Press Release - January 16, 2002

The participation of the Calgary Stampede in Hong Kong�s Chinese New Year Parade next month represents a fusion of cultures and performing arts between the two cities.

�The combination of Native Canadian performances and Western cowboys is both new and familiar to Hong Kong people. It is new because this fusion of the two performing arts has never been seen in Hong Kong before. Yet it is also familiar because Hong Kong is also the product of a fusion of the two cultures � east and west,� Mrs Rosanna Ure, Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Canada) said today (January 16) at the reception held to officially send off the Calgary Stampede to Hong Kong.

The official send-off ceremony at Chinook Centre was organized by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Canada) and Hong Kong Tourism Board, in conjunction with the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association Calgary section.

This is the second year that the Calgary Stampede participates in Hong Kong�s Chinese New Year Parade. The delegation of more than 30 members, led by the Hon. Ralph Klein, Alberta Premier, and Mr Dave Bronconnier, the Calgary Mayor, will again present its uniquely designed float and exciting performance to the Hong Kong community at the Chinese New Year Parade in February.

Officiating at the reception, Premier Klein said Alberta and Hong Kong had enjoyed a close relationship and the business ties were particularly strong with the setting up of an Alberta representative office in Hong Kong.

�We acknowledge the value of Hong Kong as the gateway to China and would like to build on our already close ties to explore more business opportunities in Hong Kong and in China,� he said.

Today�s function also marked the unveiling of Hong Kong�s new global brand identity by Premier Klein, Mayor Bronconnier and Mrs Ure at Calgary.

A stylish dragon with a slogan �Asia�s world city�, the new brand identity was designed to communicate Hong Kong's link to an historical and cultural icon. While the flowing lines of the dragon mirror Chinese calligraphy, the dragon incorporates the letters 'H' and 'K' and the Chinese characters for Hong Kong.

The new Hong Kong brand was formally launched by the Hong Kong Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, at the Fortune Global Forum last May. It was introduced to Toronto and Vancouver last June. Calgary is the third major city in Canada to come to know the new brand.

�According to an international survey, Hong Kong is most frequently described as innovative, dynamic, intelligent, energetic, progressive, unique and high performance. As you can see from the energetic dragon icon, all these qualities were well captured in the new Brand Hong Kong,� Mrs Ure said.

�What we are promoting is not just a visual identity of Hong Kong. The special presentation of �Brand Hong Kong� is part and parcel of our continuing global strategy to focus the world�s attention on the many facets of Hong Kong. The new visual identity reflects Hong Kong�s image as one of the world�s most cosmopolitan and vibrant cities, epitomizes its rich culture and unique heritage and challenges you to explore Hong Kong as a visitor, an investor and an admirer.�

For business, Mrs Ure said, the energy of the dragon means Hong Kong is the place where things happen and where business gets done. Indeed, more than 3,200 multinational corporations chose Hong Kong as the base for their regional headquarters and offices last year.

�With China joining the World Trade Organisation, Hong Kong is ready to leverage its proximity to and its ties and contacts with the Mainland to assist international investors to tap the enormous opportunities that will emerge in China over the next few decades,� she added.

Also opened at the ceremony was a nostalgic and modern photo exhibition �Living in Hong Kong� which provides a snapshot on the progress Hong Kong has made in the past 50 years. Through the exhibition, which will last until January 27, Calgarians will have the opportunity to better understand the culture and heritage of Hong Kong. The widely-acclaimed photo collection was first presented in the �Hong Kong Arts Festival� in Toronto last November.

As one of the core elements of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the unique collection of some 80 photos, arranged under the themes of �Dressing�, �Eating�, �Living� and �Commuting�, depicts life in Hong Kong in the 1950s to the present days. The photo exhibition will move to Vancouver next month.

To add colour to the event, an indoor mini-golf �Hole-in-one� charity competition will be held on January 26 and 27 at Chinook Centre to raise funds for the Kids Cancer Foundation. Visitors stand a good opportunity of winning a free return air ticket with complimentary hotel accommodation to Hong Kong valued at more than C$4,500.

This function is sponsored by Cathay Pacific Airways and Marco Polo Hotels. The media sponsors are Calgary Sun, Fairchild TV, Fairchild Radio and Sing Tao Daily.

For more information, please call: John Tam, Chief Information Officer of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office at: (416)456-8623 or email: [email protected].