intangible cultural heritage, film and fashion to showcase the essence of our East-meets-West cultural DNA, our Chinese and Hong Kong stories, and our aesthetics. Our Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, one of Asia's foremost orchestras, will perform two concerts during the festival and the Hong Kong Dance Company will also present an award-winning piece, Convergence, fusing Chinese martial arts and dance and presenting our rich Chinese cultural treasures in a modern way. If you are more interested in our films and fashion, or Hong Kong-style milk tea making technique with local characteristic, please join us at our film screenings, fashion presentations, and thematic exhibition on Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage. Taking the opportunity, we would also like to introduce to you our young talents and aspiring artists, as well as promote exchanges between them and our Thai counterparts. Our young musicians in arts groups "SENZA A Cappella" and "Respire Harmonica Ensemble" will perform the best of Hong Kong pop songs for the audience in Thailand. Students of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, our number one performing arts institute in Asia, will collaborate with students of Mahidol University for a wind and brass concert. I look forward to the sparks and inspirations from the events. I am sure that the Hong Kong Week will bring rich and dazzling performances to the audiences here in Bangkok, and provide platforms and networking opportunities for Hong Kong artists, expanding their horizons and audience base, thereby contributing to the development of Hong Kong into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. Last but not least, I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to Thailand's Ministry of Culture and Mahidol University, along with all other Thai and Hong Kong partners for their generous support for the Hong Kong Week. I wish Hong Kong Week 2023@Bangkok a resounding success and I hope all of you will enjoy the opening concert and other performances of our Hong Kong Week. Thank you.