Youth are deeply immersed in culture

The third edition of the Hong Kong Palace Museum’s flagship youth initiative, the Bi-city Youth Cultural Leadership Programme, concluded on Thursday at the Palace Museum in Beijing, bringing to a close a two-month cultural exchange trip from Hong Kong to Chengdu in Sichuan province and Beijing.

Participating students from Beijing and Hong Kong had interesting discussions on the promotion of Chinese culture and the development of creative industries with Wang Xudong, Director of the Palace Museum, Lou Wei, Deputy Executive Director of the Palace Museum, Louis Ng, Director of the HKPM Museum, Vinci Chan, Deputy Director of the Hong Kong SAR Government Office in Beijing, and Han Zhi, Retail Director of Swire Properties.

The program is supported by the Palace Museum and the Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Beijing, with Swire Properties as the main sponsor. The initiative was designed by program partner Ednovators, a Hong Kong-based charity platform.

In addition to the dynamic session, the Beijing program also included a full-day visit to the Palace Museum. Highlights included a tour of the digital gallery, where students learned how the museum uses digital solutions to creatively present culture, and a visit to the Department of Conservation Science to explore the use of technology in the conservation of artifacts.

The highlight of Thursday was a session between students and the museum director, who shared his extensive knowledge in a lecture titled “All that is the Forbidden City, and the Forbidden City for All.” Students then shared their findings and experiences during a two-month study tour titled “The Future of Cultural Ecosystems.” This was followed by in-depth exchanges between students and special guests.

“We are very pleased with how well the programme has been received by students from Beijing and Hong Kong, as well as by industry professionals and experts over the past three editions of the Bi-city Youth Cultural Leadership Programme,” said Ng.

“This programme not only achieves our goal of nurturing cultural interactions and promoting Chinese cultural heritage, but also strengthens Hong Kong’s position as an international hub for cultural talent and future industry leaders,” he added.

“We hope to empower a new generation to create vibrant and sustainable places where art and culture can flourish as part of everyday life,” said Tim Blackburn, CEO of Swire Properties.

The third edition, which kicked off in July in Hong Kong, saw participants take part in immersive workshops, master classes and internships at arts and cultural institutions and private enterprises in Hong Kong, giving them the opportunity to broaden their horizons and become cultural entrepreneurs.

In mid-August, they visited the recently opened New Sanxingdui Museum and Taikoo Li Chengdu, where they learned about the integration of art, culture and historical elements in placemaking. They also participated in the forum “Tradition and Future: Modernization and Localization of Cultural Legacy” and had the opportunity to talk with experts in the fields of cultural heritage, design and architecture on topics such as cultural heritage, innovation and urban renewal.

Since its launch in November 2022, the programme has enabled nearly 130 students from universities in Beijing and Hong Kong to immerse themselves in a series of exciting cultural exchanges and educational activities. Applications for the fourth edition of the programme will be accepted in early 2025, and more details will be announced on the HKPM website in due course.