Part 2 “Promoting Chinese Culture and Integrated Development of Culture and Tourism”
MR CHAN CHUN-YING: Thank you, President. Chief Executive, I actually pressed the button in the previous part, but I will not speak on the previous topic, lest the Chief Executive would say that I have “drifted away”.
At present, many Mainland cities have successively launched immersive tourism experience projects with local characteristics. Many of our Honourable colleagues should have been there. Examples are the immersive night tour “Qiannian Zhiyu” in Xinjiang Museum and “The Longest Day in Chang’an” immersive theme block in Xi’an. These all illustrate that the current development of new technologies has spurred the demand for immersive cultural tourism with a strong sense of participation, high interactivity and good experience. This is the new favourite in our tourism market. This kind of in-depth participation not only breaks the traditional tourism mode of sightseeing, but also enhances tourists’ fun and memory points in travelling.
Can the Government consider presenting the various characteristics of our “Pearl of the Orient” to our visitors through immersive performing arts programmes? For example, famous directors were invited to direct the show of “Impression Lijiang” in the Mainland, and it took more than a year to set up the theatre on the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain at 3,050 m above sea level. Although Hong Kong does not have such a high mountain, we can follow this approach and invite renowned directors and artists to promote the essence of local culture, such as Cantonese opera, folk dance, martial arts, and even the 480 items of intangible cultural heritage mentioned by the Chief Executive just now, and integrate all these elements together. With the aid of advanced technology, tourists can enjoy some real, vivid and immersive performances, and Hong Kong can offer visitors a new tourism experience. After their visits, tourists will definitely remember the “Impression Hong Kong” show in Hong Kong. As for the venue, consideration can be given to our new civic landmark, the West Kowloon Cultural District, as there are various types of performance and exhibition venues which should be able to meet the demand. Thank you.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Thank you, President. In fact, the Government has explored this issue since I took office, and we have actually been approached by people with similar ideas. Of course, as Mr CHAN has just said, some of these ideas involve the issue of venues and some involve feasibility. Personally, what I find most appealing is probably our Victoria Harbour. How can we create immersive experiences in Victoria Harbour? I have discussed this with the proponents of the concept. Some suggested creating a show in which something would rise up from Victoria Harbour at the appropriate times of the day. The idea is certainly striking, but the feasibility and how it would actually work in Hong Kong is a big challenge. I have made some requests like the ones I have just made to the Honourable Members to see if they have any solutions to the problems in this regard, but they did not come back to me. This shows that many concepts are good, but the practicality is indeed a matter that is difficult to overcome.
Apart from the West Kowloon Cultural District, which may be an option, as Mr CHAN just said, are there any immersive experiences which are representative and can make people remember not only the activity but also the unique features of Hong Kong after their visits? I wonder if Mr CHAN has any views on this.
MR CHAN CHUN-YING: I am not an expert in this field. The Chief Executive asked me what I thought would make other people visiting Hong Kong remember Hong Kong. I can only think of the Peak. If an immersive theatre can be built on the Peak, I believe the effect will be the best. However, in terms of specifics, I suggest consulting Mr MA Fung-kwok and Mr Kenneth FOK, who are experts in this field. I believe they can give the Chief Executive a lot of good advice for reference. Thank you.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE: President, I thank Mr CHAN. This is really something that we need to ponder. I think it is a very good idea to propose projects which can represent Hong Kong and which any visitor would consider a must-see after coming here. In fact, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau has a similar concept, which would be easier to explain in English―signature performances, that is, they are very representative of Hong Kong. Of course, the concept is correct, that is, to curate a project that is not only representative of Hong Kong, but also attractive and well-produced. This is a test of wisdom. We will certainly provide policy support. In terms of wisdom, Honourable Members may be much more flexible than our officials, but our goal is the same. We are also discussing this with some creative people, but very often the Government’s policy-making process is like what I have described as “conceiving a baby”. When our baby is not yet born, other people will not know that I am pregnant, and I will not leave my home because I have to prevent a miscarriage. So, the outside world will not know that I am doing so much work, but I have to do it. So, please give us more advice. May our efforts on this front produce more remarkable results in the end. Let us work hard together. Thank you, President.