The Asia Cultural Cooperation Forum 2006 opened in Hong Kong on Wednesday with a Chinese delegations' closed meeting.

 

The meeting, entitled Opportunities for Culture and Creative industries under Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, was attended by government officials from Hong Kong and the mainland.

 

When delivering a welcoming speech at the meeting, Hong Kong Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho said that the theme of this year's Forum was "Asian Arts, Culture and Modernity" through which participants are expected to discuss the Asian modernization process of modernization and the characteristics of Asian modern art.

 

Ho said that since the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, Asia had lagged behind western countries in aspects like culture and art. But with the Asian economy trail-blazing, the development pattern of Asian culture has become a hot topic.

 

The Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum 2006 was organized by the Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong government. Participants from different parts of the world discuss their experiences in the process of modernization, particularly reflected in culture and the arts, and explore the idea of an Asian concept of modernity.

 

The five-day forum features a Chinese delegations' meeting and an Asian cultural ministers' meeting and a series of 12 open forums around six thematic programs -- "Cultural Ecologies: Communicating Contemporary Art in the 21st Century", "Measuring Creativity, Happiness and Well Being", "Creative Education Summit", "Media Arts in the Contemporary Society", "Experiencing Architecture" and "Asian Arts, Culture and Modernity".

 

Cultural ministers or their representatives from Asian countries and regions, including Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam, as well as a large delegation of senior cultural officials from the Ministry of Culture and from 15 provinces joined the forum.

 

The Asia Cultural Cooperation Forum was initiated by the Home Affairs Bureau in 2003. It aims to foster and enhance partnership between governments, to facilitate and promote private sector initiatives in cultural and creative industries, and enhance as Hong Kong's profile as Asia’s leading cultural and creative hub.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 9, 2006)