Press Release - January 9, 2007

The stunning music of piano prodigy Lang Lang, who just became a Hong Kong resident late last year under the Special Administrative Region's "Quality Migrant Admission Scheme", will set the scene for a series of events spanning till the end of this year in several major Canadian cities to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR.

Speaking at a New Year reception in Toronto�s National Club today (Tuesday), the Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Canada, Mr Bassanio So, thanked the overwhelming support from the business, cultural and academic sectors, especially the Chinese community in organizing over 40 events to celebrate the successful implementation of "One Country, Two Systems" and the "Hong Kong Spirit".

The innovative concept of "One Country, Two Systems" has proved to be not only workable, but it has achieved a resounding success in the 10 years after Hong Kong�s return to China, said Mr So. "The closer economic integration between Hong Kong and Mainland China has created numerous opportunities not only for business people in that part of the world, but also for many Canadian companies," he said. Major Canadian business organizations such as the 57,000-member Ontario Chamber of Commerce has recognized Hong Kong�s "Gateway" role to the mainland in their China strategy.

One of the major business events to mark the occasion is a national business forum of the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association to be held in Toronto on April 23 with the theme "A Winning Strategy for Canada: Hong Kong & Fujian", featuring business opportunities in the Pan-Pearl River Delta region.

"While Hong Kong, where China and the world come together, is the ideal place for Canadian companies to start, Fujian Province, right at the juncture of China's most economically developed areas, is an integral part of China�s regional economic development strategy," Mr So said. At the forum, Hong Kong and Fujian will present the winning combination where Canadian firms look to expand in China in this new era of economic cooperation between Hong Kong and the mainland of China.

The forum is supported by the HKETO, Invest Hong Kong, Ontario Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, and Chinese business associations in Ontario, as well as trade and economic development organizations of the three levels of the government.

"We expect more activities will be lining up in different Canadian cities to mark the occasion," said Mr So, citing that the City of Edmonton will proclaim a "Hong Kong Week" in mid-March to celebrate the 10th Anniversary, featuring "A Touch of Hong Kong" Gala, a Canada-Hong Kong business forum, a Hong Kong film festival, and the "Five Decades Under the Lion Rock � Courage, Aspiration and a Prosperous Future" photo exhibition. The photo exhibition, developed jointly between the HKETO and the Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto, will be touring to seven other Canadian cities.

Briefing some 160 guests including dignitaries, senior government officials, business and community leaders about a series of events being organized by the HKETO and different organizations in major cities in Canada, Mr So said the celebrations ranged from business, cultural, sports and educational events to displays, receptions and galas. "All these activities will highlight Hong Kong�s vigour and vitality, as well as how we have successfully maintained the city as Asia�s world city and a leading trading and financial centre."

A major celebration in Toronto will be the Bauhinia Gala, presented by the Centre for Information & Community Services of Ontario, with the support from about 20 community organizations. The Bauhinia Gala, which will feature the unique cuisines from the nine South China provinces and the two special administrative regions in the Pan-Pearl River Delta, will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on June 15.

The HKETO will be hosting three receptions in June in Ottawa (21st), Vancouver (26th) and Toronto (28th) to celebrate the 10th Anniversary.

The first celebration will be held January 27 at a sold-out New Year Concert presented by the Li Delun Music Foundation at the Toronto Centre for the Arts, with pianist Lang Lang embracing the limelight with his elastic hands and dazzling dexterity, and the Toronto Festival Orchestra playing Hong Kong composer William Wu�s film and television music, including Jackie Chan�s "Drunken Master"

The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, which consists of 85 musicians and has commissioned over 1,500 original compositions and arrangements that include works that delve into Chinese roots by way of existing folk songs and more avant-garde works that combine Western and Chinese instruments, is preparing to perform in Vancouver in August, and planning to come to Toronto as well. Also planning to come to Toronto in the fall is Hong Kong�s flagship modern dance group, City Contemporary Dance Company, which is known for its distinctive and yet diverse style of its program.

Other major cultural presentations include:

- The Hong Kong City Choir�s performance presented jointly by the Chinese Artists Society of Toronto and the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto (CCC) on June 17 at the P.C. Ho theatre.

- From the Queen to the Chief Executive � Hong Kong Films 10 Years After the Handover" presented by the Asian Institute of the University of Toronto from May 4 to May 6. Panel discussion will be held after some screenings.

- Orient Dance Company will present to the Toronto audience "The Enchanting Colours of China � the Pearl of the Orient" at a performance to be held on May 19 at the Markham Theatre.

Hong Kong Film Nights will be presented by the HKETO at Montreal�s Fantasia International Film Festival, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, and international film festivals in Vancouver and Calgary to mark the Hong Kong SAR 10th Anniversary.

The Overseas Chinese Music Society (Ontario), which is formed mostly by people from Hong Kong, will present Hong Kong, My Love" evening in early November in a celebration finale, wrapping the crowd with Hong Kong emotions and feelings through Chinese and western music, dance and opera performances.

In addition, a group of Canadian Chinese artists in Toronto, including Stephen Yau, Cheung Wai-ming, Man-wai Wu, Edward Chan, Henry Ho and Albert Au, etc. will gather together to present their creativity which bears its roots in Hong Kong, their breeding ground, in an exhibition of paintings and sculptures in Toronto and Montreal in June.

Sports events to celebrate the Hong Kong SAR 10th anniversary include a series of "Hong Kong Cup" competitions:
- "Hong Kong Cup International Table Tennis Tournament"presented by Canadian Chinese Table Tennis Association in May;
- "Hong Kong Cup Race" at the Toronto International Dragon Boat Festival on June 16 and 17;
- "Hong Kong Cup Soccer Tournament"presented by Toronto Chinese Soccer Association on July 1 in Toronto; and
- "Hong Kong SAR 10th Anniversary Golf Tournament", presented by the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association at Toronto�s Mandarin Golf & Country Club on September 12.

Academic and educational activities to be held from February to almost end of the year include the "Hong Kong Open Lecture /Seminar Series" organized by the Asian Institute of the University of Toronto in association with Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library and the HKETO on topics such as "Hong Kong - 10 Years after its Return to China", "Hong Kong Fashion Designers", and "In Search of Good Governance: Administrative Officers of Hong Kong", etc.

A "Hong Kong Spirit" Cup Arts and Literary Contest presented by the Chinese Arts & Literary Contest for Youth (CALCY) and four Hong Kong university alumni associations will invite high school students to compete in essay writing in Chinese and English, slogan writing, art project "Pearl of the Orient", and a presentation on the "Hong Kong Spirit" in May.

Different student groups at major Canadian universities will also organize In-campus Hong Kong events including displays and seminars on Hong Kong, and in-campus Hong Kong Day.

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For more information, please contact:
Stephen Siu, Assistant Director (Public Relations), Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office at: (416)924-5544 or email: [email protected] or
Elison Chu, Senior Information Officer, [email protected]

Photo shows the VIP guests and the Director of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office (Canada), Mr Bassanio So (5th from left), and the Chinese Consul General in Toronto, Madam Chen Xiaoling (6th from left), together with some of the event organizers today (Tuesday) taking part in the launching ceremony in Toronto of a year-round of celebrations to mark the Hong Kong SAR 10th Anniversary. A total of about 40 events will be held in six major Canadian cities.

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