Speech by SCST at closing ceremony of Museum Summit 2023 (English only)
25.3.2023

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, at the closing ceremony of the Museum Summit 2023 today (March 25): Dr Eike Schmidt (Director of the Gallerie degli Uffizi), distinguished speakers, guests, ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon. It is my great honour to speak here today at the closing ceremony of the Museum Summit 2023 which is presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in partnership with the Gallerie degli Uffizi of Italy. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for your participation, and to our distinguished speakers for their valuable contributions. Moreover, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our international partner, the Gallerie degli Uffizi, for their steadfast support to the Summit. Last year, the new Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau was established to take on the initiative in facilitating the cultural development of Hong Kong. As part of this effort, we have plans to increase the number of museums under the LCSD and to enhance performance venues. In the past two days, we have had the opportunity to listen to a wide range of informative and insightful presentations that will serve as important references as we work towards creating a more vibrant and dynamic future for the cultural sector of Hong Kong. We have gained valuable insights from the distinguished delegations and speakers, particularly on how technology can transform and enrich the museum experience in fundamental ways. We are now pressing ahead with the mission to enhance Hong Kong's position as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange under the National 14th Five-Year Plan. We will strive to facilitate the development of arts, cultural and creative industries of Hong Kong and reinforce its leading position as an international art hub in the Greater Bay Area. Building on the successes of previous editions, this year's Summit adopts a hybrid model for the first time, allowing for both on-site and online attendance and enabling multi-dimensional participation. Aside from the expanded participation with a total of some 2 000 enrolments, there are over 12 million views joining us online, the Summit has also created strong synergies with art fairs such as Art Basel and Art Central, which you have visited this week. This year's Summit seeks to provide participants with the opportunities to visit Hong Kong's leading museums, including the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Palace Museum, and M+, showcasing the best of our cultural field. I hope these visits will plant the seeds for future collaborations and exchange between Hong Kong's museums and those beyond. Moving forward, we will organise a number of major events, including the Hong Kong Performing Arts Market and Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival in October 2024 and collaborate with Greater Bay Area counterparts to organise the National Game in 2025. I would like to invite our Mainland and overseas guests to come to Hong Kong again to attend these events. Finally, it is my pleasure to announce that the Summit has come to a successful conclusion. I hope all of you find this year's Summit fruitful, enjoyable and memorable. Thank you very much.