Budget Speech

Art and Culture

168.      Art and culture provides the basic nutrients for social development. To support the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD), we have earmarked more than $486 million for the five financial years from 2010-11 for art programme development, manpower training, art education and audience building.

169.      We also injected $1.5 billion into the arts portion of the Arts and Sport Development Fund (ASDF) last July with a view to promoting the long-term development of local art and culture with the investment return of the ASDF. A matching grant scheme will be launched to encourage private sector participation in providing a springboard for the development of promising local art groups. The scheme will also support more quality art and cultural projects, thereby creating the brand identity of Hong Kong culture. In 2011-12, we will allocate over $2.8 billion for the development of art and cultural software.

170.      The WKCD Authority (the Authority) will work with the art and cultural sector, educational institutes and community groups to present a host of art and cultural events to the community. The aim is to bring art to the public and enhance their appreciation of various art forms (including performing arts and visual culture) for audience building. The Authority will also plan and support capacity building programmes to nurture artists and art administrators with a view to strengthening our arts team.

Content | Next Page