Three Hong Kong and one Chinese mainland websites and IT companies, winners of the World Best and Asia Best Practice Awards at the recent United Nations' World Summit Award held in Geneva, were honored by Tung Chee Hwa, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, on Thursday.

"I am proud that at the first World Summit Awards, China has won two grand prizes and received commendations for another two projects. I am particularly delighted that one of the grand prize winners was 'The Splendid Chinese Culture Website' produced by the Academy of Chinese Studies based in Hong Kong," said Tung at the award presentation ceremony.

The website is an inspiring site of great depth, media richness and comprehensive content. It provides Chinese users with an incredible array of content on Chinese life, history, literature, and culture. The combination of various multi-media formats is done in an exemplary fashion, said Tung.

"I expect the academy will build on this achievement by continuing to enrich the site's content, building up a true archive of Chinese civilization, developing its English version as the best window to Chinese culture for foreigners and overseas Chinese, and launching a version in simplified Chinese characters for our billion or so mainland compatriots," said Tung.

One major and two minor projects sponsored by the government won in this year's World Summit Award, which is testimony to the abundant innovation and dynamism in Hong Kong. This innovation and dynamism will flourish along with an increasingly prosperous Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, he added. 

(Xinhua News Agency December 19, 2003)