Hong Kong Palace Museum holds opening ceremony

 　　Special: 25th Anniversary of Hong Kong's Return to The Motherland

　　The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM), located in the West Kowloon Cultural District of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), held its opening ceremony on Wednesday.

　　The ceremony was co-organized by the HKSAR government and the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

　　Carrie Lam, chief executive of the HKSAR, said the establishment of the HKPM is intertwined with the unique advantages of Hong Kong under "one country, two systems."

　　The HKPM is also intertwined with the full support rendered by the central government for Hong Kong and its affection for the people of Hong Kong, as well as with the trust that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Palace Museum have in Hong Kong, Lam told the opening ceremony.

　　Lam believes that the HKPM will certainly become a must-visit destination for overseas travelers in the future, showing the world the long-standing and enduring spirit of the Chinese people and promoting the image of an inclusive, open, credible and respectable China.

　　Li Qun, vice minister of culture and tourism and head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, said the establishment of the HKPM is an innovative blend of rich traditional Chinese culture, embodied by the Palace Museum, and the spirit of Hong Kong as a modern international city.

　　The museum's establishment is also a major milestone signifying the collaboration between mainland and Hong Kong, and an innovative development that enables the sharing and inheritance of our splendid traditional Chinese culture, he said.

　　The completion of the HKPM allows Hong Kong citizens to appreciate up-close these beautiful and precious treasures, experience the profoundness of traditional Chinese culture, feel the heartbeat of the development of contemporary China, and enhance the cultural confidence of Hong Kong as a thriving city, he said.

　　Wang Xudong, director of the Palace Museum, said that the Palace Museum has taken on the important mission of inheriting, protecting and promoting the distinguished traditions of Chinese culture.

　　"We seek the generous support of all sectors in Hong Kong to help us promote the museum as a center for mankind's cultural heritage," Wang said.

　　The HKPM will open to the public on July 2. Opening exhibitions are jointly curated by the HKPM and the Palace Museum in Beijing. Seven galleries will host exhibitions introducing the fascinating history and culture of the Palace Museum through unique artifacts from its collection.

　　To celebrate its opening, the HKPM will run a series of special activities, including a series of talks and music, dance and drama performances, as well as regular film screenings.

　　Chinese calligraphy and painting masterclasses, imperial ceramics workshops for children and adults, ink-rubbing workshops, and conservation and preservation workshops will be held on weekends to engage the public.