Forging Ahead with Confidence and Hope

Welcome to 2021, a year of renewal. Internationally, the long-awaited Covid vaccines are round the corner. Nationally, our country begins the 14th Five-Year Plan. Across the Pacific a new US administration has just been sworn in. Locally we start afresh as sustained stability is being restored. Although the situation remains challenging, signs of turnaround are emerging. 

As President Xi Jinping said in his New Year Address: “Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only after polishing can a piece of jade be finer.” Here in Hong Kong, indeed we have emerged from the testing times of 2020, more resilient and more focused on what are really in the best interest of our country and Hong Kong. 

Early this month, China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism promulgated the Culture and Tourism Development Plan for the Greater Bay Area (GBA). It sets out clear directions for GBA’s culture and tourism development, which will in turn strengthen Hong Kong’s positions as an international cultural metropolis and tourism hub. 

To help young people in Hong Kong exploit the exciting opportunities in GBA, the HKSAR Government has just launched the GBA Youth Employment Scheme. The well-being of our young people is always a key priority of the Foundation. In the year ahead, we will spare no effort to support them. 

While helping the young, we never lose sight of our senior citizens. The Foundation has been appointed as one of the nine collaborative partners for building a Gerontechnology Platform, a one-stop flagship project led by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service as an intermediary and commissioned by the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund. We are conducting a study on the city’s gerontechnology ecosystem landscape. The findings would help develop policy initiatives to tackle the challenges and tap the opportunities arising from the ageing population. With the aims of enhancing the elderly’s quality of life and providing support to their families and institutions, the Gerontech Platform comprises four basic functions: build a knowledge hub; develop network and capacity; consultancy and testing support; as well as impact assessment. 

As a fresh wave of the Covid-19 pandemic sweeps across the world, there is a growing global awareness that humankind is a global community with a shared future. In the 13th “INSIGHT FORUM” webinar, we are honoured to have Professor Hsin-kang Chang, President-Emeritus of City University of Hong Kong, to speak on “Vibrancy of Civilisations—Historical Perspectives and Future Way-out”. Professor Chang pointed out that humankind shares a single origin and the world is co-owned by all peoples. Harmonious co-existence, international cooperation, and complementation among civilisations are essential conditions for humankind to build a great and new world together. You can view the full webinar here. 

The next “INSIGHT FORUM” is scheduled for 2 February 2021 featuring Professor Joseph Ting Sun-pao, Adjunct Professor of the Department of History at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who will speak on “Exploring Spectacular Architecture in Hong Kong” with five other distinguished guests. 

The first book of Hong Kong Chronicles, Overview & Chronology, was published last month. It attracted massive media and public attention in the Mainland and locally. This sought-after publication is available to the public from over 40 branches and online stores of the Sino United Publishing group, with pre-order in China on Tmall.com. Preparation work is underway for the second book: Hong Kong’s Participation in China’s Reform and Opening-Up. 

The Academy of Chinese Studies has revamped its website The Splendid Chinese Culture in January. Presenting a diverse range of Chinese history and cultural contents with newest digital technology, the website takes the audience through a journey of cultural richness of China. Available in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, and English, the website will publish more engaging contents in future. 

The China Institute for Knowledge will work in synergy with its online channel, Our China Story Online Platform, to further strengthen national identity and cultivate national pride of Hong Kong people. With the vision of providing the most updated, most insightful, and most touching information on modern China, the Platform has been soft-launched last month and published over 600 featured articles on wide-ranging topics with four new themes just introduced in January. Browse the Platform here. 

Wishing you a safe, healthy, and prosperous new year! 

Eva Cheng
President
Our Hong Kong Foundation