# HONG KONG | West Kowloon Cultural District Development News



## hkskyline

*West Kowloon Cultural District: An icon for culture and leisure*
http://www.hplb.gov.hk/wkcd/eng/public_consultation/intro.htm

A new cultural district for Hong Kong

The West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) will be a landmark development that enhances Hong Kong's position as a world city of culture. The new cultural district will bring together a vibrant mix of performing and visual arts. The 40-hectare waterfront site will be both a showpiece for urban design and a meeting point for the local and international arts communities.

In this cluster of venues and open space, long-term commercial, community and cultural partnerships will encourage a lively arts scene for generations to come. Based on the principle of "partnership", the WKCD will be "community-driven" and "people-oriented".

A grand canopy, providing shade and shelter for the facilities below, will make the complex a new Hong Kong icon. With its sinuously flowing form, this feature was, in February 2002, chosen by an international jury from over 160 entries as the winner of an international concept plan competition. It was adopted as the basis for inviting proposals from the market in September 2003. By June 2004, five proposals had been received, three of which met the basic requirements. These proposals are now being assessed.

The core facilities

* Three theatres with at least 2,000, 800 and 400 seats respectively;
* A performance venue with at least 10,000 seats;
* A cluster of four museums at least 75,000 square metres in size;
* An art exhibition centre at least 10,000 square metres in size;
* A water amphitheatre;
* At least four piazzas; and
* A canopy covering at least 55% of the development area. 

Other highlights

The district will integrate commercial and residential development into the arts, cultural and leisure facilities. This integrated approach will ensure more visitors and bring benefits to all the sectors involved.

The district will have at least 20 hectares of parkland and public open space, an area larger than Victoria Park.

The waterfront promenade will be 50% longer than the promenade from the Tsim Sha Tsui clock tower to the Hong Kong Coliseum.

An automated people mover will link the major facilities within the district while public transport will link the district with the business heart of Kowloon.

Where is it?

The development site is bounded by Canton Road in the east, the Western Harbour Tunnel entrance and Austin Road West in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the west and south.

The benefits for Hong Kong

The WKCD will:
* Enrich our cultural life by attracting internationally acclaimed performances and exhibitions;
* Nurture local arts talent and create more opportunities for arts groups;
* Enhance international cultural exchange;
* Put Hong Kong on the world arts and culture map;
* Provide state-of-the-art performance venues and museums;
* Offer more choices to arts patrons;
* Encourage creativity;
* Enhance our harbour front;
* Attract overseas visitors; and
* Create jobs. 

What happens next?

The Government will need to take into account public views in negotiations and selection of a preferred proposal. It will then consult the Legislative Council (Legco) and the Town Planning Board (TPB) on the preferred proposal and seek approval from the Executive Council before signing a provisional agreement with the proponent. Next, the Government will submit the agreed development parameters for the proposal to the TPB for incorporation into the draft Outline Zoning Plan (OZP). This will be gazetted for public inspection and comment under the Town Planning Ordinance. The TPB will then make its decision, after considering all representations received, and submit the amended Draft OZP to the Executive Council for approval. The Project Agreement will only be finalised and executed after the completion of this statutory planning procedure and other relevant statutory procedures and approval by the Executive Council.

Once selected, the successful proponent will design, finance and complete the development of the project and operate, maintain and manage the core arts and cultural facilities for 30 years. Construction is expected to begin in April 2007, with the first phase of the project opening in 2011.

Single-development approach

After weighing the pros and cons of single versus split tendering, the Government believes that having a single developer to co-ordinate the project is the best option. Development as a single package is conducive to centralised planning and co-ordination, leading to smoother operation, economies of scale, lower costs and shorter construction lead-time. Splitting the contract could cause problems in aligning the design, construction and schedule of the infrastructure, for example, the canopy and the automated people mover. Split tendering would also create additional costs and delays by forcing the Government to sell separate parcels of land, which could take years, and by increasing the risk of litigation over separate land leases. Under a split-tender model, proceeds from land sales would not necessarily be spent on arts and culture. Hence, development of a cultural district and creation of jobs via the project would not materialise in the short to medium term.

Your views are important in shaping the WKCD

To help the public better understand the screened-in proposals and to facilitate an informed discussion, the Government is staging a consultation exercise with exhibitions, and discussion forums for the public. In response to the request of Legco and having reviewed the progress made in the public consultation exercise, the Government has decided to extend the consultation period to the end of June, 2005. The exhibition was first staged at the Hong Kong Science Museum, Tsim Sha Tsui, from December 16, 2004 to January 31, 2005; then at Hong Kong City Hall in Central from February 5, 2005 to March 28, 2005. The exhibition will continue at the Thematic Galleries 1 & 2, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, 1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin, from April 16, 2005 to June 30, 2005.

Please send us your views, as they will be taken into account in negotiations and selection of a preferred proposal. The Government has commissioned an independent academic research institute to analyse and assess views collected in this consultation exercise. The report will be made public. 

Proposals

 Dynamic Star 









 Sunny Development 









 World City Culture Park


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## hkskyline

*Background*










The Concept Plan Competition for the Development of an Integrated Arts, Cultural and Entertainment District at the West Kowloon Reclamation, Hong Kong, organized by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, was concluded successfully in February 2002. Five entries out of 161 were awarded prizes.

The Government intends to proceed with development of such a district and has adopted the first prize winning entry to the concept plan competition, submitted by a team led by Foster and Partners of the UK, as the basis for the masterplan.

On 5 September 2003, the Government announced an Invitation For Proposals for the Development of the West Kowloon Cultural District. The area of the site earmarked for the new district is about 40 hectares. While the Government requires provision of certain specified facilities, proponents are allowed considerable freedom in developing viable proposals. The project provides a rare opportunity for the planning, design, construction and operation of a major integrated development of world class cultural and commercial facilities.

The invitation is open internationally to proponents experienced in developing, marketing and managing major mixed-use property developments. The deadline for submission of proposals is 19 June 2004.

*Concept Plan Competition *

This Competition invites conceptual proposals for the development of a prominent waterfront area (the Scheme Area) at the West Kowloon Reclamation (WKR) in Hong Kong into an integrated arts, cultural and entertainment district. The objective is, through the development, to enhance Hong Kong's position as Asia's premiere centre of arts, culture and entertainment and create a new look for Victoria Harbour.

The Scheme Area is a newly reclaimed site of 40 hectares at the southern tip of the WKR in Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong.



*The Proposals*

The concept plan proposals should provide vision and innovative and viable ideas that will shape the future development of this waterfront area as a unique attraction for both local people and visitors. The proposals should be aesthetically attractive, functional, broadly feasible and in compliance with the policy objectives of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the HKSARG) in promoting arts and culture.

*Development of Scheme Area*

There is no linkage between the Competition and the eventual development right of the Scheme Area. It is the intention of the HKSARG that following the Competition, a team will be appointed through the normal consultants selection process, to finalize a detailed masterplan for the Scheme Area on the basis of the winning conceptual proposals, if appropriate. Winners of the Competition would be automatically pre-qualified for inclusion in the list of consultants to be invited for bidding for the masterplanning work.

Based on the detailed masterplan, the HKSARG will then decide on how the Scheme Area will be developed. Packages within the Scheme Area suitable for private sector development will be decided by public tender, which will be open to all. Subsequent architectural design competitions may be conducted for selected individual buildings/facilities. Winners of the Competition would also be invited to take part in bids for development and informed of the subsequent architectural design competitions for individual buildings/facilities in the Scheme Area.

*First Prize Winner : Entry submitted by a team led by Foster and Partners*

The Jury felt that this submission, more than any other, fulfilled the purpose of the competition to define a conceptual architectural plan to establish Hong Kong as a city of world class arts and cultural activity. The signature feature of the design, a great canopy, "flows over the various spaces contained within the development" to create a unique landmark. The sinuously flowing form of the site contours and the canopy produce a memorable effect.

The master layout plan, even at this conceptual level, organizes the site to take full advantage of its prime waterfront location and its proximity to Kowloon Park and the Canton Road retail district. The primary components of the design include a cultural hub of auditoria, museums, galleries and performance venues along with a dense collection of shops, bars and retail spaces. The combination of uses proposed lends a great vitality to the scheme, and a continuous promenade along the smooth curvature of the waterfront further enhances the development for cultural and commercial purposes.

In particular, eight aspects distinguish the winning scheme.

The first is the singularity of image, offering coherent visual authority and something that will become immediately recognizable with Hong Kong and an icon around the world. The image is also progressive, well suited for Hong Kong in the 21st Century.

The second aspect is the horizontality of the scheme across the site that does not attempt to compete with but rather counterpoints the tall buildings behind.

The third aspect is the presence of a multiplicity of public-space opportunities at various scales.

The fourth is the introduction of substantial green space into the heart of Hong Kong, both symbolically and as a real amenity for citizens.

The fifth aspect is the logical and imaginative deployment of programmatic elements and the inherent idea of drawing people through the commercial and entertainment portion of the complex to the arts and cultural centre beyond. The scheme also allows for a good balance between public and private interests and, in particular, the mix of arts facilities offered. One aspect of the project which gave rise to concern was the lagoon which struck the Jury as perhaps impractical. However, this concern would not negate the construction of a similar public space, including a water body disconnected from the harbour.

The sixth distinguishing aspect of the scheme is the skilful way in which integration can be achieved with surrounding neighbourhoods and complexes. The links to Kowloon Station and to Kowloon Park, in the east, are particularly good examples, as is the people mover supporting this linkage.

The seventh aspect is the viability of the scheme, which is technically straightforward, consisting of a large mall, two taller structures at either end of the site - one associated with the arts and cultural complex - and a large roof that is well within the ambit of known technology and experience.

Finally, as the eighth aspect, the jury was impressed by the well-argued case in support of the scheme.

In conclusion, the Jury felt that this bold scheme is a clear and deserving winner of the competition. The great canopy would create an unmistakable landmark for Hong Kong. It would be a major tourist attraction. It would symbolize the community's vision of their city as a future centre of arts and culture and realise that vision with great style. 





































*Second Prize Winner : Entry submitted by a team led by Mr Philip Y K LIAO*

The Jury felt that this submission has immense energy and dynamism in its bold horizontal architectural forms and is well suited to the vibrant nature of Hong Kong. It has many interesting ideas. Imaginative contouring of the site produces a waterfront park and green oases within the landscape. The extensive use of water-pools, waterfalls and mists - as a landscape element - is prevalent throughout the master plan and culminates in a spinal waterway running the length of the scheme area, effectively bringing a part of Victoria Harbour onto the site.

In several regards, the second prize-winning scheme has similar features to the winning submission, including a general feeling of horizontality, a multiplicity of environments and a coherent programmatic response. Although the expressive architectural language is different, the second place scheme does also offer a distinctive image with a progressive spirit. The well-articulated arts and cultural complex is notable, although, on balance, the scheme lacks the expressive authority of the winner and is less straightforward in accommodating some programmatic components. 





































*Honourable Mentions (3) (of equal standing):*

Three schemes were selected by the Jury for Honourable Mentions because they offered interesting alternative ways in which the site could be tackled.

Entry submitted by a team led by Professor Minoru TAKEYAMA

The Jury awarded an honourable mention to this entry (the "Jewel scheme") for its elegant and well-balanced simplicity and the appropriate distinctions it draws between cultural and commercial uses. 





































Entry submitted by a team led by Mr Alan MACDONALD, Urbis - LPT (Architects) Association

The Jury awarded an honourable mention to this entry (the "West End scheme") for the manner in which it provided a "fieldscape" of a fine grain of individual buildings, landscapes and public spaces. This feature is intended to create a vibrant congenial area of individual galleries and theatres on a par with the lively West End area of London.





































Entry submitted by a team led by Mr Rocco Sen Kee YIM

The Jury awarded an honourable mention to this entry (the "New Leaf scheme") for its innovative design and the unifying feature of a circulation spine connecting and providing access to all the many activities on the site. This design also took great advantage of a multi-level urban promenade along the waterfront. It also proposed an upbeat, media-oriented image and took explicit advantage of the site's location and public outlook back towards central Hong Kong. All in all, a very lively and compelling solution.


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## michal1982

when construction will start??


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## hkskyline

michal1982 said:


> when construction will start??


Originally, construction is expected to begin in 2006, but the project is under public scrutiny and might be delayed.


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## hkskyline

*Speech on West Kowloon Reclamation Concept Plan Competition *
Thursday, February 28, 2002
Government Press Release

The following is a speech (English only) delivered by the Secretary for Planning and Lands, Mr John C. Tsang, at the cocktail reception in honour of the Jury for the West Kowloon Reclamation Concept Plan Competition this evening (February 28):

Lord Rothschild, Members of the Jury, Ladies and Gentlemen,

If I can divert you for a few moments from your keen interest in the winning entries, I would like to welcome you all to this cocktail reception in honour of the Jury for the West Kowloon Reclamation Concept Plan Competition.

The aim of the competition is to identify innovative concepts for the development of an arts, cultural and entertainment district in Hong Kong that is of outstanding architectural merit and has the facilities to place us firmly on the international cultural map. We are looking for an urban miracle. We intend to turn this piece of land reclaimed from our precious harbour in West Kowloon into a cultural oasis that will enrich the lives of our citizens, attract visitors from neighbouring cities and enhance even further one of the most beautiful skylines in the world with distinguished landmark built forms.

Over the past few days - since Sunday, in fact - the Jury has been meeting behind closed doors in City Hall, conscientiously sifting through the 161 entries to the competition to find those with the potential to realise our objective.

I am reliably informed that the Jury had a debate worthy of the heights that we are aiming for. The Jury's decision was announced to the world in a live broadcast on the internet this afternoon by Lord Rothschild, the Chairman of the Jury, and we have the good fortune to be among the first to see the winning entries.

We are, indeed, honoured to have Lord Rothschild as the Chairman of the Jury. He has impeccable credentials to serve in this capacity, being a member of the Jury for the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize.

We are also pleased to be able to bring together in the Jury members prominent in the fields of architecture, culture and heritage, engineering, planning, strategic development and tourism. I would like to recognize each one of them:

Lord Rothschild
Professor Peter Droege
Mr Peter Rogers
Professor Peter Rowe
Professor WU Liangyong
Mr Nicholas Brooke
Professor CHANG Hsin-kang
Hon Mrs Selina CHOW Liang Shuk-yee
Professor Patrick LAU Sau Shing
Hon LEUNG Chun-ying

On behalf of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, I would like to commend and extend our warmest appreciation to Lord Rothschild, the jurors, the Honorary Special Advisor Mr I M Pei who is not able to join us today, and the Professional Advisor to the competition, Mr Bill Lacy, for their hard work serving on the Jury and their contribution to promoting the arts and cultural development in Hong Kong.

Thank you very much.


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## hkskyline

*West Kowloon Reclamation Concept Plan Competition*

Speech by Lord Rothschild, GBE, Chairman of the Jury,
at a Press Conference held at 3.45 pm on 28 February 2002
at the Central Government Offices, Hong Kong,
announcing the winning entries to the Competition

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to be here with you today on such an important occasion. I am privileged to have been asked to serve as Chairman of this distinguished Jury.

The main purpose of the International Jury that the Hong Kong Government assembled was to choose a scheme for the West Kowloon Reclamation Project of such interest and distinction that it would establish Hong Kong as a true world-class city of arts and culture.

May I thank the Secretary for Planning and Lands, Mr John C Tsang for his help and support. The Jury would like to express its appreciation to him for having given us a remarkable opportunity.

We saw as a key objective a scheme which would create an unmistakable architectural symbol for Hong Kong, an image recognized throughout the world.

We could never have accomplished our goal without the immense help we have received at every stage from the Hong Kong Government - both politicians and officials believe passionately in the development of the West Kowloon site.

One measure of the success of the competition is that no less than 161 architecture and planning practices submitted schemes : 90 from overseas, 71 locally. This was a tremendous response.

Let me say something about the process.

In keeping with Hong Kong policy, the Competition was open to all qualified participants and the applicants were anonymous to the Jury. In fact no member of the Jury knew the individual identity of the winning schemes until noon today, although we made our choice yesterday.

After much deliberation and thought throughout this week the Jury overwhelmingly concluded that we had found the entry most likely to deliver the key objectives we were seeking. Altogether we are awarding 5 prizes; I would like to start by showing the schemes of the 3 Honourable Mentions and the Runner-Up.

Here are brief comments on the 3 honourable mention schemes:

*Jewel Scheme*

A team led by Professor Minoru TAKEYAMA

The Jury awarded an honourable mention to this entry for its elegant and well-balanced simplicity and the appropriate distinctions it draws between cultural and commercial uses.

*West End Scheme*

A joint team led by Mr Alan MACDONALD, Urbis-LPT (Architects) Association

This honourable mention was notable for the manner in which it provided a "fieldscape" of a fine grain of individual buildings, landscapes and public spaces. This feature is intended to create a vibrant congenial area of individual galleries and theatres on a par with the lively West End area of London.

*New Leaf Scheme*

A team led by Mr Rocco Sen Kee YIM

An honourable mention from the Jury was given to this entry for its innovative design, and the unifying feature of a circulation spine connecting and providing access to all the many activities on the site. This design also took great advantage of a multi-level urban promenade along the waterfront. It also proposed an upbeat, media-oriented image and took explicit advantage of the site's location and public outlook back towards central Hong Kong. All in all, a very lively and compelling solution.

I will now tell you briefly about the scheme of the Runner-Up.

*2nd Prize*

A team led by Mr Philip Y K LIAO

This submission has immense energy and dynamism in its bold horizontal architectural forms and is well suited to the vibrant nature of Hong Kong. It has many interesting ideas. Imaginative contouring of the site produces a waterfront park and green oases within the landscape. The extensive use of water-pools, waterfalls and mists - as a landscape element - is prevalent throughout the master plan and culminates in a spinal waterway running the length of the scheme area, effectively bringing a part of Victoria Harbour onto the site.

Now, let me turn finally to the winning scheme.

*1st Prize*

A team led by Foster and Partners

The Jury felt that this submission, more than any other, fulfilled the purpose of the competition. The signature feature of the design, a great canopy, "flows over the various spaces contained within the development" area to create a unique iconic landmark. The canopy employs the latest design and construction techniques and creates under its dramatically fluid form a great spatial volume to accommodate open park spaces shared with individual cultural, residential and commercial buildings.

The master plan takes full advantage of the prime waterfront location and its proximity to Kowloon Park and the Canton Road retail district. The sinuously flowing form of the site contours and the canopy produce a memorable effect. The lagoon, though a relatively weak point in the design, in the opinion of the Jury, might easily be redesigned, without affecting the arts and cultural facilities encircling it or detracting from the overall excellence of the scheme.

The primary components of the design include a cultural hub of auditoria, museums, galleries and performance venues as well as a dense collection of shops, bars and retail spaces. The multitude of proposed uses lends a great vitality to the scheme. A continuous promenade along the smooth curvature of the waterfront simply enhances further the attraction of the scheme and its possibilities for development both for cultural purposes and retail and commercial uses.

The construction of the large roof structure is similar in concept to certain international air and rail terminals constructed in recent years and would create an unmistakable landmark for Hong Kong. The horizontality of the scheme contrasts well with the predominant verticality of the city behind.

The Jury felt that this bold and the carefully analyzed scheme was the deserving winner of the competition and would be a major tourist attraction. It would symbolize the community's vision of their city as a future world centre of arts and culture and realize that vision with great style.

There are three questions which I am sure will be paramount in your minds. First what will the winning scheme cost? Two, who will pay for it? And Three, what will be the benefits?

Let me stress that the scheme presented will need extensive development this will take place over the next few months. The details of competition submissions will be made available to you over this period. The submissions will be the subject of a public exhibition.

On costs. The winning scheme estimated preliminary construction costs at 24 billion HK$. The scheme calculates that recurring annual revenues would generate roughly 2.5 billion HK$.

*Who will pay for all this?*

The project represents unique opportunities to operate a range of public and private facilities within one development in a way that the entire development could function in a seamless and integrated manner.

How this will be achieved must be for the Government of Hong Kong and the private sector to devise.

Finally, who will benefit? We have seen on a number of occasions over the last few years, how a cultural and architectural landmark of integrity and distinction can bring about dramatic economic and regenerative benefits to a place, to tourism, and to the people who live there. Bilbao comes to mind so does the impact in London of the Tate Modern Museum in the previously run-down area of the South Bank. Looking back, we can but recall the phenomenal effect of the Centre-Pompidou in Paris.

I would be surprised if a development on this scale and of such quality on the West Kowloon site would not have a dramatic impact for Hong Kong and the people who live here and those who will visit this already wonderful city.

Let me end by thanking my colleagues on the Jury, Mr Bill Lacy and Mr I M Pei, our Professional Advisors, and the staff of the Planning and Lands Bureau.

I would now like to relinquish the podium to a member of the Jury who lives here, for the last word. I am going to ask Mrs. Selina Chow, Chairman of the Tourism Board, to express her feelings about the project and its benefit to the community.

Thank you very much!


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## hkskyline

*Greens attack West Kowloon plan changes *
Keith Wallis
30 July 2003
Hong Kong Standard

Green groups are up in arms over "very naughty" plans by the government to change the use of a 45-hectare swathe of waterfront on the West Kowloon reclamation from open space to "other specified uses". 

Their opposition stems partly from the relatively short period of time the Town Planning Board (TPB) has allowed for objections to the plans. Any objections have to be lodged by Friday - just three weeks after the proposed amendments were published in the Government Gazette. 

"It's very naughty," Society for Protection of the Harbour chairman Winston Chu said yesterday. 

The society, which won a court case against the government earlier this month over its plans for the second phase of the Wan Chai reclamation, is one of at least two groups which object to the amendments. 

The changes, which are intended to pave the way for the development of the Norman Foster-inspired arts, cultural and entertainment complex, have also been criticised because of the lack of subsequent planning controls if they are approved. 

Under the TPB guidelines, once the changes are made the government would be free to go ahead and develop residential and office towers, information technology and telecommunications industries, schools and training centres. 

So far, the harbour protection society chaired by Chu, and Civic Exchange, the public-policy think tank created by former legislator Christine Loh, have confirmed they plan to object. 

Chu said: "If the change in zoning to other uses is approved, a third of the West Kowloon site will be without any statutory planning controls." 

He added that if the change in use was given the green light there "would be no public objection process, no opportunity to make amendments or for the TPB to disallow them" to whatever the government subsequently decided to build. 

Consequently there "would be no height controls, no plot ratio controls, and anything goes. It's such a large site, the government could decide to build twenty 88-storey towers and there isn't anything anybody could do about it," Chu said. 

He believed the board would be abrogating and delegating its powers and responsibilities by giving so much power to the government on such a massive site. 

Chu said the government's fickleness over the chequered history of the Tamar site in Admiralty showed controls needed to be maintained otherwise the planning process would be brought into disrepute. 

The Tamar development was initially earmarked for commercial building in the mid-1990s. Later it was zoned for government, institutional and community use in 1999, subsequently reverting to a commercial site. 

According to the gazette notice, the TPB plans to make five changes to the original southwest Kowloon plan. 

The first is to widen the area covered by the site to include the Tsim Sha Tsui fire station complex and part of Canton Road. 

Secondly, it plans to rezone a stretch of the waterfront from commercial, residential, open space, government institution or community, a pier, road and support buildings, to "other specified uses" - arts, cultural, commercial and entertainment uses. 

The board also wants to rezone the fire station from government to other specified uses and a strip of land in the Yau Ma Tei public cargo working area from road to government, institutional or community use. 

The Foster scheme, which is being amended by the government, includes a cultural hub of museums, galleries and performance venues along with a shopping precinct under a tent-shaped roof.


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## hkskyline

*HK Govt To Make 70% Of HK$24B Cultural Devt For Comml Use *
5 September 2003

HONG KONG - (Dow Jones)- The Hong Kong government said Friday it plans to devote more than half the space at a planned HK$24 billion cultural development to residential and commercial use in order to make the project self-financing. 

The government said it is inviting proposals for construction of the "West Kowloon Cultural District" - a reclaimed 40-hectare waterfront site that is to be turned into an arts and cultural complex. 

The winning bidder will be required to design, finance, build and manage the project, although proposals must follow guidelines set out by the government. 

A total gross floor area of 726,285 square meter is planned for the key development components, but 70% of that will be set aside for offices, hotels, retail space and residential use. 

Core arts and culture facilities will make up 29% of the total gross floor area. Such space will have to include three theaters, a 10,000-seat performance venue, and an art exhibition center. 

A giant glass canopy is to cover at least 55% of the site. 

Chief Secretary Donald Tsang said he expects the project to be self-financing, with income generated from residential and commercial components, although he stressed economic considerations were second in importance. 

"The ultimate aim of the project is to build a world class artistic and cultural icon for Hong Kong," said Tsang. "We won't allow the project to become a property project." 

Most of Hong Kong's property giants are interested in the massive project. Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. (H.SHP) defeated a long list of competitors to win the conceptual planning competition for the project in early 2002. 

-By Chan Ka Sing, Dow Jones Newswires; 852-2802-7002; [email protected]


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## hkskyline

*Statement by CS*
Friday, September 5, 2003
Government Press Release

Following is the Statement by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Donald Tsang, at a press conference announcing the Invitation for Proposals for the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong today (September 5):

Today, I am very happy to announce that the Government is inviting proposals from the private sector to develop our very own cultural icon - that is, the West Kowloon Cultural District. We already have an exciting, world-class concept for the site and now we are going to turn the vision into reality.

It is all part of our positioning as Asia's world city. We want Hong Kong to be the most vibrant hub for culture, arts and entertainment in the region. When completed, state-of-the-art facilities will provide residents and visitors with a wide range of cultural and leisure pursuits. Our local artists will also have a creative hive in which to further develop their talent.

The magnificent, flowing canopy sheltering the development area will become a new Hong Kong icon. Cultural and commercial facilities on the site will not only draw more tourists to Hong Kong, it will help attract more world-renowned performers and add to our attraction as the most cosmopolitan and dynamic international business centre in Asia.

We expect the project to bring substantial, long-term economic benefits to Hong Kong and, in the short term, provide about 6,000 jobs.

In keeping with our philosophy of 'small government', we are going to invite the private sector to finance, construct and run this project. This is the first time we have invited the private sector to build and operate major arts and cultural facilities. We believe the private sector will be able to run these facilities more cost effectively, and will also enjoy greater flexibility to finance, develop and manage them. We are confident that the private sector will be interested in the project if it is offered as a commercial package that provides enough flexibility to produce a workable scheme.

You can see from the picture behind me what we have in mind. This shows the 'Government's baseline' of the site. The future development envisages : -

* performance venues, museums and some residential development in a cultural headland at the western end of the site

* a multi-level complex of entertainment and retail facilities in the middle of the site

* a commercial gateway at Canton Road with high rise developments

* extensive open space for public use comprising a podium park, landscaped terraces and a waterfront promenade

* an automated people mover running from one end of the site to the other; and

* a spectacular canopy.

The 'Government's baseline' is intended as a starting point for proponents. But, these parameters are not fixed. Proponents may suggest a higher development density or a different mix if they provide acceptable justification and do not compromise the character of our baseline scheme. This provides proponents with flexibility in the design of the main revenue-producing parts of the project, while the canopy limits the intensity of development that can be proposed.

I must stress that, while property development is essential to the project's viability, we will not allow the cultural facilities to play second fiddle. There are certain mandatory requirements that must be complied with. Apart from the canopy, these include the provision of the following core arts and cultural facilities -

* a complex of three theatres with seating capacities of at least 2,000 seats, 800 seats and 400 seats

* a performance venue with a seating capacity of at least 10,000 seats

* a museum cluster comprising four museums of differing themes with total net operating floor area of at least 75,000 square metres

* an art and exhibition centre with net operating floor area of at least 10,000 square metres

* a water amphitheatre and at least four piazza areas.

We are particularly keen that these core facilities should be architecturally distinguished. We will monitor their operation to ensure that they maintain the highest standard. Proponents of course can also propose additional arts and cultural facilities.

Development proposals have to cover the planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, management, marketing and promotion of the new district. The deadline for proposals is March 19, 2004, that is about six months from now.

We will assess the proposals in accordance with the criteria set out in the invitation document. Everything will be on a level playing field. There will be a process of short-listing and negotiation before selection of the successful proponent by the Chief Executive in Council.

We envisage entering into a provisional agreement first, and subsequently a project agreement, with the successful proponent, on the basis of a 50-year land grant.

We expect construction to start by April 2006 and that the theatre complex, the water amphitheatre and the piazzas should come into operation by early 2010, with the performance venue and art exhibition centre by end 2010 and the museum cluster by end 2012. Generally, the phasing of the other parts of the development will be left to the developer.


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## hkskyline

*Arts groups dubious of proposal *
6 September 2003
South China Morning Post

Arts groups are sceptical about the government's proposal to redevelop West Kowloon and transform it into a cultural hub. 

Ada Wong Ying-kay, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Institute of Contemporary Culture, warned the proposal was focusing too much on physical facilities and not on the art itself. 

"It's still the same 'hardware' mentality on building but with arts, it's really the software, the programming and creative projects that matter." 

Ms Wong said the government should try to set up independent bodies to run the cultural venues such as museums. "We don't want civil servants or the private sector to run them completely." 

Claire Hsu, executive director of private research group Asia Art Archive, said: "I don't think you can build culture like that - build the buildings and hope the arts would come. It's quite worrying. We don't have trained people with the expertise." 

Art gallery owner John Batten warned that another plan, also by the government, to redevelop the Central police station and surrounding areas with cultural facilities would conflict with the West Kowloon plan. 

"Location is very important and traditionally, commercial arts have tended to develop in Central," he said. "I am not against the West Kowloon development but you need people to live in the area for an art location to build up. Right now it's wasteland." Alex Lo.


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## hkskyline

*$24b cultural hub to be privatised *
By Peter Michael
6 September 2003
South China Morning Post

Donald Tsang opens the West Kowloon project to developers' proposals, vowing that the arts won't play second fiddle The multi-billion West Kowloon redevelopment, aimed at turning Hong Kong into the region's "cultural and artistic hub", will be funded, built and operated by the private sector under a radical plan unveiled yesterday. 

The massive project, which has a 30-hectare roof designed by acclaimed architect Lord Norman Foster as its centrepiece, will be offered as a single commercial proposition instead of developed piecemeal, Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said yesterday. 

"This is not another property development project. It is about developing a new cultural icon for Hong Kong," Mr Tsang said as he opened the project for development proposals. 

"We want Hong Kong to be the most vibrant hub for culture, the arts and leisure in the region." 

Previous estimates have put the project's cost at $24 billion. 

A developer would have to work within the "baseline" of Lord Foster's design, Mr Tsang said. Included under the world's biggest roof would be a complex of parks, piazzas, theatres, museums, shops and apartments. However, some elements of the original design, unveiled last year, are optional. 

Mr Tsang declared the project open to proposals of interest from consortiums, designers and architects until March 19 next year. "We have a world-class concept for the site and now we are going to turn it into reality," he said. 

Mandatory features include a three-theatre complex, a 10,000-seat performance venue, a cluster of four museums with differing themes, an art exhibition centre, a water amphitheatre, at least four piazza areas, landscaped terraces, a commercial section, a 1.5km automated people mover and a 2.5km waterfront promenade. 

It also includes the transparent roof which will be spread over the equivalent of about 25 soccer pitches, covering most of the 40-hectare site. 

"We are certain that the magnificent flowing canopy overarching a sprawling complex of shops, theatres and parks will help this become one of the icons of Hong Kong. The government is confident there are many global consortiums keen to finance, develop and operate the privatised project," Mr Tsang said. 

"We believe if we offer the private sector the chance to finance and build this facility, they will be able to run it more efficiently and with greater flexibility if it is offered as one entire commercial package. However we will not allow any of the proposals to compromise the baseline of our scheme." 

In addition to stemming government spending, the decision to fully privatise the project is an attempt to combat the traditional problem of piecemeal development experienced by other large-scale projects in Hong Kong. 

Mr Tsang also vowed that the cultural facilities would not be allowed to "play second fiddle" to any commercial ventures, such as apartment blocks or luxury shops. It has been estimated the project will create more than 6,000 jobs, with construction due to start in April 2006. The first phase is to be operational by early 2010, with the project fully completed in 2012. 

Under the funding plan, a developer would offer an up-front premium for a 50-year lease or they could work out a revenue-sharing scheme, Mr Tsang said. "These are the sorts of issues that we need to negotiate with interested parties." 

He said the government had spent more than $16 million on the project to date with a further $440 million earmarked for roadworks and infrastructure.


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## hkskyline

*Site Photo :*



Source : http://www.pbase.com/framewerkz/


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## hkskyline

*Ambitious arts project gets down to business *
8 September 2003
South China Morning Post

The $24 billion plan to transform an expensive piece of reclaimed land in West Kowloon into a vibrant entertainment complex complete with museums, concert halls, exhibition centres and theatres - all under the world's biggest roof designed by Sir Norman Foster - is nothing if not ambitious. But perhaps the most ambitious part of the project was revealed by Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang Yam-kuen last Friday: it is to be funded, constructed, and managed entirely by the private sector. 

By taking a back seat and giving private enterprise the responsibility for establishing the Western Kowloon Cultural District, officials are sticking to their "small government" philosophy. This involves retreating from the market and encouraging entrepreneurs to step in and provide services traditionally paid for out of public funds. The approach is an admirable one, especially at a time when we need to cut costs in order to help tackle the spiralling fiscal deficit. 

The challenge will lie in successfully adapting this principle to the arts world, where special considerations apply. Our developers are well used to establishing hotels, shopping malls and housing estates. However, building not just one but a number of world-class museums and filling them with unrivalled collections of pan-Asian treasures is not a normal part of their activities. Nor is the staging of pop concerts, classic operas or Shakespearean plays, or bringing hit Broadway shows to Hong Kong. 

The arts are not known for their money-spinning potential. Many projects have great cultural value, yet make losses. Without government subsidies, most of Hong Kong's existing performance venues would be unable to survive on meagre corporate sponsorship and fees from concert audiences and museum-goers. 

Yet, turning Hong Kong into a vibrant hub for culture, arts and entertainment in the region need not be an impossible dream. High-brow critics may regard Hong Kong as a cultural desert, but the city can rightly take pride in being the Canto-pop and film production capital of the Chinese-speaking world. Our middle class may have been temporarily traumatised by six years of deflation, but its appreciation of the arts is growing by the day. 

Already, tourists from the mainland, Taiwan and Southeast Asia are drawn to Hong Kong by concerts put on by stars such as Anita Mui and Andy Lau. With growing wealth and relaxed travel restrictions, more and more mainlanders will be able to afford such travel. A larger audience pool and bigger venues at the new cultural complex in West Kowloon should mean better economies of scale - and higher profits - for promoters as well as venue owners. Promoters who want to bring big shows from overseas but have so far been constrained by a lack of suitable premises should also find it easier to make such projects viable. Whether the shows target a niche audience or the masses, they should all benefit from the bigger and better-equipped facilities to be built at West Kowloon. 

The key to making the new cultural complex pay for itself lies in striking a balance between staging lucrative events that will pull in the crowds and offering a diverse range of attractions. That will depend on the forming of a close and effective working relationship between private enterprise, the arts community and the public. 

Corporate sponsorship will have a vital role to play. Unfortunately, Hong Kong has a poor record in this regard. We need our own equivalent of the Guggenheims and the Rockefellers to help blaze a trail. Hopefully, the chance to turn the West Kowloon site into Asia's leading cultural and entertainment hub will prove to be the catalyst we need.


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## hkskyline

*Watchdog sought to keep eye on cultural hub project * 
Chloe Lai
19 September 2003
South China Morning Post

A watchdog group consisting of members of the cultural community, architects and management experts is needed to monitor the planned multi-billion-dollar West Kowloon cultural hub, according to a senior government adviser. 

The chairman of the Land and Building Advisory Committee, Yeung Yue-man, said members agreed it would be essential to have a quasi-governmental authority composed of such experts to keep an eye on the massive project. 

Under a radical plan, the project will be funded and managed by a single consortium or company. 

There have been concerns about the amount of power being granted to the firm that wins the tender to transform West Kowloon into a cultural hub. 

The massive project, under a 30-hectare roof designed by Lord Norman Foster as its centrepiece, will be offered as a single commercial proposition; the winning bidder will have management rights for 30 years. 

"The idea of turning West Kowloon into a world-class cultural and artistic hub is very good ... but it is crucial that the whole idea can be implemented smoothly, so we need an authority to do the monitoring work," Professor Yeung said. 

He said the authority should have power and credibility so it would have the community's respect. 

Chris Law, convenor of the Urban Regeneration Task Force, said there must be an independent body to monitor the West Kowloon development. 

"Every university has a board to monitor its operation. The same logic should apply to the West Kowloon development work," he said. 

Professor Yeung said the authority should be permanent. 

"Take a look at other harbour development projects in the rest of the world, there must be an authority to monitor their work. There is one in Sydney and one in Vancouver," he said. 

The chairman also said some members of the committee did not agree with the government's decision to make the development a single commercial proposition. 

"Some members questioned the feasibility of treating the 40-hectare site as a single proposition. They think it would be more feasible to break down the whole project into several smaller works," Professor Yeung said.


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## hkskyline

*Culture clash looms for West Kowloon *
Chloe Lai
24 September 2003
South China Morning Post

Culture clash looms for West Kowloon An alliance of arts and planning experts says the project is at risk of producing a 'developer's colony', not a cultural hub. 

A battle is looming over the proposed West Kowloon "cultural hub" as architects, planners, artists and academics band together against the government's game plan for the project. 

They warned that the idea of granting a single consortium the right to run the 40-hectare site for 30 years was equivalent to ceding West Kowloon to a developer and turning an area the size of a new town into a "developer's colony". 

One architectural expert said the government's guidelines left open the possibility that up to 7,600 flats could be built on the site - more the 10 times the official goal. 

The People's Council on Sustainable Development, an alliance of 40-plus non-governmental organisations, professionals and social activists, recently met to discuss the campaign's strategy. 

Albert Lai Kwong-tak, chairman of the council, said: "The people are being forced to give up our right to administer West Kowloon. In the future, it will be up to the property developer (hellip) to decide who can be a resident." 

The alliance called on the government to suspend the project temporarily and come up with a new game plan, which would allow public participation and best protect the interests of the people. 

A forum on the project is being prepared to better inform the public about the issue. The groups are trying to raise the issue with the semi-official Council for Sustainable Development. 

Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen unveiled the plans early this month aimed at creating a world-class arts and cultural hub. Due for completion in 2012, the project will include theatres, museums, commercial and residential properties. 

The chief secretary stressed the best development option was to have the private sector fund the entire project in return for the right to operate West Kowloon for 30 years. 

But Mr Lai - who coined the term "developer's colony" for the possible outcome of the project - questioned how much bargaining power the government would have after granting the project to one consortium. 

He said upsetting the developer might jeopardise the whole project. 

For the best interests of Hong Kong, the project should be broken down into smaller works, Mr Lai said. 

The Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA) criticised the current arrangement as full of flaws and a violation of the land administration policy. 

Bernard Lim Wan-fung, the HKIA's board of local affairs chairman, said every construction in Hong Kong is subject to the Building Covenant, which required developers to sell their developments within a set period of time, usually three to five years. "The developer (would be able) to bypass the law because, with the right to run a piece of land for 30 years, it can sell its development at whatever time it prefers, leaving it the ability to manipulate supply," he said. 

Mr Lim questioned Mr Tsang's proposition that only 500 to 600 residential units would be built within the cultural district, claiming the 1.81 plot ratio could result in 7,600 units. 

Legislator Emily Lau Wai-hing said she had requested a meeting of Legco's home affairs panel and the planning, lands and works panel so concerns could be voiced. 

Ng Mee-kam, an associate professor on urban planning and environmental management at the University of Hong Kong, said the government had hijacked West Kowloon and "handed it to a developer" and would seal all information about the project "in the name of commercial interests".


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## hkskyline

*HK aims to become the region's hub for culture *
Ravina Shamdasani
30 September 2003
South China Morning Post

It is forging agreements with its Asian neighbours and Egypt to boost its image Hong Kong is looking to develop its international image through the signing of cultural co-operation agreements with neighbouring countries and Egypt. 

The Home Affairs Bureau is developing memoranda of understanding with Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and Egypt after signing an agreement with the Philippines in February. 

Hong Kong yesterday hosted the first Asian cultural co-operation forum in an effort to promote the city as a regional culture hub. 

Assistant Secretary for Home Affairs Fong Ngai said: "A memorandum of understanding is basically a formal agreement on cultural co-operation that will bring such co-operation to government level. 

"Through that, we can strengthen and put an emphasis on two-way cultural exchanges and explore a higher level of co-operation." 

Delegates from Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation countries, including Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and the mainland, flew to Hong Kong for the forum. 

Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping told dignitaries at the conference that Hong Kong would always be open as a cultural hub for Asia and the rest of the world. 

"In the wake of globalisation and a knowledge-based economy, culture and creativity is increasingly seen as an engine for growth and civic pride," Dr Ho said. 

"The message is clear enough: the creative business is a global business with local flavours. And by global, we mean we should first start with the good neighbours at our doorstep. As a hub of Asia ... the door of Hong Kong is always wide open." 

Singaporean National Arts Council chairman Liu Thai Ker said that the cultural and artistic achievements of the city state and the region showed that Asian culture could stand up well against the trend of globalisation. 

Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in the Philippines, Evelyn Pantig, shared her country's experiences in providing opportunities to underprivileged children through dance training. She emphasised the importance of nurturing young talent. 

The founder of the City Contemporary Dance Company, Willy Tsao, told how he started the group by pooling together money and friends to build a rooftop studio to try to fill a performing arts vacuum in Hong Kong in the late 1970s. 

A promotional video with an artist's impression of the planned West Kowloon cultural district was played at the conference, which organisers hope will become a regular event. 

Mr Fong said that such conferences provided a good platform to explore initiatives between neighbouring governments and economies.


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## hkskyline

*Developers split over cultural job * 
7 October 2003
Hong Kong Standard

An attempt by the Real Estate Developers Association (Reda) to convince the government to allow more than one developer to take part in the HK$24 billion West Kowloon cultural district project has been halted after objections from a major developer. 

While small to mid-size developers at a recent Reda meeting supported the idea of writing to the government, one large developer, which was not present at the meeting, later voiced its objection to the move. 

Leading developer Cheung Kong (Holdings) was among those in support of a letter, sources said, which was to have urged the administration not to grant rights to only one firm that would be responsible for financing, managing and operation of the project. 

In announcing invitations for proposals for the West Kowloon development last month, Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang said only one developer would be granted control to "ensure its concept would be consistent". 

It is understood Reda will hold more talks on whether to submit a letter to the government. 

This is the first time the government has invited the private sector to run a cultural development project. The project will cover 40 hectares at the West Kowloon reclamation site, bounded by Canton Road, Austin Road West, the Western Harbour Tunnel and Victoria Harbour. Tsang expects the project to create 6,000 jobs. 

The development includes three theatre complexes, a concert venue, four museums, a water amphitheatre and at least four piazza areas. 

The government aims to turn West Kowloon into one of the world's leading artistic and cultural centres - with the developer footing the bill. 

The chosen developer would be given a land grant of 50 years. 

Tsang believed the developer could generate profits from operating shopping complexes, residential flats, hotels and offices.


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## hkskyline

*Small firms want slice of West Kowloon *
Peggy Sito
7 October 2003
South China Morning Post

The project should be split into several tenders, not offered as a whole, they say Small property developers are opposing to the government's plans to grant the $24 billion West Kowloon redevelopment to a single consortium rather than splitting it between individual tenders. 

The developers said the government's proposal to grant the development rights to the mammoth project to a single group favoured bigger developers. Under the plan, the consortium will be granted rights to develop 40 hectares of West Kowloon for 30 years. 

The chairman of small developer K Wah International, Lui Chi-wo, said: "There are only one or two big property players in Hong Kong who are financially capable of bidding such a huge project. It seems that leading developers will monopolise the development. 

"Why not allow both big and small developers to participate? The government should take care of everyone's benefits." 

Mr Lui said the redevelopment project should be split into six or seven packages of different sizes, with developers free to bid on all of them. 

The massive project, which will have a 30-hectare roof designed by acclaimed architect Lord Norman Foster as its centrepiece, is aimed at turning Hong Kong into the region's cultural and artistic hub, featuring a three-theatre complex, 10,000-seat performance venue, four museums and an art exhibition centre. 

The Chinese press has reported that members of the Real Estate Developers' Association were divided on whether the government should offer the project as a single commercial proposition. Smaller players proposed to urge the government to split the projects into several packages while leading developers reportedly supported the consortium plan. 

Major developers Sun Hung Kai Properties and Cheung Kong (Holdings) were unavailable for comment yesterday. 

Herman Fung Man-hei, managing director of small developer Hon Kwok Land & Investment yesterday said medium and small players hoped the development would be split into several pieces. 

"I reckon it may not be a good idea to grant the whole project to one developer or consortium," said Mr Fung. 

He said so long that the government closely monitored the master plan, the project's theme would not suffer, even if the site was built in different phases by a number of companies. 

Karen Li, director of corporate development of Wing Tai Asia, said the company, as a member of developer's association, did not have a strong view on how the government should grant the project for private development. 

But she said the government must take into account several factors before it made its decision. 

"For example, will the entire project be completed on schedule when it is granted to one developer or consortium? Or, if it is developed by several different companies, how will (officials) ensure there will not be any conflicts on the cultural theme?" she asked.


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## michal1982

so nothing from foster west kowloon


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## zergcerebrates

I like the 2nd place winner more than the canopy one.


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## hkskyline




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## hkskyline

*Single firm for Kowloon mega project *
Eli Lau
8 October 2003
Hong Kong Standard

The government will stick to a plan to have only one party develop the HK$24 billion West Kowloon cultural district project. 

"We want to ensure that the development will be consistent from its concept to operation," Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau Deputy Secretary Thomas Tso said yesterday. "It's not a development project that simply gives every developer a chance to generate profit." 

Tso's comment came after the Real Estate Developers' Association (Reda) had attempted to convince the government to open up the project to small developers as well. 

He said it would be time consuming and costly to allow various developers to take part in the mega project. 

However, he said small developers would have opportunities, because in Hong Kong, "none of the developers can be solely responsible for such huge projects, but they can join hands with other organisations and professionals to accomplish it". 

He added: "We will be glad to see their co-operation." 

Under the government's plan, one party will be chosen to be solely responsible for the financing, managing and operation of the project. 

The successful company would be given a land grant of 50 years. 

"Conflicts will possibly be triggered if too many developers are involved in the construction and management," Territory Development Department project manager Kwan Pak-lam said. 

"It's difficult to judge who should be accountable when mistakes occur." 

Cheung Kong (Holdings) executive director Justin Chiu said on Monday the project should not be broken into segments and developed by different parties. 

This is the first time the government has invited the private sector to run a cultural development project. 

The project will cover 40 hectares at the West Kowloon reclamation site, bounded by Canton Road, Austin Road West, the Western Harbour Tunnel and Victoria Harbour.


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## hkskyline

*Culture centre envisaged as 'Opera House of East' *
Glenda Korporaal 
17 October 2003
The Australian

HONG Kong will have a $5 billion waterfront Norman Foster-designed arts and cultural centre as part of its push to become the premier arts centre of Asia. 

The centre, to be built on a 40-hectare area of reclaimed land along the harbour on west Kowloon, is planned to become a Sydney Opera House-style landmark for the city. 

With a modern, flowing canopy roof design, the centre will contain one 10,000-seat performance venue, three theatres, four museums, an art exhibition centre, a water amphitheatre and at least four piazza areas. 

Hong Kong hopes the new centre, which will not be completed until 2010, will become a "cultural icon" that will attract performers from all over the world. 

Last month Hong Kong Chief Secretary Donald Tsang called for proposals for the development, which will be built and operated by the private sector. 

"We want Hong Kong to be the most vibrant hub for culture, arts and entertainment in the region," Tsang says. 

He says the state-of-the-art facilities will "provide residents and visitors with a wide range of cultural and leisure pursuits". 

"Our local artists will also have a creative hive in which to further develop their talent," he says. 

Tsang made it clear the Government wants the facilities to be "architecturally distinguished". 

British architect Foster won the award for the scheme's basic concept last year with a space-age flowing canopy design. 

Proposals for the development must be in by March next year, with construction set to start in April, 2006. 

Hong Kong Arts Festival executive director Douglas Gautier says the centre has the potential to become a cultural focus for the city along the lines of the Sydney Opera House, the Melbourne Arts Centre or the Barbican Centre in London. 

He says it is inevitable that such mega-arts projects will attract some controversy. 

"But at the end of the day they do focus the public, the arts community and the business community," Gautier says. 

"They provide a focal point and almost an inspirational point for the national companies which perform there."


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## hkskyline

*ICAC may take part in West Kowloon tender *
17 October 2003
Hong Kong Standard

The government will invite the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) to participate in the tendering process for the HK$24 billion West Kowloon cultural district project. 

Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang also promised to submit the master plan to the Legislative Council for approval before taking it to the Executive Council. 

"To ensure the decision will be free of political influence, no accountability official will take part in the judging process," Tsang said. 

The pledge came on the eve of the deadline for expressions of interest by developers who want to bid for the contract. But the government stood firm on plans to have only one consortium develop the 40-hectare site despite calls to open the project to small developers. 

Tsang held a meeting with members of the Real Estate Developers Association yesterday and made it clear to them that the government would not budge on that demand. 

"We are doing it for the overall interest of Hong Kong, not for the interests of developers," Tsang said. 

He refused to be drawn on what the association's response was, adding: "We don't need their endorsement. This is public interest." 

Tsang stressed the objective of the project was to turn the West Kowloon reclamation site into world class culture facilities. The government budget was tight, therefore it was best to leave it to private developers, he said. 

Awarding the contract to one developer would ensure continuity and the development would be consistent from its concept to completion, he said. "What is most important is that we will ensure the whole process will be an open and transparent one. 

"The team of judges will comprise senior civil servants headed by a permanent secretary. But no politically appointed official will sit on the panel. We want it to be a professional decision, not one which has any political element. 

"The government will invite the ICAC to participate and will get Legco's endorsement before it goes to Exco." 

Tsang also shot down arguments that it was unfair that a single developer would reap all the benefits of the project. 

"This is not a property project," Tsang stressed. "We are not benefiting any developer. The most important thing is we are dealing with the matter in a fair manner. 

"Certain developers have proposed that the government should take care of infrastructure facilities, leaving the rest for private development. 

"If we do that, we are acting in the developers' interest, not the public's." 

Developers who are interested in the project have until today to express their intent to the government. 

Under the plan, the successful bidder would be given a land grant of 50 years and be solely responsible for the financing, managing and operation of the project. 

This is the first time the government has invited the private sector to run a cultural development project. The development includes three theatre complexes, a concert venue, four museums, a water amphitheatre and at least four piazza areas. Work will start in 2006 to be completed in 2012. The government expects 6,000 jobs will be created.


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## hkskyline

*Legco to rule on West Kowloon deal *
Chloe Lai
17 October 2003
South China Morning Post

Donald Tsang also says the ICAC will be involved in the tendering process to calm fears surrounding the huge project Legco's approval will be sought before the contract for the massive West Kowloon redevelopment is awarded, the chief secretary said yesterday. 

He was trying to calm fears about the amount of power that would be put into the hands of the project's sole developer. 

In a move to further calm fears, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said the ICAC would be invited to join the committee choosing the consortium responsible for the $24 billion West Kowloon Cultural District project. The project, designed by renowned architect Lord Foster, will feature the world's largest roof. 

Mr Tsang announced last month that the contract to build a world-class cultural hub would be granted to a single consortium for 30 years. But the proposal has faced strong opposition from architects, planners, artists and academics saying that the area would be turned into a "developer's colony". 

Some small-scale developers also objected, saying they would lose the chance to bid. 

Mr Tsang said he met representatives of the Real Estate Developers' Association yesterday and told them it would be against the public interest to split up the project. 

Approval in granting the contract for such a project would normally be left to the Executive Council alone, but Mr Tsang said that Legco would first have to approve the West Kowloon deal. 

He said the one-developer arrangement was the best option as the government was now facing a huge deficit and required the business sector's support to carry out the expensive project. 

"Because of the budget deficit, the traditional approach to building such a large-scale project (to be done alone by the government) is not going to work," he said. 

Mr Tsang said the selection process had to be fair and transparent. He said no government minister would be involved in the selection process, to prevent the interference of political considerations. The process would be guided by a permanent secretary, together with a number of senior civil servants with different areas of expertise, and officers from the Independent Commission Against Corruption. 

Mr Tsang said the government would reveal information about the business proposals received for the project - except for confidential data - and stressed that no favouritism would be shown to big developers. 

He said the developers' association had made a counter-proposal for the government to be responsible for the infrastructure on the sites, allowing developers to bid for the residential and commercial parts. 

But Mr Tsang said it was not acceptable for "the business sector (to run) the money-making part of the project (leaving) the money-losing part to the government". 

He said the continuous nature of the design, stretching for more than 1.5km, made it suitable for a single consortium. 

But Hong Kong Institute of Architects spokesman Bernard Lim Wan-fung questioned to Mr Tsang's comments: "Having a selection committee composed of senior civil servants can't resolve the problem. The mechanism set up for this project is still full of flaws."


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## hkskyline

*HK Govt: 10 Parties Interested In HK$24B Cultural Project *
18 October 2003

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--The Hong Kong government said late Friday it has received 10 indications of interest for the development of a planned HK$24 billion cultural project. 

Almost every blue-chip property developers, including Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd. (H.CKH), Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. (H.SHP), Henderson Land Development Co. (H.HLD), Wharf (Holdings) Ltd. (H.WHF) and railway-to-property firm MTR Corp. (H.MTH), have indicated their interests to the government. 

The exercise was done to gauge market responses for the government. It said actual number of proposals by the submission deadline, before March 19, 2004, may be more than 10 as intending proponents aren't obliged to indicate interest. 

The government plans to develop a 40-hectare waterfront site, the so-called West Kowloon Cultural District, into an arts and cultural complex. 

While reiterating that the planned development isn't a property project, the government said last month it will allow 70% of the project's total gross floor area be developed for residential and commercial use in order to make the project self-financing. 

The government has employed the same financing model before. Construction of the city's railway networks, as well as the Cyberport project, are both being subsidized by income generated from property development.


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## hkskyline

*Architects fear culture will lose out to property * 
Teddy Ng
18 October 2003
Hong Kong Standard

The Hong Kong Institute of Architects has lashed out at the government over the West Kowloon reclamation, saying it is turning out to be a property development scheme, not the new cultural hub of Hong Kong. 

The institute urged the government to set up a West Kowloon Cultural Zone Development Board, which they say should include representatives from the art, cultural and property sectors, as well as legislators and government representatives, to monitor the development of the area. 

The government has issued a global tender inviting private contractors to develop the project which covers 40 hectares of land. 

Only 30 per cent of the land has been allocated to cultural facilities, while the remaining 70 per cent has been set aside for commercial use to cover the cost of operating the cultural facilities. The government received 10 expressions of interest yesterday. Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang said the government would grant only one developer rights for 50 years to avoid splitting up the project. 

However, institute council member Bernard Lim said he was worried that the project would be focusing only on property development as the plot ratio of 1.81 could be altered, allowing contractors to build more commercial premises. 

Lim also questioned why the government had decided to award the project to only one consortium. 

"This is a large-scale project. How can we be confident that a single developer can handle it well," he said. 

Lim said the government could grant the project to several developers in different phases. 

To ensure the consistency of the project concept, Lim said a West Kowloon Cultural Zone Development Board should be set up.


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## hkskyline

*Using one developer for cultural hub 'illogical'*
Cheung Chi-fai
18 October 2003
South China Morning Post

Architects want an authority to be set up to oversee the West Kowloon project and prevent it becoming a property project Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen has been criticised by the Institute of Architects for his "illogical" refusal to grant the huge West Kowloon redevelopment project to more than one developer. 

The group fears the project to transform the area into a cultural hub with museums, theatres and public walkways could simply end up as a cash-driven property project because there are too many ambiguities around the extent of commercial development allowed at the site. 

It called for the establishment of an authority comprising all relevant sectors - both public and private - to oversee and scrutinise the $24 billion development of the 40-hectare site. 

The institute yesterday said members were unconvinced by the argument put forward by Mr Tsang that it was in the public's best interest to develop the site by a single consortium that will be entrusted to run the site for 30 years. 

Mr Tsang cited the need to keep costs down and added that one of the difficulties in splitting the project was the construction of a single roof covering the site. 

But the institute said the construction of the world's largest roof, designed by the acclaimed architect Lord Foster, should have nothing to do with the tendering because the roof could be built in phases. 

"It is illogical and hard to understand why the project cannot be split. If it is tendered as a single one, there will be just a few competitors bidding for it," said Vincent Ng Wing-shun, a council member of the institute. "The lack of competition will only result in low bids and it is simply equal to selling the bulk of the land at a cheap price. How can we say it is in the interest of the public?" 

The institute said the World Trade Centre redevelopment in New York and Docklands in London were both developed in phases by different consortiums. 

The group also pointed out that the ambiguities over the scale of residential and commercial developments allowed on the site would affect the eventual size of cultural space available to the public. 

It also cast doubt over local developers' expertise in managing world-class cultural facilities. 

The government has so far received 10 submissions from consortiums indicating their interest in developing the site. 

Bernard Lim Fung-wan, a council member of the institute, said the group did not object to private participation in the project, but the government went to the wrong extreme in its tendering plans for West Kowloon. 

"It is such a big swing from the building and running all cultural facilities by the government itself in the past to simply keep its hands off completely," he said. "But there are lots of possibilities in between." 

He said the success of the world-renowned Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, was the result of both government participation and professional management from art experts.


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## hkskyline

*Cultural hub plans anger lawmaker *
Peggy Sito
21 October 2003
South China Morning Post

Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's efforts to calm fears over the West Kowloon redevelopment have failed to satisfy the legislator representing the real estate sector. 

Abraham Razack said Mr Tsang's pledge last week to have Legco and the ICAC involved in awarding the contracts to turn the area into a cultural hub was flawed. 

Mr Tsang had been responding to concerns over the amount of control being granted to the consortium that will develop the $24 billion project and be in charge of it for 30 years. 

But Mr Razack said: "Legco's role is to monitor the government, but not to award contracts. The government has a central tendering board to select winning bids ... Why should we need ICAC?" 

He joined calls for the tender to be split, suggesting separation of the residential and commercial segments, allowing big and small developers to bid. The government could use the proceeds to develop the site's arts, cultural and entertainment aspects, he said. 

Mr Razack said he had called a panel meeting for this month in Legco to express his views. 

Under Mr Tsang's suggestions, the Independent Commission Against Corruption would be invited to join the committee choosing a sole consortium to develop the project. Developers would meet the government to express their views in December, sources said.


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## hkskyline

*Cultural hub? *
22 October 2003
South China Morning Post

Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen has done some tough talking when confronted with property developers opposed to an unprecedented plan to award the multibillion-dollar West Kowloon cultural complex project to a single consortium. 

"This is not a real-estate development project. This is not a project for developers, but for public interest," he said. 

Mr Tsang was speaking after meeting representatives from the Real Estate Developers Association last week, after the lobby group expressed concern that small-scale developers would be at a disadvantage in bidding for the $24 billion project. It asked the government to consider separating the cultural facilities from the residential and commercial parts of the project. 

Last month, announcing plans to invite the private sector to fund, build and operate the project, Mr Tsang said: "We believe if we offer the private sector the chance to finance and build this facility, they will be able to run it more efficiently and with greater flexibility if it is offered as one entire commercial package." 

Faced with a runaway deficit, officials have been lured by the idea of giving private enterprise the responsibility of building and operating the cultural complex, meaning the government does not have to dig into the public purse. 

In return, the successful bidder will be able to use up to 70 per cent of the 40-hectare site for commercial and residential developments. 

Such a move is in line with the goal of the Tung administration to adopt a "small government, big market" approach in running Hong Kong's affairs. 

As developers responded with enthusiasm to the lucrative business opportunities which the project will create, the half-empty concert on Monday featuring Jose Carreras and Charlotte Church was disheartening. 

The plain truth is that Hong Kong remains a long way from being a vibrant hub of culture, art and entertainment. 

Instead, Hong Kong's Canto-pop and film production dominates popular culture in Chinese society. If anything, the disappointing turnout indicates a lack of interest among the populace for classical music. 

This is in stark contrast to the heat of the debate over how the $24 billion-worth of contracts should be carved up by private enterprise, which raises fundamental questions about the mammoth project. 

With a 30-hectare roof designed by world-renowned architect Norman Foster as its centrepiece, the West Kowloon complex - billed as the "new cultural icon" - is predicted to eclipse even the Sydney Opera House. 

The building of first-class infrastructure for cultural events, however, will not necessarily result in an enriched and flourishing arts scene. 

Under the self-financing arrangements for cultural facilities, there is also a very real possibility that only programmes featuring popular culture will pass the test of commercial viability. 

Defending the idea of a single consortium for the project, senior officials have pledged that the cultural complex will not become "another cyberport". This project has become better known as a property development success, while few people know exactly how it is helping to boost development of information technology in Hong Kong. 

Regardless of how contracts are packaged in the future, the West Kowloon cultural complex will be highly valued only when it succeeds in facilitating the development of a rich and diverse arts and leisure scene in the special administrative region.


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## hkskyline

*Modern ink painting might get home of its own in cultural hub * 
Chloe Lai
23 October 2003
South China Morning Post

The world's first contemporary ink-painting museum may be set up in Hong Kong. 

Two developers have been holding discussions with Hong Kong's new Ink Society about establishing a museum to showcase outstanding modern and contemporary ink paintings in the proposed West Kowloon cultural district. 

Ink Society vice-chairwoman Alice King announced the proposal at a forum of the Arts Development Council, where representatives of the arts community put forward their suggestions for the West Kowloon project. 

She said the society had mentioned the museum proposal to Hong Kong's main developers, and two had shown an interest in getting it off the ground. It would be inappropriate to reveal the names of the developers, she said. 

"Hong Kong is at the crossroads between the east and west. A museum displaying the best modern and contemporary ink paintings could help people understand the best of their culture while showing them how to embrace the best of western culture," said Mrs King, who is a sister of Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa. 

"Museums are about exhibitions and collections. Holding an exhibition is never a problem, but where do we get the collections? We don't have the resources to compete for Picasso paintings, but we have the potential and advantages to display the best contemporary ink painting from around the world. 

"People don't come to Hong Kong to see western paintings. Many collectors from around the world have told us they would donate to our museum if we had one." 

Mrs King, who is also director of the Alisan Fine Arts Gallery in Central, questioned whether the government planned to form a board of directors to oversee museums in the cultural district. 

"Any museum in the world has a board of directors. This is essential," she said, adding that board members should be government officials or representatives of the community and business sectors. 

Hong Kong Arts Centre executive director Louis Yu Kwok-lit urged the government to come up with a monitoring mechanism as soon as possible.


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## hkskyline

*Developer lashes out at West Kowloon planning *
25 October 2003
Hong Kong Standard

A developer has criticised the government's planning of the West Kowloon project, saying it is not a cultural project but a property project like Cyberport. 

Ronnie Chan, chairman of Hang Lung Properties, said the government should develop the cultural side of the mega-project but let developers handle the residential component. 

"Cultural development is not a responsibility of the business sector. It is better for the government to develop the amenities centre and leave the remainder to private developers," Chan said yesterday. 

He said Hang Lung had not been one of the 10 companies to lodge bids for the HK$24 billion West Kowloon Cultural District project. 

Chan also revealed that Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang had told developers not to disclose their views on the project to the media. 

Chan said this had angered him as Tsang's words had hampered freedom of speech. 

The tendering method was fundamentally wrong, as the content of the tender documents was unclear and the indicated 30-year operation tenure was too long, Chan said. 

His comments follow the government's insistence that only one consortium would be chosen to develop the entire scheme. 

Smaller developers have been pressing the government to split the project so they can also take part. 

In inviting proposals for the project last month, Tsang said only one developer would be granted control to "ensure its concept would be consistent". 

Chan suggested the 40-hectare site be broken up and auctioned, which would provide the government with the proceeds to pursue the cultural project on its own. He said he had already expressed his opinion to the government. 

Chan is not alone in his protest as fellow developers from the Real Estate Developers' Association had attempted to convince the government to open up the project to small developers as well. The West Kowloon project, to be developed on reclaimed land, will include three theatre complexes, a concert venue, four museums, a water amphitheatre and at least four piazza areas. 

It is the second time in a week that Chan has spoken out against government policies. 

In the company's annual report released on Tuesday, Chan said Hang Lung Properties might invest more on the mainland if government policies remained unpredictable, a reference to government measures to support the residential property market.


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## hkskyline

*Pledge to be tough with arts hub's developer *
The official vow is a new attempt to calm fears over the $24b project 
Chloe Lai
28 October 2003
South China Morning Post 

The government has made another attempt to placate growing opposition to its handling of the West Kowloon redevelopment, saying it will call off the deal if the chosen developer fails to meet its obligations to the public. 

There have been calls to divide the massive project among multiple developers, instead of handing it to a single consortium to run for 30 years, as the government proposes. There are also concerns that the goal of the project - to transform the area into a cultural hub featuring museums, galleries and theatres - will be diluted by an all-powerful developer's commercial considerations. 

A spokeswoman for the Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau said: "The government can call off the deal even if a provisional agreement has been signed, and there will be very detailed and legally binding requirements on what the project should fulfil in the project agreement so there will be no such thing as the government putting itself in a passive situation in the negotiations. 

"The government will only accept a proposal that serves the public interest." 

She was responding to the Association of Architectural Practices yesterday, which said the mega-project should be broken down into smaller deals. The association represents half of the 120 architectural firms in Hong Kong. 

Association chairman Dennis Lau Wing-kwong said: "I'm not sure if the government has done any homework. It is a very large piece of land and you should be able to break it down into several smaller pieces on construction. 

"Imagine how ugly it will be if every building looks the same." 

The $24 billion project, due for completion in 2012, will feature the world's largest roof, designed by acclaimed architect Norman Foster, covering most of the site. Would-be developers have until March to submit their ideas, but there is no fixed timetable for the subsequent tendering process. 

Mr Lau said the government should form a committee with representatives from the cultural and arts sectors and the community to decide which cultural facilities Hong Kong needs. "The government has the Norman Foster concept, but did it ever consult the artists and people from the cultural sector on what they want it to be? The master plan of West Kowloon has been decided(hellip) But the result may not be what the city wants," he said. "We should start to whole process from the beginning. This is the last major piece of land we have left in Hong Kong - our city cannot afford mistakes on this project." 

Earlier this month the government offered to involve the Independent Commission Against Corruption in the tendering process, and said the Legislative Council would have to approve the decision. This was also an attempt to calm fears about the power being granted to a sole developer.


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## hkskyline

*Empower the people on land development * 
29 October 2003
South China Morning Post

Stakeholders must forge a planning process that is more transparent and truly representative As land prices in Hong Kong reach historic low levels, the way land is used is being debated more stridently than ever. 

The Hong Kong planning scene is now characterised by confrontation. Long Valley, Route Seven, Route Ten, Wan Chai Reclamation, South East Kowloon reclamation, Central Reclamation and the West Kowloon Cultural District have generated controversy to a level previously unseen in the construction and development sector. 

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), green groups and the mass media have put a stop to developments which are seen as environmentally unsustainable by one side and economically beneficial by the other. 

Many NGOs and civil societies are supported by the middle class, who are sympathetic to their values. The same middle, professional and managerial class is getting increasingly vocal, is not afraid of protesting in the streets, and is impatient for what it perceives as mismanagement on the part of the government. 

Hong Kong was one of the few colonies which, at the end of the British rule, did not see power delivered to aspiring members of the middle class. 

Power to determine land use, arguably still the most precious resource in Hong Kong, is still largely in the hands of the government and the few large land-owning interests. 

It is not difficult to understand the anger felt by the professional and managerial class, many of whom are suffering from negative equity in land or property. 

This trend for open confrontation and obstruction will worsen. We have seen projects shelved and delayed, writs being served, smear campaigns, criminal intimidation, strong words from the Real Estate Developers' Association, and a rebuttal from Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen. 

The gross construction floor area in the private sector being approved by the Building Department has fallen to an all-time low. And in the end we all suffer. What is needed urgently is not only more sensitivity to values such as sustainability and cultural diversity but something deeper, which allows decisions on planning and land policies to be made with consensus in the community. 

Can we build platforms on which planning issues are discussed widely, openly and rationally, long before plans are fixed? Many planning professionals were surprised by how many accusations from both sides of the central reclamation camps were based on ignorance or misunderstanding. How did we end up this way after years of so-called public consultation? 

Step one, we must change the way planning issues are explained to the people of Hong Kong. The present format of highly technical reports is too complex even for many professionals. Even professional institutes can get consultation fatigue as a result of the heavy tomes being delivered to them constantly. 

At the other extreme, the propagandist announcement of public interests (API) and leaflets are strong on rhetoric but too lacking in substance to be credible to anyone. If television channels and museums can explain astrophysics theories to the public in a clear manner, why are we still struggling to clearly explain a waterfront promenade? 

If the government blames the green activists for fooling the public, it must act to equip the public to understand for themselves, not as an afterthought or only when there is a crisis, but from day one. 

Step two, the government must forgo the colonial habit of talking behind closed doors to a few chosen interest groups, relying on a few organisations to reflect or control community opinion. The events unfolding in the past few months show that many of these organisations, green groups included, are out of touch with the middle class and the grass roots sentiments in Hong Kong. 

In the case of the central reclamation, public sentiment moved too fast for traditional institutions and civil societies to catch up. 

Many NGOs and green groups remained silent throughout the saga; some of them still cannot believe that the deal they reached with the government could be unacceptable to the public. 

Discussions and consensus-building for any major infrastructural and building development must be conducted on a wider scale, proactively inviting and enabling involvement from all the stakeholders. 

The government must be prepared to conduct discussions - in forums and in the mass media, on the streets and in the alleys of our city. It should equip its staff in the art of participatory planning and consensus-building. 

The Economist last week rated Hong Kong the richest territory in the emerging market, on a purchase power parity basis, with per capita income of more than US$26,800 per annum, higher than Japan, Germany and Britain. 

Now the new reality: planning fiascos will not stop unless there is a higher degree of power sharing with the middle class and consensus-building within the community. People of Hong Kong deserve and demand it.


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## michal1982

come on people lets start building this!!!


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## hkskyline

*West Kowloon bids draw fire *
Ernest Kong
31 October 2003
South China Morning Post

A disagreement between developers over the West Kowloon redevelopment project intensified yesterday after Cheung Kong (Holdings) said it supported the government's plan to award the venture to a single consortium. 

Small to medium-size developers, such as Hang Lung Group, have criticised the government for its redevelopment plan after Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said the $24 billion project would be awarded to one consortium rather than splitting it between individual tenders. 

A day after Henderson Land Development said it had submitted a proposal for the project, Cheung Kong deputy chairman Victor Li Tzar-kuoi confirmed his company's bid. He said Cheung Kong supported the government's plan for the redevelopment. "It's a government project and we will follow the government's decision," Mr Li said, adding the project would continue regardless. Mr Li said the project, which would have theatres, museums and an art exhibition centre, should not be regarded as a real-estate project. 

However, smaller property players are arguing that the project, with a major portion designated for property development, should be treated as a real estate project. 

They have urged the government to sell the real-estate portion of the redevelopment through a public tender and use the money to fund the cultural and entertainment facilities. 

Legislator Abraham Razack, who represents the real estate sector, said the government had made "no genuine attempt to include small bidders" in the project. 

"According to the government's bidding tender, a qualified bidder should have developed at least one project that involves more than $3 billion in construction costs in the past 15 years," Mr Razack said. 

"The construction cost for the first phase of the Convention and Exhibition Centre was only $2.7 billion. 

"Only Cheung Kong, Sun Hung Kai Properties and Swire Properties would be qualified as bidders under such harsh requirements."


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## hkskyline

*CS's Speech*
Saturday, November 8, 2003
Government Press Release

Following is the speech (English only) by the Chief Secretary for Administration,Mr Donald Tsang, at the First Workshop on a Sustainable Development Strategy for Hong Kong this morning (November 8):

Good morning ladies and gentlemen and friends,

What a way to spend a Saturday morning. I want to thank all of you for taking precious time out of your busy schedules to join together for this morning's workshop. For many of you, coming to the office on a Saturday morning is a regular part of your working week. For others - although I guess not many - a more leisurely Saturday morning may be the norm. But I hope that today's event will be something of a new experience for all of us. I am sure you will find this workshop useful and helpful, and hopefully stimulating too.

Today marks the first step in the process of building a Sustainable Development Strategy for Hong Kong. The task of advising how to put together this strategy has been entrusted to the Council for Sustainable Development, which I chair, in particular to the Council's Strategy Sub-committee, under the leadership of Edgar Cheng.

In a few moments, Edgar and his team will brief you on the background of this task, and on what we hope to achieve at this morning's workshop. But before that, I would just like to take a few minutes to explain why you have been invited here today, and why your commitment is so important to the process of defining how to create a sustainable future for our society.

The concept of "sustainable development" is not easy for many people to grasp. But the core of this concept is simple enough - and that is, a concern for the well being, not only of this generation, but also of future generations. To be sustainable, we must ensure that we provide for a quality of life that will continue to make us proud to call Hong Kong our home.

For Sustainable Development to work, this message needs to be understood and embraced by the whole community. And here lies the big challenge. The principles of sustainability require every one of us to seek ways of living that will enable us to enjoy a healthy, prosperous and just society, where people can balance the aims of creating wealth and pursuing personal development with a respect for the natural environment and pride in our cultural heritage.

To help bring this vision closer to reality, the Council for Sustainable Development has set itself the task of bridging the views of the community and the Government, in such a way as to develop a shared perspective on how to make Hong Kong a truly sustainable city. That is why we have invited you here today, as opinion leaders, as community leaders, as captains of industry and concerned citizens from various sectors, to help us design a process for engaging the community in building a strategy for sustainable development. We believe the object is clear. We believe that we need the help of all of you to tell the best ways to engage the public, to find a way to develop this strategy.

This is not a task that the Government could - or should - perform on its own. We will not be able to build an effective strategy for a sustainable Hong Kong unless we engage the public first-hand in this process. The Council is committed to working in partnership with both the community and the Government departments to ensure that our strategy will not only represent the concerns of the public, but will also be implemented.

Edgar and his team will explain to you clearly and concisely the Council's initial proposals for the engagement process that will form the foundation of this strategy. They will take you through the key steps in the process, and will invite you to debate these processes, and to suggest alternatives and improvements. We do have a completely open mind on this.

But today's workshop is about more than simply defining a participatory mechanism for engaging the community. Rather, it is a crucial first step towards harnessing the views of the community on their priorities for Hong Kong's future, and on how we should address these priorities.

The task before us is to reach out to the various sectors and strata of our society and to identify common concerns that emerge from the debate on our future. Following this workshop, the Council will carefully assess the views expressed here before advising on how best to proceed with the main thrust of the work.

We are very much aware that there is no single set of views or values within the community. As with any other large and economically advanced city in the world, there are differences of opinion and outlook. But a diverse society does not mean a divided society. On the contrary, we must recognise the freedom to express and promote alternative views is one of Hong Kong's greatest enduring strengths. And in the process, everyone must try to ensure all of these competing or complementary views and opinions are discussed in a rational and objective manner, and that there is a mutual respect for different views as well.

There are several issues currently attracting considerable public attention. The reclamation of the harbour, for example, is undoubtedly an important issue that also relates to sustainable development. In this case, it involves striking a balance between two very legitimate societal interests: protecting the harbour on the one hand, and, on the other, providing the infrastructure needed to divert traffic away from the congested Central business district. We have been criticised for sticking to established practices in trying to balance these competing demands. But when we look for solutions, our main concern is to find those solutions that serve the best interests of Hong Kong in the long term.

Similarly, there are times when we have tried a new approach to tackle a particular issue. This, in turn, has led to debate about whether we would be better to stick to old, established practice. Our plan to create a world-class arts, cultural and entertainment district at West Kowloon is a recent example. The government has proposed a new approach, and that is to ask the private sector to design, build and operate these major cultural facilities. Apart from financial resources, the other reason we have chosen this approach is to make good use of private sector experience and innovation in bringing this magnificent project to life. We want an iconic development, and a rich and vibrant cultural district, that is a great asset for everyone in Hong Kong. Not only for now, but for our future generations, were wish this district to contribute towards a sustainable balance in our way of life - a district built and managed in such a way that will not necessarily follow a Government-imposed model, but will represent what the world can best offer. We believe that the private sector has the talent, the creativity and the flexibility to provide this breakthrough.

Understandably, novel architectural and artistic projects always generate heated debates round the globe. Hong Kong is no exception. If I remember, the entrance pyramid at the Louvre, the Opera House in Sydney and close at home, our striking HSBC headquarters, the BOC building, as well as our now-famous international airport suffered intense public criticisms in their early days, without exception. We reckon that to make this project of a cultural district truly sustainable, we must fully engage different sectors of the community. That is why the Government is now taking proactive steps to reach out to a wide cross-section of sectors-planners, architects, arts and cultural groups, estate developers and interested groups in the community. We would like to hear their views and to work with them to make this project the great success we want it to be. And I want to stress that this project does not mean and will not just benefit one sector. It must benefit the community as a whole, and not for this community now, but this community and its future generations. And this will be the overarching consideration when we assess the development proposals submitted by the proponents in the next few months. I hope that all concerned can work together to make this project a great success that will be an enormous asset for the people of Hong Kong for many years to come.

This brings me back to the theme of today's workshop, which is the engagement process that is intended to help us gather and organise the diverse views of our community into a shared vision of Hong Kong's development. As this process unfolds, we will no doubt hear a wide variety of opinions that will challenge established practice and propose alternative ways of improving the quality of our lives. We welcome this input, in the knowledge that it conveys a sense of deep and lasting concern for Hong Kong's future development.

Before I hand over to Edgar, I would like to end by noting that today's workshop offers an opportunity for us all to make a commitment to future generations. That commitment will come through a process of partnership and involvement that will help make Hong Kong a truly sustainable society.

I thank you all for your commitment to this endeavour, and I look forward to working with you in the future to build a Sustainable Development Strategy for Hong Kong.

Thank you.


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## panamared

wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww what a proyect .


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## hkskyline

*West Kowloon project may escape scrutiny 
Zoning plan will give consortium free hand in development. *
Chloe Lai
11 November 2003
South China Morning Post

The government is trying to bypass the Town Planning Board in developing the massive $24 billion West Kowloon cultural district. 

In the first case of its kind, the government has put forward a zoning plan that lists most aspects of the proposed cultural district as works that do not require the board's approval. They include hotels, residential blocks, commercial complexes and museums. 

If the government effort succeeds, the single consortium that wins the bidding for the project will have a free hand to build whatever it likes, and in whatever manner, without Town Planning Board scrutiny, once it concludes a deal with the government. 

The board monitors urban development and normally has an oversight role in all but the most minor aspects of building projects. 

Five developers have raised objections to the zoning plan, and they will be heard at a closed-door hearing next month with representatives from the government and the board. 

It is understood that the developers, including Sino Land, K. Wah International, Hang Lung and the Real Estate Developers' Association, have vigorously opposed the government's approach to the project. 

Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen announced in September the contract to build a world-class cultural hub would be granted to a single consortium for 30 years. 

The attempt to bypass the board has faced strong opposition from architects, planners, artists and academics, who say that without scrutiny the project could become a "developer's colony". 

The Real Estate Developers' Association and several small developers also oppose the plan. The government gazetted the zoning plan for the 40-hectare site on July 11. It listed most facilities to be built under the category of "column one" of "other specified uses" of the Town Planning Ordinance. Board approval is required for column two, but not column one, items. 

Only a few of the works in the West Kowloon project, such as a helicopter landing site and marine and petrol fuelling stations, were put on column two. 

In similar developments, such as Cyberport, most of the works are listed under column two, needing board approval. 

A board spokesman said 11 objections were received to the zoning plan: five from developers, four from non-government groups and two from individuals. 

But the Planning Department said the zoning plan was appropriate since a "tailor-made" approach was needed for the massive project. 

The Hong Kong Institute of Planners warns that the plan could enable the project to bypass all statutory monitoring mechanisms. 

"This is very dangerous," institute vice-president Roger Tang Man-hung said. "It means the future of West Kowloon will be entirely a deal between the government and the developers. And once they set the deal, nobody can raise any objections."


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## hkskyline

*Planners will vet Kowloon contract *
Chloe Lai
12 November 2003
South China Morning Post

But they will not be consulted on any changes to the project's master plan The government will seek Town Planning Board approval before signing any project agreement with the consortium that wins the massive $24 billion West Kowloon cultural district bid, government officials announced yesterday. 

But the board will not have a role when the consortium amends the project's master plan, if the proposed zoning plan is approved. In that case, developers will need to negotiate only with the government, the officials said. In most projects, developers cannot amend a project's master plan without Town Planning Board approval. 

Critics warned of serious and far-reaching implications as the government downgraded a requirement for planning board oversight to a mere administrative procedure, restricting the board's role in the project. 

The South China Morning Post yesterday reported that the government is attempting to bypass the Town Planning Board by listing most aspects of the proposed cultural district as works that do not require the board's approval. That includes hotels, residential blocks and commercial complexes. 

Eleven objections have been filed with the board, expressing concern over the absence of control and monitoring mechanisms for the project. The deal is twice the size of Cyberport and will be granted to a single consortium for 30 years. 

A spokeswoman for the Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau sought to defend the move, saying the planned arrangement for West Kowloon still involved the board but also allowed flexibility. 

The controversial project will be raised at Legco this afternoon, and in two weeks Democratic Party lawmaker Wong Shing-chi will table a motion debate urging the government to extend the tendering period and conduct a genuine public consultation on building the cultural hub. 

Mr Wong said: "The government's game plan is outrageous. By restricting the role of the Town Planning Board, it can virtually do anything it likes with the developers. It can use the same tactics to hand over the free-trade zone on the Hong Kong-Shenzhen border to a developer so long as someone agrees to take it over. 

"With the same tactics, it can actually franchise Hong Kong to a developer. And it is changing the way Hong Kong plans for its development." 

The vice-chairwoman of the Conservancy Association, Betty Ho Siu-fong, said: "The role of the Town Planning Board on approving urban planning is a statutory requirement under the Town Planning Ordinance. But the way the government is doing this turns a statutory requirement into an administrative procedure and puts everything under the government's mercy." 

The vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Institute of Planners, Roger Tang Man-hung, said: "With a plan as massive as this one and a project that runs for 30 years, there will be many, many amendments. It is impossible to leave it entirely in the hands of the government and the developer alone." 

Assistant professor of social science at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Ma Ngok, said the government's approach was "very developer-oriented".


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## hkskyline

*New cultural mecca or another Harbour Fest? *
12 November 2003
South China Morning Post

The Harbour Fest was supposed to be a major image-booster for Hong Kong after the Sars crisis. Yet it turned out to be a chaotic project, which could cost taxpayers $100 million, and has eroded public confidence and tarnished the city's image. 

On the face of it, the organiser's lack of experience, the short time frame in which to set up the concerts, and the volatile nature of the stars are to blame. Beneath these, lie more fundamental and bizarre defects. 

A quick-fix mentality seems to have prevailed within the government. Despite the soaring fiscal deficit, government ministers, including former financial secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung, seemed only too happy to spend lavishly on post-Sars publicity, including the Harbour Fest, to the order of $1 billion. 

All the normal rules regarding government contracting out and assignment of rights to government activities were bent when the American Chamber of Commerce was given the exclusive rights to organise the Fest through a private firm set up by its chairman and his wife. This was despite their lack of expertise or experience in show business. Even the public relations firm hired to help was only set up solely to accept contracting by Amcham. 

No senior officials raised any questions about such irregularities. The project was treated as an entirely "private" business, even though it was predominantly underwritten by government funds. With InvestHK chief Mike Rowse, and the new Financial Secretary, Henry Tang Ying-yen, repeatedly getting the details of the project wrong, and some of the crucial facts only being exposed under media pressure, one wonders if the government takes seriously responsibility for public expenditure. 

All the virtues of public-private partnership, favoured by most governments, cannot be used to justify such a blatant absence of accountability. As this saga ends, public suspicion is growing over another, much larger project. Architect's groups, cultural and planning organisations, and some developers, have criticised the government for its intention to award the West Kowloon cultural district project to one developer - even though it will be open to tenders from everyone. By taking this approach, instead of inviting multiple developers to participate in contracts for different parts, the government stands accused of favouring the city's biggest developers. 

On the surface, the single-developer approach cuts the government's chores. Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa promised in his 1999 policy address that a major performance venue would be developed on the West Kowloon reclamation site, with world-class facilities to make Hong Kong the events capital of Asia. In these times of fiscal restraint, however, the government prefers a quick-fix solution of contracting out the whole project to a major developer that will finance the construction and operation of the cultural parts of the development by income generated from the profit-making commercial components. 

The same mentality was behind the Cyberport project, awarded by private treaty in 1998. Acclaimed as Hong Kong's version of Silicon Valley, it has turned out to be essentially just another property development. The government has to learn from the Harbour Fest's problems of a lack of transparency, accountability and community ownership. 

Many in the cultural and performing arts community wonder why the government can be so sure that developers in Hong Kong know enough about the arts not to sacrifice design and quality for business interests and profit. Harbour Fest is seen as a bad example of public-private partnership, leaving many to dread the prospect of having Hong Kong's future cultural landmark put in the hands of an inexperienced private-sector partner. 

It is not as if the government has been great on design - the cultural centre and the central library have both been criticised. But if Hong Kong is to have its own Guggenheim or something comparable to Singapore's Esplanade, the government should not discard its important steering role. The public's role has to be expanded, not contracted. 

The use of commercial development profits to finance the cultural site, as a self-funding deal to secure completion within a short timeframe - without getting bogged down by red tape - is attractive. But by over-emphasising the developer's role, the government has put the project into the classic mode that most developers in Hong Kong are most familiar with. 

There are alternatives. The cultural and commercial parts of the West Kowloon project can be separated. Hong Kong can follow Singapore in setting up an institution of a public character, which can receive tax-deductable donations. Or it can adapt its home-grown corporate model used to construct and operate the airport on principles of financial prudence. 

A cultural corporation or consortium on the public-private partnership basis can be established - with government contributing the land premium and some development rights, and private investors contributing the development monies - but also incorporating local planners and cultural groups. This corporation can take full responsibility for planning the project, calling in worldwide bids for its various parts to ensure fair competition - and getting the best. The corporation should continue to manage the facilities, through a professional management arm.Anthony Cheung Bing-leung is a professor of public administration at City University of Hong Kong and chairman of SynergyNet, a policy think-tank.


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## hkskyline

*Fostering a culture of transparency *
12 November 2003
South China Morning Post

The development of a landmark cultural hub on the prime harbour-side site in West Kowloon is one that, it might be thought, would require the highest levels of public scrutiny. 

We need only consider the vast scale of the project and its importance to our city to appreciate the public interest involved. This is the last large piece of land by the harbour to be developed. The aim is to turn it into a magnificent cultural icon. And it is all to be made the responsibility of a single developer. 

So the government's decision to restrict the ability of the Town Planning Board to intervene is a matter of concern. The government achieved its aim through a remarkably simple device. The whole 40-hectare site has been zoned under the catch-all category "other specified uses". This was apparently proposed by the board. But most of the many different types of work to be carried out have then been listed in a column that exempts them from the board's scrutiny. These include residential blocks, hotels, commercial complexes and museums. The effect will be to give the developer who ultimately wins the tender virtually a free hand in deciding which bits to put where. 

The board is to consider objections to these arrangements from five developers, and it will then vote on a final plan. If this is approved, that will be the end of the board's involvement. Changes could later be made without it being involved. 

The developer, it seems, will be spared the bother of many troublesome and time-consuming applications. This manoeuvre will, no doubt, make the project all the more attractive to the developers who intend to bid for it, speeding up the construction process and giving the winner the greatest flexibility in deciding how to go about it. 

Regrettably, it will also make entire process less transparent and remove some of the usual avenues for public participation and scrutiny. It creates the impression that the government might be lining up a sweetheart deal with a favoured developer. 

The decision to give the project to a single consortium was itself controversial. And the requirements bidders must meet are so strict they effectively exclude all but the biggest companies. Letting the successful developer largely avoid board scrutiny fits the pattern. It is all beginning to threaten the project's credibility. 

The board has been much maligned of late, mainly because of its approval of controversial reclamation projects. This statutory body is perceived to be sympathetic to the government's wishes, which is not surprising given that its chairman and vice-chairman are both officials. The procedures it uses are outdated and in need of reform to make it less secretive - and more accountable to the public. 

However, the board does perform an important public function in scrutinising development proposals and exercising a measure of control over town planning. Some of our biggest companies have, in recent times, seen their plans rejected by the board. As well as officials, its members include academics, business people and environmentalists. It should have a key role to play in monitoring the plans for West Kowloon. 

Even the Cyberport contract, which was awarded without going through the usual tendering procedures, was largely subjected to the board's scrutiny. 

Giving the private sector full responsibility for the West Kowloon project is an ambitious and admirable attempt to save public money. But giving it to a single developer means that company will enjoy a great deal of power. The tendering process must be fair and transparent - and there should be no preferential treatment for the successful company. 

This is a project in which the Town Planning Board must be fully engaged.


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## hkskyline




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## hkskyline

*Tsang hits out in row over arts hub plan *
Chloe Lai and Ernest Kong
13 November 2003
South China Morning Post

The chief secretary yesterday added to the controversy over the West Kowloon cultural district by alleging that some property developers had resorted to lies in their efforts to kill the $24 billion project. A lawmaker accused Donald Tsang Yam-kuen of smearing developers. 

Mr Tsang made his comment during questions in the Legislative Council about the planned arts hub and the proposal to award a 30-year tender for it to a single developer. 

He said: "Since the beginning of the project, many people have wanted us to give up the plan. Many corporations and developers give the government enormous pressure, they use their financial power to press the government, some tease us and some even lie to switch the focus (of discussions)." 

Non-affiliated lawmaker Abraham Razack, who represents property developers, criticised the chief secretary for smearing developers. "If he has an allegation, he should (say) who lied so people can defend themselves. It is very unfair," he said, adding: "The Real Estate Developers Association cannot agree to the government's arrangement." 

Mr Tsang announced in September that the 40-hectare project would be granted to a single consortium to build and operate. Small developers said that would exclude them from bidding, while academics, architects and planners said it would turn West Kowloon into a "developers' colony". 

Mr Tsang said the government would call off the tendering process if no developer came up with a satisfactory proposal. 

He also said the cultural sector had been consulted. But Mr Razack retorted: "You said you're listening, but you neither accept the views of the cultural sector nor those of the developers. You only insist on your own plan."


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## hkskyline

*Public is being misled on cultural hub, tycoon says West Kowloon scheme is fundamentally wrong *
Chloe Lai
14 November 2003
South China Morning Post

Public is being misled on cultural hub, tycoon says West Kowloon scheme is fundamentally wrong, says Hang Lung chairman. 

A property tycoon says the government is using "cheap methods to mislead the public" after the chief secretary claimed developers were resorting to lies to kill the $24 billion West Kowloon cultural project. 

Hang Lung Group chairman Ronnie Chan Chi-chung also criticised the government for trying to "frame" people and distorting the facts about the massive development. 

Describing the cultural project as "fundamentally wrong", Mr Chan said the city's most important arts and cultural facilities should not be operated by a property developer. 

Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen made the allegation in the Legislative Council on Wednesday as he discussed the proposal to award the 40-hectare project to a single developer for 30 years. 

Mr Chan said this proposal was not reasonable. 

"The whole thing is a matter of principle. This tender would have a structural problem. I have never in my life seen a tender as open-ended as this one," he said. 

"On one hand, it's very loose - nothing (about the development details) has been decided and (the developer) can negotiate everything with the government. I really can't see how the selection could be fair. 

"But on the other hand, it is very restrictive and unreasonable (with its one-developer limit). Only four or five developers, including us, have the ability. 

"It is also very irresponsible of the government to mislead the public. It says you can form joint ventures to bid for the project (while) actually making the joint venture impossible. 

"They talked about developers ignoring public interest. But who is the public? The arts and cultural groups do not agree with the government, the professionals oppose the plan and developers also don't like it." 

Mr Tsang told Legco on Wednesday that big businesses and developers were putting pressure on the government to give up the plan, and some had resorted to telling lies about the project. 

He also said it would be risky if the government broke the massive project into several pieces, insisting the only feasible option was for the tender to be granted to a single developer. 

Small and medium-seized property developers are outraged that the project will go to one developer and that the only way they can take part in the development is to form a joint venture. 

They are also upset with the so-called "joint and several guarantee" under which every partner in a joint venture would be held equally liable regardless of the size of their individual investments. 

Bidders are required to have developed at least one project involving more than $3 billion in construction costs over the past 15 years. But the developers pointed out that the construction costs of a project as large as the first phase of the Convention and Exhibition Centre was only $2.7 billion. 

Mr Chan stressed that developers could not agree with the government's tendering process.


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## hkskyline

*Kowloon project's financing under fire *
Quinton Chan and Chloe Lai
17 November 2003
South China Morning Post

The government's 'barter arrangement' for building the planned cultural district may breach accounting rules, say critics The government is bypassing normal funding arrangements for building the West Kowloon cultural hub and may be breaching its own accounting rules, critics warn. 

Legislators and the head of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) say the controversial plan does not follow the normal funding arrangements for capital works projects. They say approval for the $24 billion scheme should be obtained from the Legislative Council's finance committee. 

A government spokeswoman said the West Kowloon project was not public works, but "facilities to be used by the public". Therefore, Legco approval was not needed. 

Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen announced in September that the 40-hectare site would be given to a single consortium to operate for 30 years. The winning bidder would use income from property sales to fund the construction of cultural facilities, such as theatres, museums and libraries. 

The plan has been opposed by some small property developers who would be excluded from taking part in the development. 

Zoning plans for the site, which would take the project beyond the scrutiny of the Town Planning Board, have also been criticised. And non-government organisations, lawmakers and cultural groups have voiced fears that the site could be turned into a "developer's colony". 

Now, it appears the arrangements may also breach a government accounting principle known as "hypothecation of revenue". 

Under the principle, derived from section four of the Public Finance Ordinance, all government revenue should be credited into the Treasury before it is used and all expenditure should come from the Treasury accounts. 

Critics say the West Kowloon case does not follow these rules because the value of the land is being redirected to the developer to cover the project's costs without going through the Treasury accounts. 

While the ordinance applies to all public works, it also stipulates that the financial secretary can decide what constitutes public works. 

ACCA president Leo Lee Chi-ming said the government should first sell the land in West Kowloon and then use the money to fund construction of the cultural district. 

"The government has made the project a barter deal and it is problematic," Mr Lee said. "It should separate the project's accounts on income and expenditure. For a project of such scale, the government should also seek approval from the Legislative Council." 

The chief secretary said in Legco on Wednesday that if the West Kowloon site were put up for auction, the revenue raised might not be able to fund the cultural district because of the budget deficit. 

A senior government official, who would not be named, also said the present plan may have breached the accounting principle. 

"The present arrangements have deprived the Legislative Council's right to scrutinise the project. If this is the case, then many other government projects could also bypass Legco." 

Democratic Party chairman Yeung Sum said the government must suspend the plan and conduct a genuine public consultation. 

"This project involves no government expenditure and there will not be any legislation. The rules of the game are designed to bypass Legco and leave us unable to have any checks and balances." 

The government was criticised by the director of audit in 1996 for violating the principle in a deal with Cathay Pacific for the construction of VIP lounges at the former Kai Tak airport. Cathay built the lounges and was given free use of them for a period to offset the cost. 

But the government, in a reply to the auditor's report, said the financial rules should be flexible. 

A Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau spokeswoman said last night that the West Kowloon project and the VIP lounge issue should not be compared as they were different. She also said a similar concept had been adopted in two public-private partnership leisure projects in Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O.


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## michal1982

please built that!!! its amaizing!!!


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## michal1982

so nothing from this project!!!


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## hkskyline

*LCQ4: West Kowloon Cultural District*
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
Government Press Release

Following is a question by the Hon Albert Ho and a reply by the Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands, Mr Michael Suen, in the Legislative Council today (November 19):

*Question:*

It has been reported that, to tie in with the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District, the Town Planning Board announced amendments to the draft South West Kowloon Outline Zoning Plan ("OZP"), under which a whole lot of some 40 hectares of land will be rezoned at one go from the previous "Specific Uses" to "Other Specified Uses" annotated "Arts, Cultural, Commercial and Entertainment Uses" without restrictions on height and floor development. According to the Invitation for Proposals for the development of the Cultural District, the authorities have decided that a number of core cultural facilities will be built there. They include a theatre complex, a performance venue, a museum cluster, an art exhibition centre, a water amphitheatre and at least four piazza areas. The purposes and sizes of these facilities have already been listed in detail. The authorities expect that the facilities will start operation by phases from 2010 onwards. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the total number of submissions received since the announcement of amendments to the OZP and the number of those objecting to the rezoning; the sectors to which the opponents belong and their grounds of objection;

(b) of the criteria for determining to rezone the whole lot of the above land to "Other Specified Uses", and whether the authorities have ensured adequate planning control over the land; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether the authorities will rezone the land to "Comprehensive Development Area" in order to regulate its development parameters and density; if so, of the progress; if not, the reasons for that; and

(c) of the measures in place to avoid these core cultural facilities being considered unsuitable or outdated after having come into operation, or not being welcomed by the public and local cultural organizations?

*Reply:*

Madam President,

As the Chief Secretary for Administration explained in his reply to Mr James Tien's question in this Council last Wednesday, the Government wishes to see the West Kowloon Cultural District developed into a world class integrated arts, cultural and entertainment area so as to enrich the cultural lives of our people and offer tourists a chance to sample the blend of Chinese and Western cultures here. Experience tell us that to break away from the conventional practice of having arts and cultural facilities operated and managed by the Government, we must draw on the commercial know-how of the private sector as well as the expertise in the cultural sector in developing the project. Also, our fiscal deficit makes it impossible for us to allocate huge funds for building new major arts and cultural facilities. It is encouraging that we have received eleven indications of interest in submitting development proposals.

The project is first and foremost a world class arts and cultural development. It will only be allowed to proceed if the proposal concerned meets our requirements and expectations in this respect. We will, however, allow an appropriate amount of commercial development to attract the private sector and approach the project as a single package to achieve a properly integrated development. In looking to obtain the most feasible and viable proposal, we have only specified in the invitation document our minimum requirements, and provided a baseline development scheme for reference. This would allow proponents as much flexibility as possible for innovative development planning. Yet, the canopy covering most of the site imposes certain limitations, whatever development is proposed. Taking all these factors into consideration, the Town Planning Board has decided to have the site zoned for "Other Specified Uses", namely, arts, cultural, commercial and entertainment uses.

Turning to the three parts of Mr Ho's question:

(a) The Town Planning Board has received 11 objections to the amended draft South West Kowloon Outline Zoning Plan (OZP). The objectors include local individuals, property developers or consultants acting on their behalf, public transport body and concern groups. They all object to the "Other Specified Uses" annotated "Arts, Cultural, Commercial and Entertainment Uses" zoning in the OZP. The objectors are mainly concerned about the lack of development controls regarding building height, development intensity and possible visual impacts and whether the "Other Specified Uses" zoning is appropriate. Other concerns include the possible adverse traffic, environmental and noise impacts that may arise from the development of the arts and cultural district.

(b) As I explained in my introductory remarks, the "Other Specified Uses" zoning is to reflect the intention of planning and developing the site in an integrated manner. I stress however that such zoning does not mean that there will be little or no planning control on what can be built on the land. Quite the contrary, in fact. When the Town Planning Board decided to zone the site for "Other Specified Uses", the Government agreed to submit the preferred development proposal to Town Planning Board members for consideration and consultation before the proposal is submitted to the Chief Executive in Council for approval to enter into the Provisional Agreement. Also, once the Chief Executive in Council has approved a development scheme for the site, the maximum permitted gross floor area and the plot ratio decided upon will be stipulated in the Provisional Agreement to be signed between the Government and the successful proponent. These parameters will then be carried forward into the Project Agreement and the land grant, which is legally binding. We will also provide in the Provisional Agreement and Project Agreement for these parameters to be included in the statutory OZP to specify the development mix and density, including gross floor area, plot ratio and height limit. If the proponent wants to amend any of these aspects of the development plan, all the statutory town planning procedures for approval by the Town Planning Board will have to be followed. Therefore, we do not intend to zone this as a "Comprehensive Development Area".

(c) Under the Invitation For Proposals, proponents are required to propose, in relation to the core arts and cultural facilities, modes of governance and operation which, among other things, will enhance the long term cultural development of Hong Kong, attract public support, provide assurance that the facilities will be run in a financially responsible and publicly accountable manner and involve participation by persons of standing in the community and experts in the relevant fields. These requirements will enable both the Government and members of the arts and cultural community to play roles in providing input to and monitoring the governance and operation of the core arts and cultural facilities, thereby ensuring that standards of operation are maintained to the satisfaction of the community.


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## hkskyline

*Town Planning Board maintains West Kowloon Cultural District zoning*
Friday, December 12, 2003
Government Press Release

The Town Planning Board today (December 12) considered the objections to the amendments of the draft South West Kowloon Outline Zoning Plan in relation to the West Kowloon Cultural District and decided to uphold the amendments.

The Town Planning Board has received 11 objections since the area earmarked for the cultural district was rezoned to 'Other Specified Uses' ('OU') annotated 'Arts, Cultural, Commercial and Entertainment Uses' on July 11, 2003.

Ten of the objections relate to the planning and development issues of the cultural district project. The main concerns of the objectors are on the appropriateness of the 'OU' zoning; the planning control for the district; the role of the Board in the development process of the project; and the impacts on nearby developments.

After careful consideration of the objections, the Board decided that there was no need to propose any amendment to the Plan as the concerns of the objectors had been addressed.

"Members are of the view that as the planning intention is to facilitate the development of the site into an integrated arts and cultural district together with other commercial and supporting facilities, the rezoning of the district to 'OU' annotated 'Arts, Cultural, Commercial and Entertainment Uses' is appropriate," a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said.

Given the scale, nature and development time span of the area, the OU zoning is needed to allow a greater degree of design flexibility for the proponents to come up with the best proposal. Such zoning has been adopted before as in the case of the development of the new airport at Chek Lap Kok, the industrial estates and the container terminal, he said.

The Board was satisfied that since the majority development in the district would be covered by the distinctive canopy, thereby limiting the building height, development intensity and overall built-form of the district would be under effective control. In addition, the same amount of open space originally proposed in the previous version of the Plan will be provided in the development of the cultural district.

As far as impacts on surrounding developments are concerned, the Board was satisfied that the project proponent is required to carry out detailed technical assessments to ensure that the project will be sustainable in traffic, environmental and infrastructure terms.

In deciding on the 'OU' zoning, the Board had the clear commitment from the Government that the Board would be consulted at various stages of the selection of a preferred development scheme. The Board also noted that the Government had repeatedly re-affirmed such an undertaking at Legislative Council (Legco) meetings and in public recently.

The Board noted that members of the public could give their views as Legco would be consulted on the preferred development scheme, before its final approval by the Chief Executive in Council. To enhance consensus building within the community, the Board urged the Government to consult the public at every key stage of the selection process. This would in effect allow maximum public scrutiny of the process before the Agreement for the project was finalised.

"The Board wishes to adopt a two-stage approach for the planning of the cultural district. The first stage is to clearly reflect the planning intention of developing the site into an integrated arts and cultural district, and in this regard, the Board agreed that the 'OU' zoning would be sufficient for the purpose.

"Once the preferred development scheme is agreed upon, it is the intention of the Board to incorporate the development parameters of the agreed scheme, such as the total gross floor area (GFA), the plot ratio and maximum building height, etc, into the Plan for public inspection and comment. In doing so, any subsequent changes to the stipulated development parameters will require the approval of the Board," the spokesman explained.

The spokesman added that the Board agreed to explain clearly the two-stage approach in the Explanatory Statement of the Plan.


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## michal1982

sheme for hong kong!!!


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## Cheese Mmmmmmmmmmmm

Hey hk, how much longer is this financial bickering going to last?

They need to bring in the backhoe and get moving on this... it's too deliciously awesome not to build!!!


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## hkskyline

The project will get built, but the government needs to figure out how to build it, and reach a consensus with the people on that plan. This is not going to be a rushed project, but I expect shovels to be in the ground in a few years.

*Planners gain veto at cultural district *
Michael Ng 
3 January 2004
Hong Kong Standard

The Town Planning Board has the power to veto any draft or plan submitted by either the government or land developers for the HK$24 billion West Kowloon cultural district, according to the board's vice-chairman, Bosco Fung. 

Speaking after a board meeting yesterday, Fung said the government had promised to seek the board's approval for every plan before work went ahead. He also said the two-stage plan-making approach adopted by the board would give the public the opportunity to scrutinise each and every development proposal. 

"If we are not fully satisfied, we can reject any plan and ask the government to make the necessary amendments before re-submitting it to the board," Fung said. 

Explaining his two-stage approach, Fung said the government would first submit its preferred development scheme and preliminary masterplan to the board for consideration. 

The preliminary masterplan would then be submitted to the Executive Council for approval and a provisional agreement entered into with the developer. 

In the second phase, the board would scrutinise details of each plan and decide whether such parameters as plot ratios, density and building heights were acceptable or needed to be amended. 

The approved, or amended, plan would then be published for public inspection and comment. 

Should there be no public objections to the approved plan, it would be resubmitted to the Executive Council for endorsement. 

Fung felt the entire process could be completed within 18 months of the June 19 closing date for tenders. 

Veteran board member Chan Pun-chung said the new procedure would result in a better balance between the wishes of the government, land developers and the general public. 

He said that as the board was not involved in the tender selection process it could do its work properly and would not be accused of showing favour to anyone. 

Associate professor at the Hong Kong University department of architecture Wong Wah-sang said the board's decision was "better than doing nothing". 

But, he said, it would be better if a group of individuals were commissioned to assist the board and to examine the opinions raised by the government and developers. 

He was also worried as to whether the board could work totally free of government influence.


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## hkskyline

*Arts groups divided over West Kowloon project*
Cheung Chi-fai 
13 March 2004
South China Morning Post

Arts groups are split over the government's proposal to allow a single developer to build and operate the $24 billion West Kowloon cultural district. 

The Arts Development Council asked 3,000 schools, cultural and arts groups for their views on the project. 

Of the 403 which responded, a third supported the single-developer approach, a third were against it and the others had no opinion. Previously, arts groups and construction and design professionals had criticised the idea of a single developer. 

Some 60 per cent of the respondents agreed that private developers should play a key role in the project and did not object to commercial activities featuring in the development alongside cultural and artistic ventures. 

About two-thirds wanted the arts community to have a say on the proposals of developers bidding for the project, although some respondents voiced concern that could create conflicts of interest. 

Sixty per cent agreed the development should be managed either by a statutory body, non-profit companies or on a commercial basis. 

If a statutory body were to be chosen, its board should comprise representatives of the government, the arts sector and the successful bidder, they said. 

The council will submit its findings to the government.


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## hkskyline

*Ideas for West Kowloon project to be put to public*
They will be asked to comment on plans for realising the cultural hub next year 
Jimmy Cheung 
20 March 2004
South China Morning Post

Development proposals for the West Kowloon Cultural District will be put on show by the government early next year for public consultation. 

The exercise would foster a greater sense of "public ownership" of the project, Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said yesterday. 

With criticism of the project growing, the government has pushed back to June 19 its deadline for submission of development proposals. 

"We agree that without undermining the integrity of the assessment exercise, there is scope for involving the public further so that their views can also be taken into account in the selection [of a development plan]," Mr Tsang said. 

The government plans to hold public forums on the proposals during the exhibition period. It says the views it collects will help in making the final selection. 

Under the plan, one developer will be given exclusive rights to transform the 40-hectare waterfront area into an arts and cultural zone packed with museums, theatres and residential blocks. Construction is to be completed in stages from 2010. 

Critics fear that only a few developers will be qualified to undertake such a large-scale project and the government and legislature will not have any checks on the development. 

Mr Tsang said there were strong views that the government should involve the public more, and all proposals that satisfied the development criteria would be put out for public consultation. 

"Instead of being presented with a [pre-selected] proposal, the public should be given the opportunity to view the various proposals received, so that they can offer their comments," Mr Tsang said. 

"The public consultation will help ensure that the proposal eventually selected will be better received by the public and [will] have greater public ownership." 

Independent legislator Lau Ping-cheung, who represents the architectural, surveying and planning sector, said problems still remained with the handling of the project. 

"Although involving the public more would help reduce disputes, I think there are still fundamental problems like the single-tender arrangement. Smaller firms would not be able to compete in the tender," he said. 

He also said public consultation would not help reduce conflicts among property developers. 

In the exhibition, technical aspects of the proposals and the operation, maintenance and management of arts and cultural facilities will be displayed. But officials say the public can expect little information on the financial aspects of the proposals as they involve commercially sensitive information.


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## hkskyline

*Consultation will delay cultural hub *
Chloe Lai 
23 March 2004
South China Morning Post

Completion of the West Kowloon cultural district will be delayed for a year by the government's decision to display all the development proposals for public consultation. 

Work on the controversial cultural district will now begin around April 2007, according to a government document submitted to the Legislative Council's planning, lands and works panel. 

The government had intended construction to start in April 2006 when it announced the project in September. 

Because of the delay, the core cultural facilities, such as theatres and museums, will be completed in stages from early 2011. 

Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said on Friday that the government wanted to foster a greater sense of public ownership of the project. 

The development proposals for the West Kowloon cultural district would be put on show early next year for public consultation, he said. 

The government also plans to hold public forums on the proposals during the exhibition period. It says the views it collects will help in selecting the final plan. 

The Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau expects that involving the public in selecting the appropriate development proposal will be a difficult task. It will also inevitably prolong the time needed for the project. 

With criticism of the project growing, the government has had to extend the deadline for submissions of development proposals by three months, from this month to June 19. 

The bureau said private developers may lobby for public support for their plans, which would produce intense debate in the community.


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## hkskyline

*HK PRESS: Cheung Kong, SHKP Eye Joint Bid For Arts Project *
30 March 2004

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--Two of Hong Kong's largest developers, Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd. (0001.HK) and Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. (0016.HK), are in talks to jointly bid for the government's HK$24 billion arts-to-property project, the Hong Kong Economic Journal reports. 

The government has earmarked a 40-hectare harbor-front site in Kowloon for an international arts and cultural center, though the winning bidder will be allowed to turn 70% of the total 7.3 million square feet in gross floor area into residential and commercial units to finance the project. 

The deadline for bids for the West Kowloon Cultural District development is June 19. The government last year said 12 developers had expressed an interest.


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## hkskyline

*Public-private plan will be extended*
Controversial scheme to be used to finance cultural centre 
Chloe Lai 
12 April 2004
South China Morning Post

The government is set to expand its controversial plan to adopt the public-private partnership model in public works projects. 

The Home Affairs Bureau said it would use the new approach for the development of a cultural complex in Tai Po. Under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, a private business is allowed to build and operate public facilities and pocket the income generated for a set period. 

According to a document the bureau submitted to the Legislative Council last week, Tai Po District Council was informed in July about the cultural complex project and consulted again last month. 

The private sector will be invited to make expressions of interest in the project in the middle of this year. 

Legco's home affairs panel will discuss the scheme on Friday. 

The government has already planned to use the partnership model to build a leisure and cultural centre in Kwun Tong and an ice sports centre, a tenpin bowling centre and a park in Tseung Kwan O. It will also invite the private sector to participate in the $6 billion redevelopment of the Sha Tin water treatment plant. 

The controversial West Kowloon cultural district project is not officially classified as a PPP project, although it is based on a similar developmental approach. 

Legco's approval would not be required for PPP projects because such works do not involve public expenditure, Secretary for Financial Services and Treasury Frederick Ma Si-hang said last month. 

This attitude concerns some lawmakers, such as independent legislator Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, who says it would sideline the lawmaking body. 

Further, it would prevent Legco from discharging its duty under the Basic Law of approving public expenditure. 

Another concerned observer is Albert Lai Kwong-tak, chairman of the Hong Kong People's Council for Sustainable Development. 

He said it was dangerous for the government to adopt the PPP model when there was no mechanism to regulate and govern it. 

"Hong Kong needs very clear guidelines when it wants to let the private sector provide public services," he said. 

"There is nothing wrong with the PPP model. But those are public facilitates, [meant] to provide services to the public. Surely, it involves the public interest." 

The Home Affairs Bureau said in the document to Legco that developers interested in the projects in Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O were required to propose a pricing mechanism to ensure that the public was not charged at an unaffordable level.


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## hkskyline

*Alternative views sought on Kowloon cultural hub *
Chloe Lai 
13 April 2004
South China Morning Post

The University of Hong Kong will conduct its own research into the controversial West Kowloon cultural project. 

The public will be questioned on their expectations for the project, and the research will also include a financial analysis of the 40-hectare development. 

Danny Yung, one of the organisers of the project, said: "We want to do this research and tell them how to build and manage this cultural district." 

Mr Yung said some groups invited by officials to express their views recently had described the government's consultation exercise as window-dressing. 

The university research, partially sponsored by the Arts Development Council, could serve the purpose of an alternative consultation, he said. 

Mr Yung, who is also programme director of the Hong Kong Institute of Contemporary Culture, said: "It is very important that there is an informed and rational discussion on the future of the area." 

The university's Centre for Cultural Policy Research will send a questionnaire to all legislators, district councillors, professional groups, media agencies and property developers by the end of the month to collect their views. It will also work out a number of financial strategies for the project. 

The government unveiled the West Kowloon development plan last September. It aims to transform the prime waterfront site into a world-class cultural zone. 

The administration will offer a single contract for the development. The winning consortium will have the right to manage the area, twice the size of Taikoo Shing, for 30 years. 

Smaller developers say the government has barred them from bidding for the project, while the cultural sector has been upset over the absence of consultation. 

The government has postponed its deadline for tenders for three months to June 19.


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## hkskyline




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## hkskyline

*Arts hub may get world's tallest fountain; Under one plan, water would shoot up to 50 storeys *
Sandy Li and Chloe Lai
22 June 2004
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong will have a 150-metre tall fountain - the world's tallest - if the government awards the West Kowloon cultural district project to Henderson Land Development.

Colin Lam Ko-yin, vice-chairman of the group, said yesterday that water from the fountain will go up as high as a 50-storey building.

He also said the cultural hub will keep Lord Foster's gigantic canopy and include a big plaza suitable for hosting national ceremonies.

The design was drawn up by consultants from the United States, Australia and Japan.

Its architect is Cesar Pelli, the designer of the International Finance Centre and the Cheung Kong Center in Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Towers.

He has also designed the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Osaka, Japan, and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Arts in Madison, Wisconsin.

The group consulted more than 340 overseas and local arts and cultural organisations about their requirements for an auditorium. Residential, commercial and cultural facilitates will each occupy about one-third of the land.

But critics questioned the vision of the design, as well as the relationship between a giant fountain, a big plaza and the city's art and culture.

Henderson Land is the second bidder to reveal its design for the 40-hectare site on reclaimed land near Kowloon station. Mr Lam estimated the project would need an investment of between $20 billion and $30 billion.

Sunny Development - a consortium formed between Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings), Chinese Estates Holdings and K. Wah International - was the first bidder to unveil its plan for the cultural hub.

As the invitation for proposals on the cultural district project closed last Saturday, the government received five bids.

The other bidders are: Swire Properties, Dynamic Star International (a joint venture between Cheung Kong Holdings and Sun Hung Kai Properties) and an individual proponent, Lam Sze-tat.


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## hkskyline

*Bidders in move to increase flats at cultural hub *
Raymond Wang
22 June 2004
Hong Kong Standard

Two bidders for the controversial West Kowloon cultural hub project have proposed an increase in the number of flats on the site.

The Sunny Development consortium and Henderson Land Development want to increase their plot ratios at the proposed project, which involves an investment of up to HK$30 billion.

To maximise residential property potential and reduce investment risk at the 40-hectare site, Sunny Development, which includes Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings), Chinese Estates Holdings and K Wah International Holdings, has proposed a plot ratio of more than 3.3 times.

Henderson vice-chairman Colin Lam said yesterday it has proposed a plot ratio of about 2.5 times, comprising 1.7 for property development and 0.8 for the cultural aspect.

The plot ratio, which stands at 1.81 times, determines the number of flats and floor area of the cultural component at the site. But the government has said the ratio can be adjusted.

Under Henderson's proposal as the World City Cultural Park, the cultural, commercial and residential portions will each account for one-third.

Henderson chairman Lee Shau-kee said: "We have financial strength and so decided to submit a solo bid with investment costs as much as HK$30 billion."

He said investment costs will be spread over several years, with around HK$3 billion to HK$5 billion expected to be injected each year.

"As a company posting several billion dollars in net profit each year, the amount is acceptable."

Apart from Henderson, Swire Properties, and a company called Lam Sze-tat, have submitted sole tenders for the mega project.

Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties have bid through a 50-50 joint venture, Dynamic Star International.

Separately, Henderson chief Lee played down the government's decision to raise its supply forecast of new flats in 2007 from 7,000 to 11,000. He said the mild increase was unlikely to have an effect on the property market.

Furthermore, Lee said plans by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp (KCRC) to release 13,600 new flats for sale in the New Territories by 2008 would also not dent the market because they would be rolled out in the next four years. New World Development chairman Cheng Yu-tung agreed it was right for the KCRC to relaunch projects following a tender suspension over the past two years, adding its decision will not have an undue influence on the homes market.

However, Real Estate Developers' Association president Stanley Ho admits he is worried by the KCRC move.

"The supply volume at present is acceptable but oversupply may dampen the market," he said.

Also yesterday, MTR Corp chairman Raymond Ch'ien said the launch of the Tseung Kwan O Area 86 project was still on, with the first batch of flats expected to be completed in 2007.


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## hkskyline

*Cultural hub to lift property prices *
Eli Lau
25 June 2004
Hong Kong Standard

The HK$24 billion cultural hub project is expected to lift property prices in Kowloon, according to Midland Realty (Holdings).

A survey by the agency found 90 per cent of those interviewed expected the controversial project to boost the property prices nearby, while 74 per cent said it would stimulate home sales in the district.

The survey was conducted last week, shortly after the government announced a total of five consortiums had submitted bids for the project.

About 61 per cent of respondents estimated that property projects within the cultural hub could be priced at HK$8,001 to HK$10,000 per sq ft.

"It indicates that people have high expectations of the mega development," Midland regional sales director Eric Cheung said.

Meanwhile, the agency reported a total of 8,137 property deals in Kowloon for the first-half of 2004, up 61 per cent compared with the same period last year.

The surge was despite a transaction slowdown since the second quarter due to a price correction in the market. "The transactions were mainly at Serenity Place and Tseung Kwan O Plaza," Cheung said.

Tseung Kwan O was designated a New Territories new town under government planning, but industry players generally considered the properties there as part of Kowloon supply due to its location. "The overwhelming response reflects that there is still adequate demand to take up new flats," Cheung said.

The number of backlog units in Kowloon has significantly dropped from a peak 12,500 last March to 4,609 last month, Midland said. Properties in West Kowloon were well received by homebuyers with the backlog falling by 74 per cent to 1,248.

For the secondary market, Midland has recorded 1,238 second-hand flat deals in West Kowloon for the first half this year, rising from 385 in the same period last year.

"The West Kowloon cultural project is expected to become a landmark in the district and boost property values around it," Cheung said. "I expect to see about a 10 to 15 per cent price rise for the full year in the Kowloon district."

The 40-hectare waterfront site at the southern tip of the West Kowloon reclamation will be developed into an integrated arts, cultural and entertainment district.

Under the selected design, by Norman Foster and partners, 39 per cent of the 695,000 square metres site will be designated for arts and culture, while 17 per cent will be developed into office space, 16 per cent for residential use, 21 per cent for retail and the rest for community use.


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## michal1982

people in hk stop talking and start building something


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## hkskyline

*KCRC to consider option of station in Canton Road*
Omission in plans for tourist area had perplexed retailers and councillors
Joseph Lo
25 June 2004
South China Morning Post

The KCRC and the government will re-examine the feasibility of building a station in Canton Road following outrage that plans for the proposed Kowloon Southern Link rail line overlook one of the city's busiest tourist and shopping areas.

The about-face by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation also came after representatives of Wharf (Holdings) told members of Legco's transport panel yesterday that its latest proposal for the station would cost a fraction of the $3 billion price of the KCRC's original plan.

The property company's chief manager for external relations, Frankie Yick Chi-ming, told legislators and district councillors that the latest proposal would cost 15 to 20 per cent of the earlier estimate.

KCRC and Wharf have been at odds over the building of a station in Canton Road along the Kowloon Southern Link, a 3.8km passenger rail line linking the West Rail terminus at Nam Cheong station with the East Rail's Tsim Sha Tsui East station, now under construction.

The rail line, expected to cost about $8.3 billion, will be completed by 2009 if work starts next year.

Retailers in Canton Road and district councillors for the area had expected the KCRC to put a station on the busy street, a main commercial, tourism and entertainment point.

But when the scheme was gazetted in March, only the West Kowloon station was included.

Henry Chan Man-yu, chairman of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council, said he was perplexed by the omission, given the street's importance. "The more I listen, the more confused I am," Mr Chan said.

Legislator Abraham Razack said: "Government has to take a stronger stance {hellip} and force the KCRC to build the [Canton Road] station".

Wharf's new plan involves building a station in 50,000 sq ft of space now occupied by the underground car park of the World Finance Centre, part of Wharf's Harbour City development on Canton Road.

The new study, which will look at the economic benefits of the station and the technical feasibility of Wharf's plan, is set for completion by mid-September, when it will be presented to legislators.

The latest proposal stands in marked contrast to the KCRC's original request that Wharf demolish the office tower and replace it with a development that would include the Canton Road station in the design.

Mr Yick said the new cost-estimate was based on land costs and the likely impact of construction on its property holdings.

The KCRC's move to omit the station from the plan has been seen as a tactic to lower the line's development costs and push Wharf, Canton Road's largest landlord, to foot more of the bill for a station from which it stands to benefit.

The Canton Road Association, which mainly comprises Wharf and retailers in its properties, early this month urged the transport panel to investigate.


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## hkskyline

*Cruise terminal plans challenged *
Carrie Chan
29 June 2004
South China Morning Post

Plans for a new cruise terminal were challenged yesterday by legislators who said the Tourism Commission was following the West Kowloon Cultural District model - allowing a developer to subsidise the project with property development.

The accusation came after the commission said it would invite proposals from developers in the second half of the year for a terminal to be completed by 2009, and that about 30 possible sites would be offered.

The project is aimed at easing pressure on existing berthing facilities, accommodating huge cruise vessels that cannot berth at Ocean Terminal, and to develop Hong Kong as a home port.

At a meeting of the Legislative Council's economic services panel yesterday, lawmakers expressed concern that a private developer would use property development to finance the cruise terminal's operation.

Howard Young of the Liberal Party, representing the tourism industry, asked why the terminal could not be a public facility which did not charge high port fees.

Tourism Commissioner Eva Cheng Yu-wah said that the public-private partnership model was favoured so that government resources could be used in other facilities.

"Private companies have new technology. They are able to build a terminal faster than we can," she said.


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## hkskyline

*Key role at cultural site *
Keith Wallis
29 June 2004
Hong Kong Standard

Mott Connell has secured a key role in the development of the West Kowloon cultural district after being appointed technical consultant by the Territory Development Department.

The firm will advise the government on how the five bids submitted on Saturday address issues in five areas. These comprise wind engineering and microclimate underneath the canopy, design of the automated people mover system, building above the entrance to the Western Harbour Tunnel, building around ventilation and acoustics and stage engineering for the theatres complex.

Mott Connell's assessment will help the government rank the five bids from the most to the least favoured. Mott Connell will also advise during the negotiation phase with the preferred bidders.

The five bids were submitted by World City Culture Park, Sunny Development, Swire Properties, Dyamic Star International and Lam Sze-tat.

Mott Connell's contract will last until 2006. "The firm will advise on technical areas where the government lacks the in-house skills," one source said.

Construction on the West Kowloon site will begin in April 2007 and the core arts and cultural facilities will come into operation in phases from 2011.


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## samsonyuen

Neat to see all these projects develop. What was there before, farmland? And will it be accessible by the metro?


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## hkskyline

The site was reclaimed in the 1990s as part of the new Hong Kong International Airport project. It's only across the street from the Kowloon MTR Station.


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## vincent

hkskyline, why are you posting news from summer of 2004???


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## hkskyline

I am reconstructing this thread since it was mysteriously deleted a few months ago. I'm gathering all the relevant news articles and photos that were lost and putting them back here in chronological order.


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## adidas

AMAZING


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## michal1982

hkskyline good job!!


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## hkskyline

*Swire shuns canopy in radical harbour proposal *
Chloe Lai
8 July 2004
South China Morning Post

Swire Properties has submitted a radically different proposal for the West Kowloon waterfront, with the accent on greenery rather than a gigantic canopy.

The company has proposed to the government that the waterfront be covered by a 30-hectare "living green roof" comprising trees rather than a huge canopy constructed from glass, steel and concrete.

Instead of following the government's approach of siting all new arts and cultural facilitates in West Kowloon, Swire has proposed rejuvenating existing facilities in Tsim Sha Tsui and building new ones at the Tamar site.

It hired Frank Owen Gehry, the architect behind the renowned Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, to submit designs for a cultural complex at Tamar.

Gordon Ongley, Swire Properties director and general manager, admitted it was risky because the proposal demanded all bids include a 20-hectare canopy.

He said it was important to let people know there was more than one solution to West Kowloon, and urged the government to include all five submissions in the public consultation.

He said Swire had reservations over the government's idea that all cultural facilities be sited in West Kowloon.


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## hkskyline

World City Culture Park Limited
Source : http://gakei.com/wkc/wkc.htm


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## hkskyline

*Gehry bid dare to Foster's hold *
Sylvia Hui
9 July 2004
Hong Kong Standard

Swire Properties' radical proposals for the West Kowloon Cultural District might force the government to rethink its plans for the district, according to a Chinese University architecture professor.

Swire's submission to the government, which was unveiled to the public on Wednesday, created shockwaves as the plans do not include the Norman Foster-designed canopy, and also extend the scale of the project to include Tsim Sha Tsui and Central.

Chinese University architecture professor Bernard Lim told MetroNews that by hiring acclaimed architect Frank Gehry, Swire is testing the government, which he believes favours "certain designers and developers".

Lim was referring to Foster, the designer of the HSBC building in Central and the airport at Chek Lap Kok, who is understood to be working with Sun Hung Kai Properties. Sun Hung Kai and Cheung Kong Holdings, which are bidding jointly under a Dynamic Star International umbrella, are the only developers of the five contenders who have not revealed their design yet.

The other bidders are Henderson Land, a consortium led by Sino Land and Wharf (Holdings), and an individual named Lam Sze-tat.

"An architect of Gehry's class doesn't agree to designing things easily, and the international media knows it. There is no choice for the government but to assess Swire's proposal properly, even if it does not include a canopy," Lim said.

Gehry's stunning Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, northern Spain, has turned the industrial town into a tourist haven, bringing in much needed revenue and also putting the Basque city on the world stage.

"Besides, the government did not clearly define what `canopy' meant [in the guidelines for submissions]," Lim said. The giant transparent roof, which would cover the equivalent of about 25 football pitches, is considered by many to be a huge financial burden.

"This is an innovative and welcomed alternative for the public, compared to the more complacent submissions by Henderson and Sino Land," Lim said. "It's much better than the government doing everything behind closed doors. I have to admire [Swire] for putting this challenge to the government to re-examine its limited vision of West Kowloon as well as its whole cultural policy."

Lim is also the chairman of the board of local affairs at the Hong Kong Institute of Architects. He had previously pointed out numerous problems with the cultural project and its canopy to MetroNews.

Legislator Tang Siu-tong, who chairs the Legislative Council's Panel on Planning, Lands and Works, said he does not know yet if the government will disclose its preliminary stance in next week's panel meeting.

But Tang said the fact that "certain high-level officials" including Chief Secretary Donald Tsang are fond of the canopy design must be considered.

A spokeswoman for housing, planning and lands said the government is in the process of reading through the massive amount of submitted material, and cannot provide any comments on individual proposals. The public will get to see the designs early next year, she said.


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## Cheese Mmmmmmmmmmmm

Oh man, they better not ditch the canopy. If anything, JUST BUILD THE CANOPY!!! No canopy means it's just another plain old "area" with buildings and stuff.


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## hkskyline

*Stanley Ho favours multi-developer idea *
Jimmy Cheung
11 July 2005
South China Morning Post

Tycoon Stanley Ho Hung-sun has weighed into the debate over the West Kowloon project, saying a multi-developer approach would net the government $150 billion more than a single developer would.

Mr Ho, chairman of the Real Estate Developers Association, yesterday criticised the proposal to award the cultural hub to a single developer.

"I have always opposed the single-developer approach. We think the Treasury would gain much less as a result," he said.

He believed the government could gain up to $200 billion by opening up the bid, compared with its own estimate of $50 billion to $60 billion.

"As long as the government allows more developers to participate, either through the application list or public auction, it can fetch at least over $100 billion, if not $200 billion.

"If the government can make more money, why not?"

The casino and property tycoon also said the Executive Council should include representatives from the property sector, as the industry was such an important part of the economy.

He dismissed fears that this would lead to collusion with businesses, saying such problems only existed in poor countries.

Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme yesterday, Alan Leong Kah-kit, chairman of a Legco committee on the West Kowloon project, hoped the government would establish a new steering authority to develop the project.

As his committee was still unable to gain access to crucial details on the project, such as financial arrangements and technical studies, Mr Leong would not rule out the possibility of invoking special Legco powers to obtain the relevant papers later this year.

But he said this would be a last resort. "We have entered an interactive stage. We hope there will be a positive response from the government," he said, referring to recommendations tabled last week.


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## hkskyline

*Swire challenges blueprint with 'living green roof' *
Peggy Sito
14 July 2004
South China Morning Post

A radical proposal from Swire Properties that dispenses with the idea of a giant glass canopy for the proposed West Kowloon Cultural District project may pose a challenge to the government, which had insisted on the canopy in the first place.

The canopy, suggested by architect Sir Norman Foster, is a stipulated feature in the proposed cultural hub, which will occupy 40 hectares of reclaimed land on the West Kowloon waterfront.

Last week, Swire presented a proposal that offered an alternative plan, replacing the idea of a glass, steel and concrete canopy with the concept of a 30-hectare "living green roof ", with trees and foliage.

The government's intention of awarding the project to a single developer who would incorporate the glass canopy in the building plan has been criticised by smaller developers, who would like to see the project split so that a number of players could take part in creating the cultural hub.

The Swire proposal is seen by many as potentially awkward for the government.

If the government decided to grant Swire the contract, it would be as good as admitting that the initial canopy idea was not wise, said Pang Shiu-kee, head of SK Pang Surveyors.

And if the government accepted Swire's canopy-free proposal, it would have to explain why it was giving the $24 billion contract to one developer rather than splitting the project into several phases for a range of developers, analysts said.

Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said the glass canopy was one of the main reasons the government had decided to entrust the project to a single consortium that would be responsible for maintaining the site for 30 years.

"If the government wants more than one developer, [our] plan is technically feasible," Gordon Ongley, Swire Properties director and general manager, said last week.

Swire Properties is a supporter of the Real Estate Developers' Association, which has asked that the project be divided into phases so that big and small developers can have a share in it.

Mr Pang of SK Pang Surveyors believed Swire Properties had a slim chance of winning the project. He said other developers who had submitted bids that included the required canopy would object if the Swire proposal was accepted.

Five bids were received before the June 19 deadline for submissions. Henderson Land Development said its proposal included the giant canopy.

A consortium formed by Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings), Chinese Estates Holdings and K. Wah International has proposed building a park covered by more than 100 small canopies.

A consortium formed by Sun Hung Kai Properties and Cheung Kong (Holdings) declined to discuss its proposal, and another bidder was unavailable for comment on its proposal.

Swire has requested that the government display all proposals for public consultation.

"Let the government make the decision based on the knowledge of what the community expresses," Mr Ongley said last week.

Environmental groups endorse having the proposals put up for public display.

"The government should be transparent, making sure that the winning proposal is in the best interests of the public," said Lister Cheung Lai-ping, chief executive of the Conservancy Association.

"Swire must have a strategy to play such a game. It is well planned," Ms Cheung said.


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## hkskyline

*Promise broken on cultural hub tenders*
Chloe Lai
15 July 2004
South China Morning Post

The steering committee headed by Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, which adopted the winning design for the West Kowloon cultural district will also choose the developer to build it, legislators were told yesterday.

The government had earlier promised that no politically appointed minister would be involved in the selection process.

Deputy Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Thomas Tso Man-tai said the government would select the winning bid by the middle of next year and the project would start in April 2007.

He said the steering committee, set up in October 2002, would make the final decision on the winning bid. It would review the marks awarded to each bid by a selection committee set up to study the proposals.

Speaking to a Legislative Council planning, lands and works panel, Mr Tso said the public's opinions of the designs would be taken into account in selecting the winning proposal. Public consultation would continue even if only one proposal met the requirements.

He also said that apart from the design, the premiums developers were prepared to pay for the project would be displayed for public consultation.

Five developers are bidding for the project: Henderson Land Development; Swire Properties; a joint venture of Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties; a joint venture of Wharf Holdings, Sino Land, Chinese Estates and Ka Wah; and individual bidder Lam Sze-tat.

The Cheung Kong-Sun Hung Kai joint venture has hired as its designer Lord Foster's company. The British architect won the design competition for the project.

The selection committee, headed by Permanent Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands, Leung Chin-man, was announced by Mr Tsang in October in an attempt to ease discontent over the project. It consists of senior civil servants with various areas of expertise, and Independent Commission Against Corruption officers. Announcing it, Mr Tsang said the selection process had to be fair and transparent and no government minister would be involved to prevent political interference.

The Frontier legislator Emily Lau Wai-hing said she foresaw "many troubles" with the procedure.


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## pirlo_21

some renderings please


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## Karl McF

*The pics*

I find thought pictures of the new building so nice in deed.
:eek2: :eek2: :eek2:


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## hkskyline

There are some renderings in  page 3 of this thread.

The West Kowloon Waterfront master plan introduces new life into Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. The project creates a mixed-use urban center and international tourist destination on reclaimed land north of Hong Kong Island. 

Unified by a premier waterfront promenade and monorail system, this exciting combination of recreation, commercial, and tourist amenities reinforces Hong Kong as the “City of Life.” 

The plan forms five distinct yet connected nodes along Victoria Harbour. Nodes include an arts and cultural district, convention center, island park, stadium, and wholesale market. Each component celebrates both Hong Kong’s history and new cultural life.

Source : http://www.hok.com/projects/selecte...West_Waterfront_Plan_DotComWeb.htm?sort=Alpha

HOK is a design and project service firm and these renderings may not reflect what is actually being considered by the government.


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## hkskyline

*Culture hub developer 'can't lose' *
Chloe Lai 
28 July 2004
South China Morning Post

The value and earnings of the property developer that wins the West Kowloon cultural district project will get a big boost, even if it makes a loss on the cultural section, according to a Deutsche Bank report. 

"We believe the project will enhance the winning developer's net asset value significantly, even though they may record losses from the operation of the cultural-related portion in the next 30 years," the report said. 

The bank released the report, "WKCD - another Cyberport?", on Monday. 

It puts the gain in net asset value accruing from the project at $4.87 billion, even if the cultural facilities record a net loss of $150 million every year for 30 years. 

It also said the winning consortium's profit margin before tax and interest could reach 34 per cent. With a land premium of $1,800 per sq ft, the development cost will be about $28 billion, before interest. 

Five consortiums submitted bids for the project last month. The winning developer will have the right to design, build and manage the 40-hectare site for 30 years.


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## hkskyline

*Review of cultural sites mooted *
Facelift plan for Tsim Sha Tsui raises doubts about future of public facilities located on waterfront
Ernest Kong
18 August 2004
South China Morning Post

The cultural facilities on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront may come under review as part of the government's grand plan to turn Tsim Sha Tsui and West Kowloon into a major cultural and tourist attraction.

A government source said preliminary discussions had taken place on the need to review the use of cultural facilities, including the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the Space Museum.

"It's natural that we have to review the use of facilities which show duplication in function {hellip} discussions have touched on the need to review use according to the progress of the West Kowloon cultural hub," he said, adding that the government had not come up with any options.

Because the first phase of the West Kowloon cultural hub will not be operational until 2010, it may be too early to ask if the review will be as drastic as Swire Properties' proposal for the West Kowloon cultural hub, which involves bulldozing the Museum of Arts and the Space Museum to make way for a new grand theatre.

"When we constructed the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui many people said there was a need to knock down the City Hall in Central. But the one in Central is still serving the community," the source said.

FPDSavills Hong Kong senior director William Wong said there was a need to review the use of the Cultural Centre and Space Museum with the establishment of the mega-cultural hub on the 40-hectare reclaimed site on the West Kowloon waterfront.

But he thought knocking down the facilities was too drastic.

"They are landmarks of Tsim Sha Tsui," Mr Wong said.

He proposed that the government keep the buildings and turn them into retail malls to attract tourists.

A market observer said the government might start the reviewing process when major projects in the district were completed.

"It could well be the government's next step in reviving Tsim Sha Tsui after the completion of new railway connections and some existing area improvement projects," he said.

The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp is building an extension of East Rail from Hunghom station to a new station in Tsim Sha Tsui East on Salisbury Road.

The station is expected to be completed by the end of this year, and it should boost Tsim Sha Tsui East's traffic flow.

Under a draft proposal from the Economic Development and Labour Bureau, the bus terminal adjoining the Star Ferry pier would be moved to Tsim Sha Tsui East next to Wing On Plaza. The vacant site would be turned into a plaza, with footbridges and a podium garden connecting to the pier.

Major landlords in Tsim Sha Tsui East - Sino Land and New World Development - are expected to cash in on the expected revival of the district.

Stephen Brown, a general manager of Sino Land, the largest landlord in Tsim Sha Tsui East, said the company was looking at renovating its premises to tap an expected boost of passenger flow which would present opportunities to raise the return from their buildings. "Tsim Sha Tsui East fell behind the whole district development with its poor accessibility. With the new railway connection, it will be back on the map," he said.

New World Development is also planning a facelift for its New World Centre near the new East Rail station.

The district will also see new landmarks. Near the Hong Kong Cultural Centre is the former Marine Police headquarters. Built 120 years ago, it will be turned into a hotel and an open-air piazza by developer Cheung Kong (Holdings). According to a company spokeswoman, the project should be completed by the end of 2006.

Plans have been approved for a Ferris wheel to be erected on Wharf Holdings' Ocean Terminal extension. The developer expects the 52-capsule Ferris wheel to boost its retail portfolio along Canton Road. However, the KCRC and Wharf have been at odds over the building of a station in Canton Road along the Kowloon Southern Link - a 3.8km passenger rail line linking the West Rail terminus at Nam Cheong station with East Rail's Tsim Sha Tsui East station.

The KCRC and the government are re-examining the feasibility of building a station in Canton Road, following outrage over plans that show the proposed Kowloon Southern Link rail line will overlook one of the city's busiest tourist and shopping areas. The study should be completed next month, when it will be presented to legislators.


----------



## hkskyline

*Paris' modern art behemoth bids for controversial Hong Kong culture hub *

HONG KONG, Oct 12 (AFP) - Paris' prestigious art and design institute the Pompidou Centre has joined a bid to run a museum of modern art in Hong Kong, officials said Monday announcing plans for its first foray outside of France. 

The institute hopes to open the museum in the heart of a 40-hectare spit of reclaimed land on the shores of the Kowloon district that has been earmarked by the government as an arts hub housing a string of cultural and sports centres. 

"It has always been the intention of the Pompidou Centre to bring dialogue between cultures and with a museum of modern art in Hong Kong we can achieve a two-way exchange between East and West," Bruno Racine, Pompidou Centre president, told AFP. 

"We think that by providing a significant role, through our collection and our savoir faire, we can create a significant cultural centre for all of Asia," Racine added. 

The announcement was timed to coincide with a visit to China and Hong Kong by French President Jacques Chirac. He is spearheading an initiative to raise the profile of France in China in the hope of winning a larger share of the growing wealth of the fast-growing economic giant. 

The institute has joined forces with the Dynamic Star consortium that includes local property giants Sun Hung Kai and Cheung Kong, which is bidding to build and run all the facilities at the so-called West Kowloon Cultural Centre, the city's largest cultural development. 

Although the tendering process is not yet over, local media speculate about five consortia will bid for what is expected to be a 24 billion Hong Kong dollar (3.07 billion US dollar) scheme. 

If the consortium wins its bid, the museum should be up and running by 2012, and would be the Pompidou Centre's only facility outside its home country. 

"We have no plans for worldwide expansion but we felt we needed a presence in China," said Racine. 

While the museum's exhibits will initially rely on some of the 54,500 works of art in the institute's Paris collection and works loaned from other Asian galleries, it will eventually build up its own permanent collection from around the region. 

The Dynamic Star details have not yet been finalised but it envisages the Pompidou Centre will pay little up front: the developers will build the 13,000-square metre museum leaving the institute to run it, buy or provide the art to fill it and organise its exhibitions. 

Controversial British architect Sir Norman Foster has been slated to design the museum. 

The government-set contract provides for the developer to subsidise the museum for the first 30 years. 

"This is a very exciting opportunity for us to play a part in China at a time of change," said Racine. 

The West Kowloon Cultural District proposal has been the subject of enormous controversy in Hong Kong, where planners and architects argue it will do little to nurture local talent and will be too far removed from the rest of the city to be economically viable. 

They have also criticised Foster's proposal to cover the entire hub in a gigantic undulating glass roof, saying the feature would be expensive and impractical.


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## hkskyline

*Chirac visit to Hong Kong hoped to forge new cultural bonds *

HONG KONG, Oct 12 (AFP) - When President Jacques Chirac opens the first exhibition in Asia of one of France's artistic treasures, Picasso's "The Parade", in Hong Kong, he will also be unveiling what is hoped to be a new era in cultural cooperation. 

Chirac will be in the territory for barely half a day at the end of a swing through China aimed primarily at winning French industry some of the business being generated by the emerging economic giant. 

But the visit will be significant as it satisfies another plank of the trip -- to share with China France's rich cultural heritage. 

Hong Kong has been chosen as the setting for the first overseas expansion of France's renowned institution of modern art and design, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. 

The centre announced Monday it had hitched itself to one of five consortia of Hong Kong developers bidding for a string of cultural centres in a so-called arts hub on the Kowloon harbourside. 

If the bid goes through, the Pompidou centre will run, provide and purchase art for display in a museum of modern art, which has already been dubbed HK-MOMA. 

"While the HK MOMA will benefit from our expertise and our collection, it will develop its very own personality, providing a unique blend of Western and Asian art," the centre's president Bruno Racine told AFP. 

Picasso's stunning, colossal "The Parade" is deemed an apt choice to launch the French-Chinese initiative. Painted on an actual stage curtain and depicting a backstage theatrical scene, it brims with life waiting to be unleashed at the lifting of the drape. 

The masterpiece is on loan from the Pompidou centre. Its exhibition at a huge new shopping mall in downtown Hong Kong represents only the 11th time it has gone on show in 50 years. 

HK MOMA will be one part of a grander complex called the West Kowloon Cultural District that Racine hopes will become a focus for modern art from all over the region. 

If the deal goes ahead, it will mark the institute's first foray outside of home territory. 

Although Racine said the museum had no plans for world expansion like its American peer, the Guggenheim, it had been looking to branch into China. 

"We have a pattern of relationships with museums in cities all over the world, but not in China," he said. "We made a decision some time ago that we needed to be in China." 

The consortium presented the opportunity when it approached the institute for input. 

In what amounts to a sweetheart deal, the Pompidou centre will pay nothing towards the construction of the centre, although it will have a hand in its design. 

The museum's expenses will be guaranteed by a proviso built into the tender deal that the developer will cover all shortfalls in costs for the first 30 years, Racine said. 

"That is important as it gives us the room to draw up a long-term vision for HK MOMA, to build it into one of the world's leading museums." 

The proposed art-hub scheme, valued at around 24 billion Hong Kong dollars (more than three billion US), has sparked controversy in Hong Kong, where it has been criticised as a white elephant in the making. 

The local art community is up in arms on the issue too, and news of the possible participation of one of the world's most prestigious art institutes has left it cold. 

"It's just another real estate deal that's using the promise of art as a gloss to make it look good," said John Batten whose John Batten Gallery has been exhibiting modern local artists for eight years. 

"You don't need the Pompidou Centre to run a museum here -- we can do it." 

Questions have also been raised about whether the institute would allow its acquisitions policy to be influenced by China, which has long suppressed what it considers subversive art. 

"I don't foresee any problems," said Racine. "Our acquisitions committee will be made up of of independent people whose views and policies will be made on artistic, not political, judgements."


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## Cheese Mmmmmmmmmmmm

hkskyline said:


>


... HK tell me they're not seriously entertaining such disgraceful concepts such as this one. If you take away Foster's canopy and sleek design, it's nothing more than a cluster of buildings, certainly not a tourist attraction.... and worse, not even close to being a city landmark.


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## hkskyline

*Fresh calls for rethink of cultural project contract *
Ng Kang-chung and Peggy Sito
20 October 2004
South China Morning Post

The government is facing renewed calls to drop its plan to hand the West Kowloon cultural project to one bidder now that the property market is looking up.

With developers showing strong bidding interest in government sites, academics and legislators said the government should reconsider the option of auctioning the residential and commercial lots in the proposed cultural district and use the capital to sustain cultural facility development.

Legislative Council members said they would press the government to rethink the proposal at the Legco planning, lands and works panel next Tuesday.

Non-affiliated legislator Albert Chan Wai-yip said: "It is a very big project involving a lot of money and valuable land resources. We should do it properly. Now the market situation has changed. The outlook for the property market seems brighter.

"Developers are more eager to bid for land. I would question whether the single-contract approach is still the best option."

Mr Chan said he would urge the government to rethink its approach at next week's panel meeting. Similar views were shared by legislator Albert Ho Chun-yan, vice-chairman of the Democratic Party, who said his party opposed the single-contract approach.

The project, with a giant canopy designed by Lord Foster, will be built on 40 hectares of reclaimed land on the southern tip of the West Kowloon reclamation.

About 30 per cent of the site will be earmarked for arts and culture and the rest for commercial and residential development. The cost of the entire project is estimated at $24 billion but could rise as the value of shops and residential developments in the proposed district is expected to surge.

The project is controversial because the government wants one contract, the winner of which will design, build and operate the cultural district for 30 years. Construction is expected start in early 2007.

Smaller developers said the tendering method excluded them from competing. The arts community has also expressed concerns at the lack of consultation and said the project might risk being turned into a developers' colony. Five bids were received before the June 19 deadline for submissions.

One bid from a joint venture between the city's two biggest developers, Sun Hung Kai Properties and Cheung Kong (Holdings), is tipped to be the probable winner.

Polytechnic University associate professor Lam Pun-lee said: "Society will react in a big way if the government insists on granting the project to one bidder."

He urged the government to auction the sites separately and use the funds to support cultural development because it was the fairest and most efficient way to maximise government revenues.

Wong Kwok-chung, an associate professor of real estate and construction at the University of Hong Kong, said the government must be careful about granting the project because of the political environment.

Some market observers said because of the uncertainty of the West Kowloon development, developers including Cheung Kong and Sun Hung Kai Properties had bid aggressively in last week's land auction, looking for ways to replenish their land banks. The Housing Planing and Lands Bureau said an exhibition of all proposals that met government requirements would be held next year.


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## hkskyline

*Property giant out to build more on arts hub site*
Henderson boss says he's determined to win West Kowloon job 'for the people'
Gary Cheung
30 October 2004
South China Morning Post

Like other developers bidding for the contract to build the West Kowloon arts hub, Henderson Land is proposing a higher-density development than the government wants.

But it would stick closer to the government target than some rivals, said Henderson Land vice-chairman Colin Lam Ko-yin, who called the company's proposed plot ratio "quite restrained".

The property giant's bid for the project proposes a plot ratio - representing a project's developed area compared to its site area - of 2.5, including 0.7 for cultural facilities. The government set the overall plot ratio at 1.81, but Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said last year the winner could have a high ratio if essential.

Architects have estimated the 1.81 plot ratio could result in 7,600 flats being built, with the gross floor area of the project estimated at 10 million sq ft.

Henderson's solo bid is competing for the project with a Sun Hung Kai Properties-Cheung Kong joint venture; Swire Properties; and a consortium comprising Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings), Chinese Estates Holdings and K Wah Group. Other bidders have sought a plot ratio as high as three.

Due for completion in 2012, the $24 billion project on a reclaimed site near Kowloon Station will include theatres, museums, shops and flats.

The initial plan is for shops, flats and cultural facilities to occupy about 30 per cent of the site each.

Henderson Land Development chairman Lee Shau-kee said he was determined to win the bid, saying he would not mind losing billions of dollars in operating the cultural hub.

"We won't let Hong Kong people down or make them lose face," the tycoon said. The West Kowloon development has become a centre of controversy since the government unveiled its plan to turn the prime waterfront site into a world-class cultural zone last September.

Its decision to hand over the project to a single developer for 30 years has sparked criticism from smaller developers, who say the scheme favoured big developers.

Mr Lam said his company would invite museums on the mainland and in Europe, including the Pompidou Centre in Paris, to co-operate in operating the West Kowloon arts hub if it won the bid.

Meanwhile, Henderson will join forces with the Arts Development Council and the Arts Centre to display paintings and art collections in shopping malls operated by the company from November 24.

Darwin Che, chairman of the Arts Development Council, said it was a good beginning for collaboration between the arts and business sectors to promote arts in the community.


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## hkskyline

*Arts district trustee plan would foster public trust *
8 November 2004
South China Morning Post

As the date nears for the government to make public its shortlist of candidates to build the West Kowloon cultural district, the bidders have stepped up their publicity efforts. Development conglomerates are mounting art exhibitions, their chiefs are giving interviews and big-name museums are being unveiled as potential partners.

Perhaps not to be outdone, the government is making its own bid for public support, revealing it is considering setting up a board of trustees to manage the arts venues within the controversial project. This is a wonderful idea, and could well ease many of the public concerns about the project, although much still depends on the final details of any such arrangement.

The stakes are high in West Kowloon. The public may not be putting a cent into the building of the museums and concert halls, but the subsidy comes in the form of handing over what is perhaps the last large piece of harbourfront land that can be developed. The idea that whatever is built there has to benefit the public has wide acceptance, but the cynicism about this being a developer-led, profit-oriented project still remains. The scepticism will remain until the plans are revealed for public consultation at the end of this year, if not longer.

Whatever the developers might say, much of their interest in the project has to do with simple economics. Luxury property in the neighbourhood is fetching ever-higher prices and the size of the project will give the winner a dominant position in the Hong Kong real estate market for years to come. In a remarkably candid remark, Henderson Land Development chairman Lee Shau-kee said recently he would be willing to lose billions on the cultural side of the project. No doubt many of the bidders must think this way, as they stand to make many times such an amount in profit on the commercial real estate. There are already indications that all of them have asked for higher plot ratios than the government set out at the start, meaning more saleable floor space will be built.

It is difficult to judge the merits of any of the proposals without seeing the details, but the principal aims should remain: fostering cultural development and having commercial development as part of, but not dominating, the project. The sooner the plans are unveiled, the sooner the public will be able to judge whether these requirements have been met.

The public should resist the temptation, however, to focus only on plot ratios and profit margins. Management of the arts venues should be scrutinised, since it will determine the success of the cultural side of the development - for the 30 years of the management contract and beyond. Local arts groups have already expressed fears that they will be sidelined. Questions abound about how the new arts district will co-exist alongside the museums and performance spaces now being administered by a highly bureaucratic Leisure and Cultural Services Department. If potential developers already see the arts development side as a loss centre, not a profit-making proposition, what guarantee is there that they will manage it well or for maximum public benefit?

Hong Kong need not sell itself short. The biggest names in the museum and design world have expressed interest in playing a role in West Kowloon, a sign of the draw the city has. Luring the Guggenheims and the Pompidous of the world here will not be the hard part. The hard part will be getting the management of the project right, giving due emphasis to what will go into the buildings once they are built and fostering the patronage culture that is the backbone of the arts world elsewhere.

A board of trustees that has genuine public involvement could do a lot to overcome the scepticism and the pitfalls. It could even lay the groundwork for a new way of steering Hong Kong's cultural development if and when the government decides to play a less active role in the sector.


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## hkskyline

*Trustees may oversee cultural hub
The public would be represented on West Kowloon board *
Chloe Lai
8 November 2004
South China Morning Post

The government may set up a board of trustees to oversee management of the West Kowloon cultural district, a government source said.

The source said members of the public would have representatives on the board of trustees.

Officials are reportedly studying how similar projects in North America, Europe, Australia and Japan are managed.

A selection committee is still examining the five proposals submitted by developers.

The shortlisted development bids would be announced by Christmas, the source said.

"The company winning the project will not dominate the board of trustees," the source said.

"Those who represent the public interest won't be simply window-dressing. The trustee must be accountable to the public."

Ada Wong Ying-kay, a prominent member of the arts and cultural community, said that more than one board of trustees should be established: one could focus on the management of the museums, and one on the performing arts venues.

"The philosophy of managing a museum is very different from the performing arts. I can't see how one board of trustees can do the job effectively," said Ms Wong, who was a member of the now-defunct cultural and heritage commission.

She also said that the developer should not dominate decisions on how money would be spent.

Otherwise, having members of the public appointed to the board of trustees would have little effect on the project, she said.

The government wants to transform the 40-hectare plot of reclaimed land near Kowloon station into a regional cultural hub.

Five bids were received from developers before the June 19 deadline for submissions.

They include Dynamic Star International (a joint venture between Cheung Kong Holdings and Sun Hung Kai Properties); Swire Properties; Henderson Land; and a consortium of Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings), Chinese Estates Holdings and the K Wah Group. There is also a mysterious individual bidder, Lam Sze-tat.

Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said earlier this year that the government wanted to foster a greater sense of public ownership in the project.

This is why the shortlisted development proposals will be exhibited early next year for public consultation. The government plans to hold public forums on the proposals during the exhibition period.

The core cultural facilities, such as theatres and museums, are expected to be completed in stages from early 2011.


----------



## hkskyline

*Property giants unveil vision for cultural hub
Our plan for West Kowloon will generate $216b over 50 years, say developers*
Chloe Lai
9 November 2004
South China Morning Post

The massive West Kowloon Cultural District project will generate economic benefits of $216 billion over a 50-year period, according to a key contender for the rights to develop the site.

Dynamic Star International says the project will create 29,000 jobs during construction and 8,500 permanent jobs afterwards.

The Cheung Kong (Holdings)-Sun Hung Kai Properties joint venture made the predictions yesterday as it published details of its proposals in two hard-covered books.

Under the Dynamic team proposal, there will be three zones - an eastern gateway, a retail and entertainment spine and a cultural headland. Arts and cultural facilities will occupy 315,860 square metres. About 20,000 square metres will be reserved for government offices and a community centre.

They also promised to give the city a prime urban park with almost 30 hectares of landscaped open space and piazzas.

The soaring, curved canopy that was a key feature of architect Lord Foster's prize-winning design for the cultural district is envisaged as a climate modifier, incorporating solar panels for water, heating and electricity, as well as providing ventilation.

It will also collect 20,000 cubic metres of rainwater each year for use within the development and to irrigate the park.

Dynamic's proposal, the last to be unveiled, is more comprehensive than those of its competitors - Swire Properties, Henderson Land, and a consortium of Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings) and Chinese Estates Holdings. They largely focus on the general artistic impression and the name of their chief architect.

The government wants to turn the reclaimed land near Kowloon Station into a regional cultural hub. The winning bid will have the right to develop and manage the site for 30 years, prompting fears it will be a developer's colony.

Dynamic estimates the number of visitors in 2014 will be 50 million, generating spending of $6 billion in real terms.

Under the Dynamic plan, the arts and cultural facilities will be governed by an independent foundation. It will comprise members elected from the community and the local arts and cultural sector.

The joint venture promised "the principles of democracy, transparency and accountability will be enshrined in the mode of governance of the district".

The constructions represent a plot ratio of 3.285, a higher density than the Henderson Land proposal of 2.5. The bidder says the canopy, imitating a flying dragon, will incorporate environment-friendly features and contribute to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.


----------



## hkskyline

*Consortium proposes plot ratio of 3.28 times *
Raymond Wang
9 November 2004
Hong Kong Standard

A consortium of Hong Kong's two biggest developers, Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties, has proposed a plot ratio of 3.28 times for the HK$40 billion West Kowloon cultural hub project.

The plot ratio will determine the number of flats to be built on the 40-hectare waterfront site, as well as the floor area of its cultural facilities.

The consortium, Dynamic Star International, is one of five bidders for development rights to the site.

Under its proposal, the complex, without requiring further reclamation, would generate a total gross floor area of more than 14 million square feet _ 7.2 million sq ft of residential, a 2.5 million-sq-ft office-retail complex, an 800,000-sq-ft hotel, and 3.5 million sq ft of cultural attractions.

The cultural portion will feature three theatres; museums for movies, Chinese opera, modern art and children; and lecture halls for the Hong Kong Polytechnic School of Design.

Sunny Development, which groups Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings) and Chinese Estates Holdings, has proposed a plot ratio of more than 3.3 times to maximise residential potential and reduce investment risk.

Henderson Land Development, bidding alone, has proposed a plot ratio of about 2.5 times _ 1.7 for property development and 0.8 for the cultural aspect.

The current plot ratio on the site is 1.81 times, but the government says this can be adjusted.

According to Dynamic Star International, the project would create 29,000 man years of work during construction and add 8,500 permanent jobs. It estimates the project would attract 50 million visitors in 2014, representing aggregate additional spending of HK$6 billion in real terms.

Over 50 years, it would generate net economic benefits of HK$216 billion in nominal terms.


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## hkskyline

*Arts hub contenders promise to put culture, not profit, first *
Chloe Lai
11 November 2004
South China Morning Post

Property developers shortlisted for the West Kowloon cultural district project yesterday vowed to make the area an international icon.

The companies stressed it was not a property project, and also promised to make the arts and cultural facilities self-sustaining and able to operate over a long period.

Sun Hung Kai Properties executive director Alfred So Chung-keung said its consortium could repeat the success story seen in Paris.

"Paris in the past few hundred years has successfully attracted the best arts talent. I envisage [that] Hong Kong can do it with West Kowloon," he said.

Sun Hung Kai and Cheung Kong Holdings are bidding for the project under a joint venture, Dynamic Star International. Under the government's plan, the successful bidder will manage the site for 30 years.

"We would like to see the cultural district live a very long life. It would be irresponsible if, 30 years later when we return the project to Hong Kong, it is losing money. Not every arts and cultural facility will lose money," Mr So said.

He said the consortium had signed a co-operation memo with the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, the Shanghai Museum and China Cultural City.

It had earlier signed deals with the New York-based Guggenheim Foundation, the Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Beijing Palace Museum.

"This is not a property project. The property developments in West Kowloon are to support arts and cultural activities," said Mr So.

Henderson Land vice-chairman Colin Lam Ko-yin said the company's proposed World City Culture Park was also not a property project and was only intended to make "very little profit" while protecting its shareholders' interests.

Mr Lam said the company had no plan to sign deals with any internationally renowned museum or arts group, saying it wanted to listen to the public's views on how the area should take shape.

Sino Land's executive director Yu Wai-wai said the company's plan would raise cultural and economic standards.

Sino Land has formed Sunny Development with Wharf (Holdings) and Chinese Estates Holdings to bid for the project.


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## hkskyline

*Swire knocked out in first round*
No-canopy design for cultural area is rejected 
Gary Cheung
11 November 2004
South China Morning Post

The proposals for developing the West Kowloon cultural district put forward by Swire Properties and a mystery individual bidder have been rejected in the first stage of the government's assessment of the massive project.

Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen told the Legislative Council three of five proposals had been shortlisted for further assessment and public consultation, which starts in the middle of next month.

The three shortlisted bidders are Dynamic Star International, a Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties joint venture; Sunny Development, a consortium formed between Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings) and Chinese Estates Holdings; and World City Culture Park Limited, a subsidiary of Henderson Land Development,

Swire Properties' proposal was rejected by the assessment committee because it does not include the soaring transparent canopy, the centrepiece of the original design by renowned architect Lord Foster, as required by the government's invitation for proposals.

Mr Tsang said Swire's proposal failed to provide core arts and cultural facilities, such as a museum cluster and art exhibition centre in the West Kowloon cultural district in accordance with the government's requirements.

"Swire Properties scatters the required arts and cultural facilities in Tsim Sha Tsui, Tamar and [at] Fenwick Pier, which will not create the clustering effect envisaged by the original design," he said.

A proposal by individual bidder Lam Sze-tat was also excluded from further assessment.

Mr Tsang reiterated the arts hub was not a property project, and denied it would be "another Cyberport". That development was criticised for the absence of open tendering.

A public consultation exercise on the West Kowloon project will start in the middle of next month. Exhibits from the three shortlisted bidders will be displayed for six weeks at the Hong Kong Science Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui. The government will also hold discussion forums in various districts.

Swire Properties said the company had always supported the need for transparency and full public consultation for major projects of public interest.

"In view of the small number of submissions, Swire believes that the interests of the public would best be served if all submissions are presented so as to elicit constructive community dialogue on the different developers' approaches," it said.

Gordon Ongley, director and general manager of Swire Properties, said: "Our concept provides a viable alternative for the community's consideration."

Mr Tsang said construction of the project was expected to start in April 2007 and take four years.


----------



## Cheese Mmmmmmmmmmmm

I'm rooting for:

#1: World City Culture Park Ltd.

#2: Dynamic Star International Ltd.

The other one by Sunny Development looks awful.

:cheers:


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## Aboveday

won`t get built by 2046.


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## hkskyline

*Tung's sister inks arts hub proposal *
Chloe Lai 
Nov. 11, 2004
South China Morning Post

An arts groups headed by a sister of Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa is to set up an ink-painting museum in the West Kowloon cultural district. 

The museum is one of four the government recommends be built in the tender document for the district. The other three are museums of the moving image, design and contemporary arts. 

Alice King, a younger sister of Mr Tung and vice-chairwoman of the Ink Society, said she had spoken to her brother about the idea of having the museum. "I have talked to many arts professionals first to see if this idea is feasible and viable. Of course, I talked [with my brother], otherwise nothing would have happened," Mrs King said. 

A leading figure in the world of avant-garde Chinese painting, Mrs King said she expected questions would be raised about the link between her family connections and the museum's inclusion in the plans for the cultural hub. But she stressed there was nothing untoward in the process and that she was prepared to brave a storm of controversy for the good of Hong Kong. 

"I have been in the field for more than 25 years. I am an art professional. I have a passion and vision for this ink museum," she said. "I hope people know me - then they would think otherwise. I have a clear conscience.'' 

Ink Society board member Vincent Lo Wing-sang said the society had no idea how the government decided on having an ink museum. 

Mr Lo said the idea for the museum had been supported by the arts sector, and had also been recommended by the defunct cultural and heritage commission. 

The news came as the government announced yesterday that three companies were shortlisted for the mega project: a joint venture between Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties; Henderson Land; and a consortium of Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings) and Chinese Estates Holdings. 

Mrs King said the society was holding discussions with the shortlisted firms but would not sign any deal with the bidders. "We are not here to help any of them to bid for the project," she said. 

Both Henderson Land and the Sino Land-led consortium had promised to provide the society with an individual building, while Cheung Kong and Sun Hung Kai included the project as part of the museum of contemporary arts. 

The society hopes Cheung Kong and Sun Hung Kai will change their mind. "We need a distinct, iconic building," Mrs King said.


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## OREO

Aboveday said:


> won`t get built by 2046.


lol...are you sure?


----------



## hkskyline

*Doubts cloud planned NPL securitisation 
Three left in cultural district race *
11 November 2004
Hong Kong Standard

There are now three finalists for the HK$40 billion West Kowloon cultural district development, Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang said, with property giant Swire Properties and one other bidder rejected. 

Tsang said public consultations on the project will begin in mid-December, a month earlier than the initial timetable. 

Swire's development proposal, radical compared with the other contenders' plans, was rejected together with that from a mystery contender by the name of Lam Sze-tat. 

The three finalists are Henderson Land Development, Dynamic Star, a joint bid by Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties, and Sunny Development, a consortium led by Sino Land. 

The successful bidder will be granted 30 years' sole rights to develop the 40-hectare waterfront at the southern tip of the West Kowloon reclamation into a ``world-class cultural district'', with about 40 per cent of the site devoted to arts and culture, 33 per cent for commercial and residential and the remainder for public space and utilities. 

Swire's proposal featured a ``cultural harbour'' instead of a cultural district and did not meet basic requirements set out in the invitation for proposals, Tsang said. Swire also dropped a huge canopy from its design, a mandatory feature, according to the government. 

Swire said the public should see all five submissions so they could compare different developers' approaches. 

Model of the three finalists' proposals will be displayed at the Hong Kong Science Museum for six weeks.


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## hkskyline

*Tung 'did not meddle in museum idea' *
2004/11/12
South China Morning Post

Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa has not exerted influence on plans for an ink-painting museum to be set up by his sister at the West Kowloon cultural district, a spokesman for his office said last night. 

The South China Morning Post reported yesterday that Alice King, a younger sister of Mr Tung and vice-chairwoman of the Ink Society, said she had spoken to her brother about the idea, but stressed there was nothing untoward in the process. All three groups shortlisted for the West Kowloon project have included the museum in their plans. 

The spokesman said the project was still at the assessment stage and a six-week public consultation exercise would begin in mid-December. 

"The proposals are being assessed by a team of senior professional civil servants in accordance with the criteria set out in the invitation for proposals. 

"The entire process is observed by the ICAC [Independent Commission Against Corruption]. The chief executive does not interfere in the process," the spokesman said in a statement.

Chloe Lai


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## hkskyline

*Fiscal fine print for arts plan will be kept under wraps *
Gary Cheung 
12 November 2004
South China Morning Post

Financial details of the three shortlisted proposals for developing the West Kowloon cultural district will not be disclosed during the public consultation. 

The decision had been taken to avoid weakening the government's bargaining power, a senior planning official said yesterday. 

Deputy Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Au King-chi said the decision not to disclose the relevant information before the start of negotiations with the bidders had been made to protect public interests. 

"If a bidder learns the offer of other consortiums, it may not put forward a more attractive offer to the government during the negotiation process, or a private deal could be reached among themselves," Ms Au said on the RTHK phone-in programme Talkabout. 

She said the three shortlisted bidders would be asked to display their design models for the arts hub and detail how they would operate the cultural facilities. 

Several callers said the arts hub project would end up as a housing development because residential projects accounted for the lion's share of the total floor area in the proposals. 

The overall plot ratio - representing a project's developed area compared to its site area - proposed by the three shortlisted bidders ranges from 2.5 times to 4.3 times, surpassing the 1.81 set by the government. 

Sun Hung Kai Properties executive director Alfred So Chung-keung said yesterday the public should not focus on how much floor area was set aside for residential and cultural facilities. Sun Hung Kai's joint proposal is one of the three shortlisted bids. 

"What is crucial is how to get more financial resources with creative ideas to fund the arts and cultural facilities," he said.


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## hkskyline

*Huge panel may vet cultural designs - 800-strong body planned to examine the shortlisted proposals for West Kowloon*
Chloe Lai 
12 November 2004
South China Morning Post

A group of community activists is planning to form an 800-strong panel to assess the three bids shortlisted for the West Kowloon cultural project. 

The People's Forum on West Kowloon, a coalition of at least 14 non-governmental organisations, said the committee would include planners, accountants, architects, engineers and artists. 

It announced the plan yesterday and appealed for public support, saying the size of the panel could be expanded if it received an enthusiastic response from the public. 

Group spokesman Leung Man-tao said: "We don't mind if the panel turns out to be more representative than the 800-member Election Committee responsible for selecting the chief executive." 

The group also questioned the government's methodology and sincerity in listening to public views during the consultation process. 

"Before the shortlist announcement was made, the government said the consultation would start next year and last for six months, and now it will only last for six weeks," Mr Leung said. "We want to know why they suddenly changed the plan." 

He also asked how people could make an informed decision on the cultural project merely by looking at models and artists' impressions presented by the developers. 

The government will display the three shortlisted bids at the Science Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui. 

Mr Leung said: "We believe [that with] a project of such unprecedented scale and nature, the entire selection and implementation process must be transparent and with high-level public participation." 

Members of the forum include the Hong Kong Institute of Contemporary Culture, the People's Council for Sustainable Development, multimedia production company Zuni Icosahedron, Civil Act-up, SynergyNet and the University of Hong Kong's Cultural Research Centre. 

They plan to hold a public forum on November 27 during which an 80-member focus group will be set up. 

This group will work out next month how to expand itself into an 800-member panel. 

The group will be responsible for the panel's composition, and will invite the entire legislature, all district council chairmen and vice-chairmen, professionals, international and mainland experts to join the panel. 

Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen told Legco on Wednesday that three of five proposals had been shortlisted for further assessment and public consultation, which starts in the middle of next month. 

The three shortlisted bidders are Dynamic Star International, a Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties joint venture; Sunny Development, a consortium formed between Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings) and Chinese Estates Holdings; and World City Culture Park, a subsidiary of Henderson Land Development.


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## hkskyline

Source : http://www.shift.jp.org/world/091/hk.shtml


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## Newcastle Guy

Go Hong Kong best city in the world at the moment!


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## OREO

Thanks for the updates!


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## michal1982

yes plese build this finally


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## hkskyline

*W. Kowloon project row deepens*
Dennis Chong
12 November 2004
Hong Kong Standard

The row over the massive West Kowloon project deepened yesterday after an alliance of 11 local cultural and academic organisations vowed to launch their own public consultation.

The alliance claimed the project would be a flop because the public could not participate fully as the consultation period was too short. It added it would use public pressure to force the government to suspend work on the proposal until a comprehensive blueprint for the city's cultural development is set out.

Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang announced on Wednesday the three finalists in the race for the sole development rights for the 40 hectares of land earmarked to be a "world-class" cultural district. The shortlisted bidders are Henderson Land Development; a joint bid by Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties called Dynamic Star; and Sunny Development, a consortium led by Sino Land.

According to Tsang, a six-week public consultation process, during which details of the three proposals will be publicly displayed at the Hong Kong Science Museum, will start in mid-December.

A tentative agreement is estimated to be signed with the winning developer by the middle of next year.

However, the alliance said the consultation period was shorter than the six months promised earlier by the government.

"This [West Kowloon project] is claimed to be the world's biggest cultural project that will determine Hong Kong's [cultural] development for [several] decades. And it is going to be built by a single developer. Then you think about six weeks. You will know if it's enough," Leung Man-tao, spokesman of the alliance who is also a member of local arts group Ngau Pang Sue Yuen, said.

The alliance would, according to Leung, set up a civic panel with a membership of not less than 800, to discuss the future of Hong Kong's cultural development.

He said the panel would comprise many sectors of the community, including all legislators, chairmen and vice-chairmen of the 18 district councils, artists, architects, other professionals and ordinary citizens.

"They will be a group of well-informed participants who will decide what Hong Kong has and what Hong Kong needs," he said.

"If each district has 800 participants, I don't think the government will ignore the voice," Ma Ka-fai, a professor at City University and a member of the alliance, said.

Ada Wong, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Institute of Contemporary Culture, said the West Kowloon project would not be able to cater to the local cultural sector because no research had been done.

She warned that the district might suffer from a lack of visitors because the government rushed through the development without setting out a blueprint to develop the arts in Hong Kong. "If people do not go to see an opera now, why do you think they will do so in eight years?" she asked.

"If the developers are sincere in helping the cultural sector, they should reveal their financial arrangements and tell us they are not making any money out of it," Danny Yung, artistic director of another arts group, Zuni Icosahedron, said.

"They should also tell us how much money they will contribute to arts and cultural development from the pool they earn [from the project]," he added.

Sceptics have raised concerns that the multi-billion-dollar project would turn into a property development as three of the bidders were property giants. When announcing the shortlist, Tsang refused to reveal the financial arrangements involved.

Alfred So, executive director of Sun Hung Kai, said the development would not focus on property.


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## hkskyline

*HK 'is best place for ink museum'
Tung's sister says family ties had no bearing on plan *
Chloe Lai
13 November 2004
South China Morning Post

Family ties had no bearing on the government's support for an ink museum, Tung Chee-hwa's sister, Alice King, insisted yesterday.

Mrs King said the idea to have such a museum was first recommended by the now-defunct Culture and Heritage Commission.

She said Hong Kong was in the best position to host such a project.

On Thursday, she said: "Of course I talked [with my brother], otherwise nothing would have happened."

The Chief Executive's Office said on Wednesday Mr Tung had not exerted his influence on plans to have an ink-painting museum included in the West Kowloon cultural district.

A leading figure in the world of avant-garde Chinese painting, Mrs King said the city had an edge over the rest of the world on collecting contemporary Chinese paintings.

Mrs King is the vice-chairwoman of the non-profit Ink Society, which was set up to push for a museum.

"The recommendation for an ink museum comes as a result of a three-year study on the long-term policies on culture in Hong Kong," she said.

"I am glad I have played a small part in promoting the idea through the establishment of the Ink Society for the purpose of fostering a greater understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary art that is based on and inspired by this tradition."

Mrs King reiterated that it was important to have a unique museum with its own collection.

"We have a sound museum system and well-trained professionals. What we need now is to establish indigenous art collections for our museums," she said.

She said it would be quite easy for the museum to attract donations or long-term artwork loans. "Visitors will come to Hong Kong for a unique museum," she said.


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## hkskyline

*What it will have to offer *
14 November 2004
South China Morning Post

Under the West Kowloon plan, the successful bidder will manage the site for 30 years. Using Lord Foster's canopy concept as the baseline, the government stipulated the following facilities be included:
A theatre complex comprising three theatres with at least 2,000, 800 and 400 seats respectively.
A performance venue with at least 10,000 seats;
Four museums with an area of 75,000 square metres;
An art exhibition centre with an area of at least 10,000 square metres;
An amphitheatre; and
At least four piazzas.

OTHER SPECIFICATIONS:
Renovating the Tsim Sha Tsui fire station complex.


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## hkskyline

*Mainland support for cultural hub*
Beijing official discusses exchanges that could help West Kowloon development
Carrie Chan
15 November 2004
South China Morning Post

Mainland museums and cultural institutions would be encouraged to support the West Kowloon project, the minister of culture said yesterday.

Sun Jiazheng , who arrived in Hong Kong yesterday for tomorrow's Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum 2004, also said the mainland could benefit from the management and marketing experience of Hong Kong and Macau.

Mr Sun is leading a delegation of cultural policy officials from more than 20 provinces to Hong Kong.

Apart from meeting local officials and arts groups yesterday, the delegation will also have a closed-door meeting with officials from eight Asian countries on regional cultural co-operation today.

Mr Sun said he had kept track of the development of the West Kowloon cultural hub. "Mainland museums and cultural institutions would support this project, another symbol of Chinese culture," he said.

Mr Sun said the mainland was just as willing to invest heavily in cultural facilities.

"Some of the projects [implemented] include the National Museum and the National Grand Theatre in Beijing. About 9 billion yuan has been spent [on these facilities] since 1998," he said.

Mr Sun said their approach was to be market-oriented and encourage private investment in cultural facilities.

The mainland would also step up its cultural promotion worldwide through programmes such as the Year of China in France.

"Foreigners have often equalised Hong Kong culture with Chinese culture because they learnt it through Hong Kong cinema. We have to let foreigners know what Chinese people are thinking," he said.

The chairman of the Arts Development Council, Darwin Chen Tat-man, said he had discussed the West Kowloon project with Mr Sun, adding that more exhibitions on Chinese culture could lure mainland tourists to Hong Kong.

"Now, a lot of mainland artists want to exhibit in Hong Kong but they have to wait two to three years because our facilities are limited. More Chinese shows can also offer night entertainment for tourists."

He also suggested that a Hong Kong Cultural Week be organised at least once a year in a mainland city. The event, which showcases local arts and culture, was first held in Shanghai earlier this year.

The three-day Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum at the Academy for Performing Arts is being organised by the Home Affairs Bureau for the second year. The goal is to encourage cultural exchanges among Asian countries.


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## Chad

Well, I support it too....just hope it will be done during my lifetime period.


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## raymond_tung88

So have they chosen which proposal they're going to use? I heard they were going with Sir Norman Foster's? Can anyone confirm this?


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## hkskyline

raymond_tung88 said:


> So have they chosen which proposal they're going to use? I heard they were going with Sir Norman Foster's? Can anyone confirm this?


Foster won an international competition with his canopy design, but who will build it and whether it is feasible to build it are still up in the air.


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## hkskyline

*Culture zone plan 'helps developers'*
Sylvia Hui
15 November 2004
Hong Kong Standard

Representatives from the cultural, architectural and surveying sectors have unanimously slammed the West Kowloon Cultural District mega-project as a thinly disguised property scheme.

A host of other protests concerning the participation of the local arts community, the transparency of the assessment process and the government's unwillingness to listen to the public were also raised in Sunday's CityForum.

"We must ensure that arts and culture are the project focus. A balance [between property development and culture] is most essential," Institute of Surveyors chairman Tony Tse said.

"Although the government's given plot ratio of 1.8 times is just a guide, adjustments made by developers mustn't be too outrageous."

The plot ratio defines the total floor area of buildings permitted to be erected on a site. All three finalists shortlisted for the HK$40 billion, 40-hectare project proposed ratios far exceeding the government recommendation of 1.8 times. While Henderson Land Development proposed a ratio of 2.5 times, Dynamic Star International _ a consortium between Sun Hung Kai Properties and Cheung Kong Holdings _ proposed a plot ratio of 3.28 times.

Sunny Development, a consortium led by Sino Land, proposed a 4.3 ratio.

"This is blatantly a property project," said Vincent Ng, chairman of the planning and lands committee of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects.

"A cultural project should be led by those in the culture scene. It should not have a developer for a boss for 30 years," he said, referring to the government's decision to let a single successful bidder run the site for three decades.

Au King-chi, deputy secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands, defended the decision. "Having a sole developer means unity in design," she said.

Meanwhile, cultural commentator and theatre director Mathias Woo attacked the government for its unwillingness to listen to the cultural community. While Au said more than 15 professional teams would take part in the assessment process, Woo countered that they are all civil servants and questioned their cultural expertise.

"We have said we need a large performance venue seating 30,000 to 50,000 for large-scale events, but the government has requirements for just a 10,000-seat venue," Woo said.


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## hkskyline

*Genuine consultation needed on culture hub *
16 November 2004
South China Morning Post

Three very different but equally ambitious visions of a new icon for Hong Kong are to be found in the shortlisted bids for the West Kowloon cultural district. Soon, the public will be asked to make its views known.

The plans put forward by the competing consortiums include such distinctive features as a "forest of arches", a huge fountain and a big urban park. There will also be the obligatory cultural spaces - museums, theatres, piazzas and an art exhibition centre - all housed under various versions of Lord Foster's vast glass canopy.

World-renowned institutions such as the Guggenheim Museum and the Pompidou Centre have expressed interest. And mainland cultural authorities are backing the project. Finally, it might be thought, the urban miracle described by one official is about to be achieved.

But the project has, at least so far, attracted more scepticism than enthusiasm from the community. This reaction is not unusual, nor is it restricted to Hong Kong. It is the way in which people often respond to big, glamorous and hugely expensive development projects of the kind favoured by governments around the world. The Sydney Opera House would never have been built if public opinion at the time had been the decisive factor.

There are, however, special circumstances that apply in the case of Hong Kong. The problem, put simply, is that the people lack trust in the government. Rightly or wrongly, it is widely perceived to be in cahoots with powerful business interests - and to care little about what the public really thinks.

In the case of West Kowloon, this has led to deep suspicion that the project is primarily intended to benefit one or two favoured property developers and that the public consultation will be nothing more than a sham.

The government has only itself to blame for this position. It is the result of past mistakes - including the handling of Harbour Fest, Cyberport and the Article 23 consultation. Only by learning from these mistakes and ensuring that the decision-making process for West Kowloon is scrupulously fair and transparent will the government have any chance of winning broad public support for the project.

The history of the development has not helped. Most of the important decisions have already been made - without public input. These include the basic requirements for the project and the highly controversial decision to place it in the hands of a single developer for 30 years.

Steps have also been taken to allow the project to bypass the scrutiny of the Town Planning Board when amendments are made to the master plan. This has only added to suspicion that the government is lining up a sweetheart deal.

The prime waterfront site's huge potential for residential and commercial development makes it a must-win project for big developers. All three bids seek to increase the government's preferred plot ratio - creating more room for the lucrative non-cultural developments. So fears that, just like Cyberport, this will end up being predominantly a property project are understandable.

It is therefore essential that the consultation is thorough - and genuine. But the allotted six weeks, over the Christmas period, provides little time. Financial details of the bids should form part of the consultation, as should the developers' plans for managing the arts venues. It should be much more than what is already being described as a mere "beauty contest" between different designs.

Hong Kong would benefit from a world-class cultural district. It could fuel our community's creative energies, as well as playing host to talent - and treasures - from overseas. The dream should be pursued. But if the government is to win public support, it has a lot of convincing to do.

First and foremost, it must persuade the Hong Kong people that this project is primarily about promoting culture - not pandering to property developers.


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## hkskyline

*Independence vow given on cultural hub
West Kowloon contender says arts amenities would be run by 11-member board*
Chloe Lai
17 November 2004
South China Morning Post

A contender for the West Kowloon cultural hub pledged yesterday that if it won, the arts and cultural facilities would be run by an 11-member board, independent from property developers.

Directors of Sunny Development, the consortium formed by Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings) and Chinese Estates Holdings, insisted they would not intervene in the board's management or the performances and exhibitions staged at the proposed cultural complex.

At the first press conference on its bid for the massive project, the consortium gave it the name "Parc" (the Park of Arts, Recreation and Culture).

Sunny is the first of the three short-listed bidders to disclose details of how the arts and cultural facilities would be managed. Its bid has the highest development density, and is the only one that provides no breakdown on the commercial spaces.

Sunny executives urged the public to focus on the quantity and quality of the arts and cultural facilities it would provide.

Also shortlisted to make bids for West Kowloon are Dynamic Star International - a joint venture of Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties - and World City Cultural Park, a subsidiary of Henderson Land.

The Tung administration wants to turn a 40-hectare plot of reclaimed land near Kowloon station into a cultural hub. The winning consortium will run the site for 30 years.

Under Sunny's proposal, the Parc development and every individual museum would be managed by bodies established by government ordinance, with independent boards of trustees.

Sunny Yeung Kwong, a Wharf representative, said no employees from the developers would be appointed to the board of governors for overall cultural facilities.

Sino Land executive director Yu Wai-wai said: "We provide more than what the government requires." He said the arrangement ensured the sustainable development of "Parc" 30 years on, when it has to be handed back to the government.

Sunny would build a 25-hectare park at the site. Its development would provide free office space and studios to 12 local arts companies. In addition to the government's requirements, it would build a 1,750-seat concert hall and a world-class recital hall plus two extra outdoor theatres. There would be a museum studies institute and a performing arts-focused secondary school.

Meanwhile, Guggenheim Foundation director Thomas Krens estimates a museum with 3 million visitors a year would come very close to breaking even, and might even make a profit.

On his first visit to Hong Kong since the foundation announced its partnership with Dynamic Star in the bidding, he said it was possible for museums to generate profit. "World-class programmes are going to bring visitors. I don't think local programmes alone can do it as we need to create a destination so people from all over the Asia and the world will come to Hong Kong."


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## hkskyline

*5,000 luxury flats for cultural hub*
Sylvia Hui
17 November 2004
Hong Kong Standard

The West Kowloon Cultural District will include 5,000 luxury residential flats if Sunny Development, a consortium between Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings) and Chinese Estates Holdings, wins the HK$40 billion project.

According to the consortium's proposal, unveiled in detail for the first time on Tuesday, the proportion of arts facilities to non-arts facilities will be 1:2.9 as against the government's requirement of 1:2.1.

Sunny Development's plan has been criticised for having the highest plot ratio of the three finalists competing for 30 years' sole development rights for the 40-hectare cultural project, earmarked to become Asia's cultural hub.

The other two are Henderson Land and Dynamic Star International, a consortium between Sun Hung Kai Properties and Cheung Kong (Holdings).

The nine residential blocks planned by Sunny Development, built on more than 820,000 square metres of land, would be 20-60 storeys high.

Sino Group executive director Yu Wai-wai defended Sunny Development's large allocation of residential development. "The high proportion assigned to residential development is to ensure sustainable development and healthy financial support for running the arts facilities," he said.

He believed there would be sufficient funds to run the arts and cultural facilities for 30 years. Feasibility studies have been conducted to ensure the project's financial sustainability, Yu added, although financial details could not be disclosed, in accordance with the government's requirements.

Besides flats, the district would house 138,000 square metres of office space, 127,000 square metres of luxury hotel and conference space, and four shopping malls.

The commercial aspects are balanced by the proposal's emphasis on arts facilities and green spaces, Yu said.

"We have the highest number of arts facilities [out of the three contenders], exceeding the government requirements."

Arts and cultural facilities would stretch along the entire waterfront and all commercial interests would be pushed back to less valuable land, according to architect Andrew Bromberg of the architectural firm Aedas, which is leading the master plan design.

The proposal boasts five museums, including a Museum of Ink and a Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. There will be six performance venues, including a performance arena seating 10,000, and a performing arts-focused secondary school.

Six open piazzas are proposed, compared with the four required by the government.

All arts and cultural facilities would be independently operated, Yu stressed.

They would be managed under an independent foundation consisting of 11 representatives from government and community arts organisations.

Also, according to the plan, West Kowloon will be home to 25 hectares of green space and be "Hong Kong's answer to Hyde Park".

"Our proposal is unique because it will be a park in the true sense," Bromberg said. The "park in the sky", so called because it is elevated to rooftops, will be linked to Kowloon Park and become almost double the size of all Hong Kong's existing parks.

Covering 58 per cent of the area will be a HK$6 billion canopy, the requisite iconic feature in the Lord Norman Foster-designed conceptual plan.

Bromberg said instead of a single sheet, the canopy would consist of about 100 smaller pieces, inspired by fish scales, supported by tree-like structures.

Models of the Sunny Development proposal, as well as those of its two competitors, will be displayed for public consultation at the Hong Kong Science Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui for six weeks starting from mid-December.


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## hkskyline

*A touch of the global Guggenheim *
18 November 2004
South China Morning Post

Lisa Dennison, the chief curator and deputy director of the Guggenheim Museum, New York, will be in Hong Kong tomorrow to give a talk entitled "The Global Guggenheim", thanks to efforts from the Asia Art Archive and the Art School of the Hong Kong Art Centre.

Seven more speakers, all senior Guggenheim staff are scheduled to visit over a six-month period, including the director of the Guggenheim Bilbao.

Hong Kong will be the first Asian home of the Guggenheim Museum, if a joint venture between Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties wins the bid to develop the West Kowloon Cultural District.

Art enthusiasts are excited to have such a high-profile connoisseur helping raise artistic awareness and to teach at the Art School. The one-hour seminar will be held at Bloomberg, 27/F Cheung Kong Center, 2 Queen's Road and starts at 6.30pm. Tickets are $100 each, ($50 for students) and proceeds go to the Asia Art Archive.


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## hkskyline

*Fostering creativity a long-term effort*
18 November 2004
South China Morning Post

Many of Hong Kong's true arts and design innovators fly under the radar and work without government support. This is to be expected, given the city's history as a trading port, manufacturing centre and financial hub.

But as the government and the public begin to warm up to the idea that creative industries, fine arts and cultural heritage could be the drivers of future economic growth, there is a big push to change things. There is the prime example of the West Kowloon Cultural District, where the government is inviting tenders for at least four museums and a number of other civic spaces. Now there is the creativity index, announced yesterday.

It is encouraging to see thought and effort being put into a crucial but neglected aspect of Hong Kong's development. However, those expecting instant results - or any kind of overnight cultural renaissance - will be disappointed. Great museums take decades to build and develop; fostering a creative class, much less the economically valuable industries it will attract, is also a long-term project.

Fears that the creative arts are simply the flavour of the month, and that Hong Kong will soon find another trend to chase, are valid. What needs to happen to promote a deeper change is not simple. It is not just a matter of building the galleries or coming up with formulas for quantifying the contribution artists make.

Private citizens and corporations should be encouraged to support the arts, something other places do quite effectively through tax breaks.

Bureaucrats are in charge of both arts underwriting and venues in Hong Kong. Shaking up this moribund system should include giving artists and arts groups more say in the sector's development.

The education system needs to turn away from rote learning and towards teaching analytical and creative thinking skills. Reforms being talked about now would support this direction.

Some thought might be given to whether immigration policies are helping or hindering the effort to build a knowledge-based society. The most creative cities are characterised by a high level of cultural diversity and immigration.

Hong Kong is not the only city seeking to reinvent itself in this way, and a few lessons can be learned from others that have travelled the same route. London, for instance, has managed to revive certain moribund warehouse districts by encouraging artists, designers and filmmakers to move in. New agencies have been set up to help cut red tape for artists, subsidise rents and take equity stakes in promising young companies. From Melbourne to Toronto, similar efforts have paid off.

The West Kowloon project - and the controversy surrounding it - is just beginning. But if the proposal fosters a constructive debate about how to raise Hong Kong's cultural profile, this is not a bad thing. Short-term thinking, however, should be the first thing to go.


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## hkskyline

*West Kowloon lawsuit threat *
Cannix Yau
18 November 2004
Hong Kong Standard

The Democratic Party is threatening to sue the government if it refuses to re-zone the HK$24 billion West Kowloon cultural site, declaring that a deal has been done "behind closed doors".

Party chairman Yeung Sum sounded the warning on Wednesday at Legco as he moved a motion urging the government to seriously consider the expectations of lawmakers for the 2005 Policy Address. The motion was passed unanimously. .

The party chief said they had to stop the government, claiming it was "colluding with property developers" and selling land cheap in the best interests of the developers.

Yeung pointed out that the project site falls under the banner of "Other Specified Uses", which allows the developer to make amendments without seeking the approval of the Town Planning Board once its outline plan is approved by the board.

The party is demanding the government redefines the entire 40-hectare site as a Comprehensive Development Area so that any future amendment to the development plan would have to be formally approved by the Town Planning Board.

Yeung announced his party has decided to set up an advisory group to follow up the matter "until the end".

"If our call is rejected, we will seek a judicial review to overturn the government's decision. This is a deal behind closed doors without transparency. We will raise funds to take legal action if necessary," he declared.

Yeung was reacting to comments made last week when Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang announced the three finalists in the race to win the sole development rights for the 40 hectares of land which is earmarked to be a "world-class" cultural district.

The shortlisted bidders are Henderson Land Development, a joint bid by Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties called Dynamic Star, and Sunny Development, a consortium led by Sino Land.


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## hkskyline

*Democrats demand reappraisal of hub plan *
Ambrose Leung and Carrie Chan
18 November 2004
South China Morning Post

The Democratic Party yesterday urged the government to overhaul the plan allowing developers to build a cultural hub and residential buildings in West Kowloon.

The party called for a fresh start to the project after a thorough public consultation.

But a government official said that during earlier consultation sessions, no opposition had been voiced to the mammoth project.

However, critics have raised grave doubts over the current plan, saying it lacks public input. The government has shortlisted three leading conglomerates to submit development plans.

Albert Ho Chun-yan, vice-chairman of the Democratic Party, said a letter had been sent to Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Michael Suen Ming-yeung asking for the project to be halted.

Mr Ho said it should be restarted after statutory public consultation to give people a greater say in how the area was developed.

"The present plan lacks public participation and transparency, and the government must start again from the beginning."

He said the project had loopholes which would enable developers to build high-density residential buildings which would damage the image of the proposed cultural hub.

Mr Ho said a group of experts formed by the Democrats would continue to monitor the situation.

Vincent Fung Hao-yin, principal assistant secretary at the Home Affairs Bureau, said the government had carried out a public consultation on the West Kowloon cultural district in 2002 but attendance was poor.

"We held about six consultative sessions at the Central Library. Only a maximum of 10 people showed up. I was an assistant to [Secretary for Home Affairs] Patrick Ho Chi-ping at that time. Dr Ho was having a one-on-one conversation with those attending."

Mr Fung said he had seen no criticism of the project.


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## hkskyline

*Media urged to reject free world trip *
Gary Cheung
19 November 2004
South China Morning Post

A journalists' group yesterday urged media organisations not to join a free trip to museums around the world offered by a consortium shortlisted for the West Kowloon cultural project.

Mak Yin-ting, honorary secretary of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, said it was inappropriate for journalists to accept the trip because the project had sparked controversy in the community.

"The media should avoid doing anything to arouse suspicion," she said.

Dynamic Star International, a Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties joint venture, has invited Hong Kong journalists to join the 10-day trip. It will take in museums in France, Spain, Russia, the US and Canada.

The consortium is one of the three shortlisted bidders for the controversial arts project.

Democratic Party vice-chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan said the public might get the impression the consortium was providing free trips to reporters in exchange for favourable reports on its bid.

But the Federation of Journalists said the independence of reporting would not be affected by the trip. The Democratic Party was misleading the public by describing the study trip as free travel.


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## Victoria

Looks amazing, hope they build it.


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## hkskyline

*Buildings need to relate to people, says architect *
Carrie Chan
22 November 2004
South China Morning Post

When Canadian-born architect Frank Gehry arrived in Hong Kong, he was not impressed with the architecture.

"The buildings that don't look so good to me are those that do not relate to its people and do not have humanity," he told the closing session of the Business of Design Week at the Convention and Exhibition Centre yesterday.

The 1989 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate is best known for creating Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum, a sculpture-like building of curvaceous and twisting metal-clad forms. Completed in 1997, it attracted world attention to the formerly quiet industrial town.

"The Guggenheim building paid for itself in just eight months. The city is very committed to cleaning itself up and turning itself around," Mr Gehry said.

Asked for the secret to good architecture, he spoke of boldness and experimentation. "There has to be willingness to take a risk and go into the unknown," he said.

Mr Gehry's participation in the show was suggested by Swire Properties, which hired him to design a museum complex for its West Kowloon cultural district project bid.


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## hkskyline

*Debate on cultural district 'too politicised'*
A Cheung Kong executive says critics are not listening to its West Kowloon plans
Chloe Lai
24 November 2004
South China Morning Post

Debate over the West Kowloon cultural district has become too politicised, a Cheung Kong executive said yesterday.

"The bidding is a tough job. I'd rather go to a land auction, which takes just half a day and I don't have to do all the talking and explanation," said Cheung Kong (Holdings) executive director Grace Woo Chia-ching.

Li Ka-shing's flagship firm is among those vying to develop the massive project.

Ms Woo's remarks came as the government last night announced details of public consultation events to be held next month. There will be main exhibitions at the Hong Kong Science Museum and City Hall, regional exhibitions and at least eight discussion forums.

The bidders must provide layout plans, conceptual designs for arts and cultural facilities, and disclose how the facilities will be managed. The companies also must provide a model of the whole project and three other models of various aspects of the site; a video in English, Cantonese and Putonghua; informational pamphlets; and data including plot ratio, gross floor areas and usage.

The process is aimed at allaying some of the concerns highlighted by Ms Woo. She urged the project's critics to closely examine the proposal submitted by Cheung Kong and Sun Hung Kai Properties in a joint venture under the name Dynamic Star International.

"The whole issue is too political," she said. "When people criticise the project and demand that others listen, they should also listen to us. The arts [are] about communication and communication is a two-way process."

She insisted that democratic principles would prevail in forming the company boards that Dynamic Star has pledged to create to run the cultural aspects of the project separately from the property side.

"There will be democratic elections," she said. "How the elections can be conducted, whether the developer and the government should have representatives on the board, are all up to the public to decide."

Other consortiums on the short list are World City Cultural Park - a subsidiary of Henderson Land - and Sunny Development, formed by Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings) and Chinese Estates Holdings.

The winning group will develop the 40-hectare waterfront site and manage it for 30 years.

Ms Woo said the focus should be on what the developers can deliver to Hong Kong.

"We are not competing about [who can provide] the lowest plot ratio. The competition is about who can bring a world-class cultural hub to Hong Kong," she said.

"Developers are more flexible than the government and more resourceful than non-profit organisations."


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## hkskyline

*No backtracking on plan for culture hub, pledges Tsang *
Suspensions to West Kowloon project 'would affect investment atmosphere'
Chloe Lai and Winnie Yeung
25 November 2004
South China Morning Post

The government would not suspend the West Kowloon cultural project or set a standard for the site's development density, the chief secretary said yesterday.

Donald Tsang Yam-kuen told the legislature that suspending the project would be an unjust decision and would affect the city's investment atmosphere.

Confronting some hostile lawmakers who repeatedly questioned the project, Mr Tsang said the scheme was widely supported by the Legislative Council, members of the arts and cultural community and the public.

Democratic Party legislator James To Kun-sun asked if the administration would research public expectations on the project, set a standard plot ratio for the 40-hectare site and hand down the management of facilities there to a statutory body.

But Mr Tsang said: "If we start this project all over again, it will give a negative impact to the city's investment environment. Investors will lose confidence and wonder why the government and Legco change their standpoint all the time.

"I believe Legco would not be that heartless and overrule this project. Also, the government would not be unjust and halt the project."

Mr Tsang ruled out setting a standard on the plot ratio, saying designers needed flexibility.

Plot ratio compares floor area to site area. The government has only set a minimum for West Kowloon, at 1.81 to 1. All three shortlisted proposals have much higher ratios, meaning they will have a higher density than the benchmark.

Under the current timetable, public consultation on the projects will conclude by the end of March after a series of exhibitions and forums starting next month. The government will then select the winning bidder before submitting the final proposal to Legco and the Town Planning Board for consent.

Construction will start in April 2007. The core arts and cultural facilities are scheduled to be completed in phases between 2011 and 2013.

A survey by the University of Hong Kong's Public Opinion Programme found that 83 per cent of 1,009 respondents wanted the government to have a large-scale public consultation before selecting the winning bid.

The survey, commissioned by Sunny Development - a Sino Land, Wharf Estates and Chinese Estates Holdings consortium - found 70 per cent of the public did not take part in cultural activities.

More than half of the interviewees expect the project to raise Hong Kong's cultural and arts standards.


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## hkskyline

*Local arts and culture wanting, poll shows *
Sylvia Hui
25 November 2004
Hong Kong Standard

About one-third of the population is satisfied with the current level of cultural development and education in Hong Kong.

However, in a survey conducted by the Hong Kong University's Public Affairs Programme of 1,009 people in late September, slightly more than 30 per cent felt that our cultural development was below world standards.

The survey on the West Kowloon Cultural District development was commissioned by Sunny Development, one of three finalists competing for the controversial HK$40 billion cultural project.

The survey found that the majority was more satisfied with the cultural facilities than with overall cultural development. Some 58 per cent found the cultural facilities satisfactory.

The survey also found that while 87 per cent of those interviewed believed it was important to promote cultural and arts education in Hong Kong, 70 per cent of them had not taken part in any cultural activity in the six months prior to being interviewed.

When asked to compare Hong Kong with Asia and the rest of the world, most of the respondents graded the SAR as average or below standard, with 36 per cent saying the available facilities were below world standards and 28 per cent saying the SAR was below the rest of Asia.

Within Asia, Tokyo was rated as the city with the best cultural and arts development, with Hong Kong and Singapore in a tie for second place.

More than half of the respondents believed the West Kowloon cultural project would raise awareness in Hong Kong's culture and arts and promote arts education.

An overwhelming 83 per cent hoped the government would hold a large-scale public consultation before handing over the mega project to the successful bidder. The public consultation period, which has been extended from 6 weeks to 15 weeks due to widespread controversy, will start on December 16.

Besides Sunny Development, which is a consortium comprising Sino Land, Wharf Holdings and Chinese Estates Holdings, the others bidding for the contract are Dynamic Star International, a joint venture between Cheung Kong Holdings and Sun Hung Kai Properties, and Henderson Land.


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## hkskyline

*Business culture; Can cash-motivated developers really hope to encapsulate the cultural essence of Hong Kong, or are their bottom lines always about money? *
26 November 2004
South China Morning Post

Described as perhaps the most fascinating building plan in history, the West Kowloon cultural district project has never failed to inspire the creativity of critics and doubters.

One day after the government short-listed three bidders early this month, a newspaper report headlined "fake culture, real property" said a lot. Some observers likened it to a double-sized Taikoo Shing, a middle-class residential cluster in Eastern District. Others ridiculed it as a "replica of Cyberport", better known for its luxurious apartments in Southern District than info-tech development.

An architect branded the partnership between property developers and arts groups as a "fake marriage", warning of a divorce sooner or later. At an RTHK City Forum, a school student feared the emergence of "instant culture".

In a newsletter, Christine Loh Kung-wai, head of the Civic Exchange, an independent think-tank, said the development of the West Kowloon project had reminded her of government mistakes made on the Cyberport project and the legislative plan over Article 23. "The signs show this could be another 'perfect storm' that could hit the Hong Kong government," she wrote.

Doubts and suspicion - bordering on conspiracy theory - prevalent in arts and culture circles and in society generally have put a long shadow on the otherwise ambitious, innovative project to build a cultural complex on the huge reclaimed area.

Like the Sydney Opera House on the coastline of that city, officials said Hong Kong deserved an icon adjacent to Victoria Harbour. More important, the government hopes the project will bring economic benefits, boost cultural tourism, turn the city into a cultural hub and, above all, enhance its status as a world city.

Dating back to 1996, the concept of developing a world-class cultural district was finally put on the agenda when Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa envisioned a goal of turning Hong Kong into Asia's arts and cultural capital, in his policy address in 1998. The West Kowloon cultural project was among the major initiatives.

In the wake of the Asian financial meltdown, Mr Tung's idea sought to "turn adversity into opportunity". After years of internal discussion and a global design contest, the government invited project proposals last year. (The conceptual design by world-renowned architect Norman Foster featuring a giant roof structure won overwhelmingly.) Five submissions were received in an extended invitation for proposals. On November 10, the government said it would be asking public views on three short-listed proposals in a six-week consultation-cum-exhibition.

The three proposals on the short-list are Dynamic Star International, a joint venture by Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties; Sunny Development, a consortium of Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings) and Chinese Estates Holdings; and World City Culture Park, a subsidiary of Henderson Land Development.

Last week, the government announced the consultation period would be extended to 15 weeks - even before it was due to begin next month - in the face of a public outcry.

A former senior official said: "The government thinks it can develop Hong Kong into an arts and cultural hub with West Kowloon [project]. And you would have an info-tech centre with Cyberport, and science and technology with Science Park. The whole approach is problematic. There are no comprehensive policies in arts and culture behind the whole project."

Under the government plan, a single developer will be given the right to develop arts and cultural facilities on the 40-hectare site, with an obligation to run it for 30 years.

Critics said the arrangement was tailor-made for super-sized consortiums, and that the bidders were more interested in property business than arts and culture. Danny Yung, an influential figure in Hong Kong arts circles, said: "I'm not opposed to the idea of the construction of an icon, but it has to be related to arts and cultural development, a vision of society. Without a cultural blueprint, the West Kowloon cultural district will not have its own life."

Mr Yung, who is programme director of the Hong Kong Institute of Contemporary Culture and founder of the performance art group Zuni Icosahedron, has lamented the problem of "stereotype" between the business and arts sectors.

"West Kowloon is a good initiative to have trans-sector dialogue among the government, business and non-profit-taking organisations{hellip} The developers have moved to respond to concerns of society, albeit slowly and superficially.

"But we are fooling ourselves if we say people have a greater sense of culture with the enthusiastic response to the showing of Picasso's Parade [at the International Finance Tower last month]. The big question is whether their commitment to culture is sustainable," he said.

Nevertheless, there has been no shortage of initiatives from the three consortia to impress upon the community that their ethos is not just about money. The city saw a flurry of cultural activities, visits by big names in arts, culture, architecture and museums in the past few weeks. More will come.

One of the three bidders plans to take a group of journalists on a reporting tour of major arts and culture facilities in Europe later this month.

A key member of a consortium said: "Yes, our knowledge and expertise in arts and culture is limited. But we know how to get the right people and run it in a sustainable way. I hope the media do not merely focus on the property aspect and the hardware. The ideas behind are far more important.

"We fully understand we need to talk to the people and convince society we have ideas and a vision for Hong Kong's arts and culture."

A senior official, who preferred anonymity, said: "There are no intrinsic conflicts between arts and business. Indeed, it's a great opportunity for businesses and people to talk to each other.

"People tend to look at the whole project in a very negative way. We do not have any world-class museums. This is a once in a life time opportunity. There won't be any if we miss this opportunity in engaging corporations with cultural development," he said.

Another senior official, who was involved with the project, admitted the government had failed to solicit support from the public, particularly the stake-holders, over the basics of the project. "We all know culture is a money-losing business. Government has no money, no knowledge and competence to do it. That's why we want to bring the private sector in.

"Now that we have adopted the idea of a canopy by Norman Foster, it's not possible to carve up the project into several items{hellip} All these issues have been debated over and over in the past year.

"Frankly, starting all over again is not possible. The project has dragged on for too long," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

He said he wouldn't rule out the possibility that the project would fail, in view of the strong opposition. "How we assess the public opinion on the three proposals will be difficult. Are we going to make a decision based on a so-called 'cultural referendum'?

"There's a lot of mistrust in society. People don't believe what the government or the property developers say. We need someone with high credibility and public trust to come out to endorse the project. Where can we get them?"

Dr Lui Tai-lok, a sociology scholar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the West Kowloon cultural project was yet another predicament in which the Tung administration had found itself over the past seven years.

"Society has no strong consensus over the fundamental model of a business-led approach in developing culture. People question why all the haste when the basic questions remained unanswered. The government may think it's no longer an issue. There's a big gap of expectation between government and people. The 'father knows best' mentality prevails in the government. There's also a strong feeling among officials that they'd better not have their legs dragged by arguments over the nitty-gritty of a project. Otherwise, they believe they would never be able to get things done."

Dr Lui said the lack of public trust and confidence in the government has given rise to fears the project would become another lucrative deal to the benefit of developers. "When people from the arts sector come out and speak against it, people are confused and wonder what this is all about. The whole project suffers from a lack of third-party endorsement.

"Whoever wins the project, there will be rumours of this and that. The third administration [after 2007] will have to tackle the political fallout."

He said the government should use the upcoming consultation period to facilitate a more focused public discussion on major issues concerning the plan. These include the rationale behind the self-financing arrangement, the idea of putting a range of cultural facilities in one place, and necessary constraints on the project developer.

Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung of the City University's public administration studies said the cultural sector harboured grave doubts about the sincerity of government in promoting culture. Nor did they have confidence in the commitment of businesses to manage cultural facilities in the long term.

He said it would be unrealistic to rule out the participation of the business sector in the project, given the enormous financial resources required. But the government, he said, should consider a new model of partnership with business to separate the cultural facilities from the property development. "It's anybody's guess as to how the saga unfolds, and whether opposition against it will gain momentum. Every step the government takes has reinforced public fears that it will end up a mega-sized property project in the name of culture.

"The government talked up the whole project since the beginning, but was cash-strapped to finance it. They then came up with the idea of giving incentives to consortia to develop arts and culture. We may have world-class museums, performance halls and exhibits from abroad. But key questions remain unanswered. What are the arts and culture we want to develop for a 'cultural Hong Kong'?"


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## hkskyline

*Swire chief fires parting shot over West Kowloon *
Dennis Eng
26 November 2004
Hong Kong Standard

James Hughes-Hallett, outgoing chairman of Swire Pacific, has taken a parting shot at government plans for the West Kowloon cultural hub, saying more debate is needed - "and fast".

He said its museums would be better sprinkled around town than concentrated on the 40-hectare site.

"West Kowloon needs better cultural infrastructure," Hughes-Hallett said on Thursday.

"This is a really important crossroads and I believe more debate is needed and fast.

"I think there is a better way to do it," said the executive, who will return to Swire's London headquarters in December for one year before retiring.

"The community needs more time to think about" where to put cultural centres, he added.

He said Swire knew all along that its non-conforming bid for the project _ which ignored several stipulations, including the need for a massive canopy _ was bound to be eliminated in the first round of the screening process. But it submitted the proposal anyway in an effort to spark a debate on how best to use the West Kowloon site.

"We submitted an alternative proposal that met the cultural needs of Hong Kong but not the definition" of a cultural hub as specified by the government, Hughes-Hallett said.

The Swire chief said readily accessible areas like the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui and the vacant Tamar lot would make better sites for museums.

The company's property arm owns the Pacific Place shopping and office complex in Admiralty adjacent to the Tamar site.

"People don't really make plans to visit a museum. If they realise they have to go all the way to West Kowloon, they may decide to go to a restaurant instead," he said.

The government has shortlisted three bids for the HK$40 billion cultural and residential project.

The bidders are Henderson Land Development; Dynamic Star, bringing together Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties; and Sunny Development, a consortium of Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings) and Chinese Estates.

Hughes-Hallett declined to comment on the three proposals.

Public consultations on the West Kowloon project are slated to start in mid-December.

Models and information on the three proposals will be on display at the Science Museum for a period of six weeks.


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## hkskyline

*Developer says it may rethink West Kowloon plan *
Carrie Chan
26 November 2004
Hong Kong Standard

A consortium bidding for the West Kowloon Cultural District said it might reconsider its suggested plot ratio after public consultation.

Sunny Development, a consortium of Sino Land, Wharf Estates and Chinese Estates Holdings, has been criticised for suggesting a plot ratio of 4.3, the highest of the three finalists competing for 30 years of sole development rights for the 40-hectare cultural project, earmarked to become "Asia's cultural hub".

The plot ratio defines the total floor space of erected buildings compared with the footprint the buildings occupy. The higher the ratio, the taller the building.

Sunny Development's proposal bid also includes 5,000 luxury residential flats.

Chief Secretary of Administration Donald Tsang warned bidders on Wednesday that the government will require them to provide sufficient grounds for deviating too far from the government's suggested plot ratio.

Sunny Development project director Yu Wai-wai said the consortium's proposal was primarily culturally driven and that the property element was put in afterwards to sustain the project.

Yu called for the public to see the proposal "from a holistic point of view".

He said it is an integrated project and all elements should be re-examined including sustainability and the needs of the cultural facilities.

He rejected criticism that the proposal had boosted its cultural facility components on purpose to justify the large property portion, leading to such a high plot ratio. "We are open to the views of ordinary citizens and cultural groups, and any subsequent changes will be made pending discussions with the government," Yu said.

According to the consortium's proposal unveiled on Tuesday, the proportion of arts facilities to non-arts facilities will be 1:2.9 compared to the government's requirement of 1:2.1.

Consortium project manager Sunny Yeung said the public/private partnership scheme to build a cultural hub for Hong Kong represented a totally new experience for local developers.

He and Yu said that given that it was a culturally driven but property-funded project, the developers had become laymen forced to deal with a very sharp learning curve during the bidding exercise.

Some people in the cultural sector and some legislators have voiced suspicions that the plans of contesting developers, which propose plot ratios higher than the government's original plan, suggest that developers care more about building flats for sale than creating a cultural area for the public.


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## hkskyline

*Mega project hits fresh snags *
Cannix Yau
27 November 2004
Hong Kong Standard

More headaches are in store for Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang as he pushes ahead with the controversial HK$40 billion West Kowloon cultural project after pro-Beijing lawmaker Chan Yuen-han joined in the crusade against the complex.

"The current development plan is doomed. The government must shelve it and do a comprehensive rethink.

"It can't just press ahead with this project with utter disregard for public opinion. It will be foolhardy for any government to act against its people," she warned in an interview with The Standard.

Chan _ a core member of the Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) _ plans to set up a coalition with other arts and cultural groups, along with two other FTU lawmakers _ Wong Kwok-hing and Kwong Chi-kin _ to force the government to shelve the project.

Chan, who has distanced herself from her Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), said she will try to solicit support from the DAB and other pro-Beijing groups in thwarting the plan.

The unionist lawmaker launched a scathing attack on Tsang, saying he had never sincerely consulted the arts and cultural groups before presenting the plan to a single property developer. Tsang, she said, should have allowed other developers or cultural organisations to participate.

"He [Tsang] merely put up a consultation show. He never sincerely listened to the views of artistes and cultural critics. If he had been really sincere, he would have had in depth discussions with those groups.

"The consultation he had carried out with the arts and cultural groups was, in fact, a fake exercise," she said.

Public consultation on the project is due to begin in mid-December and last until the end of March.

But Chan argued that genuine consultation should take at least six months and not 15 weeks.

She warned that the development would turn into just another property project without cultivating a thriving arts culture for Hong Kong.

"I'm really worried this project will benefit only the developers and not the public," she said.

Chan urged the government to scrap the proposal until a comprehensive consultation programme for the city's cultural development is introduced.

As the pro-democracy camp has been actively pursuing plans for a "rezoning" of the West Kowloon site, although the plan does not need the endorsement of the Legislative Council, Tsang is likely to encounter a crisis in the face of mounting opposition even from pro-Beijing legislators.

The mega project has been embroiled in bitter controversy since Tsang announced earlier this month that there will only be three parties in the race to win the sole right to develop the 40-hectare plot of land which is earmarked to be a "world-class" cultural district.

However, Tsang failed to explain the criteria for the shortlisting of the candidates _ Henderson Land Development; a joint bid by Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties called Dynamic Star International; and Sunny Development, a consortium led by Sino Land, Wharf Holdings and Chinese Estates Holdings.

A bid by the Swire Group was rejected because its design did not include a canopy.


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## hkskyline

*Why rush West Kowloon project? *
Carrie Chan
29 November 2004
Hong Kong Standard

Why is the government in such a rush to push through the West Kowloon Development project?

Chief Secretary Donald Tsang, who is in charge of the project, has doggedly pushed ahead.

And now he will face strong opposition if legislators carry out a threat to form a coalition with arts and culture groups to force the government to scrap the project.

According to pro-Beijing legislator Chan Yuen-han, Tsang did not thoroughly consult arts and culture groups before presenting the plan to a single property developer.

The Chief Secretary should have allowed other developers or cultural organisations to participate.

Tsang rejects suggestions he is favouring any particular developer, or that he has a personal agenda. He refuses to heed calls to re-think his decision and also said last week that any lawmaker opposing the project was "heartless".

He claimed that the project has received widespread support from the arts and cultural sector as well as the general public.

The project would be one of the largest real estate developments in the world, and would help define Hong Kong for decades to come.

The 40-hectare site is one of the most spectacular undeveloped city centre sites in the world. It's not just another building site. And it is not being treated like one.

That's exactly the problem, say critics. The promise of building a world-class arts hub in West Kowloon that's paid for by development of adjacent land has seduced senior officials into disregarding normal procedures that safeguard statutory surveillance and public scrutiny.

Museum experts don't like the idea of turning over the management of cultural institutions to developers. Give the money to a foundation up front, they say.

Other developers don't like the fact that the winner stands to make massive profits and will have a dominant position in determining property prices for at least the next decade.

Artificial barriers have barred smaller developers from competing. Those with different ideas _ like an innovative proposal from the Swire group _ saw their bids thrown out on the grounds that they didn't meet the selection criteria which called for a huge canopy covering 55 per cent of the site.

Architect Norman Foster won the conceptual design for the site in February 2002 for a design that included a canopy. Architects and surveyors attacked the arbitrary decision to make the canopy compulsory.

Over the past few months, officials seem to have turned a deaf ear to the experts' serious concerns, especially over construction safety problems arising from the canopy.

Government has yet to provide a satisfactory safety assurance and produce reasons to support building this mammoth feature.

In fact, the huge estimated cost of canopy, exceeding HK$4 billion, makes it unpopular among bidders and critics. But senior officials support the rationale that the mandatory feature would ensure a holistic design for the 40-hectare project.

This is supposed to be a project about art, as Tsang keeps gamely insisting.

But the developers don't have any illusions about what it is.

"It's a real estate project," said a senior executive when asked about the cultural facilities. "If you want us to run museums you have to make it profitable for us."

However laudable the intentions, they don't justify the arbitrary way the project has been handled. Ministers and officials change the parameters and set up new rules to suit their purpose. Last July, the Town Planning Board surrendered its power to oversee the site.

And Tsang has categorically rejected charges of personal interests. But actions speak louder than words.

The most convincing way to refute allegations and assuage the public is reverting to the right track. Compliance with proper rules and procedures is crucial. The government should be mindful that the success of Hong Kong is built on a level-playing field and predictable policies.

For the sake of making the process "seem" to be just and impartial, an unprecedented _ but foolish _ move was made to bring in Independent Commission Against Corruption officials.

Public officers grumbled over outsiders sitting in the government senior-level internal meetings throughout the confidential bidding selection.

There are fears that more invited interference will come which will undermine the authority of the executive-led government.

In sum, what should be a chance for Hong Kong to shine is shaping up as yet another fiasco in an error-plagued administration. There is still a chance for Hong Kong to get the West Kowloon project right.

At the very least, Donald Tsang needs to tell us what the rush is all about.


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## hkskyline

*Single-developer approach to hub project attacked*
A review is urged, but government won't shelve the West Kowloon cultural plan
Jimmy Cheung
1 December 2004
South China Morning Post

The government suffered a major setback over the West Kowloon cultural hub project yesterday when political parties joined forces to pass a motion for a full review on the contentious "single-developer" approach.

But Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said the administration would not shelve the project.

"We shouldn't stop because there are calls for us to stop. That would be irresponsible," he said after a three-hour heated debate in the Legislative Council panel on planning, lands and works.

The panel also unanimously passed another non-binding motion urging the government to extend public consultation on the project from three months to six months. A third motion that would have forced developers to divulge full financial arrangements for the project was narrowly defeated.

Defending the scheme, Mr Tsang said the public would have to fork out $11.8 billion if the government were to build the project.

"It's just pure fantasy to say that the government can restore budget balance instantly by selling the land and using the revenue to finance the cultural hub," he said.

Mr Tsang dismissed reports saying the consortium which won the right to develop the site could practically control the land supply and the property market in the near future.

He said only seven of the 40 hectares had been earmarked for property development on the West Kowloon site, whereas the government planned to release 300 hectares of land over the next five years.

With the three shortlisted proposals due for a 15-week roadshow from this month, Mr Tsang urged lawmakers to let the public decide what it wanted.

Amid calls for full disclosure on the developers' finance package, Mr Tsang warned that the public might be misled if the competing developers only selectively revealed figures at this stage.

But he promised to disclose as many details as possible when the government was close to signing a deal with the winning consortium. "We will make sure that the developer's profit is not unreasonably high," he said.

Independent democrat Albert Chan Wai-yip accused the government of again rubbing shoulders with property developers despite outcries over previous projects like the sold-off Hunghom Peninsula housing project and the single-developer Cyberport.

Mr Chan's amendment seeking to scrap the single-developer approach rather than review it was rejected by the panel.

Liberal Party leader James Tien Pei-chun also said the single-developer approach was not the only option.

"Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung called for a referendum for the public to decide what to do with the project.


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## hkskyline

*Legco urges delay on West Kowloon *
Sylvia Hui
1 December 2004
Hong Kong Standard

The Legislative Council on Tuesday passed separate motions calling on the government to conduct a comprehensive study on the development of the West Kowloon cultural project as a "single package" and to extend the public consultation period.

Two other motions respectively calling for the disclosures of the financial arrangements of the three bidders and for the government to shelve the HK$40 billion project were voted down.

The first three motions were proposed by Democrat Lee Wing-tat during a special Legco meeting on the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District.

The motion calling for the plan to be shelved was proposed by independent lawmaker Albert Chan.

Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang was repeatedly questioned and criticised during the three-hour session.

While most legislators were critical of the government's plan to grant 30 years' rights to develop the 40-hectare site to a sole developer in what was called a "single package", Tsang defended the arrangement.

He listed 10 reasons for this, including a warning that to auction the land separately would lead to a lack of unity and infrastructural problems.

He also reiterated that it would be a waste of resources and time to rethink the whole arrangement.

But Lee, Chan and other lawmakers including Emily Lau, James To, Raymond Ho and Ronny Tong restated fears that once a developer had been granted sole rights it would be given free rein to maximise profits.

"This is obviously a very inappropriate time to go ahead with the project, judging from the heated public reaction against it. We have to shelve it," said Emily Lau, whose opinion was echoed by Leung Kwok-hung. Lawmakers also questioned the usefulness of the upcoming public consultation, and whether public views would be heeded if they disagreed with the plans of the bidders or to specific issues such as the proposed canopy.

It was agreed that the only way to give the public ample time to digest and comment on the project would be to extend the consultation period from 15 weeks to six months.

Regarding the disclosure of the developers' financial arrangements, which the government insists are confidential, Tsang said details of the winning bid will be disclosed as soon as possible before final contract signing. He offered no timetable.

The three shortlisted bidders for the project are a joint venture by Sun Hung Kai Properties and Cheung Kong Holdings; Henderson Land; and a consortium of Sino Land, Wharf Holdings and Chinese Estate Holdings.


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## hkskyline

*West Kowloon museum will cater for HK children *
Chloe Lai in Vancouver
2 December 2004
South China Morning Post

A children's interactive museum planned for the West Kowloon cultural district will mainly cater for Hong Kong people, especially children living in the area, says a Canadian executive involved in the proposal.

That concept of the museum, proposed by Dynamic Star International with Science World British Columbia in Canada, differs slightly from the government's vision - that museums and cultural facilities will be a destination for both locals and tourists.

Bryan Tisdall, president and chief executive of Science World British Columbia, said the museum would mainly be used by local children, especially those who lived nearby.

Asked if the children living in the district would be more important to the museum than others, Mr Tisdall said: "Our mandate is to be a museum in the West Kowloon cultural district."

He added later that children living nearby in West Kowloon would probably visit more often than children from elsewhere. He said the proposed museum would run outreach programmes to visit schools in other parts of the city.

Science World, a non-profit-making community group that operates a science centre, will develop and manage the interactive museum for Dynamic Star if the joint venture wins the bid.


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## hkskyline

*Bruce Lee invoked in fight to win culture zone backing *
Sylvia Hui
2 December 2004
Hong Kong Standard

West Kowloon will become home to the world's first official Bruce Lee museum as well as the region's first centre for Chinese opera if bidder Henderson Land gets its way.

In a race to gain the rights to develop the 40-hectare West Kowloon cultural project, Henderson Land, one of three competitors, is seeking to score cultural brownie points by gathering support from Hong Kong's Cantonese opera figureheads and Bruce Lee's family.

Lo King-man, the developer's artistic consultant, said the property giant is actively negotiating with Robert Lee, the kung fu legend's youngest brother, to establish a Bruce Lee museum in the proposed Museum of Moving Images at West Kowloon.

Lee fans will find family photos, clothing, and other memorabilia showcased at the museum, as well as his movies.

"The Lee family supports the plan wholeheartedly," Robert Lee said yesterday at Henderson's headquarters.

"Setting up a museum has been a long-time wish of the family and I am very grateful for the support."

There was a privately run Bruce Lee Museum at Broadway Cinematheque, Yau Ma Tei, but it closed in June 2001.

In a written reply to lawmakers on the establishment of a Bruce Lee museum, Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho did not say whether the government would build such a facility to commemorate the movie star.

There is a Bruce Lee cultural centre in Shunde, Guangdong, Lee's ancestral home (although he was born in San Francisco in 1940), but Hong Kong Bruce Lee Club chairman Wong Yiu-keung said it is small and not a proper museum.

If established, the West Kowloon museum will draw Lee fans from around the world, Robert Lee said.

Meanwhile, Henderson Land has also secured support from Chan Kim-sing, chairwoman of the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong, a local Cantonese opera group.

The group, which has more than 1,000 members, said it needs rehearsal, performance and education space. It has submitted proposals for a Cantonese opera development at the West Kowloon site to Henderson Land and Sunny Development.

"There is a shortage of performance venues in Hong Kong," group vice-chairman Leung Hon-wai said. "We hope to have a 1,200-seat theatre as our permanent base, as well as an open-air stage where shows can be appreciated for free."

In addition to Sunny Development, a consortium led by Sino Land, Henderson's other competitor is Dynamic Star, a joint Cheung Kong Holdings and Sun Hung Kai Properties venture.


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## hkskyline

*Essence of a city
Moves to develop the West Kowloon district as a cultural hub are premature while we have yet to define our city's cultural identity, say experts. *
4 December 2004
South China Morning Post

Veteran cultural activist Leung Man-tao has a message for the government: Figure out Hong Kong's cultural position. And he says this should be done before the ambitious West Kowloon Cultural District project goes ahead.

It's a tough task to define Hong Kong's cultural identity?

Perhaps it lies somewhere among ancestral respect and ceremonial tradition, bun festivals, dragon boats, painted opera, domestic helpers singing songs on Sundays, developers pulling down buildings so quickly you've not had time to live in them, great South Asian food in Tsim Sha Tsui, fleshy white men on Lockhart Rd on Friday night, fireworks just about any time, Hakka fishermen, pink dolphins, red taxis and Jackie Chan movies.

The orthodox view would focus on creative flair and achievement - fine art, music and theatre. Or perhaps it has nothing to do with that at all - perhaps it's within a spirit of determination to strive and prevail, no matter what the odds, and to protect our own, as with the brave Sars workers who sacrificed themselves to heal others.

If all that makes you think, you'd better think quickly. Mr Leung, a spokesman for The People's Forum on West Kowloon, says that with the government in such a hurry to fast-track the project, there is no time to discuss the city's cultural position before the cultural hub lands fairly and squarely in our midst.

Last month, the government announced that public consultation for the cultural hub to be built on a 40-hectare site near Kowloon Station would start on December 15 and run for 15 weeks.

The multi-billion-dollar development will include at least three theatres, four museums and exhibition and performance venues. The project is being hotly debated, with full-page newspaper reports, columns, and television and radio phone-in programmes spicing up the arguments in recent weeks.

Mr Leung says cultural positioning is crucial because it will determine what kind of facilities will be housed at the West Kowloon development.

He is not alone in his thinking. Local artists and cultural representatives agree it is important to identify Hong Kong's culture before going ahead.

Mr Leung cites Germany's Berlin as an example of cultural position being successfully identified. "After seeing Paris and New York turn themselves into hubs for the world's top artists, the Berlin government recently worked out its cultural focus with its citizens and developed digital arts," he says. "Since the Berlin government poured resources into digital arts, top world artists are gathering there because they know they can meet other internationally renowned artists."

Mr Leung says identifying Hong Kong's uniqueness will help position its culture. "What do we have in Hong Kong?"

According to the Oxford dictionary, the word "culture" means the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.

Alex Hui Yat-chuen, a curator of The University of Hong Kong's Museum and Art Gallery, supports Mr Leung's interpretation of the importance of positioning Hong Kong's culture. He says the unique part of the city's cultural heritage comes from its history since 1841.

"Our history {hellip} the pre-colonial part is really not much different from the rest of China at the time," says Mr Hui, who is a heritage expert. "But since 1841, in a way, Hong Kong has been a new frontier for new immigrants. They came from all parts of the world and tried to build their lives and homes here."

Mr Hui is critical of the government's cultural development efforts. "The government is trying to promote Hong Kong as a brand, but who needs that?" he says. "A brand is only a label. It is paper-thin and is only a kind of packaging, but not the meat."

He says the right approach is to identify the local way of life, evaluate its values and see if they are worth preserving.

"For example, if we identify cha chaan teng [a local cafe serving Chinese food] as part of our culture, we will then have to study its origin and its role in society," he says. "It is wrong that the government is holding courses to teach young people to mix nai-cha [milk tea] for cha chaan teng, when cha chaan tengs have their drinks masters who have developed their individual styles according to customers' tastes over many years."

Mr Hui says it is not enough for the government to identify local culture - it must first consult the public.

Oscar Ho Hing-kay, chairman of the Hong Kong chapter of the International Art Critics Association, says photography is among the local arts with the potential to be developed as part of the city's culture.

"Hong Kong's photography was doing very well in the mid-19th century. In fact, it can be said Hong Kong brought photography to China. But it has been a much-ignored area in Hong Kong," he says, adding that the city's photography has recorded telling characteristics of local culture.

Mr Ho also points to Hong Kong's pop culture, including comics and Canto-pop songs, which are outstanding in their genre and have attracted academic studies.

But Jimmy Pang Chi-ming, publisher of Subculture Ltd, has long been disenchanted with Hong Kong's pop culture, including pop songs and television programmes. "Some low-quality television programmes have attracted mass audiences, while halls staging performances of renowned orchestras or dramas aren't filled," he says.

Mr Pang says it is ironic that his company has to publish pop material so that more serious books can be produced. He criticises the government for not making enough of an effort to promote sophisticated culture.

Ko Tin-lung, artistic director of the Chung Ying Theatre, says Hong Kong's culture can be seen from its people's creations, as with drama. But he believes Hong Kong culture does not have its own identity. "Hong Kong is dynamic, things keep changing, and that is what makes this city exciting," he says. "You don't know what will happen in Hong Kong tomorrow."

Mr Ko cites what he saw recently in Japan and the mainland as examples that could reflect Hong Kong's culture. He says theatres and cinemas in Japan do not remind people to turn off their mobile phones before a stage drama or movie.

"It is their culture," he says. "There is no need to remind people to switch off the phones. On the other hand, in a mainland province, I saw people taking their lunchboxes into the theatre. I think Hong Kong's culture is somewhere between Japan and China. We have our mobile phones on, but no lunchbox, when we see a drama."

The Home Affairs Bureau is responsible for arts and cultural policies, while the Leisure and Cultural Services Department implements them.

A bureau spokesman says the government aims to create an environment conducive to free artistic _expression and encourage wider participation in cultural activities.

"We believe the government should not dominate the arts scene and develop a unique culture for Hong Kong," he says. "In fact, the uniqueness of Hong Kong's culture is in its fusion and diversity. We have colonial heritage and western experience on the one hand, and Chinese traditional values with Hong Kong practices on the other."

The government spent $2.43 billion in 2003-04 on cultural and arts activities, while $2.54 billion was spent in 2001-02.

While artists, cultural critics and the government tend to relate culture with arts, people interviewed by the Post have their own definitions.

Final year Hong Kong University (HKU) mechanical engineering student Samson Leung Tik-hei says Canto-pop is a significant and unique part of our culture. "Cantonese came from the mainland, but the mainland did not have Canto-pop in the early days. Canto-pop started in Hong Kong and much later in China," he says.

Mr Leung, who is also a freelance violin teacher, says Hong Kong has the potential to develop music and a music appreciation culture. "I find that Hong Kong has a lot of private music learning centres. My brother, who is studying in Sydney, says there are no such centres there," he says.

"I think the government could develop a musical culture by making skills in a musical instrument a prerequisite for school enrolment."

Joe Liu Chi-wing, 26, a bank customer service officer, defines local culture as a combination of Chinese traditions, festivals, food and a western working style.

Clarence Tong, an electrical engineer, interprets the concept as long working hours and singing karaoke.

Benny Man Ka-shing, a HKU music student, says it is "doing things in a hurry and money-grabbing".

Chinese University arts administrator Hardy Tsoi Sik-cheong says the government should develop the idea of Hong Kong's own culture.

"With colonial governance, governments normally do not pay attention to a territory's cultural development. But as Hong Kong has re-united with China, the government should gear up to develop our own culture," says Mr Tsoi, who is also a member of the Arts Development Council.


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## hkskyline

*The name that oozes culture 
The man behind Guggenheim talks to Carrie Chan about what the museum will mean for Hong Kong*
1147 Words
4 December 2004
South China Morning Post

After addressing the Hong Kong-organised Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum last month, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation director Thomas Krens found himself being grilled about a potential museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District.

A tireless and articulate man, who has negotiated deals with Japan, Taiwan and China, Mr Krens has made a final decision to sell the global museum to Hong Kong, a city known for its economic rather than cultural achievements.

As the institution's head since 1988, he said Sir Norman Foster's giant canopy design for the district boosted his confidence in the city.

"I was in London and New York and I met Norman Foster a few times," he said. "When I looked at the Foster plan, I saw how advanced it was. If you could see the canopy from the moon, it would be very interesting.

"This is an opportunity to work with one of the greatest architects to design something very special in a very special place."

If the truth be told, architectural design has been the biggest crowd-pulling element at Guggenheim museums. The Guggenheims in New York and Bilbao, each with more than a million visitors so far, are the most popular among the five Guggenheim museums around the world.

New Yorkers say the architecture of the spiral Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright is greater than the art.

The Bilbao museum, completed in 1997, draws crowds with its curving and tilting metal-clad forms designed by Canadian architect Frank Gehry. The building also brought international attention to the formerly quiet and abandoned Spanish industrial town.

"My theory of a global museum is its architecture should raise questions of how art should be consumed and pushes the boundary of what a museum should be," Mr Krens said. "Should the gallery space be predefined or should it be flexible is a fundamental question [for museum operators]."

Despite Mr Krens' grand plan for a museum in Asia, talks with Asian cities have stirred controversy over the past decade and raise questions of whether Hong Kong will ever see one open. Since 1991, the foundation has attempted four commercial joint ventures in Japan - three in Tokyo and one in Osaka. All fell through.

It was close to landing a deal with Shanghai a few years ago, but that plan came to an end when the officials involved were promoted and urban planning for the Pudong area was altered.

Last year, Mr Krens unveiled a project in Taichung, Taiwan, with renowned deconstructionist architect Zaha Hadid. When in Hong Kong, he would not say whether the Taichung project would be realised, but Taiwanese media reported that the foundation had not received promised funds from the national government.

Mr Krens was also silent on the Las Vegas branch's closure and plans for Rio de Janeiro and New York that have been put on hold.

Guggenheim's business model, which dictates that the host city pay to use the Guggenheim brand, could be a difficulty for some cities. The museums would then be filled by a rotation of the foundation's vast art holdings. What gives Hong Kong the edge over the rest is perhaps its willingness to invest.

"Over the past 30 months we have been approached by over 120 cities around the world. But being approached does not necessarily lead to a courtship and a marriage," Mr Krens said.

"To build a world-class museum, we are not the investors. Three-fourths of people leave at this point and many others are driven away when we say 'this is what it will cost'. I also cannot just pick cities if there is not a critical mass of resources."

Mr Krens did not deny that Guggenheim's bid for a place in Hong Kong was initiated by Cheung Kong (Holdings). Cheung Kong and Sun Hung Kai Properties submitted a West Kowloon Cultural District proposal in a joint venture under the name Dynamic Star International.

"Every developer in Hong Kong came to us. Cheung Kong indeed has been very persistent. I was in Asia a few times and I met [group vice-chairman] Victor Li Tzar-kuoi. We made a deal in April."

Mr Krens described himself as a "bystander" and refrained from any strong criticism of the government's policy. "I wish I could have participated in the discussion," he said. "But now I have been presented with a situation. I have to work within the parameters."

He said the government's approach to the project was new to him. "Can you put four museums and three performing arts venues in one location?" he asked. "The developer is responsible for operating it for 30 years.

"But there are different ways of doing it. The West Kowloon Cultural District is something unique. Cultural institutions create value and there'll be value added to real estate and commercial development."

With some Hong Kong cultural critics worried about the encroachment of foreign arts and the marginalisation of local culture, how would Mr Krens position Guggenheim in Hong Kong?

"A global museum is based on the idea that culture should not be a strictly local concern," he said. "The tension, the discussion and dialogue between global and local is what defines the Guggenheim.

"But how would I capture the essence of Hong Kong? I'm not there yet. We can bring the best part of western culture, which is not opposed here."

Mr Krens said it would be world-class programmes and the architecture that drew the crowds. His preliminary plan would be to have a third of the space dedicated to global exhibitions, another third to regional organisations and the rest for local projects.

"What we have here is an MTV crowd," he said. "I have a feeling the audience might get bored with an 18th century painting. You have to make the museum an object of desire. As a director, you need to think about how to satisfy scholarship and the cultural narrative, as well as make something cool and hip."

What if West Kowloon does not go forward? "There will still be interest in this area," Mr Krens said. "This region is going through a powerful economic transformation. There will be creation of museums in Shanghai and the Olympics in Beijing.

"There's been a discussion that what Hong Kong needs is world-class cultural institutions and the question is how to get it done as soon as possible. Hong Kong can't afford to wait that long.

"Culture can be used intelligently as a vehicle for urban development, and Bilbao has successfully used culture as a driver. It is still a contemplative subject but I think it is a question that Hong Kong faces."


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## hkskyline

The design is not yet firm. The government wants the canopy to be built, but it is up to the developers to create a business plan and study the feasibility of such a structure. Not all developers had the Foster canopy in the design. One was dropped from the bidding because of the omission.


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## hkskyline

*Pressure increases over cultural hub *
Jimmy Cheung
30 December 2004
South China Morning Post

The government will face mounting pressure next week to overhaul the controversial West Kowloon cultural hub project when a motion debate is held in the Legislative Council.

At least four amendments have been proposed to Alan Leong Kah-kit's non-binding motion to remove the single-developer approach and the requirement for a giant canopy on the 40-hectare site.

But political parties have yet to indicate if they will support any amendments relating to the project.

Critics fear the lack of a clear consensus among legislators will give the government an excuse to continue with the much-criticised single-developer approach.

In his motion, Mr Leong, from the Article 45 Concern Group, says the arrangements have failed to ensure the best use of land resources and to safeguard the public interest. He is also demanding that the government use the proceeds from the land sale in West Kowloon to support sustainable policies on arts and culture.

Major political parties seem to agree that the 15-week consultation should be extended to six months and that financial arrangements by individual bidders should be disclosed, as suggested in the original motion. But disputes remain over whether to drop the single-developer approach and the canopy requirement.

An amendment by Cheung Hok-ming of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong urges the government to review the single-developer and canopy requirements in the light of public views.

Chan Yuen-han, of the Federation of Trade Unions, is tabling an amendment calling for a cultural commission to be set up.

Democrat James To Kun-sun is calling for a statutory commission to implement the project.


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## hkskyline

*LegCo to debate development of the West Kowloon Cultural District*
Monday, January 3, 2005
Government Press Release

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

The Legislative Council will hold a meeting this Wednesday (January 5) at 2.30pm in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Building. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on development of the West Kowloon Cultural District.

The motion, to be proposed by Hon Alan Leong Kah-kit, says: "That, as the Administration has decided to award the development of the 40-hectare West Kowloon Cultural District ("the WKCD development") to a single consortium in one go and allows the public only 15 weeks to comment on the three proposals selected in the first stage, such course of action has failed to ensure the optimal use of precious land resources in Hong Kong and safeguard public interests while nurturing arts and culture, this Council strongly asks the Administration to:

(a) extend the consultation period to six months to allow sufficient time for public participation;

(b) make public all the proposals submitted to the Government by persons interested in participating in the WKCD development, including information on financial arrangements, so as to enable the public to fully grasp the details of the development proposals during the consultation period;

(c) remove the requirement that the canopy, which requires huge funds to construct, be a mandatory component of the WKCD development;

(d) withdraw the decision to award the entire piece of land together with the WKCD development by way of one single tender, and break the lot into smaller pieces of land for public tender or auction in the market by batches so that small and medium developers in Hong Kong can participate in the development, with a view to maximizing the proceeds from the land sale; and

(e) formulate long-term and sustainable policies on Hong Kong's arts and culture, use the proceeds from the sale of the 40 hectares of land to support and promote the related policies and, in drawing up the specific details and implementing the policies, allow institutionalized participation of the civil society and, in particular, solicit and adopt the views of the local art and cultural sectors."

Hon Cheung Hok-ming, Hon Chan Yuen-han and Hon James To will move separate amendments to Hon Alan Leong Kah-kit's motion.

Members will also debate a motion on the Fourth Report of the Constitutional Development Task Force.

The motion, to be moved by Hon Albert Jinghan Cheng, states: "That this Council expresses deep regret that, in the Fourth Report of the Constitutional Development Task Force published recently, the Government has disregarded public opinion and rejected the demand of the majority of Hong Kong people for the election of the Chief Executive and all Members of the Legislative Council for the next term by universal and equal suffrage, but has failed to put forward a specific proposal; furthermore, as the Government has an unshirkable constitutional duty to answer, as far as possible, the public's strong demand for universal suffrage, this Council urges the Government to expeditiously present to the Council a constitutional reform proposal, which includes the methods for selecting the Chief Executive in 2007 and for forming the Legislative Council in 2008, to facilitate discussion by the public and this Council."

Hon Miriam Lau will move a resolution under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to extend the period for amending the

(a) Telecommunications (Designation of Frequency Bands subject to Payment of Spectrum Utilization Fee) (Amendment) Order 2004;

(b) Telecommunications (Method for Determining Spectrum Utilization Fees) (Third Generation Mobile Services) (Amendment) Regulation 2004;

(c) Telecommunications (Level of Spectrum Utilization Fees) (Second Generation Mobile Services) Regulation;

(d) Employees' Compensation Ordinance (Amendment of Second Schedule) Order 2004; and

(e) Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 2) Order 2004, which were laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 15 December 2004, to the meeting of 2 February 2005.

Meanwhile, the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works will move two resolutions under the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to amend the Waste Disposal (Charges for Disposal of Construction Waste) Regulation and the Waste Disposal (Designated Waste Disposal Facility)(Amendment) Regulation 2004, which were laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 3 November 2004.

Hon Choy So-yuk will address the Council on the two regulations.

On bill, the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (Amendment) (Macau) Bill will be introduced into the Council for First and Second Readings. Debate on the bill will be adjourned.

During the meeting, Members will also ask the Administration 20 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.

The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the Legislative Council InfoFax Service (Tel: 2869 9568) or the Legislative Council web site (http://www.legco.gov.hk).

Members of the public are welcome to observe the proceedings of the meeting from the public galleries of the Legislative Council Chamber. They may reserve seats by calling 2869 9399 during office hours. Seats will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.


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## HeiHuShi

Newbie here. What is the status of the Nina Tower so far?


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## hkskyline

HeiHuShi said:


> Newbie here. What is the status of the Nina Tower so far?


The Nina Tower thread is not part of WKCD. There's a separate thread for it : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=104784&page=1


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## hkskyline

*LCQ17: Development of the West Kowloon Cultural District*
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Government Press Release

Following is a question by the Hon Lee Wing-tat and a written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands, Mr Michael Suen, in the Legislative Council today (January 26):

*Question:*

Regarding development of the West Kowloon Cultural District, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether it has, in compliance with the General Conditions set out in the paper released for the Concept Plan Competition for the Development of an Integrated Arts, Cultural and Entertainment District at the West Kowloon Reclamation in Hong Kong ("the Scheme Area"), appointed a team through the normal consultants selection process to finalize a detailed masterplan for the Scheme Area on the basis of the winning conceptual proposals; if such a team has been appointed, of its composition and terms of reference; if not, the reasons for that;

(b) as the General Conditions also stipulate that based on the detailed masterplan, the authorities will then decide on how the Scheme Area will be developed, and that packages within the Scheme Area suitable for private sector development will be decided by public tender, while subsequent architectural design competitions may be conducted for selected individual buildings/facilities, whether the authorities have acted in violation of the General Conditions in issuing the Invitation For Proposals instead of public tender documents for the development of the Scheme Area, and whether they will conduct architectural design competitions for selected individual buildings/facilities; if they will, of the details of the competitions; if they will not, the reasons for that; and

(c) whether it will negotiate with the successful proponent on the development parameters in the proponent's proposal before entering into a provisional agreement; if so, whether the authorities will, in the course of negotiation, impose restrictions on the scope of alterations that may be made to the proposal; if so, of the details of the restrictions?

*Reply:*

Madam President,

In 2001, the Government held a Concept Plan Competition to invite conceptual proposals for the development of a prominent waterfront area in West Kowloon into an integrated arts, cultural and entertainment district. The General Conditions in the competition documents issued by the Government at that time reflected Government's initial thinking on the development as a reference for interested parties. The Government had not made any decision on the mode and procedures for the development at that time. The competition was completed in 2002, with the international jury selecting the first prize winner, the second prize winner and three honourable mentions. We briefed the Legislative Council Panel on Planning, Lands and Works on the competition results in May 2002.

My reply to the three-part question is as follows:

(a) The Government did not engage a team of consultants to finalise a detailed masterplan for the Scheme Area on the basis of the winning conceptual proposals because, after taking into account the planning concepts of the winning entries, the Steering Committee for the Development of the West Kowloon Cultural District (Steering Committee) was of the view that the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) should be developed in an integrated manner with the inclusion of commercial and residential elements. This development mode was adopted with a view to tapping the financial resources of the private sector for construction of the WKCD and to manage and operate the WKCD facilities on a self-financing basis. To achieve this objective, the Steering Committee considered that the private sector with its commercial knowledge and experience would be better placed to formulate the masterplan than a team of consultants appointed by the Government. In adopting this mode of development, the need to expedite the development of the WKCD as far as possible had also been taken into account so as to meet the pressing public demand for arts and cultural facilities and to create employment opportunities. The Steering Committee therefore decided to invite the private sector to submit masterplans based on the design concept of the first prize winner and to submit proposals for the development, operation and financial arrangements of the whole WKCD. Accordingly, the Steering Committee considered the engagement of a consultant to work on a detailed masterplan for WKCD not necessary.

(b) The Government did not adopt the tendering method. Instead, the Government issued the Invitation for Proposals to invite development proposals from the private sector because the Steering Committee, after taking the winning entries as reference, decided to adopt a community-driven approach whereby the private sector would be responsible for the development and operation of the WKCD. Having regard to the scale and the complexity of the project, it was believed that sufficient flexibility should be built into the process to allow the Government to negotiate with the proponents who were interested in the development and operation of the WKCD, in order that the Government could select a proposal that would best meet public aspirations and which was in the best public interest. Traditional tendering could not provide the desired flexibility. The Invitation for Proposals was endorsed by the Steering Committee in May 2003. Subsequently, we briefed the Executive Council on the plan to issue the Invitation for Proposals and, before issuing the Invitation for Proposals, submitted a progress report on the development of the WKCD to the Legislative Council Panel on Planning, Lands and Works in July 2003 setting out Government's decision to invite interested developers to submit proposals. In general, we received positive response from Members at the meeting on the various arrangements set out in the progress report.

According to the Invitation for Proposals, proponents are required to submit proposals for the development of the whole WKCD, including overall and individual building designs. As a result the Government did not conduct architectural design competition for individual buildings or facilities.

(c) The Government is assessing in detail the proposals which met the mandatory requirements set out in the Invitation for Proposals. At the same time the Government is consulting the public on these proposals and will take into account public views collected. In the next stage, the Government will shortlist proponent(s), and negotiate with the shortlisted proponent(s) with a view to improving the proposal(s) before selecting the preferred proposal. We will strive for a proposal which is in the best interest of the public before signing a provisional agreement with the selected proponent. We will take into account public views and the results of the assessment before finalising the details of the negotiations.


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## hkskyline

*Art and the hard sell *
Following their bids for the West Kowloon land rights, developers have discovered a sudden interest in bringing culture to the people, writes Clarence Tsui 
3 January 2005
South China Morning Post

WHEN HENDERSON ArtReach's roadshow of Lui Shou-kwan ink paintings ends today, it will have travelled a distance even seasoned curators would find daunting. Shunning malls and halls, the exhibition has ventured to some of Hong Kong's most far-flung public housing estates, in what the property developer claims is an attempt to give the public "a broader range of opportunities to marvel at great works of art". 

Not that many have risen to the occasion, however: the exhibition has hardly been a well-attended event, what with venues that even those living nearby would hardly consider accessible. The exposition, housed in three 20-foot containers that the organisers have christened a "Mobile Art and Culture Exhibition Unit", has set up in some of the more deserted backyards of the housing complexes. If not for the glaring logos on the outside of the containers, passers-by could have been forgiven for thinking of them as makeshift construction-site offices. 

For nine-year-old Law Ka-chun, the containers were attractive because "there are computers to play with" - a reference to the interactive games in a makeshift education centre in one of them. Law is one of the few who visited the exhibition during its week in Yau Oi Estate, a 15-minute walk from Tuen Mun town centre. He's been to the exhibition twice and, after completing a highly satisfying session with his classmates trying his hand at ink painting, he was promising to go back. But he was at a loss when asked what the exhibition was about. "I don't know what it is," the primary student said. 

The exhibition mostly counts curious schoolchildren among its visitors, usually passing by on their way home. Most converge on the educational centre, where experienced artists wait every day in the hope of engaging them in an art form as foreign to the children as surrealism. "We had a much busier time when the exhibition was at Oi Man Estate, with all the schools nearby," says veteran artist Leung Kui-ting. As one of Lui's disciples and a main mover in the local scene - he is director of the Hong Kong Chingying Institute of Visual Arts and also an active member of the Hong Kong Ink Society - he was among a handful of ink painters Henderson invited to give a human presence to the exhibition. 

"We're here to explain what the paintings mean and how people can relate to them - for example, to tell people what the swaths of black and blotches of red mean in this painting," Leung says, referring to Lui's Zen Painting, one of the key works in the exhibition. "The biggest reward we could have is to lead people in acknowledging Hong Kong's own artistic heritage. We don't have da Vinci [paintings], and we don't have a collection like The Palace Museum's [in Beijing] - but we have our own ink painters." 

Given Lui's legacy as one of Hong Kong's first "homegrown" artists - the painter's career took off only after the then 28-year-old moved to Hong Kong in 1948 - general indifference to his work must have pained Leung. "We shouldn't be looking at concrete results in doing these community-driven cultural events - the most important thing is that we put our words about arts education into action and go to the masses," he says. "Never underestimate the consequences of the 10 minutes these children spent here - it might affect them for the next 30 years." 

Whether ink painting will remain in the lives of Tuen Mun schoolchildren is questionable, but one thing might: Henderson Land's name, which was emblazoned across the containers and the handouts given to visitors. 

It might be churlish to dismiss the developer's enthusiasm in art as merely cynical, but the sudden interest in launching such exhibitions coincided perfectly with the corporation's bid for the land rights to the West Kowloon Cultural District, the wide strip west of Tsim Sha Tsui that promises to be as much an arts hub as prime land for lavish apartment blocks. 

With a view to capturing what is easily the most profitable development project in Hong Kong in recent years, the three bidders - World City Culture Park (Henderson's venture), Dynamic Star (a joint collaboration between Cheung Kong and Sun Hung Kai), and Sunny Development (engineered by Sino Land, Wharf Holdings and Chinese Estates) - are in top gear, serenading all parties about their own proposals - and their aim to be cultured, caring and socially conscious entrepreneurs. 

On one side, bidders strove to recruit sympathisers among local artists, social commentators and journalists whose voices add to the credibility of their own projects. Theatre companies, dance troupes and visual art collectives - all vying for a foothold in the vast cultural complexes the project promises to deliver - are all signed up as what they call "strategic partners". 

The distance the developers have gone to pursue approval from the community is telling. Bearing in mind the consequences of a public backlash - as evident in New World Development's decision not to pull down Hunghom Peninsula after widespread public disapproval - developers now know of the importance for a mandate among the electorate. 

The focus for this jockeying for public acceptance is on display at the Special Exhibition Hall at the Hong Kong Science Museum where, since December 16, the details of the three bids have been laid out. Visitors move among teams of slick-talking guides, employed by corporations to talk about the individual projects. Videos of celebrity endorsements compete with three-dimensional computer simulation programmes about grand cultural complexes. The public are invited to vote for the presentation they like best - and in the process join a draw from which 100 winners will be given a year's worth of visits to government-run museums. 

Away from the media-savvy frenzy at the Science Museum, the ArtReach roadshow represents another aspect of Henderson's campaign for mass approval. The company has spent much in refurnishing the cargo containers into a short-term art gallery but somehow the exhibition pales into insignificance compared with the Science Museum show. At Tuen Mun, for example, the containers are dumped on a remote plot on the edge of Yau Oi Estate. 

Leung says he's knows why art suddenly found favour among property developers. "I know [Henderson] is pursuing something on the back of this and if not for that, this exhibition wouldn't have happened. I don't care what other people are running after - I'm just glad that ink painting can get its rightful place in Hong Kong," he says, pointing to Henderson's promise of establishing a museum for the art form - the first of its kind in the world. 

Leung and fellow artist Cheng Ming, who also works as a guide at the Lui exhibition, see no problem in getting patronage from property tycoons. Leung points to the way companies such as Hong Kong Land and Swire attributed a certain amount of their budget in acquiring and promoting art. 

Traditional property developers have woken up to this way of generating good publicity among an increasingly sophisticated population. Henderson ArtReach has three other mobile exhibitions that are set to follow the Lui Shou-kwan show, bringing ink paintings by other renowned local artists to places as far as Tin Yiu Estate in Yuen Long and Tsz Lok Estate in Tsz Wan Shan. Dynamic Star, meanwhile, continues its seminars featuring its international partners; and Sunny Development wants to sponsor Hong Kong Arts Festival events to earmark its contribution to local cultural events. 

While Leung expects a blossom of patronage and sponsorship in the light of West Kowloon, other artists and curators express grave doubts about this onslaught of interest from property developers. 

Oscar Ho Hing-kay, former exhibition director of the Hong Kong Arts Centre and chairman of the Hong Kong chapter of the International Art Critics Association, describes the publicity campaigns which arose from the West Kowloon bids as "merely the making of noises". "At one time they'll be talking about doing something about Cantonese opera, the next it will be ink paintings, and then an art auction - it's just schizophrenic talk," he says. "How will all these activities reflect Hong Kong culture? How do they, as operators of this cultural district, assess our cultural needs? That's not much rationale and vision. At the end of the day, art lost out - it became a big load of public relations activities." 

Ho is among a sizeable contingent of cultural commentators who are dismayed by the showcase at the Science Museum as well as programmes such as Henderson's ArtReach. "It's all purely done for the sensation," he says of the exhibition of layouts in Tsim Sha Tsui. "Developers are devoted to build the best building that can make them the most money for stockholders - asking them to sincerely promote art is a mismatch." 

Lo King-man, artistic consultant to Henderson and former head of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, says the ArtReach project is not set up to "facilitate the West Kowloon project", but is related to what the company wants to achieve in West Kowloon. 

"Physically, there's no relation to the bid - it's just that, conceptually, we want the public to know that Henderson regards highly the needs of the people of Hong Kong and also of local artists," he says. "It is about letting them know what our attitude towards art is if we are successful in the bid."


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## hkskyline

*Developers gather for West Kowloon summit *
Freda Wan in Macau and Chloe Lai 
6 January 2005
South China Morning Post

Property developers will hold an emergency meeting tomorrow over the controversial West Kowloon cultural district project, amid a new call for it to be split up. 

Disclosing that he had called about 20 members to the meeting, Real Estate Developers Association chairman Stanley Ho Hung-sun said the government should split the site into pieces and relax bidding conditions to allow more developers to participate. 

"When there is rice, everybody gets to eat," he said. 

Two of the three short-listed bidders for the site, Henderson Land and the Sino Land and Wharf consortium, last night said they would attend the meeting. 

Small developers have hotly opposed the government plan to award the 40-hectare site to one developer to build and manage the facilities for 30 years. 

"West Kowloon is the best piece of land left in Hong Kong," Mr Ho said. "At this meeting, I will voice my views as chairman on how we should deal with this plot of land, and then I'll listen to the views of the other committee members. 

"I have always opposed giving the opportunity to only one person. When there is rice, everybody gets to eat. That is my motto, whether in Hong Kong or in Macau." 

The news came as legislators last night debated a motion moved by independent lawmaker Alan Leong Kah-kit, which called for the government to drop the single-developer approach, remove the giant canopy as a required feature and reveal all financial details of the bidders' proposals. 

"There is already a consensus from the public that they do not like the single-developer plan," he said. 

Debate will continue today on the motion, which is expected to win support from the Democrats, Liberals and some independents.


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## hkskyline

*Art for whose sake?
The West Kowloon hub overshadows the need for more events at grassroots level*
Hiram To 
13 January 2005
South China Morning Post

FASHION COMES and goes, and in Hong Kong, where celebrity performers are generally referred to as "artists", culture looks set to be big business this year. 

In a town where the population is reared on television soaps and Canto-pop, the sudden rush of enthusiasm from property consortiums and the public for all things artsy, brought on by the government's desire to transform the West Kowloon site into a future arts hub, is both encouraging and worrying. 

The catalyst for this newfound faith in culture - prime waterfront land - represents a lot more than real estate profits and total retail space. We are mapping out our future, and West Kowloon has to be built now, so we are told. 

Imagine the benefits: the Norman Foster-designed sky canopy soaring above world-class museums; millions of tourists marvelling at the architectural feat and, finally, our appreciative offspring reaping the benefits of our spiritual wisdom. 

So far, much of the discussion about the site has centred around the economic viability of the canopy, what museums to build and how many luxury apartments should be permitted. Interest groups tell us we must have a specialist museum housing ink paintings. Chinese opera advocates say they must have a theatre devoted to the craft. And Anita Mui's mother wants a museum to commemorate her daughter's contribution to the arts. 

But let us not be naive that our arts and culture are at stake here. 

Hong Kong has its orchestras and ballets, drama groups and Chinese operas, festivals and exhibitions. If the West Kowloon hub ends up a fizzer, these will still be around. 

Just as the project's materialisation may not necessarily see the arts flourish or improve, its absence will not see them die either. What the project speaks of is Hong Kong's need for more attractions to attract the tourist dollar. Potential business deals of all kinds are waiting to be struck. But it seems likely that those who are supposedly the drivers of culture - the artists - will be the among the last to benefit. 

SWith the government's patchy record of arts advocacy over the past decades, and Hong Kong's biggest property consortiums previously showing little or no interest in the arts previously, one can hardly blame the arts sector for being up in arms. 

With Hong Kong's rapidly changing political climate, it is difficult to predict the eventual outcome of the West Kowloon project. But one thing is sure, it takes more than transplanting large sculptures or importing international museum brand names to justify the site's existence. 

It is a sad reality that the new year brings little to shout about in the local arts scene. The many arts festivals in Hong Kong have either run out of steam (and sponsorship money) or have resorted to presenting lacklustre formulaic programmes. These festivals may attract audiences wanting to stock up on their annual dose of culture, but their impact on, and relevance to, the artistic community is minimal. 

On the visual arts front, Art Port, the international exhibition organised by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, which was supposed to bring overseas curators and professionals to Hong Kong in December, was cancelled. There was no official explanation. 

One baffling exhibition, "Building Hong Kong Redwhiteblue", at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum until April 18, uses the tri-coloured polyethylene material commonly seen as storage carriers for inspiration. The 20 works are supposed to communicate the positive spirit of Hong Kong. It takes more than a leap of faith to visualise downmarket plastic sheeting as a metaphor for the strong work ethic of the 1960s/70s Hong Kong generation. 

The accompanying text says the sheeting evokes memories of grandparents and old Hong Kong, a claim that is out of sync with a material that made its first appearance in the city during the 1980s. Let us hope 2005 brings us better offerings. 

Hiram To is an artist and curator


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## hkskyline

*Leong calls for Legco special panel to investigate West Kowloon project *
Paris Lord 
18 January 2005
Hong Kong Standard

Legislator Alan Leong has called for the creation of a Legislative Council special committee to probe the proposed West Kowloon Cultural District project. 

Leong, a barrister and member of the Article 45 Concern Group, wrote to house committee chairman Miriam Lau on Saturday, arguing the controversial project ought to be thoroughly scrutinized by lawmakers. 

He said on Monday the project is too important to be examined by the Legco panel on planning, lands and works because it also has public finance, cultural and possibly environmental implications. Leong's proposal follows an attempt begun last week by pan-democrats to invoke the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance to force the government to disclose the financial details and statements for the three shortlisted developers bidding for the 40-hectare project. 

The developers are Dynamic Star, a joint venture comprising Sun Hung Kai and Li Ka-shing's Cheung Kong Holdings; Sino Land, Wharf Holdings and Chinese Estates Holdings under the Sunny Development consortium; and Henderson Land, the sole company behind the World City Cultural Park. 

On January 6, lawmakers passed a rare motion calling on the government to scrap its plan that a single developer construct the project, which includes a giant, transparent canopy covering at least 55 per cent of the area. 

The project's leading proponent, Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang, has refused to back down, arguing if it is scrapped, it will take years before it can be replanned and implemented. 

The Real Estate Developers Association, whose members are property tycoons, earlier this month also criticized the single-developer plan. 

Leong said that following the January 6 motion, he believes a special committee is needed to monitor the project. 

The committee would resemble one recently set up to combat poverty. 

He has received confirmation from Legco that the secretariat is considering his request, adding he will get a reply soon. 

``In my view, it really cries out for a special committee that would allow all councillors who are interested in following up on the subject to participate,'' Leong said. 

There is no limit to the number of lawmakers who could sit on the committee, should it be created.


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## hkskyline

*Cross-party support for committee to monitor West Kowloon*
Sylvia Hui 
22 January 2005
Hong Kong Standard

The government can expect more politicalhurdles if it presses ahead with the controversial HK$40 billion West Kowloon project. 

The Legislative Council has agreed to appoint a special committee to monitorall stages of the project. 

Proposed by Article 45 Concern Group lawmaker Alan Leong, the subcommitteewill scrutinize all issues ranging from culture to finance. 

"Most legislators are highly concernedabout West Kowloon and it appears a consensus has been reached,'' Leong said on Friday. "A special committeeis to be set up to study the whole project.'' 

Leong's proposal has the support of the Democratic Party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), the Liberal Party and the Alliance. 

Dates for meetings and membership have yet to be determined. 

The move follows a rare united front of legislators earlier this month, when they passed a motion decrying the government's approach to developing West Kowloon. That motion, also moved by Leong, urged the government to drop the single-developer approach, to extend the public consultation period from 15 weeks to six months, to reveal the financial arrangements of the shortlisted bidders and to remove the mandatory requirement of having a huge canopy. 

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Instituteof Architects has proposed an alternative approach for West Kowloon,under which the 40-hectare site will be developed in phases. 

The proposal calls for more prominent involvement of the Town Planning Board in drawing an outline zoning plan and new plot ratios for the district, after which the project will be tendered in different stages. 

"The alternative approach will draw up uniform requirements for all bidders. It also eliminates many technical uncertainties because the project is not awarded to one developer at once, but to different ones in different stages,'' institute president Bernard Lim said. 

The new approach means the whole project could take a long time to complete,but Lim said there is no hurry to meet any deadline. 

"Ours is a cautious approach and takes time,'' Lim said.


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## hkskyline

*Single developer may be best for West Kowloon project 
The multiple tender approach for the controversial cultural complex could present quite a few problems *
26 January 2005
South China Morning Post

Public participation means citizen power in the form of citizen control, but it is sometimes seen as another form of power bargaining. 

Public participation in developments can be a lengthy process, often resulting in a compromise, rather than an optimum solution. The West Kowloon Reclamation Project debate is a classic example. 

Many say that the government should divide the site under a master plan for greater public involvement and allow more developers to generate higher revenues and use the proceeds to build cultural facilities. 

However, the single design developer approach has several merits from a professional urban design point of view, such as allowing a single coherent design. The controversial canopy will ensure there will be no obstructive high-rises that create a canyon effect on either side of Victoria Harbour, which many people want to preserve. 

Also, the canopy and integrated urban places could become an attractive international landmark comparable to the Eiffel Tower and the Sydney Opera House. 

Furthermore, the winning developer would be expected to provide the internal financing, cross subsidies and development phasing to create the necessary critical mass and to bear the risks. 

The multiple-tender approach, on the other hand, may be more equitable but could present problems, and the result may not be want what the people want. 

If the same outside zoning plan land use control approach was adopted, this project may end up as another piecemeal development, like Tsim Sha Tsui East and the adjacent West Kowloon Station development. 

Also, the multiple tender approach is likely to offer a higher plot ratio for the individual parcels and would most certainly result in undesirable tall buildings and slab walls. The higher land premium generated is hardly justification for a less than desirable environment and city image. 

Worst of all, the final product could not be known, under the current land auction system awarded to the highest bidder based on lease conditions, as there would be no committed final design for the public to review. 

Given the controversial nature of the West Kowloon Reclamation Project, the government should modify the single design/developer approach to overcome basic objections, and fall back on multiple tenders only if necessary. 

A new competitive design/price tender to select a single design/developer should ensure that the government sets the same plot ratio and all requirements for the project at, say, 2.5, and all entries are first judged on their urban design merits (based on given criteria), and then on their tender price as follows: 

The design and price tenders be awarded on a point system, say 80 per cent for design merits and 20 per cent on price; 

Or the best designs be awarded on the average of the three highest tendered prices as the accepted market price (if the best design is not also the highest bidder); 

The selected single master developer may identify some parcels for other developers to participate in, based on the accepted master plan; 

All concerned groups could recommend their tender selection criteria; 

The winning developer could also form a reit on the project to offer shares for the public under a joint management company. 

Ho Chi-wing is an assistant professor with the Urban Design Department at the University of Hong Kong


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## hkskyline

*AmCham chief is all for transparency
West Kowloon cultural hub is a litmus test for the government, according to the organisation's new chairman *
Dennis Eng 
29 January 2005
South China Morning Post

The government should improve transparency in its dealings to help allay public perceptions of collusion between the public sector and big business, according to the American Chamber of Commerce's new chairman. 

"It's good that the government is explaining what happened with Cyberport. But as to whether the government should have done so earlier, I don't know," Jon Zinke said. 

Mr Zinke, a 51-year-old maritime lawyer, added that he had read Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology John Tsang Chun-wah's published explanation about the controversial Cyberport project, which was awarded to the Pacific Century Group without a competitive tendering process. 

The chairman, who was elected this month, noted that the report helped to shed light on a number of aspects of the deal that many had been unaware of. 

Mr Zinke also stressed that government efforts to present a more accessible public face would not be in vain "as long as the process is transparent". 

He cited the mammoth West Kowloon cultural district project as a key litmus test for the government. 

"I would like to see it done in a transparent way and without any hidden agendas," he said. 

Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa broached the issue for the first time when he delivered his policy address this month. 

In the address, he stated that his administration was resolutely against "collusion between business and the government" and would seek to eliminate any "transfer of benefits". 

Recent public demonstrations have increasingly focused on collusion concerns and fairness in governance. 

"I think Hong Kong is a mature society," Mr Zinke said, adding that he was impressed to see protest demonstrations being held peacefully in Hong Kong. "There are more demonstrations now than there were before 1997," he noted. 

He pointed out that people might be more likely to voice their concerns and opinions as taxpayers, since "people feel more entitled to express their views on how their money should be spent". 

The government is studying possible ways to broaden the tax base, including the introduction of a goods and services tax. The chamber is against such a consumption tax. 

"If you don't have to pay taxes, you tend to become disenfranchised. So this move goes hand-in-hand with political reform," he added. 

Despite the various recent controversies, Mr Zinke, who has lived in Hong Kong since 1985, believes that there are few issues now that give the city international attention. 

He expects the US to continue to be interested in Hong Kong and to monitor the situation here but that, compared to the lead-up to the handover in 1997, "Hong Kong is, to some extent, off the radar now". 

While he is happy to see international scrutiny of Hong Kong subside, the opening of the first Disney theme park in China on September 12 and the hosting of the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting in December will draw some attention to the city. 

"I'm happy that Disneyland is opening here. It will keep Hong Kong on the map," said Mr Zinke. 

However, he warned the Liberal Party's revival of a proposal to develop a casino industry here would "drastically change people's perception of Hong Kong". 

He questioned whether Hong Kong should do what Macau has done. 

"People would come to Hong Kong because of Disneyland. But would people think of Hong Kong for its casinos?"


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## hkskyline

*Culture crush
Hong Kong's performing arts community sees the West Kowloon project as the long overdue solution to their woes. *
But, so far, there's no word they'll be included
30 January 2005
South China Morning Post

THERE'S A STORY that the Hong Kong Philharmonic's artistic director and chief conductor Edo de Waart likes to tell, no matter how many times the interviewer may have heard it before. "Back in my mid-20s, I was an assistant to [the late Leonard] Bernstein at the New York Philharmonic," says the 64-year-old Dutchman. "He took us to a room and showed us an enormous hole in the ground next door. We were standing in the Lincoln Centre and the hole was what was going to be [the] Julliard [School]. Bernstein said, 'This building will not make sense until that building is finished.' It's been almost 40 years, but I still remember that." 

De Waart borders on waxing sentimental when talking about the empty hole that became the centre of New York City's arts scene, a place where arts education and professional performances come together. He's noticeably less glowing when talking about the giant hole in Hong Kong's cultural infrastructure that is going to become the proposed West Kowloon Cultural Development (WKCD). 

De Waart, along with just about everyone else in the local arts community, hopes the development will become a central meeting point for various performing and arts education groups, which are scattered all over the city. It was an idea he first proposed in an interview with the South China Morning Post in May. "I see the Philharmonic, the Sinfonietta, the opera, the ballet and the Academy for Performing Arts under one roof," he says again. "Then, we'll be a force to be reckoned with." 

Nine months and lots of squabbling after de Waart's first pronouncement, and there's still no certainty that he'll get his wish. For him, it's a sign that the WKCD isn't going the way it should. "If the HKPO and the APA aren't represented in West Kowloon, it will be a catastrophe," he says. "It's not right. Many of the proposed designs don't even have a proper concert hall." 

Much of the discussion about West Kowloon has centred around museums - not performance venues - largely because of big-budget charm offensives by France's Pompidou Centre and the multi-national, New York-based Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, both of which are vying for a part of Hong Kong's fancy new arts hub. 

"Because there's no big overseas performing group involved, the focus is on the visual arts," says Yip Wing-sie, artistic director and chief conductor of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, the city's other full-sized professional symphony orchestra. Although Yip thinks it might be overly ambitious to have all the city's performing groups under one roof, she says the cultural hub could be used to streamline and centralise the operations of Hong Kong's many scattered performance groups, which all share a multitude of venues. "It's a good, practical, convenient, cost-efficient idea," she says. "Everyone wants a home base." 

Yip says running an orchestra in Hong Kong is like going on tour - only in one city. "Our administration, PR and human resources are taken care of in Wan Chai. Half of our musical library is in Yau Ma Tei. Our rehearsal space, which we sometimes don't have access to, is upstairs on the eighth floor of the Cultural Centre [in Tsim Sha Tsui]. Then, let's say we perform in City Hall in Central. Imagine the waste of human resources when we have to send an entire orchestra and staff running here there and everywhere to organise one concert. The West Kowloon space is definitely big enough that it can hold a small office, library and hall for us, and other groups to use." 

Yip says the problem isn't only practical, it's also artistic. "Let's say we practise in Tsim Sha Tsui, but perform in Central. Suddenly, all the acoustics change, so the entire orchestra has to adjust its playing at the last minute," she says. 

And she says the Sinfonietta isn't alone. The Hong Kong Ballet is based in Happy Valley, but performs mostly in Kowloon. The city's two opera companies don't have dedicated venues. A couple of medium-sized performance halls in the West Kowloon site could alleviate a city-wide venue problem, and probably ease the in-fighting, as well. "When we book a space at the Cultural Centre, we have to compete with all the other groups in the city, as well as overseas groups, even just for practice space," says Yip. 

"When the Phantom of the Opera came for three months several years ago, every arts group in town was complaining," she says. "It's not that we don't like musicals or rock concerts - it's just that there isn't enough space to go around. Having good performing venues in West Kowloon will give us more options." 

If one group has to go through so much trouble just to put on a concert, imagine the logistical nightmare involved in putting on a multi-faceted performance - for example, a fully staged opera that includes an orchestra, a chorus and a ballet troupe, not to mention props, costumes and lighting. 

Yip agrees that properly designed West Kowloon music halls would "allow for more joint productions". This is important to her because the Sinfonietta has stepped up its staged productions of late. In December and January, the company performed La Traviata with Opera Hong Kong and The Nutcracker with the Hong Kong Ballet. In September, it was Faust, with the Opera Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Dance Company. 

Equally important are co-productions between professionals and students - a key to the success of Hong Kong's new generation. In New York, students at Julliard are encouraged to put on short half-time shows at the next-door Lincoln Centre, allowing them to perform in the same space many of their teachers use. There's nothing like that happening in Hong Kong, but many top musicians work part time as teachers - at local schools or even in homes. Arts education could be given a big boost simply by having these teachers and students working in one place. 

"If the Academy [for Performing Arts] moves to West Kowloon, too, or even just has a presence there, students will be able to watch their own professors rehearse," says Yip. "Or even just watch a ballet or drama practice, even if it's not directly related to their field." 

The academy's director Kevin Thompson says the advantages for students of "rubbing shoulders with top professionals on a daily basis can't be denied. Bringing together the performing arts makes a great deal of sense. Symbiosis between professional groups and practice-based educational groups is far from new. 

"There are places in the US and Australia called arts parks, which are cultural institutes and colleges that are grouped around a common campus," Thompson says. "We have some of the constituents of this already within the planning at West Kowloon. 

"What excites me is not simply the physical proximity of institutions and activities - valuable as that is - but rather greater connectivity with a rapidly developing creative and knowledge-based society." 

Whether the talk is about joint productions or education, the focus is on using West Kowloon to build the local cultural scene internally, as opposed to flying in expensive shows from overseas. Nowhere is this feeling more obvious than in the debate about what sort of performance venue should be built. It appears that there'll be a small performance hall suitable for overseas cash cows - the likes of Phantom or Mamma Mia! - but no proper concert hall for full orchestra or other performances. 

"All the musicals will be flown in from outside and the money spent will be like a shot in the dark," says de Waart. "It's taxpayers' money, and it's only good for the couple of nights that the performance is on. This sort of entertainment is good, but it does nothing for the development of Hong Kong's art scene. 

Yip agrees. "You also have to work on the software, such as creative good local programmes and local audience development," she says. "Hong Kong needs to make its own thing. And if we do, then West Kowloon can have much potential. In the future, it can have many different cultural elements and attract tourists, the way London's West End or New York's Broadway does." 

Hong Kong Arts Festival executive director Douglas Gautier says large-scale arts complexes "do help to stimulate wider interest in the arts within a city - and sometimes from the tourism sector. There's something to be said for having some resident companies and creating a context which encourages creative collaboration between them. 

"I do think there's a need for a government approach that would incorporate the arts, education, planning, and tourism. This will ensure we can provide first-rate programmes, as well as consistently strong audiences willing to enjoy them."


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## hkskyline

*West Kowloon on mega-rail agenda*
Cultural hub station figures in KCRC rethink of cross-border link strategy 
Denise Tsang
11 February 2005
South China Morning Post

The controversial West Kowloon cultural district may house the terminus of a proposed regional express line linking Hong Kong with Shenzhen and Guangzhou, under an alignment being worked on by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp. 

"Terminating the rail line at West Kowloon is definitely on the Hong Kong government's agenda," a source familiar with the rail link's planning told the South China Morning Post. 

"A site has been reserved for a mega terminus even though plans for it have not been finalised yet." 

Under the government's 2000 rail strategy blueprint, the regional express line - designed to reduce travel time between Hong Kong and Guangzhou from 90 minutes to less than an hour - was to be developed along KCRC's congested East Rail track and terminate at Hunghom station, at a cost of $13 billion to $17 billion. 

However, disappointing passenger numbers along the KCRC's new West Rail, linking Tuen Mun in the northwest New Territories to Nam Cheong station in Shamshuipo, have caused the government to rethink its original strategy. 

The Environment, Transport and Works Bureau, headed by Sarah Liao Sau-tung, now favours building a rail bypass for the regional express line between the Lok Ma Chau border checkpoint and Kam Sheung Road station, where it can continue along the West Rail to West Kowloon. 

"The West Kowloon option will minimise new investment by leveraging West Rail assets and eliminate the hassle of building a new rail track along the already developed East Rail," the source said. 

Sources close to the project said the central government had recently sent a directive to Guangzhou and Shenzhen officials involved in the rail link's planning, informing them that it should end in West Kowloon. 

However, mainland officials have further complicated discussions by again raising the possibility of using magnetic levitation (maglev) technology for the regional express line. 

This strategy had been shelved given the expense and limited proven experience of the technology. 

"The Hong Kong government has been avoiding the maglev proposal," another source said. "It would be so expensive that it can't see the prospect of the project ever making money." 

Uncertainty over the West Kowloon cultural district, whose single-developer tender has sparked a political firestorm, and a pending merger of KCRC with MTR Corp are also hanging over the regional express link. 

Others have expressed concern over the new West Rail routing for the regional express line. 

"We already have two MTR rail lines in West Kowloon - the Tung Chung line and Airport Express - and also the KCRC's West Rail line and the Kowloon Southern rail link project," said Henry Chan Man-yu, chairman of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council. 

"But MTR and KCR stations in West Kowloon are not interconnected." 

"The government should be looking at how to better link up existing networks rather than building a new line to rescue another," Mr Chan said. 

"West Rail's [current] Nam Cheong terminus is a joke. 

"It is bigger than Central MTR station even though it basically serves the Nam Cheong public housing estate, where 70 per cent of residents are on welfare."


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## hkskyline

*Call for land sales transparency*
Academics say the furore over Cyberport and West Kowloon shows the government needs to regain public confidence 
Peggy Sito and Foster Wong
16 February 2005
South China Morning Post

Transactions in the most valuable of Hong Kong commodities - land - are seen by some as a friendly arrangement between government and big business. 

Academics observing the claims and counterclaims between various parties say that, while the policy is fair, there is room to enhance transparency in the execution process, especially for ad hoc projects, and that this will help restore public confidence in the administration. 

But they warn that greater transparency will undermine the government's administrative efficiency, blunting Hong Kong's competitive edge over nearby mainland cities and Macau. 

Land auctions so far this financial year have generated $18.5 billion for the government - surpassing the $12 billion estimated for the whole year. But the government has come under criticism for the way it handled Cyberport and the West Kowloon cultural district project. 

In 2000, the government awarded development rights for Cyberport in Pokfulam to PCCW, owned by Richard Li Tzar-kai, without open tender. 

In the latest controversy, the government wants to award the estimated $40 billion West Kowloon project to one developer to build and manage for 30 years. 

Democrats believe the two projects are clear evidence of the government's policy bias in favour of large developers, even going as far as to say there is potential for collusion between business and government officials. 

Alan Leong Kah-kit, of the Article 45 Concern Group, urged the government to sell land by auction but to avoid private negotiations. 

He called for enhanced transparency in calculating the land premiums that developers are charged for changes in land use. 

Under the land policy, all land in Hong Kong is leased or owned by the government, with all leases expiring after June 30, 2047 - 50 years after the handover. The government sells or grants land to the private sector through public sale and private treaty. Developers wanting to change land use can do so, but have to pay a premium reflecting the difference between the "before" and "after" value of the land. 

In response to talk of big business and government officials being far too cosy, Deputy Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Thomas Tso Man-tai said the government had already adopted a land sale system aimed at minimising interference in the market. He said the government was stepping up efforts to allow the public to take part in city planning. 

The government introduced the application list system in 1999. "The move is aimed at moving land supply towards a market-driven approach," Mr Tso said. 

Under the application regime, the administration decides which sites will be included in the list of land for sale in a fiscal year. An applicant who wants to buy a site must guarantee the government a minimum price. If the offered price meets the government's reserve price, which is the administration's valuation, the site will be put up for public auction. 

"Under the current system, land supply is determined by market demand," said Mr Tso, adding that the government also granted land through MTR Corp and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp. The two rail firms will release land for the development of more than 15,000 flats at stations along rail lines this year. 

UBS property analyst Franklin Lam Fan-keung said: "I see no problem in the current land granting system and land premium discussion process." 

Mr Lam criticised political parties for politicising the issue, warning that the knock-on effect would slow the execution process and delay the city's development. 

Academics say there is no problem with the land sale system but there is room for improvement for some ad hoc projects. Eddie Hui, associate professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University's department of building and real estate, said: "Cyberport was probably a mistake. The project was not sold through public tender. But the government has made an improvement with the West Kowloon project because at least it will be granted through public tender." 

Professor Chau Kwong-wing, of the University of Hong Kong's department of real estate and construction, said the problem with the West Kowloon project was that the government had from the outset failed to clearly disclose the investment cost of all items, such as land and cultural facilities. This gave the public a bad impression. 

Mr Hui said the government had not adopted a land sale policy of total non-intervention because it decided which sites would be included in the application list. 

"But it is OK if the government enhances transparency and consults the public before making decisions, if it wants to restore public confidence," he said. 

"More public involvement may lead Hong Kong to miss chances of development in the wake of the economic turnaround." 

How to strike a balance between efficiency and a consensus was up to citizens to decide, he said.


----------



## Rachmaninov

"However, mainland officials have further complicated discussions by again raising the possibility of using magnetic levitation (maglev) technology for the regional express line."

Can the Chinese government stop building fancy stuff for impractical uses??


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## hkskyline

*Public would prefer a park on West Kowloon site, says group *
Chloe Lai
14 March 2005
South China Morning Post

The West Kowloon waterfront site designated to be a cultural hub should be turned into an open green park, a citizens' group said. 

The park would have space for jogging, cycling, walking trails, an amphitheatre, artificial lake, waterfalls and fountains. 

A group called Hong Kong Alternatives has come up with the idea. The group was formed by six people after they visited the West Kowloon site and the exhibition that displays the three shortlisted proposals in January. 

Engineer Ken Wan Kee-neng said: "We are convinced that a sizeable silent majority of Hong Kong people would agree to turn the site into an open green park. 

"The site certainly ranks among one of the most important and invaluable real estates for the past 150 years. For this simple reason the government must recognise and agree that it is not for sale." 

The government wants to turn the 40-hectare waterfront site in West Kowloon into a cultural hub. 

The group says a park would occupy 80 per cent of the site, with the rest, along Austin Road and Canton Road, devoted to cultural and arts venues. 

It wants to relocate the Museum of Science and Museum of History from Tsim Sha Tsui East to West Kowloon. 

The vacant sites could then be developed for commercial purposes. 

"Hong Kong already has a world-famous landmark, the natural harbour and the skyline. We don't need a canopy," Mr Wan said. 

He hopes the proposal can stimulate public discussion. 

"Hong Kong needs parks. A park gets more attractive as it gets old; it doesn't cost much," he said.


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## hkskyline

*West Kowloon climbdown signal amid legislative fire *
Sylvia Hui
24 March 2005
Hong Kong Standard

The West Kowloon project could yet be developed by more than one developerwhile the government's criteria for selecting the winning company, widely regarded as dubious, are to be tightened, a senior planning official said Wednesday. 

Permanent Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Rita Lau hinted at government compromises over the controversialcultural project, saying the number of developers for the 40-hectare site is as yet unknown and that the standards for assessing the developers will be negotiated later. 

"We don't know yet whether we are choosing one, two or three out of the three [shortlisted] developers," she said Wednesday at a Legislative Council special committee meeting on the project,where lawmakers discussed the feasibility of the public-private partnershipproposed for West Kowloon. 

Three bidders were shortlisted by the government in November, but the fate of the project will not be determined until the ongoing public consultation, which was last week extended to June, comes to an end. 

"You shouldn't have the misconceptionthat the government stubbornly sticks to its own way of doing things," Lau said. 

She was responding to lawmakers Audrey Eu and Emily Lau's questions on whether the government admits there is room to compromise. 

The government has been widely criticized for insisting on a single-developer approach for the HK$40 billion project. 

At this stage, the government must "play by the rules of the game [set out in the invitation for proposals]," Lau said. In the next phase, for which the time frame has yet to be specified, the criteria for assessing the bidders' proposals will be further refined. 

Some legislators raised doubts and criticisms about the feasibility of a public-private partnership _ including its transparency, monitoring mechanismand risks _ despite Lau's repeatedpromises that the project is cost-effective and could be clearly monitored. 

One of the most important factors fuelling public distrust is the refusal by the government to disclose any financial details relating to the project. 

Responding to Kwok Ka-ki's demands that the government prove that the private-public partnership proposal is valid by revealing how much the projectwill cost to build and how much profit it will make, Lau declined, saying it is difficult and that the government had no experience in making such land value projections. 

But Paul Ho of the Institute of Surveyors, also present at the meeting, said this excuse is "unacceptable." 

Lawmakers also proposed the government abandon the single-developer approach and instead follow the example of the Abandoibarra projectin Bilbao, Spain, in which a cultural district very similar to the scale of West Kowloon was successfully developed using separate bids and non-profit management.


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong arts centre a battleground for world's top architects *

HONG KONG, March 24 (AFP) - As Hong Kong seeks a spectacular new landmark to add to its famous skyline, the city has become a design battleground where the world's greatest architects are striving to make their mark with a visionary arts and performance centre. 

American Frank Gehry and Argentinean Cesar Pelli were both in the southern Chinese enclave last week to marshal their forces in a bidding war for a project already outline-designed by Britain's Lord Norman Foster. 

The three heavyweights, who between them have created some of the world's most striking modern structures, are keen not only for the riches the 40-hectare West Kowloon Cultural District will offer the winner, they want a piece of the prestige it is expected to accrue. 

"This is an incredible opportunity that goes way beyond what any other city has done," Pelli, 78, told AFP in an exclusive interview. "Every city has a golden age -- Hong Kong's is about to happen." 

The hub project will be huge, with some estimates putting its cost at some 40 billion US dollars. 

Carved out of a spit of reclaimed land across Hong Kong's famous harbour from the towering downtown, the Foster-created outline envisages theatres, a stadium, exhibition and museum space as well as parkland and a giant open-air piazza. 

Most ambitious of all they are to be housed beneath a kilometre-long 40-hectare undulating roof that will not only shield the district from the city's unremitting tropical climate but also provide an iconic landmark to project Hong Kong's image all over the world. 

The winning bidder will be allowed to finance the project by selling associated commercial and residential plots in return for a guarantee it run the public cultural facilities, at a loss if necessary, for 30 years. 

The rush to be part of Hong Kong's cultural future is so heated that it even led to a spat between the Guggenheim and Pompidou, giants of the art museum world, who are being touted as possible tenants. 

Among other big-name artistic institutions keen to get a foothold in the hub are the British National Theatre and France's Musee D'Orsay. 

But for all the developers talk of a golden age, the scheme has locally become a political hot potato. Many political parties oppose the government's insistence it be built by a single developer and arts groups have objected to big property companies controlling the city's cultural infrastructure. 

A consultation exercise has been extended twice to accommodate the huge public interest in the project and bidding developers are privately resigned to the government missing the summer deadline when it is supposed to announce the winning design. 

But Pelli, whose soaring creations include Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Towers -- once the world's tallest buildings -- and East London's Canary Wharf, said the project had fired the imagination of the world's greatest designers. 

"Hong Kong has this incredible energy," said the Argentinean, commissioned to design a four-theater performance complex for the hub. 

"I just love to walk the streets more so than in any other part of the world." 

Gehry, 76, has been equally effusive about the former British colony. 

"Hong Kong is a wonderful and vibrant and exciting place," he told the South China Morning Post. "I have never seen anywhere like it. Perhaps Manhattan, but it is not quite the same." 

The American is probably most famous for designing the angular homes for the Guggenheim Museums in New York and Bilbao, Spain. 

His design for a museum complex in Hong Kong recalls the boxy shape of the Bilbao structure but is unlikely to get past the planning stage; it was commissioned by the Swire Group, a British-based company that failed to make the tender shortlist for refusing to confine its proposal to the plot of earmarked land. 

Swire hired Gehry to lend weight to its campaign to have the tender reopened. 

Gehry has been less than enthusiastic about the canopy plan. Proposed by Foster, for whom it won design awards, Gehry said it was an idea the British master has rehashed from a 1960s idea of legendary designer Buckminster Fuller. 

"Fuller had an idea to build a canopy that stretched over one mile, but subsequent versions of the canopy became less and less powerful," he was quoted as telling the Post. 

Foster is highly respected in Hong Kong where his relatively squat HSBC headquarters is one of the most outstanding buildings in a city defined by its gravity-defying skyscrapers and the airport he built has won the city countless design awards. 

Many architects here say his canopy is unworkable, however. As such its very inclusion in the tender proposal has become a point of heated debate. 

Gehry's backers Swire have argued against building one and another bidder who made the shortlist has come up with an alternative network of mini canopies. 

Pelli is fully behind it and says it will make Hong Kong's culture hub the world's leading venue. 

"I wouldn't say it is necessary but it will give a very strong image -- it will make this grouping of facilities far more unique and make it much more of a destination. 

"It will create a memory of Hong Kong that you can carry with you -- you have those memories even if you have never been there," he said. 

Canopy or not, a cultural hub will be built and the bidding companies are spending fortunes to make sure they win the tender. 

Swire said it had spent 30 million Hong Kong dollars -- about 3.75 million US dollars -- on its design before it even thought of flying in Gehry. 

A bidding consortium led by rival Henderson Land, which commissioned Pelli, will not reveal how much it has sunk into its proposal but a senior project manager hinted it had paid far more than its British rival. 

Even less is known of the costing of a bid by a consortium consisting of Hong Kong's two biggest developers Cheung Kong and Sun Hung Kai. 

They will reveal no figures but as an indication the consortium has hired the Pompidou Centre and the Guggenheim as partners and is believed to have footed a two million US dollar bill for flying in from Paris Picasso's giant "Parade" masterpiece for a month-long display here last year. 

It also recently caused uproar when it flew a string of reporters to Paris, London and New York to observe other museums at work.


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## hkskyline

*Plans for West Kowloon lure 138,000 to exhibition *
Martin Wong
28 March 2005
South China Morning Post

More than 138,000 people have visited the exhibition on the West Kowloon cultural hub proposals in City Hall, government officials said yesterday. 

The display closes today and the exhibition will move to Sha Tin next month, where the three shortlisted proposals for the controversial project will be on view. 

The exhibition was first staged at the Science Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui from December 16, before moving to City Hall last month. 

"Members of the public are welcome to visit the exhibition and give their views. Public views are important for the development of the project and the government will give due consideration to these views in making a decision on the next step," a government spokesman said. 

The spokesman added that more than 21,900 comment cards and 270 written submissions had been received on the proposals. 

Visitors to the exhibition were handed the comment cards to gather their views on the three competing bids, including the layout, the balance between commercial, residential and cultural development and the vast canopy. 

The exhibition at City Hall closes at 8pm today. It would move to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Sha Tin in mid-April, a government spokesman said. 

The display will end on June 30.


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## -Corey-

wOW I LIKE THE WORLD CULTURE CITY PARK


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## hkskyline

*HKAPA at West Kowloon Cultural District *

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts has been closely monitoring the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District since it was first announced by Government. Of particular interest is the common desire of both the HKSAR Government and the arts community to include educational elements where possible within the development.

There would be considerable benefits to the successful developer from such inclusion. In the Academy's experience, parents and other family members generally accompany their children to classes and performances related to performing arts courses. These people are by and large from demographic groups with disposable income, and would be passing in large numbers through the commercial areas of the site en route to and from the cultural precinct.

It is anticipated in the Academy's future planning that by the time West Kowloon is completed, the student population will have expanded from the current base of 750 full time students, 800 junior students and 5,000 extra-mural students per annum, to a target of at least 1,200 full time students, 1,600 junior students and 20,000 extra-mural students of all ages. The current facilities at Wanchai are already at capacity, and although a heritage building at Pokfulam has recently been assigned for use by the Academy, additional space will be needed before long to house the anticipated growth.

The Academy therefore proposes that an extension of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts be included in the West Kowloon Cultural District.

The particular growth areas that are contemplated, in addition to the expansion of existing full-time programmes, include the various important aspects of popular culture such as jazz, popular music, commercial dance, entertainment technology, puppetry and regional Chinese traditional theatre. Experience to date with extra-mural studies in these subject areas indicates that there is strong demand for such courses in Hong Kong and it is believed that they will complement the Academy's existing programmes in the established mainstream performing arts disciplines. Because of their broad appeal, these new subject areas would have a synergetic relationship with the more commercial aspects of West Kowloon.

The Academy is the only institution in Hong Kong, and indeed in Asia, offering professional training in all of the performing arts disciplines including dance, drama, western and Chinese music, Chinese traditional theatre, the related technical arts, film and television. In the past 20 years, the achievements of Academy graduates have established a reputation for excellence as they contribute to the re-definition of Hong Kong's unique cultural identity. The Academy would enhance the prestige of the West Kowloon development with high quality educational programmes and related performances with broad public appeal.

Further details of the facilities that would be required to support the Academy's future expansion and training provisions in the above-mentioned disciplines can be obtained from:

Mr Philip Soden
Associate Director (Operations)
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts


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## hkskyline

*Golf course for cultural district site *
Chloe Lai
30 March 2005
South China Morning Post

Sun Hung Kai Properties is building a nine-hole golf course at the West Kowloon Cultural District site. 

The Lands Department last month awarded a short-term tenancy contract to Joint Charm Limited, a subsidiary of the property giant. 

The site awarded is close to The Arch, Sun Hung Kai's latest up-market residential project above Kowloon Station. 

Under the contract, the property giant will pay a monthly rent of $258,000 for 48,100 square metres - about one tenth of the reclaimed site designated for the cultural hub project. 

The fixed-term contract will expire at the end of next year, after which the contract will be renewed on a quarterly basis. 

The property giant has teamed up with Cheung Kong Holdings to bid for the West Kowloon Cultural District contract. 

Other contenders are Sunny Development, a consortium of Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings) and Chinese Estate Holdings; and World City Culture Park, a Henderson Land subsidiary. 

Under the government's plan, construction of the cultural hub will begin in 2007. 

The Lands Department also used short-term tenancy to tender out a 54,900 square metre site within the cultural hub area. It wanted to have hot-air balloon rides or tethered helium balloon rides, but later withdrew the offer.


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## hkskyline

*West Kowloon judicial review bid fails *
Albert Wong
26 April 2005
Hong Kong Standard
English

It may have been sold to the public as a cultural endeavor but legally the West Kowloon cultural district project is principally a commercial and residential scheme, the High Court has ruled in dismissing an application for a judicial review. 

The application for a judicial review into the legality of choosing the developer for the cultural district without representatives from the arts community was dismissed because the High Court judge did not consider the project to be solely designed for arts and cultural purposes. 

According to the information available, Justice Michael Hartmann said, more than 67 percent of the project was earmarked for commercial and residential developments. 

``Less than 30 percent is reserved for what is described as core arts and culture facilities,'' he said. ``The development is not focused solely on arts and culture infrastructure.'' 

Hartmann said he agreed with the government's lawyer when he said last week that the government is acting in accordance with private law matters as a private property developer. 

``It may well have been the most appropriate course for the chief executive to appoint a member'' of the Arts Development Council to choose the developer, the judge said, but he can only judge on the legality of the process, not the wisdom of the process. 

Therefore, the application for a judicial review ``is, regrettably, misconceived,'' he said. 

The Association of Chinese Authors and Publishers in Hong Kong and Macau claimed the failure to allow a member of the Arts Development Council to take part in choosing the developer contravenes the Basic Law. 

Representing the association, Jimmy Siu said the council is a statutory body that is legally bound to involve itself in cultural matters of such a large scale. The chief executive is also bound by Article 48 of the Basic Law to appoint the appropriate statutory bodies according to their functions, he said. 

Since both the steering committee and the proposals evaluation committee _ the two bodies responsible for choosing the developer _ only consist of senior civil servants, both the chief executive and the council have failed in their duties, Siu claimed. 

Hartmann said on Monday that the two committees were not overly concerned with arts and cultural facilities in deciding on the developer. 

``The committees will not be looking solely into arts and culture infrastructure, but also looking very much into things that do not fall into the mandate of the council, namely commercial and residential elements.'' 

He said that since the government made provisions to exhibit models and conduct public consultations, the council has a broad range of channels through which to advise the government and fulfil its mandate. 

Siu said he accepted the judge's ruling and is unlikely to seek an appeal.


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## Kai Tak

ENOUGH with this legal horse shit!!! Stop posting news until the backhoe moves in!


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## hkskyline

*The Arch bridges luxury market 
West Kowloon may eventually give The Peak a run for its money but it has a long way to go to become a prestigious address *
Foster Wong and Peggy Sito
27 April 2005
South China Morning Post

The recent record-breaking sale of a penthouse condo in the 52-storey The Arch residential project in West Kowloon has redefined the luxury residential sector in Hong Kong, but the district has a long way to go before it can be called prestigious. 

Property consultants and investors said reclaimed West Kowloon was not yet on the prestige property list along with The Peak or Island South in terms of living environment and capital appreciation. 

Sun Hung Kai Properties earlier this month sold a 5,353 sqft penthouse in The Arch for $168 million, or a unit price of $31,300 per sqft - a record for all residential transactions in Hong Kong. 

The developer said it was creating new demand for luxury flats in Kowloon as the location was well connected to public transport networks and offered unique views of Hong Kong, particularly the bright lights at night. 

Victor Lui Ting, an executive director at Sun Hung Kai Real Estate Agency, said: "Not everyone wants to live on The Peak or in Island South. 

"I think the potential for West Kowloon to become a new benchmark for luxury residential living cannot be overlooked." 

Mr Lui said there was increasing demand by entrepreneurs wanting easy access to transport for frequent trips to the mainland, something traditional luxury residential districts did not provide. 

He said many buyers were looking for a metropolitan lifestyle in luxury homes, with facilities such as a clubhouse, that overlooked Victoria Harbour. 

Eddie Hui Chi-man, associate professor of the department of building and real estate at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said: "It is not wrong to say that the new features in high-rise properties, such as waterfront environments, clubhouse facilities and good security, are the factors that attract the new generation of wealthy people." 

But this may not be enough to turn West Kowloon into a new prestige area comparable to upmarket addresses on Hong Kong Island. 

Landscape Surveyors managing director Koh Keng-shing said: "There are a number of typical criteria to judge if it is a prestige luxury area - low-density housing, private gardens and the neighbourhood. 

"The super-rich and celebrities will not live there [West Kowloon]. It is hard to create a prestige concept." 

CB Richard Ellis residential services director Jane Garnett said: "I think it's a new area to be considered for luxury living. But I don't think it will take away much of the business from the traditional residential areas such as The Peak." 

She did not expect the record high price of The Arch would be sustained. 

A record price for one particular unit was not a genuine reflection of all the prices in that development, she said. 

Property consultants said scarcity of supply and low density were the key factors that kept demand bubbling for luxury houses on The Peak. 

However, there was too much competition in the high-rise apartment sector in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island. 

According to a government forecast, supply in Kowloon is set to grow. 

The district will provide more than a third of the 17,400 residential units to be completed next year. 

The West Kowloon area is undergoing major developments, including the government's controversial West Kowloon Cultural District project and the proposed Kowloon Southern Link connecting the East Rail to the mainland. 

By 2008, Ritz-Carlton will open the world's tallest hotel, offering 300 rooms on the upper 13 floors of a 100-storey-plus tower to be built by SHKP at Kowloon Station. 

Mr Hui said the innovative marketing campaigns of developers were instrumental in growing demand for luxury homes in new areas. 

About 90 per cent of the 1,052 units in The Arch, due for completion next year, were snapped up during the pre-sale in little more than a week. 

The overwhelming response has generated about $10 billion for SHKP, the biggest developer in the city.


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## hkskyline

*'Defend West Kowloon project', Tsang challenged *
Sylvia Hui
25 May 2005
Hong Kong Standard

Acting Chief Executive Donald Tsang should clearly explain his visions and policies on the West Kowloon cultural project ahead of the July 10 election, a community concern group urged Tuesday. Tsang, along with possible candidates Democratic Party chairman Lee Wing-tat and controversial legislator Chim Pui-chung, have been invited by the People's Panel on West Kowloon for a June 12 forum. 

``We solemnly urge the Acting Chief Executive to publicly explain his long-term cultural policies and visions on West Kowloon,'' said Ada Wong, core member of the People's Panel. 

The group said it expects about 200 people at the forum, to be held at the Cattle Depot Artist Village. While Tsang has not replied to the invitation, sent on May 13, Lee has agreed to attend and Chim said he will be there if he secures 100 nominations from the Election Committee members. 

The three will be expected to explain and exchange views on how they would deal with the West Kowloon project should they be elected. 

``Tsang must fulfill his promise by facing the seven million Hong Kong people, instead of the mere 800 Election Committee members,'' said panel member Cyd Ho. 

``We hope he will develop an organized and interactive dialogue, not PR tactics, with the people.'' 

Acting as commentators at the forum will be legislator Alan Leong and City University public and social administration Professor Anthony Cheung. 

Separately, the People's Panel is continuing to lobby against the government's proposal for West Kowloon and will submit its own plan calling for a complete re-planning of the project. 

Choosing one of the three shortlisted bidders should be abandoned, and the project should be developed with a civic cultural think-tank, the group says. 

``The think-tank will be open to the whole community and will consider the fundamental questions that the government never answered, including why we must have four museums at the site,'' Wong said. 

The proposal will go to the Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau by the end of June.


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 6, 2005
*The Future Of West Kowloon *
Scale back arts hub plan, surveyors' institute suggests
Chloe Lai

The controversy over the West Kowloon Cultural District could be resolved by the government by scaling back the project and leaving part of the 40-hectare site for public land auction, the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors said.

The group said the government owed the public an explanation on why it had decided to give the cultural hub development to the private sector. But it disagreed with scrapping the project. 

Institute president Cheung Tat-tong said it was preparing a number of alternative development models in an effort to resolve the controversy, which centres on the plan to award the project to a single developer.

The winner will be able to build residences, offices, hotels and shopping malls to subsidise arts and cultural facilities, and would then operate the area for 30 years.

One of the institute's proposed solutions is to scale back the 40-hectare project, then put the rest of the land up for public auction.

Mr Cheung said this would satisfy small developers who protest about being denied a role in the development.

He said the government should pick the good parts from the three short-listed proposals and come up with a preferred master plan under a "mix and match" model.

It should then tender the project on the basis of the preferred master plan. Only the three shortlisted developers would be invited to compete for the contract.

Under the public-private partnership (PPP) system, the government could have an architectural design competition for individual buildings and facilities - after the preferred master plan had been selected.

Mr Cheung said governments around the world used business case studies - or "private sector comparators" - to determine if a particular project should adopt a PPP approach. "The government has to explain why it is not following such a good practice," Mr Cheung said.

The administration has said it sees no need for such a study. In a document submitted to legislators two weeks ago, it said: "There is no need to construct a public sector comparator for the West Kowloon Cultural District, as the project is to be financially freestanding."

Despite its concerns, the institute is convinced the cultural hub project should go ahead. "The public doesn't want to see all the efforts being wasted, and wait for years to have the arts and cultural facilitates," Mr Cheung said.


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 6, 2005
*Population cap mooted for cultural district*
Quinton Chan

A limit on the number of people allowed to live in the West Kowloon Cultural District is being considered as part of a government plan to dampen public criticism of the project.

A government source said the idea was one of several being considered by officials in an effort to take the heat out of opposition to the plan.

"We want to demonstrate to the public that this is an arts and cultural project rather than a property development," the source said. 

The project, on which the public is being consulted until June, has come under severe criticism from lawmakers and the arts community over its single -developer approach and its giant canopy - the centrepiece of Lord Foster's winning blueprint for the $ 24 billion arts hub.

Critics say the project could turn into just another property development, with the developer making a huge profit.

Whichever consortium wins the tender will operate the project - including museums, performance venues and flats - for 30 years.

Three short-listed consortiums are bidding for the project - the Cheung Kong -Sun Hung Kai Properties joint venture Dynamic Star International, Henderson Land's World City Cultural Park, and Sunny Development, a consortium led by Sino Land.

All have proposed a much higher population density for the 40-hectare site than the government's suggested plot ratio of 1.81.

"We only suggested a ratio of residential floor area to site area of 1.81 times. How about if we cap the plot ratio at that level?" the source said. "This could be feasible, as property prices are now rising." Such a move might counter the widely held impression that the project is a property development in disguise.

The source admitted the government could not at the moment resolve the biggest controversy - that of the single-developer approach.

The solution suggested by some critics - that the winning consortium be asked to partner with small developers - was not feasible.

"You know a forced marriage would not yield good results," the source said.


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 8, 2005
*Democrats seek open debate on cultural hub*
Chloe Lai

The Democratic Party yesterday asked the Town Planning Board to postpone its planned discussion today of the party's request for tighter planning control over the West Kowloon Cultural District. It now wants the discussion to be held in an open meeting. 

Party vice-chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan said he had sent a letter to the board asking the members to use an administrative measure to open the meeting to the public.

"We don't want our request to be heard behind closed doors," Mr Ho said.

The Democrats applied to the board in January, asking it to rezone the 40 -hectare project as a comprehensive development area.

An amendment to the Town Planning Ordinance, which permits open meetings, had been passed but its effective date has not yet been decided.

"Although it has not yet taken effect, the board has the power to open the meeting," Mr Ho said.

He said the party had been told about the meeting only on Wednesday. "It is too rushed; we need more time to prepare our case ."

A spokeswoman for the board said they had received supplementary material from the party since its application.

She said members would discuss the application and the new material presented.

The site is now zoned for "other uses", which allows greater flexibility and more changes in planning without board approval.

The government wants to turn the site into a cultural hub, to be managed by a single consortium for 30 years.

Under the "other use" zoning, the board is not required to approve every change in design. If the Democrats' application is approved, any development on the site would be subject to approval by the board.

The government would also have to canvass public views, through public hearings conducted by the board.


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 9, 2005
*Democrats fail to get arts hub site rezoned
Town planners reject three requests that would have tightened reins for project*
Dennis Eng

An attempt by the Democrats to impose greater planning controls on the controversial West Kowloon Cultural District project has been struck down by the Town Planning Board.

The request was one of three seeking to rezone the site from the existing "Other Specified Uses" (OU), relating to "Arts, Cultural, Commercial and Entertainment Uses", to the more narrow definition of a "Comprehensive Development Area" (CDA). The board yesterday considered and rejected all three requests. 

The board also said it sought an independent legal opinion from a London Queen's Counsel affirming that its two-stage planning approach was legally sound.

Under this approach, the development scheme chosen for the site needs to reflect an integrated arts hub before a provisional agreement is signed with the developer. Agreed development parameters, including plot ratio and gross floor area, are then included as amendments to the scheme.

"Members reaffirm that, given the unique nature and large scale of the development, a broad OU zone setting out an overall planning framework for various intended uses was considered sufficient in order to reflect the broad land uses and planning intention of the West Kowloon Cultural District," a board spokesman said.

"A CDA zoning, while providing maximum planning control, might not be appropriate given the need to allow flexibility in drawing up the development proposals before finalising the development parameters for the West Kowloon Cultural District," he said.

Democrat Albert Ho Chun-yan accused the board of being biased. "We may resubmit our rezoning request or possibly, initiate a judicial review," he said.

Mr Ho also did not rule out joining forces with those involved in the other two requests, including town planner Stanley Ng Wing-fai, who is also a Democratic Party member, and Tuen Mun district councillor Cheung Yuet-lan.

Under a CDA zoning, the developer must provide a master layout plan and any changes to the design would need board approval first. An OU zoning does not require this.

A Democrat bid to have the board consider its rezoning request in an open hearing was also turned down. The spokesman said the Town Planning (Amendment) Ordinance 2004 allowed for this but it had not yet become effective.

"The proponent's request would have implications on other rezoning requests submitted to the board," the spokesman said.

The government's public consultation for the project has been extended by three months until the end of June.


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## Kai Tak

^ So that's good news, right?


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 12, 2005
*'Unfeasible' canopy report sparks cultural hub row*
Jimmy Cheung

A new row is brewing over the West Kowloon cultural hub project after a report saying the giant canopy concept insisted on by acting Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen was considered unfeasible by a government-appointed expert panel four years ago.

The allegation has prompted the democrats to call for urgent discussions on Friday in an attempt to force the government to disclose relevant papers. The administration stressed yesterday the report would not be released. 

The Hong Kong Economic Times yesterday reported that in 2001 a government -appointed panel of technical experts had reservations about the giant canopy designed by Lord Foster.

The confidential report said the panel, which studied the feasibility of the entries in an open competition that year, selected 21 designs but Lord Foster's was not among them.

But the grand jury in the competition selected his concept, which later won the contest. The technical report said the maintenance cost of the canopy was too expensive and it was viewed as an obstacle to breaking the project into smaller tenders.

Democratic Party chairman Lee Wing-tat asked why the government had insisted on the canopy concept if its feasibility had been questioned.

"I find it very absurd. Does that mean the government doesn't trust the views of the panel?" he asked at a special budget briefing by Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Michael Suen Ming-yeung.

Mr Suen said the panel only studied the technical aspects and its views only served as a reference point. He said judges of the competition considered a wide range of other factors when making their award, but he declined to disclose the panel documents.

Permanent Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Rita Lau Ng Wai-lan said the expert panel, which comprised representatives from different professions, was bound by rules of confidentiality.

Legco medical representative Kwok Ka-ki has written to the Legco House Committee to discuss invoking the council's special powers to obtain the documents.

The Democratic Party has written to the Legco subcommittee on the West Kowloon project asking for the matter to be followed up.

Mr Suen also told lawmakers yesterday the government would not build subsidised flats again even if property prices became too high for buyers.

"We don't anticipate that the government would have to tackle the problem of imbalance in the property market and have to build its own flats again. We will quickly address any problem at an early stage."

The administration stopped selling Home Ownership Scheme flats in 2002, and Mr Suen said there was no plan to sell the 10,000 unsold flats before 2006.

He also stressed that there would be sufficient land supply in the future. "There are already 37 plots of land available this year. If necessary, we could supply more."


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 13, 2005
*Cultural group mounts legal challenge to bids screening*
Jonathan Li

A tiny cultural group yesterday launched a legal challenge to the huge West Kowloon Cultural District project.

It is seeking leave for a judicial review of the membership of a committee screening bids for the hub.

The Association of Chinese Authors and Publishers in Hong Kong and Macau is challenging a government decision not to include the Arts Development Council in the Proposals Evaluation Committee. 

The association is citing the council as a co-defendant because it declined to join the application for a judicial review. It told the Court of First Instance that excluding the council from screening bids for the cultural district was a breach of the government's responsibilities under the Basic Law and the Arts Development Council Ordinance.

It says the council should have been included to fulfil its legally mandated function in advising the government on arts and cultural issues.

Mr Justice Michael Hartmann did not rule on the application yesterday because of unanswered questions about the legal basis of the committee.

He adjourned the case until next Wednesday, saying he would invite the secretary of justice to send a representative to the next hearing to help him on legal issues about the committee.

In its application, the association said the government-appointed committee - all of whom were civil servants - would have the ultimate responsibility of selecting the property developer for the cultural district project.

It argued that the government's decision not to include the arts body on the committee was one that no reasonable authority could have arrived at and as such deserved the interference of the court.

Mr Justice Hartmann wondered if the committee's functions were confined to assessing the project's engineering and cost feasibility.

Siu See-kong, appearing for the association, said that as the government had kept everything behind closed doors, he was not able to shed any further light on the matter.

Mr Siu, an in-house counsel for a private company, said outside court that the association, with just six members, was formed five years ago. He said the group had received legal advice from a barrister.


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## hkskyline

West Kowloon Cultural District Research 
http://ccpr.hku.hk/

The Centre for Cultural Policy Research of the University of Hong Kong is undertaking a study on the West Kowloon Cultural District Development. This study includes two parts: (1) a survey of opinions and attitudes of key stakeholders in the project including legislative and district board councilors, developers, professionals and the media; (2) an academic study to assess the financial performance of the proposed development: based on conditions set by the invitation For Proposal(IFP) by the Government. The first part of the project is funded through private donations and is overseen by a steering committee formed by Dr WK Chan of the HK General Chambers of Commerce, Mr Danny Yung, Programme Director of the HK Institute of Contemporary Culture and Dr Desmond Hui, Director of the Centre for Cultural Policy Research of HKU. The second part of the project is supported by the HK Arts Development Council under the joint investigation of Dr KC Wong and Dr Desmond Hui of the Faculty of Architecture of HKU. 

The Centre for Cultural Policy Research of the University of Hong Kong conducts all studies related to culture and policies in Hong Kong for the benefits and interests of the public. Recent studies carried out by the Centre include Baseline Study on Hong Kong's Creative Industries (2003) for the Central Policy Unit of the HKSAR Government and Public Art Research (2003) for the Arts Development Council, both available online through the relevant funding bodies and the Centre's websites. The Centre is now involved in a UNESCO study to help develop a data collection model for cultural industries to be used by all Asian and Pacific countries. 

The funding for the Centre is independent from the University and the Research Grant Council's funding and relies on commissions and external support to carry out these studies. If you think our work is worthy of support, please contribute your donations to our Centre's address: P306, Graduate House, HKU, 3 University Drive, HK and make cheques payable to "The University of Hong Kong". You may specify your support either for general purpose or in the following projects: 

- UNESCO study on cultural industries 
- West Kowloon Cultural District 
- Public Art Research 
- Cultural Planning and Urban Regeneration


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 13, 2005
*Choice of canopy design defended*
Chloe Lai

Two judges on a jury which picked Lord Foster's design for the West Kowloon Cultural District said yesterday a technical report criticising the giant canopy was unimportant to the selection process.

Lawmaker and retired architecture professor Patrick Lau Sau-shing and Executive Councillor Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee said they had voted for the Foster design. 

Mrs Chow said the jury had studied all the entries and had made a rational decision. Professor Lau said the technical report was not included in the marking scheme. "The technical team was to provide advice when the grand jury had queries. ... The power of selecting the best design rested with the jury, not with the technical team. We did not ask the technical team to give us any advice on Lord Foster's design."

Professor Lau is confident the canopy can be built. "The problem is how much it will cost, but it is not the jury's job to cap the cost."

A new row has erupted over the controversial cultural hub after a report said the giant canopy had been considered unfeasible by a government-appointed expert panel four years ago.


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 14, 2005
* Group seeks Cantonese opera house*
Vivienne Chow

A theatre dedicated to Cantonese opera should be built at the West Kowloon cultural hub, a concern group says.

Stephen Chow Chun-kay, chairman of the Cantonese Opera Advisory Committee, criticised the West Kowloon contenders for not paying enough attention to the traditional local art form. 

Dr Chow said that on top of the three theatres in the complex as required by the government, there should also be a 1,200-seat theatre just for Cantonese opera performances. He said at yesterday's meeting with representatives of the three West Kowloon Cultural District contenders that each developer had acknowledged the importance of having a Chinese opera centre.

He added that there was huge demand for Cantonese opera.

"Each year, over 300,000 people attend the more than 1,000 Cantonese opera performances," he said.

"But after the Sunbeam Theatre in North Point is pulled down by the end of August, there will be 300 shows less each year. At present, we have to compete with other art groups for venues."


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 16, 2005
*Canopy papers to be released next week*
Ambrose Leung

The government has agreed to release part of the confidential information related to the approval of renowned architect Lord Foster's giant canopy for the controversial West Kowloon Cultural District.

Lawmakers reacted cautiously to the promise, made before yesterday's Legco House Committee's discussion on whether to invoke the legislature's special powers to procure the documents. 

Speaking in the committee meeting yesterday, legislator Kwok Ka-ki said he had been contacted by Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Michael Suen Ming-yeung, who promised to provide the papers as soon as Tuesday.

The legislator had wanted to see all the documents surrounding the selection of the design after it was revealed a government-appointed technical panel warned that the key feature of the plan - a giant canopy that would be the world's largest roof - was problematic.

In a report in 2001, the panel of technical experts expressed reservations about the canopy, saying maintenance would be too expensive and its construction would present an obstacle to breaking the project into smaller tenders.

The confidential report said the panel - which studied the feasibility of the entries in the competition for the design concept - short-listed 21 designs, but Lord Foster's was not among them.

Dr Kwok quoted Mr Suen as saying the part of the report concerning Lord Foster's design would be revealed but the rest of the 160-plus entries must be kept confidential.

The House Committee decided to postpone the vote on whether to exercise the special powers until a sub-committee studied the government information next week.


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 17, 2005
* James Tien challenges Tsang on cultural hub*
Klaudia Lee

The Liberal Party leader yesterday challenged acting Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen to express his views on the West Kowloon cultural hub and other key issues.

James Tien Pei-chun, who last week ruled himself out of the chief executive race said: "Mr Tsang has never expressed his stance on important policy issues, such as the single-developer approach in the West Kowloon project."

Speaking on an RTHK programme, Mr Tien also maintained his earlier criticism of Mr Tsang's role in overseeing the development of the site. 

In December, he launched a rare attack on Mr Tsang, saying he could be sticking to the single-developer option for the project in exchange for tycoons' support in a possible bid for chief executive. Mr Tsang, who is considered a frontrunner for the job, has yet to declare he will run.

When asked whether he stood by his earlier comment, Mr Tien said: "I don't think my view has changed."

But he added: "The main issue now is that a few months ago, the single -developer approach was Mr Tung Chee-hwa's business, but now it is different ... he Mr Tsang has never told citizens of his views on important policy issues."

He said irrespective of whether Mr Tsang would win uncontested, he should outline his policy platforms.

Mr Tien had appeared to be the only serious challenger to Mr Tsang.

But he ruled himself out of the race on Wednesday after the results of an internal opinion poll showed Mr Tsang was 10 times more popular than he was and mainland officials told him that the chief secretary would be "good" for the post.

Mr Tien also said he hoped that more candidates would come forward to stand for the top post.

He said he needed to discuss with fellow party members whether or not they would consider supporting the nomination of Democratic Party chairman Lee Wing -tat, who is understood not to have enough backing to nominate to run in the July 10 poll.


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 18, 2005
* Developers not up to hub job, says Cultural Centre architect*
Chloe Lai

The West Kowloon Cultural District should be built by the government rather than private developers, the designer of Hong Kong's first cultural hub believes.

Jose Lei, a retired director of architectural services and chief architect of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Space Museum and Hong Kong Museum of Arts in Tsim Sha Tsui, said the new cultural hub would be more cost-effective if it was handled by the government.

The architect also defended his work in Tsim Sha Tsui, which has been described by artists and politicians as ugly, a blot on the landscape and a big toilet, saying it was a very good piece of architecture. 

"The Architectural Services Department can build the cultural hub, it is not a problem," Mr Lei said.

"We are accountable to the public. We use minimum money to maximise resources. We are very good at controlling costs.

"Private architects don't have to take care of the building's maintenance. They just build. But we can maintain whatever we build and it will not be a community burden after completion."

Three private bidders are competing for the 40-hectare West Kowloon project, with the winner awarded the rights to construct and operate the site for 30 years.

"Culture and art is something you can never make self-sufficient," Mr Lei said. "It is a good concept for the government to get somebody to take care of the project and generate enough money to support arts and culture.

"But making it private, you're asking for trouble. Private developers don't consider arts and culture their priority.

"How can the government write the contract to make sure arts and culture will be their priority?"

Mr Lei said he understood why the government wanted to build the cultural hub in West Kowloon.

"It is a vast piece of virgin land where everything can be built easily," he said. "But arts and culture should evolve naturally."

He also said the public exhibition of models of the cultural hub was meaningless.

A model of the cultural centre was on display at City Hall for six months in 1974-75 but the building still stirred controversy after completion.

"People just do not know what they should look at," he said.

Mr Lei said he did not mind the criticism of his works. The Swire Group even suggested recently demolishing the cultural centre and building a new hub there.

"I'm quite happy. Criticism means they are looking at my design," he said. "Swire does not have a mandate on the issue. They just paint a painting, everybody can do that."

He said the cultural centre, arts museum and space museum, which have virtually no windows, were designed for Hong Kong's hot and noisy environment.

He said the extensive use of glass was not suitable for the city.

"The Hong Kong Cultural Centre is environmental friendly. Any use of glass means you allow sunshine and heat to enter, which translates into huge cost for air conditioning and electricity," he said.

"Tsim Sha Tsui is a very busy area and you need a very strong barrier against the noise. The acoustics are very good at the theatre and concert hall in the cultural centre because of the current design.

"I was instructed to build a cultural centre rather than something for people to enjoy the harbour. People go to the toilet and have a drink rather than looking at the harbour during intermission of a concert. In fact, the cultural centre has no dead end and every where is asymmetrical. It is also photogenic from every angle."


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 19, 2005
* Canopy for project is 'technically feasible'
But a confidential report says there could be problems in other areas*
Chloe Lai

The controversial giant canopy designed by Lord Foster for the West Kowloon Cultural District is technically feasible, even though its ownership, management and maintenance could be problematic, a confidential report says.

Amid strong pressure from lawmakers, the government yesterday released the technical report which assessed entries in the cultural hub's design competition in 2001.

It was compiled by a government-appointed technical team to advise the competition's grand jury on different designs. 

Lawmakers demanded the report be made public last week after reports claimed the canopy was technically unfeasible, too expensive and difficult to manage.

The technical team divided the 161 entries into three categories, with the jury only needing to consider those falling in the first two. The Foster design was listed in the second category, meaning it had striking features but posed challenges in construction, but the grand jury awarded the design the grand prize. The report also said there could be problems in managing and maintaining the canopy.

The jury also disputed the technical team's assessment.

It said in a written reply to the report: "A large roof is well within the ambit of known technology and experience; and a well-argued case in support of the scheme."

Senior government sources stressed yesterday it was in the second category because the design also involved the construction of a lagoon, which is prohibited under the Harbour Protection Ordinance. The lagoon has already been replaced by a water amphitheatre in the latest design. The sources said the canopy was the "soul of the design" and would not be given up.

The officials said the government would stick to the single-developer approach, emphasising that it was a commitment made by the administration in the project bidding document.

They also stressed the single-developer approach was the best answer to the design, construction and maintenance of the canopy.

"If you look at the design carefully, you'll see it is an integrated design. It makes no sense for cutting it into a number of pieces ... developed by different parties," one official said.

In recent weeks, there have been rumours that the government was considering dropping the canopy and dividing the site into several pieces for different developers.

But the senior officials said the government could adjust the plot ratio for the site. The administration suggested a plot ratio of 1.81 times but all three bidders proposed a much higher population density. The plot ratio is the relationship between developed floor space and the property's site area.

Alan Leong Ka-kit, chairman of the Legco subcommittee on the West Kowloon project, said: "Officials still fail to answer why they have to choose the canopy which was questioned by the technical experts."


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 21, 2005
* Court challenge 'misconceived'*
Jonathan Li

A legal challenge by a little known cultural group to the huge West Kowloon Cultural District project was misconceived, the Court of First Instance heard yesterday.

The group was challenging the makeup of the government-appointed committees responsible for overseeing the implementation of the project.

Government counsel Nicholas Cooney told the court the government opposed the granting of permission for the cultural group to launch a judicial review. 

The group, the Association of Chinese Authors and Publishers in Hong Kong and Macau, is questioning the government's decision not to include the Arts Development Council on the project's Steering Committee or Proposal Evaluation Committee.

Mr Cooney said the group had no arguable case.

In its application for mounting a judicial review, the group contended that the Arts Development Council had a legal obligation to serve on both committees.

The group also argued the chief executive had a legal obligation under the Basic Law and the Arts Development Council Ordinance to place representatives on both committees. It was irrational for the Arts Development Council not to be included on the committees, given its role in promoting arts and culture, the group said.

Mr Cooney told the court that while the council had certain obligations under law to promote arts and culture, it ought to have the discretion to decide whether or not to join the committees. It was not stated in the ordinance that the council was obliged to join them.

He said the council could air its views about the cultural project through other channels, such as the public consultation that was now under way.

A solicitor for the Arts Development Council, which was named a co-defendant, was present in court to observe the proceedings.

The court was told that the committees, made up of government officials, were administrative arms of the government. The Proposal Evaluation Committee will assess the bids by private developers, looking at the technical, operational and financial aspects of each proposal. It will then make its recommendation and the final decision on the winning bid rests with the Chief Executive in Council.

Mr Justice Michael Hartmann will hand down his decision on Monday.


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 23, 2005
* Lawmakers want more hub details*
Ambrose Leung

Lawmakers yesterday demanded the government reveal more information about the controversial West Kowloon Cultural District project.

They say documents released this week were inadequate to explain why officials picked Lord Foster's giant canopy design despite a technical panel saying it was problematic.

But in a Legco subcommittee meeting yesterday, Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Michael Suen Ming-yeung defended the government's action, saying even though there were problems they could be solved. 

Lawmakers were discussing the confidential technical report released by the government under pressure from Legco after news reports revealed part of its content.

But they said what the papers revealed was inadequate in explaining how the final decision was made.

Medical sector legislator Kwok Ka-ki criticised the government for failing to reveal enough information. He put forward a motion demanding more be made public.

"The canopy is not just a concept as it involves $ 7 billion to $ 10 billion. It also guarantees a single-bidder approach and we need to know clearly what principles the government used for choosing to protect the public interest," he said.

Democratic Party chairman Lee Wing-tat accused the government of not studying the design in detail before making the canopy concept mandatory for bidders, despite it being branded as problematic by the technical panel.

But Mr Suen said the technical panel's judgment was not directed at Lord Foster's design but as a general principle, and said technical problems were overcome at later stages of the selection process.

"There were problems, but they could be solved. Life is full of problems and if we just stand there doing nothing, then there would have been no improvements," he said.

The subcommittee passed Dr Kwok's motion demanding that more information be revealed, including detailed discussions of the technical panel about the canopy design, and government feasibility studies and financial reports.

In a 2001 report, the panel of technical experts expressed reservations about the canopy, saying its construction would prevent the breaking of the project into small tenders and that maintenance would be too expensive. The confidential report said the panel short-listed 21 designs, but Lord Foster's was not among them.


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## Kai Tak

hkskyline said:


> South China Morning Post
> April 23, 2005
> * Lawmakers want more hub details*


So do I! :cheers:


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
April 26, 2005
*Request for judicial review is dismissed
Court of First Instance says a cultural group's challenge is misconceived*
Jonathan Li

A bid by a little-known cultural group to challenge the West Kowloon Cultural District project was dismissed by the Court of First Instance yesterday, which described the attempt as regrettably misconceived.

The group - the Association of Chinese Authors and Publishers in Hong Kong and Macau - failed to obtain permission to launch a judicial review of the government's decision to exclude the Arts Development Council from two government-appointed committees: the Steering Committee and the Proposal Evaluation Committee, responsible for overseeing the implementation of the multibillion-dollar project.

Mr Justice Michael Hartmann said the Arts Development Council and the chief executive were vested with broad discretion as to how they considered it best to manage the West Kowloon project. 

He rejected a contention by the cultural group that the arts council had a legal obligation to attempt to serve on one or both committees, and that the chief executive had an obligation under the Basic Law and the Arts Development Council Ordinance to appoint the council to one or both of the committees.

Mr Justice Hartmann said that with the public consultation now proceeding before the government entered into a contract with the winning bidder, the council could air its views on the project via such consultation, despite not being represented on the committees.

"It is important to understand that the Arts Development Council in not being a member of the committees is not somehow cut off from any involvement in the management and control and future of the West Kowloon Cultural District project," he said.

Neither was the council cut off from any involvement on how the cultural project would come to finality as a concept.

The judge added: "There is nothing to suggest the Arts Development Council has washed its hands of the project".

He also said there was no substance in the suggestion that either the chief executive or the Arts Development Council had acted unreasonably in their decision-making processes.

Mr Justice Hartmann said while it might well have been a wise course for the chief executive to have appointed the council to one or both committees, it was not the function of the court to determine what was essentially an administrative action.

Siu See-kong, a representative for the cultural group, said the group had no plans to appeal.

A solicitor for the Arts Development Council, named as a co-defendant, was in court to observe the proceedings.


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## hkskyline

South China Morning Post
May 29, 2005
*Passing the buck on cultural project*
Andy Cheng

Donald Tsang Yam-kuen may pass responsibility for the controversial West Kowloon cultural project to one of his ministers after his expected election as chief executive, according to political analyst Li Pang-kwong of Lingnan University.

He said it would depend on how confident Mr Tsang was about the success of the project.

"If he is not so confident, he will have someone else doing it," Dr Li said, recalling that Mr Tsang had been handed responsibility for the project by former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa. 

He said if Mr Tsang ultimately scrapped the much-criticised single-developer approach to the multibillion-dollar development, it would probably be due to pressure from property developers, rather than a case of "Mr Tsang trying to distance himself from Mr Tung".

Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, a professor of public administration at City University of Hong Kong, said Mr Tsang would handle the issue with great care because "he does not want to be attacked at the beginning of his term as the chief executive".

Professor Cheung, who is also chairman of think-tank SynergyNet, expected the West Kowloon project would be an issue during the election for chief executive.

He said public interest would increase when the government disclosed its plan for the development after considering public opinion.

"Reactions will be particularly strong if the public does not agree with the government's summary of their opinions," he warned.

Concern groups are speculating that the government will abandon the single -developer approach, while the giant canopy over the project is likely to go ahead.

Bernard Lim Wan-fung, president of the 2,000-strong Hong Kong Institute of Architects, said the group met Mr Tsang earlier this month.

It was left with the impression that the government was likely to carry on with the expensive canopy scheme.

"But Mr Tsang has made it clear that they will not insist on the single -developer approach if the public is against the idea," said Professor Lim, of the Chinese University.

He said that while the institute was opposed to the single-developer plan, it was not against the canopy.

The institute has suggested that the massive West Kowloon arts district project should be developed in stages in order to better reflect Hong Kong's changing cultural and property needs.

Leung Man-tao, a spokesman for The People's Forum on West Kowloon, said he also expected the government to scrap the single-developer plan because of pressure from property developers.

He said the concern group would organise a public forum next month and ask candidates in the chief executive race to state their views on the cultural project.

Since the public consultation started last December, the West Kowloon project exhibition at the Heritage Museum in Sha Tin has recorded an attendance of about 210,000, with more than 29,000 comment cards submitted.


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## Aboveday

zzzzzzz.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..........


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## hkth

From news.gov.hk:
Gov't to review cultural project


RTHK news:
*Henry Fan: not starting WKCD (West Kowloon Cultural District) afresh** 2006-02-21 HKT 17:14* 

An Executive councillor Henry Fan has defended the government's move, saying it's not starting the project afresh. Rather, he described it as a great opportunity to review terms of the development. Noting none of the three consortium agreed to the government's modified proposals, Mr Fan said it showed that they were financially unviable. 

CS says West Kowloon cannot proceed yet 

*CS says govt plans to relaunch West Kowloon cultural district project* 2006-02-21 HKT 21:09

The chief secretary, Rafael Hui, says the government plans to relaunch the project to develop a cultural district in West Kowloon, completely doing away with the so-called single developer approach. The decision effectively puts on hold the controversial development until further consultations are completed in September. Mr Hui said officials would not proceed with invitations for proposals from three consortiums - the so-called IFPs. But he said the move didn't necessarily mean the project would be delayed.


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## Rachmaninov

This is disappointing.


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## michal1982

so nothing from the project


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## hkth

It is much better to review the WKCD and establish the WKCD Authority for taking the opinions from all the public at the first stage, as it is a really large project after the Airport construction. :|


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## dannykylaw

What happened! waste time and money on the project.


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## Aboveday

lol


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## weird

In front of central district, wow. It will be look great! kay:


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## Chad

*Norman Foster's Canopy Scrapped in Hong Kong


March 1, 2006*

Norman Foster’s giant glass canopy roof for the Hong Kong government's $5 billion West Kowloon Cultural Complex (WKCC) has been scrapped.The centerpiece of the project was first proposed in 1999 and has been mired in controversy ever since. It failed to win public support and interest from the three shortlisted developers.

Foster's 390-foot-high, undulating glass roof was to cover at least 55 percent of the complex’s 100-acre site, and was estimated to cost more than $500 million. It was criticized in a recent public review as *”expensive and environmentally unfriendly”.* The public also raised concerns about putting all of the project’s arts facilities, including four major museums, under one roof, and awarding the whole site to a single developer to build all at once. The WKCC was also to include theaters, other performance venues like an amphitheater and open piazzas. 

The government responded by revising its requirements back in October 2005, so that the winning developer could only build on half the site and was required to pay $3.87 billion upfront. This caused all three developers to withdraw in mid-February. The government has since insisted the project will go forward eventually and will review these issues by September 2006.

Shirley Chang

*Souce :* http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/


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## hkskyline

*OPINION : Drop homes from West Kowloon *
1 March 2006
South China Morning Post

The demise of the West Kowloon canopy ("The roof caves in on culture hub dream", February 22) is not a surprise, but a relief to those who are concerned about Hong Kong's future. 

Both the government and the Legislative Council undoubtedly have gained popularity for the wisdom in this decision. But they will become even more popular if the government is willing to make two more concessions to the rethought "five basic concepts" for the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District. 

First, drop the "residential element" from the first concept. It is out of place with the other elements: cultural, artistic, entertainment and commercial. Allowing a few residential buildings for the elite in the cultural district is a total misfit and will disrupt harmony in the community. As the recent harbour-business survey has shown, 88 per cent of the people are calling for more green space and sensitive development of the harbourfront. 

The second concept, public-private partnership - which the government said it was still studying - is regarded by the public as collusion in disguise. It is only right for the government to abandon this concept in view of the overwhelming preference for a cultural green park. This means no participation by property developers. An example of how this partnership can fail is the new airport exhibition halls, which are riddled with problems. 

By the same token, the government's reaffirmation of "partnership-building" in concept five is also out of place. It is impossible to envisage how to persuade the few profit-oriented developers not to maximise profits, since none has been known to be generous in the support of our art and culture communities. 

Who will enforce the agreement? The chairman of the future Culture and Parks Authority must not be the chief secretary, whose appointment is short term and political. We need someone with experience and capability in management, vision and passion in art and culture, as well as concern for the legacy of Hong Kong. 

Property prices at West Kowloon are already rising following the demise of the giant canopy. If the government confirms that the cultural-district land is not for sale, the developers' target will shift elsewhere, such as Kai Tak, which is ideally located for a high-class residential centre. 

We appeal to the government to start planning and building the West Kowloon Cultural Green Park now. 

K. N. WAI for Hong Kong Alternatives


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## hkskyline

*A chance to get things right on West Kowloon *
24 February 2006
South China Morning Post

The government's decision to go back to the drawing board with plans for an iconic cultural district in West Kowloon provides a welcome opportunity for a rethink on the project. 

It is most unfortunate that so much time and money has been wasted on a bidding process that was controversial from the start. Plans for the arts hub were announced in 1998. Six years of work has gone into planning the project, both by the government and interested developers. Now, the process must start all over again. 

The ambitious plan to build a stunning waterside development with a unique design and top-class cultural facilities is a good one. And it appeared to enjoy public support. But the way the government went about implementing the proposals was seriously flawed. Lessons should be learned. Few people knew how the plan, including the single developer approach, came to take shape. 

There was a failure to adequately consult the Executive and Legislative Councils. And when the public was finally asked for its opinions at the end of 2004, the most important decisions had already been taken. The project was dogged by a suspicion that the government was lining up a sweetheart deal for what would become a lucrative property development. 

Amendments were made to the plans in an attempt to reflect public opinion. But these did not find favour with the three shortlisted bidders. Rather than continue the negotiations, the government decided to start again. 

There is now an opportunity to do things the right way. Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan has announced that a consultative committee will be set up to review arrangements for the core arts and cultural elements, including financing, and will report to Legco. 

That is a step in the right direction. The community should have significant representation on the committee, along with the arts and cultural sector. This time, the process should be conducted from the bottom up. And the government should keep an open mind. 

One perception that has been created by the decision is that Chief Executive Tsang Yam-kuen wanted to ensure the controversial West Kowloon issue did not interfere with his expected bid for a second term next year. If that is true, he is walking a political tightrope. 

When Mr Tsang came into office, he promised strong governance - an ability to get things done. But in the past two months, government plans on two of the toughest tasks he faces have stalled. His political reform package was voted down by the Legislative Council in December. Mr Tsang then put the issue on the back-burner. A potential stumbling block for his campaign had been removed. The arts hub decision sidelines another. 

Legco had published a report highly critical of the project and the way the government had handled the proposed development of this valuable waterfront site. Developers not on the shortlist to bid for the project were unhappy. Those on the shortlist baulked at the amended version of the plan that dropped the single developer approach and revised the way the project was to be funded and built. The controversy could have erupted again just in time for next year's election. 

But if Mr Tsang has pulled the project to remove a controversial issue ahead of his expected re-election bid, such a move might backfire. After his promises of strong government, people will have expected him to have achieved something concrete during his first - admittedly short - term. It is not enough for him just to sit back and ride on the coattails of the recovering economy. 

The suggestion by Mr Hui to suggest that the decision to pull the West Kowloon plans was itself an example of strong government was most unconvincing. 

But there is now a chance for the government to put things right - by working with the community to make the best possible use of this valuable asset in West Kowloon.


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## bs_lover_boy

I think that this parcel of Land will be left empty for 100 years at least!!!


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## hkskyline

*Change of art *
Frustrated by the lack of arts education in Hong Kong, some schools and groups have taken on the job of stirring students' creative juices, says Carrie Chan 
23 March 2006
South China Morning Post

ART PLAYS A big role at Ling Liang Church Sau Tak Primary School. This year, primary four to six students at the Tung Chung school have turned to aquariums to get their creative juices flowing. The results - images of crabs created with computer graphics or engraved on clay plates - are now on display in its foyer for all to enjoy. 

"We wanted to start with the environment," says art teacher Chan Kwok-tung. "There can be so many elements taken from living creatures. It's something authentic and tangible, so students have a strong sense of attachment." 

Ling Liang is one of a small but growing number of schools bypassing the government curriculum in favour of their own arts programme. 

According to the chairman of the Hong Kong Society for Education in Art, Victor Lai Ming-hoi, schools have stepped up their arts activities to raise their profiles and competitiveness. "With all the talk of West Kowloon and more arts groups emerging, principals know that art is recognised as an economic activity," he says. 

An increasing number of arts teachers - especially those trained at the Hong Kong Institute of Education - are finding official guidelines on teaching arts ineffective. 

The trend coincides with the furore over the West Kowloon Cultural District proposal. Arts advocates have called on the government to help promote appreciation of all things cultural. After all, what's the point of investing hundreds of millions to build world-class facilities and stage international productions when there's a limited audience to appreciate them? 

Attendance at stage productions, concerts, dance performances and museums is relatively low in Hong Kong. This is due to a combination of factors: a money-orientated local culture, a dearth of venues and, more fundamentally, an absence of a comprehensive art education policy at school level. 

As a result, many youngsters - and their parents - have little interest in either visual or performing arts. Few take arts-related subjects in public examinations. Just 6,449 students sat for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination in visual art last year, and that number dropped to 167 for Advanced Level exams. The numbers were even lower for music students: 266 and 26, respectively. 

Art lovers say that such education should not be just about passing exams - it should arouse students' awareness and interest in the subject. 

The Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) introduced a new set of curriculum guidelines in 2003, in line with the drive to promote creative industries. 

Vanessa Li Lok-wa, a curriculum development officer at the bureau, says the new curriculum is focused on cultivating students' ability to analyse art and appreciate it rather than just create it. "Critique of visual culture has been incorporated into art classes for the first time," Li says. 

For instance, the curriculum also calls for students to be encouraged to interpret the concept of cubism and apply it in a still-life painting. Hence the switch from "art and design" as a subject to "visual arts" from primary one to form three. Schools are also encouraged to expose students to other art forms such as drama, film and new media. 

But these remain merely suggestions. None is binding, and few schools have adopted the guidelines, art educators say. 

"My approach to arts education has been taught at the Institute of Education," Chan says. "But the old generation of teachers and principals have yet to catch up with the new curriculum." 

Primary schools devote only about 10-15 per cent of classroom hours to art education. At junior secondary levels that drops to about 8-10 per cent. This amounts to about two 40-minute lessons in visual arts each week. 

Chan tries to expose his students to a wide array of topics such as three-dimensional media, print-making, design and visual culture. But he's luckier than many teachers bogged down by paperwork and other teaching duties - his principal spared him from teaching mathematics this year. 

Tang Fung-yu, an art teacher at a Mui Wo secondary school, says effective implementation of the new curriculum depends largely on motivated principals. And there's no continuity at the secondary level, with arts classes ending after form three, teachers say. 

The situation may improve in 2009. As part of secondary school reforms, all form four to form seven students are encouraged to attend at least two art sessions every week. The classes should cover not only visual arts, but also music, drama and new media. But again, it's up to schools whether they embrace these reform guidelines. 

Partly to compensate for the neglect, independent and government-subsidised arts groups are organising arts activities for students during or outside school hours. 

Since 2001, the School Culture Day Scheme, organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, has introduced youngsters to programmes run by performing arts groups, libraries and museums. This year, more than 300 primary, secondary and special schools have applied for the scheme, which covers 700 activities such as Cantonese opera appreciation. 

Under the department's School Art Animateur Scheme, arts practitioners are also invited to conduct year-long projects with schools. Groups taking part include the City Contemporary Dance Company, the Hong Kong Ballet, Prospects Theatre and Zuni Icosahedron. 

"We've worked closely with the EMB on this programme as they help us to liaise with schools and publicise our activities," says Vivian Yeung Wing-kam, a senior manager at the department's Cultural Presentation Unit. 

Meanwhile, rather than rely on the education authorities for pointers, the Hong Kong Society for Education in Art is taking the initiative to link arts educators with the community. "We hope to group together schools in the same district to organise exhibitions and performances," Lai says. "We need to step outside the classroom." 

Additional reporting by Kevin Kwong


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## hkskyline

*Winds of cultural change blow *
Leslie Kwoh 
27 March 2006
Hong Kong Standard

Sunday's rain and winds had many Hong Kongers running for cover but they failed to deter the more than 100 politicians and activists who attended an outdoor forum to share their visions for the government's suspended West Kowloon Cultural District project. 

"I'm quite pleased with the turnout, and there was a lot of diversity in the ideas," said Wan Chai District Council chairman Ada Wong, who is also a core member of the People's Panel, which organized the "Reinvent West Kowloon" workshop. 

"This is the first step, to allow everyone to contribute their ideas. Next, we will discuss more in-depth which options are actually feasible." 

Some participants suggested building attractions with children's themes such as Ferris wheels, puppet galleries and go-kart tracks. 

Others recommended paying more attention to landscaping details such as public furniture, artistic sculptures and fountains. 

In general, participants agreed most of the site should be devoted to the creation of a green park, supplemented by low-density recreational and cultural facilities such as museums, bookstores, theaters and art galleries. 

The government's original plans, scrapped late last month because the three short-listed developers failed to respond positively to the modified development parameters and conditions set out last October, included an elaborate 40-story tall glass canopy over the area. 

"This is the first time I have visited the site, but my suggestion is to keep it simple," said Mau Chi-wang, also a core member of the panel. 

"I recently came back from Sydney and I think we should build a big opera house or museum next to a large garden. I think the garden would help the public feel at ease." 

Incidentally, Sydney, famed for its Opera House, recently scrapped plans to build another iconic monument in favor of creating an 11-hectare headland park, which would restore public access to the waterfront at Millers Point for the first time in nearly 100 years. 

Participants at the forum also expressed concern about the government's apparent eagerness to rush the project into completion. 

"Where else in Hong Kong can you sit outside like this and enjoy a view of the harbor?" said Paul Zimmerman, convenor of Designing Hong Kong Harbour District, who suggested starting off with a green park and then "filling in bit by bit." 

Vice president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects Vincent Ng agreed, insisting that from an architect's point of of view a gradual approach would be more practical. 

"The market for arts and culture in Hong Kong is not that big, so I suggest going slowly so we don't overbuild the area," he said. 

Funding for the project, originally estimated to cost HK$40 billion, could be aided by inviting the public to donate benches, fountains and public furniture, suggested one woman, who preferred to remain anonymous. 

Home Affairs Bureau principal assistant secretary Vincent Fong said he would do his best to "play a listening role" and bring back any "interesting ideas" to the government. 

He also admitted that while the government's proposals were "not perfect," they were backed by rationale. 

The government has announced it will set up a consultative committee to gather expert views and public opinions. However, the start date has yet to be announced. 

The People's Panel plans to continue collecting public input, which it intends to compile into a report and present to the government in September.


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## philip

*Why not put some green lawn on this parcel of land while we wait for a development decision. 
At least it will look nice and green !* 
And the green lawn can be reused in the new park when they finally build it.


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## hkskyline

*Ditching hub plan 'strong governance' *
Carrie Chan
Hong Kong Standard
Friday, March 31, 2006

The chief executive has admitted for the first time the decision to scrap the West Kowloon cultural district project last month was a painful one.

"This was a project that was close to my heart. To decide whether or not to start afresh was truly a difficult choice," Donald Tsang said Thursday.

He said many people considered the decision to scrap the project as a setback for the government. But Tsang said it was the result of strong governance.

"The government must change with the times, but when and how the government should intervene requires social consensus. To reach such a consensus, the government must be responsive to public views," Tsang said.

"Strong governance, therefore, is not an end in itself but the means to achieve the goal of people-based governance. We should have the courage to review and rectify our decisions, and this in itself demonstrates our commitment to `people-based government.'

"Strong governance is a culture of governance based on public views and effective execution. The government will make no empty promises, provoke no meaningless argument and set no unrealistic goal."

Tsang defined strong governance.

"In my 30-odd years as a civil servant, I have always undertaken my daily duties with prudence. I try to be resolute, courageous, pragmatic, honest and open, setting a good example in promoting this culture of effective execution."

Tsang also called for a harmonious interdependent relationship between the executive and legislative branches of government.

"The government is not omnipotent but it is our faith in a small but strong and effective government that allows us to rise up to challenges, and to operate with transparency and provide an effective response at crucial times. We cannot expect to draw up the perfect blueprint for strong governance behind closed doors.

"Policy visions can be strengthened with the full input of views from our legislative councillors and the community as a whole. It is this kind of governance that will have a popular mandate."

Tsang went on: "I pointed out that `together we stand, divided we fall' after I was sworn in last June.

"If there are constant disagreements between the executive and the legislature, this will only lead to ineffective governance, and will be detrimental to the overall interests of the community."

Tsang responded for the first time to the issue raised by two senior officials that Hong Kong could become marginalized by the rapid infrastructural developments in the mainland.

He agreed that while economic development in the Pearl River Delta could have some effect, Hong Kong had the strength and the wherewithal to overcome them.

Tsang said he would pay four visits this year to the Pearl River Delta to explore further trade opportunities.

He also announced that a public consultation on enhanced functions of the district councils for the management of some district facilities is expected to commence by mid-year, the same time a public consultation on the overhaul of the political appointment system will commence.


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## hkskyline

*K Wah eyes mega hub site *
31 March 2006
Hong Kong Standard

K Wah International Holdings, which expects soon to have about HK$8 billion to spend on replenishing its land holdings, would be interested in buying parts of the West Kowloon cultural district project site if they became available, according to company officials. 

"If the government breaks up the West Kowloon cultural district project site, we would definitely be interested in it," said Francis Lui, vice-chairman of K Wah Group. 

K Wah has HK$1.8 billion capital available for use, with a further HK$6 billion expected from the sale of residential units this year. "We have lots of capital to replenish our land bank," Lui said. 

The company, whose present holdings in Hong Kong include sites in Sha Tin, Wan Chai and East Shui Fai Terrace in the Mid-Levels, is eyeing the government's land application list. 

"The government has lots of land for sale," Alexander Lui, managing director of K Wah Real Estates, said. "We hope to make good use of it." 

In China, K Wah has more than two million square meters of land bank at present, with 725,000 sq m in Shanghai, and 1.4 million sq m in Guangzhou, and could increase its mainland land bank. Since the company is more familiar with Shanghai and Guangzhou, it prefers to focus on these two cities, Francis Lui said. 

K Wah's full-year net profit grew more than 14 times to HK$3.64 billion in 2005, compared with HK$241 million 12 months earlier, due to a HK$3.55 billion gain from the deemed disposal of shares in Galaxy Entertainment Group. Turnover declined 31 percent to HK$289 million from HK$418 million in the previous year. 

Galaxy Entertainment Group initiated placements of new shares in April and July last year to raise capital for acquiring Galaxy Casino, which led to a dilution in K Wah's shareholding and contributed to a one-time profit. 

The profit was hurt on two fronts. In Hong Kong, rising interest rates led to stagnation in the local property market, while in Shanghai, sales were slowed by Chinese government measures to curb rising property prices, limiting the number of units sold. 

"Since last month, we have seen a significant increase in transactions in the Shanghai market, and prices seem to be making a comeback," Francis Lui said.


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## hkskyline

*Activists hail rethink on cultural district *
4 April 2006
South China Morning Post

Harbourfront activists have won a small victory from the government on the controversial West Kowloon Cultural District. It has decided to keep cultural facilities separate from commercial aspects of the development. 

Buried in the government's response to a series of answers to the Legislative Council's committee on the arts hub is the revelation that it intends to establish a separate body to control the cultural elements of the project. 

The government says it still intends to use a private-public partnership approach to develop and operate the arts facilities to "positively address the concerns of artists". 

"We wish to provide more choices for artists as well as the public, tap innovation and creativity from the private sector and inject different management expertise into the arts and cultural venues in a flexible way," the paper says. 

"This is in line with the principle of fostering diversity and pluralism underlying our cultural policy." 

Ada Wong Ying-kay, a member of the People's Panel on West Kowloon, said the government should have "seen sense from the start" and kept the two parts of the development separate. 

"We are obviously delighted but it's important to note that construction would have started on the hub if they had made this decision in 2002," Ms Wong said. 

Harbour activist Paul Zimmerman also said the decision was a step in the right direction for the fledgling development. 

In the paper, the government also says it has an "open mind" about funding community aspects of the development. 

It lists three possible approaches: 

The conventional approach where the design, construction, maintenance and operation of the facilities are publicly funded; 

An arrangement under which land is allocated to the statutory body set up for the project, with such a body responsible for the construction and operation of the facilities involved; and 

A combination of the two approaches. 

The government announced in February that it was reconsidering plans for the development, which has been plagued with controversy since it was announced in 1998. 

The decision came after developers said they were not interested in pursuing the project under the funding arrangements proposed and a Legislative Council subcommittee called for an overhaul of the project's planning and finances.


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## hkskyline

*New panel on cultural hub begins to take shape *
6 April 2006
South China Morning Post

Members of the new consultative committee on the West Kowloon Cultural District project are likely to be announced this week. 

The panel, headed by Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan, will comprise three subcommittees chaired by Executive Council members. 

The culture and tourism subcommittee would be headed by Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee, the museum subcommittee by Victor Lo Chung-wing, and the financial subcommittee by Marvin Cheung Kin-tung, a government source said. The subcommittees would be made up of "well-recognised people from the arts and cultural sector, and the travel industry", the source said. 

Travel Industry Council executive director Joseph Tung Yao-chung, theatre director Edward Lam Yik-wah, theatre group Zuni Icosahedron founder Danny Yung Ning-tsun and Spring-Time Production chief executive officer Clifton Ko Chi-sum have accepted invitations to sit on the culture and tourism subcommittee. 

Mr Ko - also a member of the tourism, culture and sports sub-group of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, and the Committee on Performing Arts - said facilities should give priority to local audiences. 

"We should not focus on the preferences of tourists," he said. "Rather, we must develop what local people can share and enjoy. Tourists are looking for authentic experiences and they are most interested in what local people like." 

The consultative committee is expected to hold its first meeting in the middle of this month. 

A Legislative Council subcommittee meeting on the project will be held today. Items for discussion will include the government decision to keep cultural facilities separate from commercial aspects of the development. 

Two of the three former shortlisted bidders for the project supported the government's decision, while Henderson Land said it was too early to comment.


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## hkth

From news.gov.hk:
WKCD advisory group members named


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## hkskyline

*Tien warns of culture hub danger *
Michael Ng 
7 April 2006
Hong Kong Standard

Liberal Party chairman James Tien has warned the government against giving a West Kowloon cultural district managing board too much power as this could result in the return to a single- developer approach. 

In addition, several legislators said the absence of opposition representatives in the West Kowloon cultural district consultative committee announced Thursday will make future consultations pointless. 

The government had earlier named the members of a 15-strong Consultative Committee on the Core Arts and Cultural Facilities of the West Kowloon Cultural District and its three affiliated advisory groups. 

The committee's main task is to re- examine the need for the core arts and cultural facilities for the project. 

Both Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho and Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Michael Suen said the government is still adopting an open attitude on the development mode as well as the role of the WKCD managing board in developing the district. 

But Suen's deputy, Rita Lau, said the government will not rule out the possibility of allocating the entire 40-hectare site to the board _ as was the case with the Hong Kong Airport Authority. 

However, Tien feared that this could easily result in the project reverting to the controversial single-developer approach. ``If the statutory body can make its own decisions, it will surely choose to manage all the land area and seek a public-private partnership for the project,'' Tien said. 

``Should this happen, it will become just another single-developer approach, or a tendering exercise which will solely be available to a few large developers.'' 

Tien said the Airport Authority, which was given total power to manage Hong Kong International Airport, was able to bypass the Legislative Council as it did not require approval to build the Asiaworld Expo and other hotel facilities in the vicinity of the airport. 

But Suen immediately clarified that Lau was merely citing an option and the government currently had no fixed plan. 

``It is just one of the possible options, and not the only option or our preferred option,'' Suen said. 

The committee, chaired by Chief Secretary for Administration Rafael Hui, and the three advisory groups comprise representatives from a wide range of arts and cultural sectors, including drama and theater, contemporary dance, philharmonic, Chinese opera, ballet and Cantopop. 

Three Executive Council members _ Selina Chow, Victor Lo and Marvin Cheung _ will also serve as committee members and will respectively chair the three advisory groups _ performing arts and tourism; museums; and financial matters. 

Radical legislator Leung Kwok- hung criticized the absence of opposition voices in the new committee. Frontier legislator Emily Lau also doubted whether the arts sector could accept the committee members, most of whom are not elected legislators. 

But Ho defended the appointees, saying they possessed substantial experience and credibility in their fields. 

Chow pledged to conduct seminars to solicit the public's views during the consultative process. 

Legco WKCD subcommittee chairman Alan Leong, of the Civic Party, hoped the committee could work with transparency, but reserved comment on its representativeness. 

The committee will report its findings to the government in September.


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## hkskyline

*Getting it right on West Kowloon *
9 April 2006
South China Morning Post

Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan put on a brave face when he announced a fundamental rethink of the West Kowloon Cultural District project in late February. He denied the project would have to start from scratch, and maintained that a relaunch would in fact speed up the construction of the cultural complex. 

He explained that a review of the arts and cultural facilities by a consultative committee he chaired would provide greater flexibility and scope for the building and financing of the complex. 

Speaking during Legislative Council question time last week, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen dismissed claims that a rethink of the project was a setback for strong governance. 

"It is widely known that the West Kowloon project is one closest to my heart. To start afresh on this landmark project was a truly difficult choice. However, it is exactly because of the project's far-reaching implications that extra prudence is called for. 

"We should have the courage to review and rectify our decisions; and this in itself demonstrates our commitment to 'people-based government'." 

Mr Tsang's admission of failure - in seeking public support for the single-developer model - has set the stage for taking the cultural complex back to the drawing board. 

On Thursday, the government announced the formation of a consultative committee, chaired by Mr Hui, and three related subcommittees. The subcommittees, led by three unofficial members of the Executive Council, will look into different aspects - performing arts and tourism, museums and finance. 

More importantly, movers and shakers from the arts and culture circles and financial experts have a heavy presence on the four committees. Notably absent are the developers. Political parties and legislators have only a marginal presence. 

If last week's announcement has not caused a stir, it is because the credentials and backgrounds of the government appointees have silenced the critics and the sceptics. 

Ordinary people are comfortable leaving the planning and development of the cultural hub to the experts as long as the project does not become - or is perceived as - yet another giveaway to property giants. 

With the wisdom of hindsight, it is clear that the government had seriously underestimated the depth of the concern in society about collusion with developers. 

However committed and entrepreneurial the three short-listed developers may have been, the public did not trust that they had the right mindset and expertise to promote arts and culture. 

It was only in February - almost 30 months after it invited participants to bid under the single-developer model in September 2003 - that the government began to face the reality that the project was heading for a Titanic-like end if it stuck to its course. 

It now sounds irrelevant and futile to ask whether the government had consulted the same batch of arts and cultural experts before 2003 and, if it did not, why not. 

One is also tempted to consider whether policymakers may have been blinded by intellectual arrogance, the imperative of administrative convenience or a feeling of paranoia about dealing with Legco. 

Judging from the memberships of the official think-tanks on West Kowloon, it is clear Mr Hui understands the utmost importance of getting it right from the start and rebuilding public trust in the decision-making process. 

The simple truth is that members of the arts and culture sector will be both the experts on and the users of the West Kowloon Cultural District. 

Securing their participation will be crucial in seeking consensus in society on contentious issues that may arise on the future of West Kowloon and the broader issue of cultural development. 

With the new bodies named, West Kowloon is open for a rethink on facilities, new ideas and visionary planning for what could be the most exciting project and the one closest to the hearts of everyone who calls Hong Kong home.


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## hkskyline

*Advisers bid to broaden themes for cultural hub *
10 April 2006
South China Morning Post

The government should look beyond its "preferred features" in setting themes for museums in the West Kowloon cultural project, according to members of a newly established advisory group. 

Ada Wong Ying-kay, a member of the Consultative Committee on West Kowloon Cultural District, said the government should consider the museums' themes holistically rather than being bound by its preferred features. 

In announcing a revamp of the controversial project, the government has insisted on retaining the four themes of moving image, modern art, ink and design. 

Despite the government's insistence, themes will now be discussed by the Consultative Committee's advisory group on museum facilities, headed by Executive Councillor Victor Lo Chung-wing. 

"This is not a matter of how many museums we [will] have, but what cultural identities the museums are going to present," Ms Wong said. "Should we limit ourselves only to the four themes put forward by the government? These themes were suggested a few years ago and they could be obsolete now because the art and cultural scene is forever vibrant and moving." 

Another member of the group, Fringe Club director Benny Chia Chun-heng, also hoped the committee would review the government's four preferred themes for museums. 

He believed that the West Kowloon project could benefit museums outside the cultural district by enlivening Hong Kong's cultural landscape. 

Film critic Peter Tsi Ka-kei, who is not on the board, supported a museum of moving images in Hong Kong, saying that this would appeal to overseas visitors. 

"Many overseas visitors are fascinated with film culture in Hong Kong," said Mr Tsi, who is now executive director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival. "Movies can represent Hong Kong culture in a lively way," he said.


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## hkskyline

Even though the cultural district is back on the drawing board, there is still a waterfront promenade that is open to the public. Go and enjoy the skyline!

More photos : http://www.globalphotos.org/hk-tstnight.htm


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## hkskyline

*Private sponsorship of the arts should be encouraged *
13 April 2006
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong's image as a business centre powered by a relentless drive for profits is one that fails to give due recognition to our lively arts scene. Nor does it recognise the flows of public, and increasingly private, money that sustains such vibrancy. Now, a $36 million donation by Swire Pacific to the Hong Kong Philharmonic has helped put business sponsorship of the arts in focus. 

For years, the major performing arts groups have relied on the government for the bulk of their funding. In 2004-05, 10 such groups received a total of $230.65 million through the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and Arts Development Council. The Hong Kong Phil was the largest beneficiary, receiving $59.08 million. But there have long been suggestions that established arts groups should learn to stand on their own feet, so public money could go to budding ones with more dire needs for financial assistance. 

Indeed, that is the direction Hong Kong should be heading, according to a consultation paper published by the Committee on Performing Arts in November. With a low-tax regime, this city does not have a massive capacity for public funding for the arts. Increasing community support and corporate sponsorship has to be the way to go, it says. 

Hong Kong has no lack of billionaires, but Swire Pacific's sizeable contribution is an exception rather than the rule. An explicit aim of the government's original plan for the West Kowloon cultural complex was to encourage business investment in the arts. Now that the plan has gone back to the drawing board, the future of business support for the arts has become blurred. Arguably, despite a renewed emphasis on public sector involvement, a new development model for the project could still include built-in features to promote business sponsorship. 

While private money interfering with artistic integrity is always a concern, government meddling in freedom of artistic expression by manipulating public grants would be even worse. In this connection, a proposal by the Committee on Performing Arts to set up a non-governmental body to disburse such grants according to objective criteria is welcomed. 

To help established arts groups wean off their dependency on public funding, the government should devise measures to encourage private sponsorship. As a start, a matching grants scheme, where the government would match every dollar of donation obtained by arts groups, might be the catalyst that would prompt the likes of Swire Pacific to dig deep into their pockets. Public grants should not be abolished, but be reduced slowly. 

In many developed countries, notably the United States, private support for the arts is a well-entrenched tradition. Many arts groups thrive on a combination of sponsorship, grants, bequests, investment income, membership fees and ticket sales. That should also be Hong Kong's long-term vision.


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## hkth

RTHK news:
*New consultative group expects to submit West Kowloon plan by end of year** 2006-04-21 HKT 15:45* 

The new consultative committee on the West Kowloon cultural district plans to submit a concrete proposal to the chief executive by the end of the year. And to help it on its way, it will organise several open forums next month to collect public views. The panel was set up after the government scrapped its original plans for the West Kowloon district.


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## hkth

RTHK News:
Permanent home for Cantonese Opera in west Kowloon yet to be decided


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## hkskyline

*Funds committee spearheads revival of cultural hub project *
Jonathan Cheng 
29 April 2006
Hong Kong Standard

The government has made another step towards resuscitating its beleaguered West Kowloon cultural district, with a financial subcommittee kicking off six- month-long discussions Friday that will help determine the bankrolling of the mega project. 

In six months, the 15-member Financial Matters Advisory Group will submit its funding recommendations for the project to the West Kowloon Consultative Committee, headed by Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan. 

That consultative committee met Friday last week to revive plans for the ambitious HK$40 billion cultural hub, which came to an abrupt halt in February when the three competing developers pulled out, apparently miffed by the government's changing conditions and requirements. 

The cultural hub project had faced a firestorm of criticism from a number of legislators and nongovernment organizations, which were angered by the government's alleged failure to consider public views on the project. 

The scrapping of the plans in February was seen as a major blow to the administration, which had made the cultural hub a centerpiece of its tenure. 

But even then, Hui had promised to get the project back on its feet as soon as possible. 

One of the biggest controversies of the original scheme was the funding of the project, which had been structured to come entirely from the private sector _ thereby avoiding the need to win a budget approval from Legislative Council. 

This time around, the financial subcommittee will consider different funding models for the development and operation of the project, including the use of public funds and several possible models for a public-private partnership, according to subcommittee chairman Marvin Cheung Kin-tung.


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## hkskyline

*Funds committee spearheads revival of cultural hub project *
Jonathan Cheng 
29 April 2006
Hong Kong Standard

The government has made another step towards resuscitating its beleaguered West Kowloon cultural district, with a financial subcommittee kicking off six- month-long discussions Friday that will help determine the bankrolling of the mega project. 

In six months, the 15-member Financial Matters Advisory Group will submit its funding recommendations for the project to the West Kowloon Consultative Committee, headed by Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan. 

That consultative committee met Friday last week to revive plans for the ambitious HK$40 billion cultural hub, which came to an abrupt halt in February when the three competing developers pulled out, apparently miffed by the government's changing conditions and requirements. 

The cultural hub project had faced a firestorm of criticism from a number of legislators and nongovernment organizations, which were angered by the government's alleged failure to consider public views on the project. 

The scrapping of the plans in February was seen as a major blow to the administration, which had made the cultural hub a centerpiece of its tenure. 

But even then, Hui had promised to get the project back on its feet as soon as possible. 

One of the biggest controversies of the original scheme was the funding of the project, which had been structured to come entirely from the private sector _ thereby avoiding the need to win a budget approval from Legislative Council. 

This time around, the financial subcommittee will consider different funding models for the development and operation of the project, including the use of public funds and several possible models for a public-private partnership, according to subcommittee chairman Marvin Cheung Kin-tung.


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## hkth

From news.gov.hk:
5 join Cantonese opera committee


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## hkskyline

*Arts hub plan outdated, says adviser 
The needs of today were not clear 10 years ago: Selina Chow *
5 May 2006
South China Morning Post

Changes are inevitable in the art and culture venues planned for West Kowloon, says the head of a group advising the government on the facilities. 

The requirements spelled out in the original plan were not necessarily the best options, Tourism Board chairwoman Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee said. 

The cultural district should be developed in phases and could be scaled back, she said. 

"We did not see the needs of today 10 years ago when we planned the project," Mrs Chow said. "Art and cultural development is dynamic. It is inevitable that those facilities should be developed in phases to allow enough flexibility and space for expansion and fine-tuning." 

Mrs Chow heads an advisory group on tourism and cultural facilities, one of three set up under the 67-person committee headed by Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan to consider the future of the West Kowloon development. 

The others are examining museums and the financial aspects of the project. 

The original plan required the 40-hectare district to feature three theatres with total seating capacity of at least 3,200, a performance venue offering more than 10,000 seats, four museums spanning a total net floor area of at least 75,000 square metres, and a 10,000 square metre arts exhibition centre. 

"Different groups need different types of performing venue," Mrs Chow said. "The entertainment sector needs a stadium with more than 10,000 seats, but theatre groups prefer smaller venues with fewer than 1,700 seats. 

"For sure, there will be changes in the core art and cultural facilities, but the changes won't be too radical. For example, there may still be a 10,000-seat stadium but its gross floor area may be diminished. There may also be more small venues." 

Along with the arts and culture facilities, Mrs Chow said restaurants and bars and residential developments would become an integral part of the project. 

"Visitors [won't] go to the district just for museums or theatres. They will also look for a place to eat and relax with a glass of wine after the show," she said. 

While leaders of the city's arts and cultural sector - who have long criticised the project as too rigid and have called for a comprehensive arts policy first - are likely to welcome a more flexible approach, there was a warning yesterday that it could deter investors. 

"The investment costs of hotels and shopping malls are covered by rental income," said the former chairman of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, Cheung Tat-tong. "People-flow and the environment will be among the major factors affecting rental value." 

He said the simple solution would be to return to the traditional approach of land sales, but this might not be cost-effective. "The government is in a dilemma."


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## hkskyline

*Opera groups plead for funding and facilities *
8 May 2006
South China Morning Post

Cantonese opera groups will meet the convenor of the advisory group for the tourism and performing arts facilities of the West Kowloon cultural district project tomorrow to discuss concerns over funding and facilities for training and performances. 

Since the list of members of Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee's advisory group was announced last month, Cantonese opera groups have complained about under-representation in the project. 

The 18-member advisory group is part of the 67-strong consultative committee headed by Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan to rethink the West Kowloon development. 

There is only one Cantonese opera representative in Mrs Chow's group, Stephen Chow Chun-kay, the Cantonese Opera Advisory Committee chairman, who has never worked in the field.The government had announced the addition of Cantonese opera experts to the committee, but Dr Chow remains chairman, despite criticism of his professional knowledge. 

Chan Kim-sing, chairwoman of the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong, said they did not have high expectations that their voices would be heard at tomorrow's meeting. 

"We have been talking about the same issues for years," Ms Chan said. "We have been unable to compete with government-subsidised art groups in renting venues for training or performance because of funding." 

For example, the association has to offer night-time lessons at the squash courts beside a park in Shamshuipo. There are no mirrors or iron bars for stretching exercises, and about 40 students, mostly female, have expressed concerns for their safety because the area is isolated. 

"We need proper places for our students, and our audiences," Ms Chan said. 

Mrs Chow said the opera groups should not use her advisory group to air their grievances with the government's policies. 

"We have always recognised the importance of Cantonese opera to the arts and cultural development of Hong Kong," Mrs Chow said. "However, we are not in the position to change any government policies which may have affected the development of Cantonese opera. 

"We have already understood the needs and concerns of Cantonese opera [within the West Kowloon project], and we will try to cater for them." 

She said that a statutory authority, which would be established to oversee the project's operation, should be responsible for the selection of content. 

"Such decisions can't be made by a government department because it has its hands tied with rules and policies ... It can't apply any commercial or artistic judgment," she said. 

"The [statutory] authority should be artistically accountable. Sometimes you have to stick your neck out and make decisions which may not seem commercially sound." 

The advisory group is to report to the chief executive by the end of this year.


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## hkth

From news.gov.hk:
Public invited to cultural project forums


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## miss_j

*the proposals*

hey hkskyline-
do you know where i could find detailed information on the five, or at least the 3 screened in proposals from the proponents? and do you know if there are museum designs from each proposals? from one of the articles it says herzog & meuron is designing for one and richard rogers for the other. any details on those designs?
cheers


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## miss_j

what's your feeling about this project by the way? do you think it's ever going to go ahead? what are the general feeling of the HK people? are they still talking about it or has the whole discussion sort of died down a little?


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## hkskyline

miss_j said:


> hey hkskyline-
> do you know where i could find detailed information on the five, or at least the 3 screened in proposals from the proponents? and do you know if there are museum designs from each proposals? from one of the articles it says herzog & meuron is designing for one and richard rogers for the other. any details on those designs?
> cheers


I haven't seen them posted online, and I haven't picked up much about them in the local papers. I don't even think the designs have been selected yet. Currently, they're still going through public consultation of what should be included on the site.

There have been reports of several architects / leading museum organizations on setting up a facility on the site. But all these are preliminary as we have no idea what will be confirmed yet.

The general consensus is this project is a great thing, but it must be executed prudently and not become a huge financial strain. There is a need for more cultural facilities in Hong Kong.


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## miss_j

hkskyline said:


> I haven't seen them posted online, and I haven't picked up much about them in the local papers. I don't even think the designs have been selected yet. Currently, they're still going through public consultation of what should be included on the site.
> 
> There have been reports of several architects / leading museum organizations on setting up a facility on the site. But all these are preliminary as we have no idea what will be confirmed yet.
> 
> The general consensus is this project is a great thing, but it must be executed prudently and not become a huge financial strain. There is a need for more cultural facilities in Hong Kong.


Thanks for the reply. I was curious as to what was shown during the public consultation period in late 2004. Those photos you posted a couple of pages back from Gakei- they show the designs of each proponents right (Dynamic Star, Sunny, World City)? So I was wondering what was actually shown and who did those designs. I guess these designs might be scrapped now because the Government decide not to go with IFP but I was just curious as to how much involvement the big names architects have already. I know for example that Ghery has already done some pretty nice designs for Swire.


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## hkskyline

miss_j said:


> Thanks for the reply. I was curious as to what was shown during the public consultation period in late 2004. Those photos you posted a couple of pages back from Gakei- they show the designs of each proponents right (Dynamic Star, Sunny, World City)? So I was wondering what was actually shown and who did those designs. I guess these designs might be scrapped now because the Government decide not to go with IFP but I was just curious as to how much involvement the big names architects have already. I know for example that Ghery has already done some pretty nice designs for Swire.


Yes, there have been a few notable international architects that have provided input into this masterplan. Foster originally won the competition a few years ago, and details are in the earlier pages of this thread. However, now that the plan has been redrawn, all those designs are in limbo. We're not sure whether they're even relevant now.

Perhaps they'll be brought back to the table at a later stage.


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## EricIsHim

I read something about resetting the residential area of this project to be divided into three big parcels with low, medium and high plot ratio in an news article a few days ago.


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## miss_j

no news???


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## Koi

This project was on the drawing board for years and still debates on financing, design, planning, environment, etc...etc. Pity, because Singapore has now leap-frogged HK on construction activities.


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## Mr. Fusion

Probably should lock this thread due to inactivity yes? Sad this was one of my favorite projects before it was shot down.


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## Sexas

^^ It is not shot down, it just under review.


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## miss_j

yea! no need to lock the thread. Govt still in discussion and its going ahead at some point I'm sure! I read that the Govt in its budget of this year revealed a $21.6 billion endowment to the WKCD Authority!


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## hkskyline

*Arts hub to get by on HK$21.6b, and no more *
6 June 2008
South China Morning Post

The government has promised not to ask for more money for the West Kowloon Cultural District, after initial funding of HK$21.6 billion, even if it runs into financial trouble.

Carrie Yau Tsang Ka-lai, permanent secretary for home affairs, said the future West Kowloon District Authority - the body that will oversee the planning and operation of the district - would be responsible for ensuring the hub was self-sufficient in the long run.

"We feel that there is no need to further inject money into the project in the future," she said.

"If the authority feels that they need more money, they can either save up or borrow money or ask for donations. The reason that the authority will not be part of the government is that we want the project to be financially sustainable."

Mrs Yau made the comment at a meeting of the Legislative Council's subcommittee that is overseeing the project. Lawmakers examined the government's proposal to request a one-off endowment of HK$21.6 billion.

The money will be used to finance the construction of the facilities and the establishment of the authority. Operating costs will be funded by income from shops, restaurants and entertainment.

Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat said the government must review the operation of the district in 2014-15, after most of the facilities have been built. "We can't fund the district without limit," he said.

The Frontier legislator Emily Lau Wai-hing was worried that a plan to turn mega-museum M+ into a world-class facility would be a mere dream without an impressive collection.

But Jane Debevoise, a member of the museums advisory group, said a contemporary art museum like M+ should rely on commissioned works to build up its collection and it could borrow from museums overseas.

Mrs Yau also said there were 60,000 artworks owned by the government that cannot be displayed now because of a shortage of space.

The government proposes an initial HK$1 billion and HK$20 million a year for acquiring a collection.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Alan Leong Kah-kit is proposing to amend the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Bill to include a selection mechanism for the nomination of its board members and executive directors.

The bill is expected to be debated by Legco next month.


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## hkskyline

*Government gets creative with arts hub assumptions*
10 June 2008
South China Morning Post

"As museums are cultural and educational institutions, they are typically loss making and their value should not be measured purely on financial returns."

Legco paper on West Kowloon Culture Bunker

This was actually a point made by a financial adviser appointed to review the government's assumptions on the project and an honest adviser it is indeed who advises that his advice is not particularly worth honouring.

But he obviously forgot that advice was not wanted from him anyway. He was actually hired to say, "Yes, boss, you're brilliant" to every question put to him and, as he did not quite say it, the bureaucrats had to go to pains to emphasise that he was wrong when he questioned some of their assumptions.

This will have shut him up, which makes it my turn now as I also have some questions, similar ones, about the financial assumptions in the study papers snowed down on the heads of legislators.

A key assumption is that inflation over the next 50 years will average 2 per cent a year with both construction and staff cost escalation at 2 per cent.

The first thing that should strike you here is that 50 years is an awful long period for making financial assumptions. Leaving aside that such guesses are not really appropriate to the arts anyway, you can guarantee that they will be well off the mark at well short of 50 years. Imagine what you would have forecast in 1958 for the year 2008. Yet our bureaucrats even indulged in talk of financial performance after 50 years.

But it is the assumption of 2 per cent annual staff cost escalation that particularly interests me here. It implies, taken together with a general inflation rate of 2 per cent, that staff members will never see their wages go up. Inflation will rob them of every increase they get. They will be no better off in 50 years than they are now.

This can, of course, happen if our economic growth rate drops to zero for the next 50 years but it would be strange in other circumstances as real wage growth for personal service workers over the last 20 years has been in line with economic growth per employed person.

Could our bureaucrats explain this, please?

The construction cost assumption of 2 per cent also seems unusual. The average of the last 20 years is 5.4 per cent and the average of the last 40 years is 8.3 per cent. At present it is 11.7 per cent. How are we so certain of getting it down to 2 per cent for the next 50 years?

Could our bureaucrats explain this, please?

Likewise the assumption of a 2 per cent overall inflation rate. On the consumer price index (CPI) it is 5.4 per cent at present and this is about the average of the last 35 years, which is as far back as I can find numbers. I can go back 45 years on the GDP deflator, however, and then I get 5.5 per cent.

But the bureaucrats say, "As an advanced economy and under a currency board system with the Hong Kong dollar linked to the US dollar, Hong Kong's inflation over the very longer run would tend to be more or less in line with those experienced by economies at a similar stage of development. The implicit or explicit inflation targets set by most major central banks in the advanced economies are around 2 per cent."

Leaving aside, however, that these central banks do not make 50-year forecasts, even implicitly, my quibble is with the "more or less in line {hellip}" The chart shows you the Hong Kong CPI in red and the US CPI in blue, both rebased to an index value of 100 for the fourth quarter of 1983, when the peg to the US dollar was adopted.

I would call the subsequent wild gyrations "less" in line, not "more", and this is not just in comparison to any advanced economy but the one to which our currency is directly linked. How can anyone base inflation assumptions on this relationship?

Could our bureaucrats explain this, please?

And then we get the assumption of a real discount rate of 4 per cent. This, together with 2 per cent inflation, yields a nominal discount rate of 6.1 per cent, exactly what the bureaucrats forecast the project will earn annually on its endowment, which means it will break even. How convenient. What serendipity.

The 4 per cent turns out to be a "social discount rate", a government invention left undefined and used previously only for the Hong Kong/Macau/Zhuhai bridge, when we were told that it should be 3 to 7 per cent for developed countries. How did we then refine it to 4?

Could our bureaucrats explain this, please?

Then again, I don't think they really need to. I think we can safely take it that these financial assumptions are a piece of tomfoolery cobbled together only because higher-ups in government weren't satisfied with art for art's sake but wanted it for money's sake too.


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## hkskyline

*Legco panel backs HK$21b for arts hub but wants accountability *
19 June 2008
South China Morning Post

Lawmakers gave initial approval yesterday for a grant of HK$21.6 billion to the body which will build and manage cultural facilities in the West Kowloon arts hub, but demanded it report regularly to the Legislative Council.

The government said it would ask the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority to do so.

Members of Legco's public works subcommittee expressed fears about how the endowment would be used. Some cited lax supervision of spending by the Tourism Board, which has been accused of misusing taxpayers' money.

They also challenged the government's assumption that construction costs would rise by 2 per cent a year.

Civic Party lawmaker Alan Leong Kah-kit, who abstained in the vote on the funding, said the authority should give a detailed report to the legislature every six months on its spending and timetable for construction.

He pledged he would vote to approve the funding when the Finance Committee considered it next month.

"I do wish to support the government," Mr Leong said.

The Democratic Party's Lee Wing-tat, who also abstained, urged the government to review the cultural district's finances and operations in 2013, when most of the first phase of construction is due to have been completed.

Liberal Party vice-chairwoman Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee disagreed with Mr Leong, saying that it was not appropriate for the legislature to participate in the authority's management.

Carrie Yau Tsang Ka-lai, permanent secretary for home affairs, said the government would request the authority report regularly to Legco on the use of its funding but that some of the legislators' suggestions were unrealistic.

"We understand that people and lawmakers have expressed concerns over the transparency of use of this amount. So we pledge that the authority will report periodically to Legco on the use of the funding after it has come into operation," she said.

Emily Lau Wai-hing of The Frontier asked if the government had learned any lesson from the Tourism Board row.

"How is the transparency? I do not feel safe with the governance of the authority," she said.

Government economist Kwok Kwok-chuen defended the 2 per cent inflation estimate but admitted it was difficult to estimate how construction costs might fluctuate, since many factors could affect them.

An expert commissioned by Legco earlier told lawmakers it was inappropriate for the government to take a long-term approach to estimating increases in construction costs and it would be more reasonable to base the estimate for cost inflation on recent trends. But the government responded that annual cost inflation over the past 20 years had fluctuated between 25 per cent and minus 13 per cent.


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## hkskyline

*Now we need action on the arts hub project *
19 June 2008
South China Morning Post

After repeated delays and controversies, the arts hub development in West Kowloon finally looks set to go ahead, with the Legislative Council's public works subcommittee yesterday approving the project. This was probably the most important hurdle for it to overcome. True, the HK$21.6 billion plan still needs approval from Legco's Finance Committee. But it is significant that seven democrat lawmakers and their allies abstained from voting yesterday, instead of opposing the project. This means the government will most likely have enough votes on the Finance Committee to secure passage before the end of the summer.

Hong Kong has waited long enough. There is no question we need and deserve a vibrant arts scene and world-class cultural facilities. Once built, they will serve not only artists and art lovers; some 23 hectares of public open space will be set aside, making it a de facto central park that will rival Victoria Park.

The arts hub project was first floated by former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa in 2001, yet it has been mired in controversy from the start. Critics saw it as another potentially wasteful and ill-conceived project like Cyberport and Disneyland. There were accusations of collusion between the government and developers involving the last piece of prime land by the waterfront. Opposition was so great that Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen had to shelve the plan during his first term. Yet Mr Tung was not completely wrong; no world city worthy of the name goes without a vibrant arts and cultural scene. The virtue of the revamped project is that it has an equitable slice for virtually every stakeholding group. Most important, instead of letting in developers, a statutory authority will oversee and run it independently.

Even if everything goes according to plan, the first venues will not go up until 2014 and 2015. The government must, therefore, move quickly to put together a credible board to launch the authority that is representative of the community. It is time to get on with the project. Hong Kong deserves a cultural district we can all be proud of - an artistic hub where we can let our imagination run free.


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## randolphan

they talk a lot of shit and never really do the real things.


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## hkskyline

We'll just need to be really patient on this one.


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## Sexas

it is 21.6 with a "B" for billion plan, I don't think it can design in one day or one week.


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## miss_j

thanks for the news hkskyline! glad to hear the authority is being set up and things are starting to move along! i wonder if they're going to hold more competitions to get a masterplan or specific designs for the museums/performance art centers?


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## hkskyline

*Cultural hub moves another step closer 
West Kowloon blueprint passes second reading *
3 July 2008
South China Morning Post

Lawmakers yesterday gave preliminary approval to the long-awaited bill seeking to set up a government-funded body to oversee the planned West Kowloon Cultural District.

The blueprint passed its second reading by 45 votes to two, with one abstention, after nearly five hours of heated debate in the Legislative Council.

Last night, lawmakers began studying dozens of amendments proposed by the government and fellow members. A final vote on the legal framework for the cultural hub is scheduled for today.

The funding request for a one-off HK$21.6 billion for the project will be tabled for a separate vote by the Finance Committee tomorrow.

The funding is likely to be approved, even though the Civic Party did not rule out the possibility of voting against it, as the government rejected its demand to require the authority overseeing the cultural district to report its finances every six months.

During the debate, pan-democratic lawmakers voiced concern over the choice of board members for the authority, who will all be appointed by the chief executive, fearing the recent row over political appointees would resurface.

Responding to requests calling for open meetings to enhance the authority's transparency, Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing said some meetings could not be open to the public as they might involve sensitive data.

Alan Leong Kah-kit, of the Civic Party, who chairs the Legco subcommittee on the development, questioned if the chief executive's appointments to the board would be transparent and accountable.

"What if Norman Chan Tak-lam [head of the Chief Executive's Office] is appointed to chair the board?" he asked. "It would be miserable to repeat the controversial row on political appointments."

Mr Chan has been viewed as being close to some of the government appointees and sat on the appointment committee.

Democrat James To Kun-sun said: "The worst scenario is if the government offers appointments only to people who have close ties with it. This may involve conflicts of interest."

Choy So-yuk, lawmaker for the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, disagreed that the chief executive's appointments would cause controversy.

Liberal Party vice-chairwoman Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee said the public might challenge the administration for shirking its responsibility if no board members were allowed from the civil service.

The board will have at least five members with experience in arts and cultural activities.

On Monday, the government responded to lawmakers' concerns over the huge one-off sum, pledging to require the arts hub authority to conduct an interim financial review after completion of the first phase in 2014 or 2015.

But the interim review was not included in the bill and the government said the review should not affect development of the second phase.


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## aphasian

Tuesday June 28 2005

*Legislators' Spain trip panned by rival bidder*

Chloe Lai

A bidder for the controversial West Kowloon Cultural District project has objected to a Legco visit to a rival's partner in Spain.

Henderson Land questioned the relevance of the September trip to Bilbao. It said the cultural project there was about urban regeneration, while the funding of the Guggenheim Museum in the city was irrelevant to Hong Kong.

At least seven lawmakers will visit the Abandoibarra project between September 18 and 25 because they believe that the waterfront area in Bilbao is comparable to the Hong Kong project in nature and scale. The Guggenheim museum is a strategic partner in the Cheung Kong (Holdings)-Sun Hung Kai Properties joint venture, Dynamic Star International.

The trip, which will cost taxpayers up to $30,000 per person, was approved by Legco's House Committee last Friday.

But Alan Leong Kah-kit, chairman of Legco's subcommittee on the West Kowloon Cultural District, said preparations were still being made. The visit could be called off if meetings could not be arranged with the right officials.

Henderson Land, which is bidding for the project through its subsidy, World City Culture Park, said it was unfair to visit only Bilbao.

Henderson's overseas partners, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Kimmel Centre in Philadelphia, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Theatre in London, invited the lawmakers to visit their facilities last month, but they declined.

David Dumigan, the developer's deputy project director, said: 'We don't oppose the visit. But we think they should go to more museums so they will have more information and perspectives on how museums are financed and operate.'

Mr Dumigan described the Guggenheim executives as 'very good sales people'.

He suggested legislators visit renowned museums in London, as they had to transit through the British capital or Paris.

Mr Leong said yesterday that Bilbao had been chosen because they wanted to visit a place relevant to the cultural hub project. He said the trip was based on a study conducted by the Legco secretariat.

'No one invited us to Bilbao. We don't have the luxury of time to visit New York, Paris or London,' he said.

'We will just go to meet the government officials in Bilbao to study how they sell land and use the revenue to fund the arts and cultural development. It is not about how museums are operated,' he said.

Leung Man-to, spokesman for the People's Panel on West Kowloon, said: 'Bilbao is the right place to see how a city redeveloped into an arts and culture hub.'

Mr Leung said lawmakers should nevertheless not overlook London, for a comprehensive picture on museum development and operation.


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## aphasian

Thursday June 30 2005

*Lining up to be counted*

Clarence Tsui

Will it be a match made in heaven or a pact with the devil? Various art groups have teamed up with property developers bidding for the West Kowloon Cultural District project. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement: developers need artists' endorsements, while arts organisations pledge allegiance in the hope of gaining a foothold in West Kowloon.

On the Cheung Kong-Sun Hung Kai bandwagon are Springtime Productions, the Hong Kong Ballet, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Theatre Ensemble, all strategic partners of Dynamic Star. The Repertory, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and the Hong Kong Arts Centre have all expressed interest in the bid.

Henderson Properties hasn't revealed its list of local collaborators, but it claims to have approached more than 30 local art organisations and counts Alice King, former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa's sister and vice-chairman of The Ink Society, among its advisers.

While not boasting a starry list of consultants, Sunny Development's proposals have stated specifically how it would house the major performing arts companies in its venues.

'Artists probably believe if they are to endorse the right project the developers would give them an office or something in West Kowloon,' says Ada Wong Ying-kay, a member of pressure group People's Panel on West Kowloon.

'But even this is a wish list. Could they just renege on their promises and refuse to make them resident companies when the venues are finished?'

There's a real fear among some local performers who think they might be reduced to bit-part players in West Kowloon if they don't advocate a coherent artistic blueprint themselves.


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## aphasian

Thursday June 30 2005

*It's a bungle out there*

Forget the West Kowloon project, Hong Kong has neither the sophistication nor the audience to sustain a cultural hub of Asia, writes Kevin Kwong

SEVERAL LONG QUEUES are snaking outside the 1,181-seat Lyric Theatre at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. The crowds are here, at 7.25pm on a Friday night, to catch not the latest hit from New York's Broadway or the London West End, but a local show that has been running since March 17. Tonight is the 43rd performance of Man of La Tiger.

This Theatre Ensemble season opener, a one-man show starring its founder and associate artistic director, Jim Chim Shui-man, has sold more than 30,000 tickets and is set to return for a fourth run in November. For a production of its kind, this is unprecedented.

'I've never been to a theatre before, but I enjoyed this show,' says Ching Wong, 19. 'I think I'll go to another theatre show now. The atmosphere in a theatre is very different. It is more interactive.'

Emmett Lui Siu-fung, also a first time theatre-goer, is less enthusiastic. 'I was a little disappointed,' the 41-year-old chauffeur says. 'Chim is a great actor. But I don't understand why the audience would laugh at every swear word. Is that supposed to be funny? I'm disappointed by their reaction.'

La Tiger may be filling seats, but some critics have already questioned whether the show is as good as it's cracked up to be. A South China Morning Post review described it as 'two hours of seemingly endless, cheap visual gags - mainly entailing Chim, who carries the show, doing impersonations of local politicians and celebrities ... La Tiger entices not reflection but merely recreation.'

But box office figures show this is what the masses want - and the only way for companies such as Theatre Ensemble to build an audience.

As public consultation for the West Kowloon Cultural District closes today, Hong Kong has been given a chance to tell the government what it wants for this mammoth $24-billion project. After all, funding of a good portion will come from the public coffers.

The question is: do we really know what we want?

While much has been discussed about the physical, political and business aspects of the project - whether it should include the giant canopy designed by Lord Foster, or the tendering of the project be based on the single-bidder approach - very little (if any) attention has been given to the 'art'.

'To date, there has been no in-depth discussion on what sort of culture and art should go in there,' says executive director of the Hong Kong Arts Centre, Louis Yu Kwok-lit. 'All we get to hear are the minute details of what facilities we should have, like the number of restrooms. I doubt if the public can give any in-depth feedback on the arts it wants to see, either.'

Yu says the quantity and quality - or rather, the lack of both - of our theatre/concert and museum/gallery goers could turn the West Kowloon project into a cultural theme park, a la Disneyland. 'And everything suggests that is what the government wants too,' he says.

It's a bitter pill for the local arts community to swallow, but the reality is that Hong Kong lacks the audience numbers needed to sustain any substantial cultural growth, let alone turn this city into the cultural hub of Asia, at least in the short term.

Take Hong Kong Ballet's 2005/06 season opener Spartacus, for instance. Choreographed by former Bolshoi dancer Irek Mukhamedov and staged at the Sha Tin Town Hall in March, the production received rave reviews, but critical success failed to translate in terms of box office. The Contemporary City Dance Company has gradually raised its standard in recent years, but this improvement has been met with falling attendance figures.

We now have top classical music conductor Edo de Waart at the helm of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, but it can muster just enough audience to make up a full hall over two consecutive nights for the less popular and more challenging programmes.

Visual art fares slightly, but not much better, with the Hong Kong Museum of Art recording a solid attendance of more than 24,000 visitors between January and May, thanks to its Impressionism exhibition earlier this year. It received a total of 271,398 visitors last year.

The city has a small but good cluster of private galleries that are, surprisingly, staging not only commercial but also edgy art exhibitions. John Batten Gallery, for instance, recently held a show by award-winning artist Tsang Kin-wah that was more challenging than money-spinning.

'I've always considered my gallery to be a typical gallery that you would find in any mature art market,' says Batten. 'Galleries like mine, commercial in name, but with a commitment to showing interesting and 'artistically intelligent' art, can be found in all mature art markets.

'Tsang's White Cube was just one exhibition of many that I have shown that displays this principle - the fact that there are few buyers of this kind of art proves that Hong Kong is still a very immature art market.'

Edward Lam Yick-wah, who satirises the local masses in the East Wing West Wing series he co-writes with Zuni Icosahedron's Mathias Woo Yan-wai, says Hong Kong people lack not only cultural maturity, but also sophistication. 'This lack of sophistication doesn't only manifest itself in the arts, but the fact we have no sense of humour,' Lam says. 'It is tragic that most of us don't have time to stop and think. Hong Kong is still about money-making and taking advantage of whatever, whenever possible.

'Sophistication requires a certain degree of intellect ... when the mind is able to absorb and digest a line spoken, or an art piece, and then through our own experiences and references, to appreciate the meanings behind. And you don't get much of that watching local TV. Hong Kong people lack this intellect.

'Popularity can be easily accomplished, but not quality,' Lam says. 'Local theatre still has a long way to go.' But shows such as Man of La Tiger and Zuni's box office hit East Wing West Wing series are now seen as a first step towards building a more cultured audience, says Yu.

'These two subsidised groups are looking for a new audience. If they don't, they will not improve. And what they're producing is entertainment. But a new trend has emerged,' the veteran art administrator says.

'Before, commercial theatre was staged by people with no, or very little, traditional theatre experience. Now, it's done by groups like Zuni and Theatre Ensemble who still stage productions that are considered artistic.'

Yu says the government is likely to go for the 'entertainment district' option and a lack of local audience matters little because visitors are likely to be from the mainland. 'Look at Disneyland, that's not going to survive on local demand alone,' he says.

Lam says with so little discussion on the artistic content, West Kowloon is just going to be a pretty looking landmark devoid of cultural meaning or significance. 'In the end, it's just going to be a joke,' he says. 'And the laugh is on us all.'


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## aphasian

Thursday June 30 2005

*DAB joins opposition to giant canopy and single-bidder policy*

Ambrose Leung

The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong yesterday added its voice to concerns about the giant canopy that will cover the West Kowloon Cultural District.

The move, coupled with its opposition to the single-developer approach to the multibillion-dollar project, will increase pressure on the government to reconsider how it handles the development.

Announcing the findings of a party poll yesterday, DAB legislator Cheung Hok-ming said the government should scrap the plan for a giant canopy because it would not give value for money.

'It is wasteful and difficult to maintain. Also, we fear the design will be a major stumbling block to splitting up the project for multiple bidders. It should be scrapped,' Mr Cheung said.

The poll found more than 60 per cent of respondents supported a multi-bidder approach, while those who opposed the canopy design outnumbered those who in favour of it.

Under the original design by Lord Foster, a giant canopy would be built over part of the 40-hectare site, which would be divided between cultural activities and commercial development.

Artists and political parties have expressed concern that the use of a single developer, as proposed by the government, would confirm that officials were colluding with the business sector.

The DAB urged the government to set up a statutory body to co-ordinate development of the district.

'To avoid doubts that officials are colluding with businessmen, the government should scrap the single-bidder approach,' legislator Chan Kam-lam said.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen this month gave strong signals that the single-bidder idea would be scrapped, but he has stood firm on the canopy design.

A public consultation on the project ends today.

The DAB's opposition will strengthen the near consensus among major parties in opposing the single-bidder approach and concerns over the canopy.


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## aphasian

Thursday June 30 2005

*Rafael Hui set to be named as chief secretary today*

Martin Wong

Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's team is likely to be completed today with the announcement of Rafael Hui Si-yan as his chief secretary.

It is understood the central government will announce its acceptance of Mr Tsang's recommendation this morning.

Mr Hui is expected to meet the media this afternoon to discuss his feelings about the appointment and his plans. His is also expected to talk about the West Kowloon cultural hub and his relationship with Sun Hung Kai Properties, one of the candidates for the project.

Mr Hui, 57, is a long-term friend of Mr Tsang. They worked closely in the government before Mr Hui left the civil service as financial services secretary in 2000. He then headed the Mandatory Provident Fund Authority until mid-2003, when he established his own consultancy company, which helped Sun Hung Kai Properties bid for the West Kowloon project.

Despite being repeatedly pressed to reveal his choice of chief secretary, Mr Tsang has remained tight-lipped, saying he needed Beijing's approval.

However, it is well-known that Mr Hui was the chief strategist in Mr Tsang's campaign. He joined the campaign team for an election victory celebration on Monday.


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## aphasian

Friday July 1 2005

*Rafael Hui comes clean on arts hub*

Jimmy Cheung, Dikky Sinn and Ambrose Leung

New chief secretary denies his former links with property giant will create a conflict of interest

Newly appointed Chief Secretary for Administration Rafael Hui Si-yan began his term of office yesterday by coming clean on his business dealings and personal views about the controversial West Kowloon cultural hub project.

He dismissed claims his former business ties would create a conflict of interest when he begins dealing with the West Kowloon project - a political hot potato that has sparked much controversy because of the government's insistence in granting the project to a single developer.

Any conflict that might arise, Mr Hui said, would be due to the clash between his personal opinions on the approach to the cultural hub and the government's position.

'There is no business conflict whatsoever,' he argued.

Mr Hui admitted he had previously voiced opposition to the government's policy of awarding the project to a single bidder and installing a huge glass canopy, fuelling concerns that he may not be able to remain impartial. But he vowed to keep an open mind now that he would be taking charge of the project.

'At the time, I was speaking my mind as an ordinary citizen. In all my nightmares, I never dreamt that I would be sitting here [as chief secretary],' he said.

'I had indeed expressed some different views in the past. That to me is a challenge. What was said was said and I cannot retract that. But there are rules to follow and I will do that. I would not let my personal views dictate the development.'

Mr Hui stressed that he would attach great importance to the views of legislators.

His remarks came shortly after Beijing officially appointed the former senior civil servant to succeed Donald Tsang Yam-kuen as the city's second-in-charge on the eve of today's 8th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to China.

Mr Hui conceded that he had provided consultancy services to Sun Hung Kai Properties, but said this was limited to offering advice on economic and political matters.

'No lobbying was involved whatsoever,' he said.

He refused to disclose how much he was paid as a consultant, other than to say it was no way near what was reported.

Mr Hui rejoins the government five years after resigning in 2000. He rejected speculation that Beijing had initiated his appointment.

'It was Mr Tsang's decision. Mr Tsang told me stability, unity and harmony are vital in the next two years, and that I can provide a little help on that. I have been a friend and colleague of his for decades, I found it difficult to turn it down.'

Describing his return to the government as a 'homecoming', Mr Hui underscored the importance of unity in the Tsang team.

'It is of utmost importance that our new government stands united ... It is through unity that we can achieve success in the shortest possible time,' he said.

'I need more time to think over how I can best support and dovetail with the chief executive's work so as to give the capacities of the government team full play.'

State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan said he was confident that Mr Hui would be able to work closely with the new chief executive.

'He [Rafael Hui] is very capable and very experienced,' Mr Tang said in Moscow during a state visit by President Hu Jintao to Russia. 'I am sure that he can work closely with Mr Tsang Yam-kuen.'

Mr Tang said Mr Tsang would be able to lead Hong Kong forward.

'Under the leadership of Mr Tsang Yam-kuen, Hong Kong will have unity and develop even better.'

Speaking after administering the oath to the new chief secretary, Mr Tsang said he and Mr Hui worked well together.

'I have worked with Mr Hui for many years and I fully understand that he has wisdom, ability and perserverance in serving the country and Hong Kong,' he said.

Mr Tsang said his right-hand man had a good understanding of the public pulse and would be able to strengthen relations with the Legislative Council, as well as helping him lead the team and civil service.

Tycoons dismissed fears that Mr Hui could be biased. But some legislators warned that he risked losing credibility without a prompt clarification about his business ties.

Ronny Tong Ka-wah of the Article 45 Concern Group said Mr Hui should pledge not to return to the business sector after his tenure.


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## aphasian

Friday July 1 2005

*Bidders count on waterfront site being carved up*

Chloe Lai

Project rules likely to be amended to 'keep everybody happy'

The bidders for the West Kowloon Cultural District project believe the government will carve up the 40-hectare waterfront site, possibly splitting major residential development from the arts facilities, industry sources said.

They said the bidders expect the government to create a co-ordinating agency, which will be similar to a cultural authority, to oversee the arts and cultural facilities.

As the six-month public consultation ended yesterday, a senior executive of one of the bidders said the project rules 'will be amended to keep everybody happy'.

The source added the land near Canton Road will probably be carved up for auction so the smaller developers can also have a slice of the prime site. Land revenue will then be used by the co-ordinating agency to fund the operation of the arts hub.

The government wants to turn the waterfront site into a cultural hub and to have a property developer fund the project's development and operation for 30 years.

But the government's single-developer approach and its decision to make a huge canopy designed by Lord Foster a mandatory requirement has drawn criticism from smaller developers, artists and cultural critics, legislators and professionals such as architects, planners and surveyors.

They also questioned other mandatory requirements, such as three theatres with at least 2,000, 800 and 400 seats, a performance venue with at least 10,000 seats, and a complex of four museums.

A public consultation was later announced as part of the public relations move to address the criticism. The consultation, which started on December 16, exhibited the three shortlisted bids to enable the public to comment.

More than 215,000 visits were recorded at the exhibition venues at the City Hall, the Science Museum and Heritage Museum. The government also received more than 33,100 comment cards and 480 written submissions over the three shortlisted bids.

The shortlisted bids for the project are the Cheung Kong-Sun Hung Kai joint venture, Dynamic Star International; the World City Cultural Park, which is a subsidiary of Henderson Land; and Sunny Development, a consortium between Sino Land, Wharf Holdings and Chinese Estates Holdings.

Although Swire Properties' proposal was rejected by the government for failing to comply with some of the mandatory requirements, the company showcased the proposal in its shopping malls.

The guessing game escalated after Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen told members of the Election Committee during his election campaign earlier last month that it was possible to drop the single-developer approach.

Shortly after Mr Tsang revealed his latest position, Cheung Kong executive director Grace Woo Chia-ching said at an open function that the project needed a co-ordinator because it is very complex. 'It doesn't matter whether the co-ordinator is the government, a developer or a third party. But it is important to have a co-ordinator to examine how to split the works.'

An industry source said: 'The winning bid is still going to get a large chunk of the land. But as the size will be significantly reduced, the winning consortium will not be responsible for funding the arts hub's operation.

'I don't think anyone has a problem with this arrangement. The bidders will be glad to get rid of this responsibility.'

The source believed the winning bid would be in charge of building the arts and cultural facilities as well as the canopy.

In return, the developer would be able to build profit-making commercial buildings at the arts hub, similar to the approach adopted in the Cyberport project. But he pointed out the new approach would not prevent the leading developers from becoming the major landlord of the site.

Ada Wong Ying-kay, from the People's Panel on West Kowloon, said it was likely the controversial Foster canopy would be dropped and the government would come up with a comprehensive cultural policy.

She said the land designed for residential development should be sold as soon as possible so the new co-ordinating authority would have resources to do its work.

'I believe with the support of the artists and cultural critics, the government will have a sensible tendering document within five to nine months.'


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## aphasian

Monday July 4 2005

*Bidders press case for dropping canopy*

Chloe Lai

Two property giants bidding to develop the West Kowloon Cultural District have hinted they want the government to scrap a giant canopy at the heart of the design if the single-tender approach to the project is abandoned.

In an interview yesterday with TVB News, senior executives of Sino Land and Henderson Land cited high construction and maintenance costs, as well as technical difficulties, to back their argument.

It is the first time the firms have publicly expressed their reservations about the mandatory canopy, which covers 55 per cent of the 40-hectare site.

Observers say the bidding contest would swing in favour of a third firm vying for the project - Cheung Kong-Sun Hung Kai joint venture Dynamic Star International - if the government scrapped the single-tender approach but retained the canopy requirement.

An industry source said: 'If the government keeps the canopy, it favours Dynamic Star as it has a very well designed canopy. If it is scrapped, it favours the other bids.'

Henderson project director Lau Chi-keung said: 'If [the government] really is cutting the project into a number of pieces, can the canopy be built? The canopy is a one-piece design that sleekly stretches along the site.'

Henderson is bidding through its subsidiary World City Cultural Park with a design that would stand without a canopy.

Sino Land executive director Yu Wai-wai said: 'The public likes the canopy. Their only concern is the construction and the maintenance cost; they think it is a burden to Hong Kong.'

Mr Wai told TVB his company was responding to a survey of visitors to the cultural hub exhibition that closed last Thursday.

Sino Land formed a consortium, named Sunny Development, with Wharf (Holdings) and Chinese Estates Holdings to bid for the project. Its design is made up of 100 small, transparent canopies, but the master plan would remain intact without the canopies.


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## aphasian

Tuesday July 5 2005

*Legislators challenge decision-making process for cultural hub*

Ambrose Leung and Chloe Lai

A confidential report by legislators on the West Kowloon cultural hub criticises the government for a special procedure that allows it to bypass the legislature, sources said yesterday.

The report, to be released tomorrow, also recommends the single-tender approach be scrapped.

Legislators set up a subcommittee on the West Kowloon project early this year.

Subcommittee chairman Alan Leong Kah-kit hopes the government will not be defensive over the report's conclusion and recommendations. He said it was an opportunity for Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen to show he listened to the Legislative Council.

Sources involved in writing the report said it concentrates on the government's decision-making process and the single-tender approach.

It also covers the public-private-partnership model the government is keen to take up so public works projects will be developed and managed by property developers.

The cultural hub has adopted this model, which allows government to skip approval for funding from Legco's Finance Committee.

The source said: 'In the beginning, the government reclaimed the waterfront site for building a park, then it changed to become a cultural hub. We don't know how they came up with the decision.'

He also cited the government's design competition which made Lord Foster's canopy concept the foundation of the layout. 'We don't know how a competition eventually becomes something we must follow,' the source said.

He described the entire process as abnormal, saying it stripped the rights of organisations, such as Legco, of the power to veto the project.

Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan said yesterday his priorities would be to concentrate on constitutional reform and the West Kowloon Cultural District project.

Speaking before his first day at work after taking office last Thursday, Mr Hui said he would not issue 'blank cheques' on what he could achieve.

It is understood he will not be visiting Beijing in the near future.


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## aphasian

Thursday July 7 2005

*Lawmakers find no valid grounds for single bidder*

Gary Cheung

The government has been urged to scrap the single-developer approach for the West Kowloon Cultural District by a Legislative Council subcommittee, which will make a decision on the proposed giant canopy after further investigations.

In its first report published yesterday, the subcommittee on the cultural district puts forward six recommendations on the way forward for the arts hub projects, including abandoning the single-developer approach.

It says there are no valid grounds for adopting such an approach to the project, which was advanced by the government as making the best use of public and private resources.

'These objectives could similarly be achieved by a multi-package approach,' the report says. 'The subcommittee considers that even if the canopy is desirable, the single-package approach is not required.

'The administration should abandon the single-package approach, which lacks public support.'

It calls on the government to examine the feasibility of other development strategies, such as multi-package and incremental implementation, which it says will encourage competition.

The government has been criticised for insisting on its plan to grant the entire project to a single developer for 30 years.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen last month gave strong signals that the single-bidder idea would be scrapped, but has stood firm on the canopy design.

Subcommittee chairman Alan Leong Kah-kit, a legislator from the Article 45 Concern Group, said he did not see why the cultural hub needed to be completed in one go. 'It can be done in stages,' he said.

The report also says there should be structured and extensive consultation with the public to map out the priority of needs in the cultural district project.

Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, a subcommittee member and a lawmaker for the Article 45 Concern Group, asked: 'Why has the project been stalled? Why has it been heavily criticised? It is because the government did not uphold due process.'

The subcommittee report says the Executive Council, which was said to have been bypassed in the policymaking process, should be duly consulted and updated on the project.

Legco should also receive more comprehensive information.

An impartial overseeing authority should be set up to monitor the development of the arts hub.

The report does not reach a conclusion on whether the giant canopy designed by Lord Foster is desirable and the subcommittee will make its position known when it releases its second-phase report by the end of the year.

It was revealed in April that a government-appointed technical panel warned in 2001 that the canopy would bring problems. Maintenance would be too expensive and its construction would present an obstacle to breaking the project into smaller tenders.

The confidential report said the panel had shortlisted 21 designs, but Lord Foster's was not among them.


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## aphasian

Thursday July 7 2005
*
Exco and Legco both bypassed on arts hub*

Chloe Lai

That's impossible, chief secretary says, rejecting Legco committee's accusations

Both the Executive Council and the Legislative Council had been bypassed by the government in decision-making on the controversial West Kowloon arts hub project, a Legco report concluded yesterday.

Exco had only been consulted three times since the idea for the cultural district was floated in 1998, said the report by a committee monitoring the project.

The cabinet was first consulted in November 1999 on plans to make the site a world-class cultural hub, said the report of the subcommittee on West Kowloon Cultural District development. Exco was asked in June 2003 to adopt the single-developer approach and in November last year to approve the shortlisting of three bidders to build and operate the development.

The government only briefed Legco's planning, lands and works panel about the project three times between 1999 and 2003, and the single-developer approach was not discussed in those meetings, the report said. During that period, the project mushroomed from a plan to merely build a 5.5-hectare cultural venue to the construction of a 40-hectare 'world-class' arts hub.

The report said the legislature's power to examine and approve was bypassed because the project did not require government spending - it will be funded by the winning bidder in exchange for development and management rights for 30 years.

Even though members of the subcommittee described the problems exposed in the report as disturbing, they declined to lay blame on any single official, including Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, who, until he became chief executive, was chairman of a government steering committee overseeing the project.

Mr Tsang pledged during his election campaign to listen to the views of the public about the project, and hinted the single-developer approach could be dropped.

Subcommittee chairman Alan Leong Kah-kit said it was not its job to hold anyone responsible. 'It is the problem of the system. Exco has a role to monitor things internally and members should take the initiative to ask for more information.'

The government said it had consulted Exco and Legco on the development of West Kowloon at every key stage. Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan, now in charge of the project, denied any official had dictated developments or bypassed Exco and Legco.

'It is impossible to mislead, bypass or cover the sky with one hand. Exco is always the gatekeeper on key policies,' he said.

He said the government had now hired the Polytechnic University to seek the views of the public on the project, and would attach great importance to legislators' views.

Mr Hui, who was a consultant for Sun Hung Kai Properties - one of the shortlisted bidders - has admitted having reservations over the giant glass canopy designed by Lord Foster for the site. But he said yesterday there was a lot of public support for the canopy.

He also stressed a decision on the canopy would be made by the government as a whole and that there was no conflict of interest from his previous work with the developer.

Despite the government's insistence Exco had been consulted, James To Kun-sun, a member of the subcommittee, said the cabinet had been informed of developments at a very late stage each time and then asked to make a decision.

Legislator Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee said: 'If Exco can be bypassed, then the system is collapsing.'

What next?

The subcommittee's key recommendations:

The government should:

Abandon the single-package development approach

Consult extensively with public and relevant sectors on how to develop the site

Ensure transparency and accountability in decision-making

Re-examine the extent of private partnership that will deliver best value for money

Conduct feasibility studies into the requirements and needs of each of the cultural district's facilities

Set up an authority to oversee the development

Legco should:

Follow up government administrative deficiencies


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## aphasian

Friday July 8 2005
*
Slow response to critical report*

Ambrose Leung and Felix Chan

Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan will respond to Legco's report on the government's handling of the controversial West Kowloon Cultural District in two months' time, according to Liberal Party chairman James Tien Pei-chun.

Mr Hui met legislators yesterday, after a Legco subcommittee issued a damning report on Wednesday criticising the government for bypassing the Executive and Legislative councils for years when making plans for the area.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Tien said Mr Hui declined an invitation by legislators to meet later this month, saying he needed time to study the report.

Mr Tien also quoted Mr Hui as saying the government would use the next two months to study responses from an exhibition of the cultural hub's design.

The People's Panel on West Kowloon, meanwhile, repeated its call for wider public involvement in the planning process for West Kowloon and the formulation of a 'holistic and visionary' long-term cultural policy for Hong Kong.

Spokesman Mau Chi-wang said the group welcomed the Legco report on West Kowloon as it agreed with the group's basic demand that the single-developer approach be scrapped.

'This report struck a blow to the so-called gang of administrative officers [AO] and could even be interpreted as an expression of dismay or opposition to the rule-by-AO practice here,' he said.

Co-spokesman Albert Lai Kwong-tak said the report showed the process was full of flaws and the government's standard of making policy decisions was as poor as that of a third world country.

'We want the government to immediately open up the project steering committee because for the past seven years the committee has been operating in a black box,' he said. This should include appointing representatives from Legco and the community and opening its meetings to the public.

The group called for a statutory authority to be created to oversee the planning for and management of the district.


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## aphasian

Friday July 8 2005
*
Property player supports city's cultural advancement*

Reports by Elizabeth Turner

THE INAUGURAL CONCERT of HKPO artistic director and chief conductor Edo de Waart was sponsored by Hang Lung Properties. The concert - featuring Mahler's Symphony No 1 (Titan), John Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine and the world premier of Guo Wenjing's Journeys - was a prelude to the conductor's debut performance in Shanghai, also backed by the Hang Lung Group.

Ng Sze-yuen, executive director of Hang Lung Group and Hang Lung Properties, said the sponsorship - the group's first for the HKPO - was in line with the promotion of one of its trophy properties, The HarbourSide in West Kowloon.

'It has created a lot of noise here as well as in Shanghai,' he said.

Hang Lung Properties chairman Ronnie Chan said the company was pleased to contribute to De Waart's directorship, which has contributed to Hong Kong's social and cultural advancement.

He said Hong Kong's cultural scene deserved more support. 'We have made a small donation, but the scene needs more than what we have supported so far.'


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## aphasian

Friday July 8 2005

*Culture hub a test of Tsang's election pledges*

To many Hong Kong people, the findings of the Legislative Council's first report on the West Kowloon Cultural District development will not come as a surprise.

The Legco subcommittee looking into the controversial project concluded that the government had sidelined the legislature and its own top policymaking body, the Executive Council, in the planning process. The Legco report confirms the widely shared perception that our government sometimes rides roughshod over the public and their representatives. This should not continue.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen must now fulfil his promise to pursue a more inclusive style of governance. He should begin demonstrating his sincerity by seriously considering the Legco report's recommendations on the way forward for the West Kowloon project.

The key suggestions include the scrapping of the single-developer approach and the creation of an impartial authority to oversee the development. Mr Tsang has already dropped strong hints that more developers might be allowed to participate in the project. If this is the new consensus, the government should be prepared to give it serious consideration.

Setting up a co-ordinating agency, too, is an idea gaining support due to the complexity of the undertaking. Such a dedicated body would certainly be better able to balance the interests of all the stakeholders than various government officials with ad-hoc responsibilities.

But the Legco report highlighted a more fundamental problem. Our governmental process is broken and in need of fixing. For such a major public enterprise that will help define Hong Kong's future civic identity, very few people know how it came to take on the current shape.

Exco was consulted three times between 1999 and last year and was basically asked to rubber stamp what the government wanted, including the contentious single-developer concept and the choice of three shortlisted bidders.

As for Legco, it was not even given a chance to rubber stamp, receiving only three briefings. It seems the government felt justified in bypassing the legislature because the project will not be funded by the public but by the winning private-sector bidder. Still, it was wrong to ignore Legco: highly valuable government land and the public good are involved.

When the public consultation was launched last December, the key aspects of the project were presented as if there were broad agreement on them. This is not a genuine consultation conducted with an open mind. To be meaningful, the government should ask for the public's views at the earliest possible stage. There must also be no take-it-or-leave-it elements. If officials continue down this path, they risk a public backlash, as we saw with the Article 23 debacle.

The Legco report adds to the growing pressure on the West Kowloon project to be sent back to the drawing board. In addition to the single-developer scheme, the giant canopy, which is envisaged as the project's iconic symbol, has come under open criticism from two of the three shortlisted bidders. This week, Henderson Land and Sino Land cited high construction and maintenance costs and technical difficulties as reasons for doing away with the roof-like structure if the single-developer approach is ditched.

Should the project be carved out to more than one developer, the canopy would be harder to build. In that case, it might have to be dropped. Mr Tsang has so far insisted that the canopy design will stay. But if he wants the cultural hub to enjoy full public backing and succeed, he must keep an open mind.

As chief secretary who had the task of steering the project, Mr Tsang often took a rigid stance on its core elements. During his election campaign for chief executive, however, he did pledge to listen to people's views - singling out West Kowloon - and to work more closely with Legco. There is no better time for Mr Tsang to translate his words into action.


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## aphasian

Sunday July 10 2005
*
Tsang's baby will test his political mettle
*
CHRIS YEUNG

Almost six years after the government gave its approval for the West Kowloon Cultural District development, the mega-sized project's future is at a crossroads.

Last week, a Legislative Council subcommittee report on the controversial project was published. It opposed the single-developer approach, put the idea of its giant canopy in doubt, and concluded the government had sidelined the legislature and the Executive Council in the planning process.

The findings are by no means new. Plans to build a roof-like structure canopy and grant development rights to one consortium have been severely criticised by people from different sectors. Some Exco members said there was grave reservation about the canopy.

Moreover, most opinion polls show a majority of respondents are against the single-developer model, giving more ammunition to the powerful business sector lobbying for the lucrative project to be carved up for more players.

The Legco subcommittee report, which comes days after a government consultation on the three shortlisted proposals ended, will mark the start of a new battle over the cultural project.

As pressure is stepped up on the government to abandon the plan's two centrepieces, legislators are fighting a battle with just as much as stake - their right to have a say on the use of public resources, namely land in the case of West Kowloon.

Legco has sought to change the rules of the game in the next round of the tussle now that the government, under a new leader seems to have paved the way for an overhaul of the cultural hub project.

Much earlier, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, who spearheaded the project in his capacity as chief secretary, had softened his stance on the single-developer approach, but he has stood firm on the canopy concept. However, after being named chief secretary, Rafael Hui Si-yan has confirmed he does not like the canopy idea.

One cabinet member said it was inconceivable the pair had not touched base on the issue before Mr Hui took office. Major changes to the original proposals looked imminent, the source said.

Mr Hui's appointment as chief secretary will provide a good opportunity for a climbdown by Mr Tsang. More importantly, how the Tsang-Hui partnership handles the cultural project, and constitutional reform, will be a test of the 'people-based, consensus politics' approach they advocate.

Given the deep-seated suspicions that the government has given favours to big business through projects such as Cyberport, the single-developer approach for the West Kowloon project has been doomed from day one. It has been seen as a model tailor-made to channel favours to one consortium.

With the public's perception that government-business collusion remains entrenched, Mr Tsang cannot afford to bulldoze through the controversial development model. To do so would be to run the risk of stirring up discontent with his administration.

All the signs are that the single-developer approach will be dropped. The next question is how the project will be chopped up for potential bidders. Pundits say it will not be a surprise if the government gives up on the canopy, even though it is seen as Mr Tsang's baby, for the sake of maintaining harmony.

It appears the project is back where it started when Exco planning for the cultural hub began in 1999.

Key questions remain unanswered: Who builds and operates it? Where is the money coming from? What facilities and programmes should the cultural complex provide? How can people participate? The list goes on.

Faced with a budget deficit and sagging economic confidence and with his relationship with Legco uneasy, Mr Tsang apparently saw the single-developer approach as offering a magic solution to these problems - creating work for thousands of people at no cost to the exchequer. However well-intentioned this approach, if Mr Tsang wants to stick with it, he will have to go the extra mile to convince the sceptics he is right to take such a risky political short cut.


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## aphasian

Sunday July 10 2005
*
Green revolution - turning old shoes into new sports grounds*

Richard Castka

The worn-out, smelly old sneakers you're about to throw away might have life in them yet.

Hong Kong-based Fieldturf Asia is at the forefront of turning unwanted shoes into hi-tech playing surfaces for sports like basketball, tennis, athletics and soccer.

Five such pitches have been constructed in Hong Kong since 1998. The first pitch was laid at the University of Hong Kong in Sandy Bay in 1998, a second was installed at the King's Park rugby ground in Kowloon in 2003, while a further three pitches have recently been laid in Tai Po, West Kowloon and Tung Chung.

James Middleton, managing director of Fieldturf, said Hong Kong's subtropical climate was far from ideal for grass pitches.

'Grass pitches need time to recover from the wear of competition, so only a limited playing schedule is suitable in our climate,' said Middleton.

'Manchester United's grass pitch at Old Trafford can be kept in good condition as it's played on only about once every two weeks. Recreational pitches in Hong Kong see much more activity than that, so it's very difficult to keep them maintained and in good condition.'

A 10-year cost analysis has shown that grass is 10 times more expensive to maintain than the new artificial surface.

At 10,000 square metres, the Tai Po pitch is the largest of its kind in Asia, while the Tung Chung and West Kowloon pitches have been designed primarily for seven-a-side play, and each measures 3,240 square metres.

By using an artificial surface, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department can now lease out the pitches with a much-improved playing schedule and hence bring in greater revenue to offset maintenance costs.

There is very little difference in the overall construction cost of both grass and artificial pitches. According to Middleton, the cost to build a full-sized sports pitch is between $4.5 million to $5 million.

The discarded shoes are simply sliced into three primary portions - the rubber outsole, the midsole foam, and the upper fabric or fluff. The materials are then ground down into small particles and cleaned. The resulting material is called Nike Grind.

The upper fabric is used as padding under hardwood indoor basketball floors, and to cushion the impact of the players' often hard landings. The midsoles are re-cycled for use on synthetic basketball courts, tennis courts and playground surfaces while the rubber from the outsole goes into running tracks and football pitches.

It takes just 3,000 shoes to make a basketball court or 100,000 shoes to create a new running track.

Fieldturf has installed artificial pitches at more than 1,500 locations worldwide, including famous sporting landmarks such as the Tokyo Dome.

The surface has also been approved for major international events by organisations such as Fifa and Uefa.

In the UK, 75 per cent of Premier League football teams practice on synthetic pitches laid by Fieldturf. Dongdan Field, in the heart of Beijing, is the busiest football pitch in the world with an average of 700 players per day, and is also covered with Fieldturf's artificial surface.

All this is a sad reminder that the Hong Kong Government Stadium in So Kon Po is still covered in pasty-looking grass and is seldom used for major sporting events.

'If you calculate the labour, machinery, chemical and maintenance costs at So Kon Po, and work it out on a dollar per hour basis per square metre, you would be shocked with the result,' added Middleton.

While the purists may well see the hallowed turf of Wimbledon as the supreme tennis surface, the day might not be too far away when the shoes that are treading the turf today are ground up to make way for the playing surface of the future.

BOUNCING THE BACK

THE SYNTHETIC GRASS

The hybrid fibres are a polyethylene and polypropylene blend that are woven into a porous mat. Each blade is UV-coated and placed to look like real grass. The blades can withstand extreme temperatures and are more durable than natural grass.

THE INFILL

The graded silica sand and finely ground rubber mimics natural earth, holding up the synthetic blades. The loose infill is spread between the blades in layers, and can be kicked up as an athlete runs over it.

HOW IT DRAINS

The porous design of the turf can take up to 40 inches of rain without losing playability. Water drains through the hybrid blades and its backing and down the mesh mat. Water then runs along asphalt to

concrete drains set around the mound of the football playing area and around the entire field.


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## aphasian

Monday July 11 2005
*
Stanley Ho favours multi-developer idea*

Jimmy Cheung

Tycoon Stanley Ho Hung-sun has weighed into the debate over the West Kowloon project, saying a multi-developer approach would net the government $150 billion more than a single developer would.

Mr Ho, chairman of the Real Estate Developers Association, yesterday criticised the proposal to award the cultural hub to a single developer.

'I have always opposed the single-developer approach. We think the Treasury would gain much less as a result,' he said.

He believed the government could gain up to $200 billion by opening up the bid, compared with its own estimate of $50 billion to $60 billion.

'As long as the government allows more developers to participate, either through the application list or public auction, it can fetch at least over $100 billion, if not $200 billion.

'If the government can make more money, why not?'

The casino and property tycoon also said the Executive Council should include representatives from the property sector, as the industry was such an important part of the economy.

He dismissed fears that this would lead to collusion with businesses, saying such problems only existed in poor countries.

Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme yesterday, Alan Leong Kah-kit, chairman of a Legco committee on the West Kowloon project, hoped the government would establish a new steering authority to develop the project.

As his committee was still unable to gain access to crucial details on the project, such as financial arrangements and technical studies, Mr Leong would not rule out the possibility of invoking special Legco powers to obtain the relevant papers later this year.

But he said this would be a last resort. 'We have entered an interactive stage. We hope there will be a positive response from the government,' he said, referring to recommendations tabled last week.


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## aphasian

Monday July 11 2005

*Language as a creative tool*

Interview by May Chan

I graduated from the department of foreign languages and literature at the National Cheng Kung University, and went to the United States for further studies. After that I taught at different universities, including the University of Heidelberg in Germany. My German husband is a professor, and we have two sons, aged 18 and 16.

Whenever I travel, I try to bring them along so as to broaden their exposure. We discuss how a city works as a system, and what values are implied. I remember on one occasion I was strolling in a mega shopping hall in Hong Kong with my younger son, and we could not find a single bench to sit on. Finally, we had to pay to sit down at a cafe. Then my son noticed that, in Hong Kong, many things were not designed for people's comfort, but to make profit.

At home, my husband speaks to the boys in German. I speak to my children either in Chinese or German. When they go to school, they talk to their classmates in English. We have not decided for them which language they should use as their mother-tongue when they grow up: they will decide for themselves.

Language is a key to knowledge and culture, and parents should give their children different keys so that they may choose which door they wish to open. When I first arrived in Hong Kong to teach two years ago, I was intrigued by the language environment here. Hong Kong people do not seem to have a 'language of the soul', which is the language you use to compose poetry, to express your deepest thoughts, emotions and pain. This language is also a key to creativity.

Instead, Hong Kong people seem to treat language merely as a tool. They are trained to speak Chinese and English, without fully understanding the culture and history behind them.

For most Hongkongers, Cantonese is their main communications tool. I believe it is a distinct language rather than a dialect. Cantonese is actually one of the most ancient languages, with a rich cultural context.

I have been fascinated by the creative way Hong Kong entertainment magazines play with words in their writing. They keep inventing funny vocabulary and phrases in a hybrid of Cantonese, mainstream Chinese and English.

I love this city and its people, but I am saddened by the fact that the government is biased towards the rich, and spends a lot of money to protect their interests - for example, the West Kowloon cultural hub project. Does this investment serve Hong Kong as a whole, or just a particular class of people? Why should cultural products cater only to the middle class?

I do not think the Hong Kong government has the vision to develop the city as a cultural hub for Chinese communities, even though it has the potential to act as a bridge between Taiwan and the mainland.

It has failed to see that the city's colonial past and its cosmopolitan population together make up a valuable cultural asset. It is actually the most internationalised Chinese-speaking city in the world, including people from a wide array of ethnic backgrounds.

I care about Hong Kong so much because it is a very special Chinese-speaking community, and that makes us family.

Being a member of this family, I sincerely urge Hong Kong people to look beyond the splendours of the city, and to seek their real culture and values.

Lung Ying-tai is a celebrated essayist and cultural critic. She recently left her temporary teaching post at the University of Hong Kong and returned to Taiwan


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## aphasian

Tuesday July 12 2005

*Proposals for hub top-notch, says bidder*

Chloe Lai

Proposals for developing the West Kowloon Cultural District are of high quality and can form the foundation for the project's next phase, a bidder for the ambitious scheme said yesterday.

'There are a number of very good proposals for the government to consider,' said Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong, vice-chairman and managing director of Sun Hung Kai Properties.

'If the government wants to set up some sort of statutory authority, I believe it will go back to the bidding proposals, because they are really very good.'

The shortlisted bids for the project are the Cheung Kong-Sun Hung Kai joint venture, Dynamic Star International; the World City Cultural Park, which is a subsidiary of Henderson Land; and Sunny Development, a consortium comprising Sino Land, Wharf Holdings and Chinese Estates Holdings.

After Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen softened his position on the single-developer approach and Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan confirmed he did not like the giant-canopy idea, speculation has mounted that the government will set up an authority to oversee the project's development and operation.

Mr Kwok said it was too early to say whether the government would give up the single-tender approach, adding that the future of the project should depend on public consensus. He said Sun Hung Kai would bid for the project even if the government split it up, as it was a prime site.

He said the public should not jump to the conclusion that Mr Hui, once a consultant for Sun Hung Kai, would favour the corporation. He also said Mr Hui had never been involved in the arts hub project.


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## aphasian

Tuesday July 12 2005

*Decision-making through the back door*

C. K. Lau

For a city whose government has taken pride in having a good system of checks and balances, the Legislative Council's report on the West Kowloon cultural district has revealed several unpleasant truths.

It shows the government can bypass its own established procedures to get things done in very unorthodox ways; it can dodge legislative approval of such a big public project by packaging it as a 'non-cash' transaction; and it can procure an arts hub without knowing what it will contain, leaving that to the bidder.

As conceived by the government, the proposed West Kowloon cultural district is about inviting the private sector to build and operate a massive public facility for 30 years on a prime waterfront site. Instead of being paid cash, the winning bidder will be compensated with the right to sell and rent residential and commercial properties on the site.

That makes the project financially 'free-standing', which means the government does not need to get Legco's approval for funding.

Public attention has focused on the Legco report's rejection of the single-bidder approach. But its value lies far more in documenting the twists and turns of the administration's unaccountable and non-transparent decision-making process. When the project was first hatched in 1998, it was about building a performance venue, a stand-alone cultural facility occupying about 5.5 hectares of land. By 2000, however, without going through any structured consultation or detailed studies, the decision was made to build an integrated cultural, residential and commercial district on 40 hectares.

Initially, the idea was to hold an open competition to create a new look for Victoria Harbour, and a multi-package development approach was to be adopted. Eventually, a concept-plan competition was held and a single-package development approach using property rights to 'pay' the winning bidder was adopted. During the process, the conventional 'needs-specific' approach in the development of cultural facilities was changed to a 'supply-led' and 'community-driven', and then to the current 'open-to-suggestions' approach. The bidders have been asked not just to build specified performance venues and museums, but also to fill them up with what they consider to be appropriate shows and exhibits.

Departing from standard procedures in pursuing public-private-partnerships, there were no detailed studies to establish the need to develop an integrated arts, cultural and entertainment district, or its value for money. Moreover, the paper trail shows that major changes in policy direction were apparently made without seeking the Executive Council's endorsement.

It is a little surprising that the Legco report stopped short of proposing measures to strengthen its legal powers to check the government. For example, it has not asked for a legislative amendment to make Legco approval necessary for non-cash payments.

In handling West Kowloon, the government has clearly breached the spirit, if not the letter, of the Basic Law, which provides that Legco has the constitutional functions of approving taxation and public expenditure. Indeed, critics have raised the possibility of seeking a judicial review of the way in which Legco has been bypassed.

While Legco is pushing the government to set up a public authority to oversee the project, there is a chance the government may stick with its current approach. Conceivably, it could drop the single-developer approach to placate public opposition, break the project into smaller parcels and still pay developers with property rights, not cash.

While that might be more acceptable, it would still mean the project would be procured by barter. Should that happen, Legco could still just yell, but not veto.

C. K. Lau is the Post's executive editor, policy

[email protected]


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## aphasian

Saturday October 8 2005

*Hong Kong scores for a minimalist approach to art appreciation*

Rex Aguado

Four years after being exiled to a small though still pleasant little corner in the depths of the Louvre in Paris, the Mona Lisa has found a permanent home after a journey of half a millennium.

Surrounded by hectares of 16th-century Italian masterpieces in the museum's Salle des Etats, Leonardo da Vinci's La Gioconda holds her ground with her stamp-sized but cosmic-scaled smile.

The move cost Euro4.8 million ($45.2 million) as the hall had to be properly fitted, including non-reflective, unbreakable glass to protect the 500-year-old painting from climatic changes, camera flashes and wilful damage.

The Mona Lisa's homecoming, however, may soon be eclipsed by the forthcoming opening of the Musee du Quai Branly on the left bank of the Seine under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

The museum, 10 years in the making and with a budget of US$142 million, will house the country's vast collection of artefacts and works related to the arts and civilisations of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.

It is probably not far-fetched to say that most French people regard culture as a human right, and that they believe that the incumbent government - of whatever political persuasion - has the obligation to provide access to the arts in the spirit of liberte, fraternite, egalite.

No wonder then that, on the first Sunday of every month, all museums, galleries and arts centres are open free to the public - including the millions of visiting culture vultures.

The Japanese model of providing public access to culture may not be as generous as its French counterpart. But it boasts its own sense of civic virtue in the name of the arts.

Perhaps the best model of this is the Mori Arts Center, the centrepiece of Japan's biggest integrated property development to date, the US$4 billion Roppongi Hills complex in Tokyo.

Sitting on an 11-hectare site and 17 years in the making, the complex boasts office space, apartments, shops, restaurants, cinemas, a hotel, a television studio, an outdoor amphitheatre, and a few parks.

But the jewel in the crown is the Mori Arts Museum, the brainchild of property tycoon Minoru Mori and his wife, Yoshiko.

Perched on top of the 54-storey Mori Tower, the museum focuses on Japanese and Asian artists, and boasts one of the best modern art collections in the region, if not the world.

The museum embodies that very Japanese value of art appreciation as an expression of individual refinement that verges on a spiritual mission.

Here, art is not meant for profit-making, as it is supported by earnings from other business interests of the philanthropic Mori couple.

But perhaps in a demonstration of the collateral benefits of art, the Roppongi Hills complex has helped revive Tokyo's long-moribund property market, thereby boosting the Moris' fortunes and allowing them to buy even more art works for their museum.

Philanthropy is also a key element in the American model of preserving and presenting arts and culture, though aggressive fund-raising is still pursued.

In the United States, museums and galleries are practically brand names, like the Guggenheim, the Frick and the Whitney in New York, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, and the well-funded Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

Born and bred in the bastion of global capitalism, these institutions are experts in selling themselves to deep-pocketed patrons and are notorious for cut-throat competition to secure the bequest of important art collections.

Even the publicly funded American museums have refined the savvy of marketing themselves. Witness, for instance, the cunning ability of New York's Museum of Modern Art to mine its collections to devise a complete range of furniture and houseware.

Then there is the hybrid Singaporean model, where art and culture are largely funded by the government but is ultimately treated as an industry whose merits are judged by its contribution to gross national product and the unemployment rate.

It is a very laissez-faire approach, but in a peculiarly Singaporean way, where culture is largely confined to the entertainment and commercial sphere, and kept from instigating debates on social issues such as political dissent, gender and race relations.

Hong Kong has to find its own model among these various approaches to arts and culture.

A cursory survey suggests that the government - true to its avowed policy of not choosing industrial champions - also has a very hands-off policy when it comes to the arts and culture.

The government, with the Hong Kong Jockey Club chipping in, funds bodies such as the Arts Development Council, which awards grants to several arts and cultural groups in the city.

One of the biggest expressions of government policy on the arts is the West Kowloon cultural district. The project, however, is in danger of turning into a mere property development, with a cultural centre as an add-on, like those pathetic, understocked refreshment kiosks on public beaches.

Given its half-hearted and confused efforts to promote culture, the Hong Kong government has been scored for its very minimalist approach to art. It is, in a way, a highly conceptual arts policy.

[email protected]


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## aphasian

Saturday October 8 2005

*Cultural issues get short shrift, critics say*

Andy Cheng and Chloe Lai

Arts groups, architects blast lack of specifics on West Kowloon facilities

Architects, arts groups and development experts yesterday criticised the government's new plan for West Kowloon, saying the project was still a property development and that cultural matters were not addressed.

They said about 65 per cent of the site would still be built by a single developer.

The government had not specified what would be housed in the facilities and whether there was any cultural policy to go along with the project.

Vincent Ng Wing-shun, vice-president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, said the new plan was tailor-made for property developers because the successful bidder no longer needed to run the cultural facilities, including four museums, an art exhibition centre and a theatre complex.

Mr Ng said: 'It gives the chance for more property developers and they will shut their mouths.

'The setting up of a statutory body overseeing the cultural facilities means the successful bidder will not need to bear the risk of running them.'

The developers would only need to work out how they could make a profit under the condition that they needed to set up a $30 billion trust fund for the statutory body, Mr Ng said.

While the bidders had been trying to impress the public by teaming up with cultural groups and artists previously, the property giants would not do so under the new plan because there was no need to do so.

But Mr Ng said it was good for the government to set the maximum plot ratio at 1.81.

Ada Wong Ying-kay, from the People's Panel on West Kowloon, said she was disappointed the government had failed to say what would be housed in the cultural facilities.

'It is still a single-tendering approach, only on a smaller scale,' she said outside the Legislative Council yesterday after Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan had outlined the plan.

Ms Wong, who is also the chairwoman of Wan Chai District Council, said she hoped the government could work out a clear cultural policy, or the cultural facilities would be 'empty in content'.

She also criticised the government's insistence on going ahead with the expensive canopy.

Albert Lai Kwong-tak, chairman of the Hong Kong People's Council for Sustainable Development, said the planned statutory body would face a risky situation because it had not played a role in designing the West Kowloon facilities.

'The statutory body is just there to oversee the maintenance of cultural facilities,' Mr Lai said. 'It seems that the whole West Kowloon project is like a human with no brain.

'There is no one setting a culture policy for it. There is a vacuum in it.'

Mr Lai, who is also chairman of the Conservancy Association's centre for heritage, said the government should develop the site in phases.

'The current approach, building all facilities in one go, kills all other possibilities,' he said.


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## aphasian

Saturday October 8 2005
*
Henderson to push on even if the margin is close to nothing*

Ernest Kong and Peggy Sito

Henderson Land Development, one the three bidders for the West Kowloon Cultural District, said the new proposal will shrink the project's profit margin.

'In the new proposal, half of the site needs to be auctioned, only a small part is left behind, and the plot ratio has also been changed. It is very different [from the original plan],' Henderson chairman Lee Shau-kee said.

'Only a small piece [of residential and commercial space] will be left.

'We will go ahead even if the margin is close to nothing, as long as the project is good for Hong Kong people,' said Mr Lee, adding that the company already had invested a substantial amount of time and energy in the project.

'The proposal has considered everyone's interest and it has assuaged some of the discontent expressed earlier,' he said.

However, vice-chairman Colin Lam Ko-yin said the firm still needed to have more discussion with government to decide if the firm would participate in the project.

'We also have to consider our shareholders' interest,' Mr Lam said.

He said it was still not clear how the $30 billion trust fund to cover the cost of operating the cultural facilities and maintaining the canopy should be set up, and if the winning bidder should put up all the money immediately.

Another shortlisted bidder, Sun Hung Kai Properties, which submitted a joint bid with Cheung Kong (Holdings), said the plot ratio was quite different from its proposal.

'We need to talk with our partners before deciding whether to participate in the project or not,' said Eric Chow Kwok-yin, an executive director of SHKP's sales and marketing arm Sun Hung Kai Real Estate Agency.

Cheung Kong (Holdings) said: 'In regards to the way forward as proposed by the government for the West Kowloon Cultural District, we support the government in principle. We will conduct a detailed study on its content and feasibility.'

The consortium formed by Sino Land, Wharf Holdings and Chinese Estates Holdings said in a written reply: 'We fully support the government's decision.'

In response to the government proposal, Swire Properties, whose proposal was earlier rejected, said: 'It is now up to the government and the public to decide what they want for Hong Kong.'


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## aphasian

Saturday October 8 2005

*Arts hub carved up to satisfy the public, says Hui*

Chloe Lai

Critics decry decision to keep canopy and allow one developer to dominate project

The unpopular single-developer approach for the West Kowloon Cultural District was officially scrapped yesterday after months of wrangling and speculation, in what Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan said was a move to 'satisfy public demands'.

But the revised plan immediately ran into a barrage of criticism from legislators, who called it a single tender in disguise.

Critics were also upset that the huge canopy from the original Lord Foster design would be kept and complained that the government remained uncommitted to developing a cultural policy before proceeding with the project.

'The government will improve the plan to satisfy the public's demands and give the people of Hong Kong a world-class cultural hub,' Mr Hui said.

'We will abolish the single tender, lower the development density, significantly reduce the residential development and demand that the winning bidder gives money for the arts hub's operation.'

In measures approved by the Executive Council on Tuesday, the winner chosen from the three shortlisted bidders will be in charge of the master plan instead of building and operating the entire 40-hectare waterfront site.

The winner will directly control only 65 per cent of the site, with at least 30 per cent reserved for arts and cultural facilities.

It will also have to fork out at least $30 billion to set up a trust fund to pay for the operation of the arts facilities and a new statutory body that will run them. The fund will also cover maintenance of the canopy, an automated people-mover and open space.

Speaking at a meeting of the Legislative Council House Committee, Mr Hui also announced the expected new restrictions on the project, which limit the plot ratio governing development density to 1.81 and carve out at least half of the profit-making area for sale to other developers.

The three shortlisted bidders have until the end of January to decide whether they want to participate in the modified plan.

Mr Hui promised they would have time to revise their proposals.

If two drop out, the government will start the project all over again.

Mr Hui said that as the new plan was a continuation of the one the government had announced earlier, the project would not be opened to new participants at this stage. And as public opinion on the Lord Foster canopy was 'inconclusive', it would remain in the plan at this stage.

Although the method for selling the carved-out land has not been decided, Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Michael Suen Ming-yeung said it was likely to be carried out either through the government or the new statutory body.

The winning company will be prohibited from bidding for the carved-out land and will be barred from buying any property built there before the arts hub project is completied.

Mr Hui also promised that the Town Planning Board would be consulted.

Democratic Party chairman Lee Wing-tat said: 'The government appears to be listening to public opinion; but it is twisting public opinion. It is changing the project from a super-single-tender approach to a big-single-tender approach.'

Alan Leong Kah-kit, of the Article 45 Concern Group, described the new plan as 'even worse than the original one as the winning bidder will be spared from operating the arts hub'.

Mr Leong, who chairs the Legco subcommittee on the West Kowloon Cultural Development, said: 'The government is not responding to the anxiety of the public about the single-developer approach. It shows the government doesn't consider this is a cultural project.'

The Foster plan approved by government

? 40-hectare site granted to one developer

? Winning bidder to manage the development for 30 years

? Baseline plot ratio of 1.81, but developers can negotiate higher density with the government

? 55% of the site to be covered by a canopy designed by Lord Foster

The new plan revealed yesterday

?No single developer approach: winner can develop only up to 50% of commercial and residential space and must contract out the rest, equivalent to 35% of the site

? Winning bidder to set up a $30b trust fund to maintain cultural and public facilities, including the canopy

? A statutory body to oversee operation of the cultural facilities

? Maximum plot ratio of 1.81, meaning a gross floor area of about 750,000 square metres. Housing not to exceed 20% of area

? Core cultural facilities should account for 30% of the gross floor area


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## aphasian

Sunday October 9 2005

*Hub winner faces $50b bill for building arts facilities*

Dikky Sinn

The successful bidder for the West Kowloon Cultural District could face a bill as high as $50 billion for the arts component of the project.

Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan yesterday clarified in a meeting with two lawmakers that developers would have to pay the cost of construction of the controversial canopy, art and cultural facilities and an automated train service.

This is in addition to an upfront $30 billion payment to a trust fund for the operation and maintenance of the facilities.

Independent legislator Albert Cheng King-hon estimated the construction cost could stretch the total investment on the arts component of the hub to at least $50 billion. The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors put the construction cost of the arts facilities at about $12 billion, taking the total bill to $42 billion.

'If it's $50 billion, I would not participate in the project [if I was a developer] because there's not much profit to be made,' Mr Cheng said after the meeting.

Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Michael Suen Ming-yeung yesterday said the $30 billion for the trust fund was only an assumption which was subject to changes according to annual returns and inflation. 'If these factors change in the future, the amount will be adjusted. But it will be in no relation to the profit,' he said.

Permanent Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Rita Lau Ng Wai-lan said the new requirement for the winning bidder to carve out at least half of the residential and commercial gross floor area for other developers was in response to public opinion and to encourage competition.

She said there would be mechanisms to prevent the winning developer owning all the best land at the site.

Spokesmen for Henderson Land Development and the joint bid of Sun Hung Kai Properties and Cheung Kong (Holdings) yesterday declined to comment on the new model for the project, saying they were now studying the revised plan.

Henderson chairman Lee Shau-kee said on Friday that his company would go ahead with the project if they won, even if the profit margin was small.

The government will have to start the cultural hub project all over again if two bidders decided to drop out. But Mr Cheng believed the government already had a back-up plan. The three shortlisted bidders have until the end of January to decide whether they want to stay in the running for the project.


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## aphasian

Monday October 10 2005

*Revised plan 'can dispel profit fears'*

Polly Hui

The revised plan for the West Kowloon Cultural District could retain the best of a single-developer concept and dispel public criticism over profits being pocketed by one party, the secretary for home affairs says.

Patrick Ho Chi-ping said the public had failed to see how the single-developer approach could benefit the growth of the cultural hub. He said it was only through a coherent development plan that clustering and synergistic effects could be achieved.

He said: 'We still take the single developer as a conceptual provider of the whole layout. But the developer also has to divest a lion's share of commercial interest. I think the public was more concerned about how commercial interest could be concentrated in one pocket.'

The latest plan, unveiled by Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan on Friday, has scrapped the controversial single-developer approach. It requires the winning bid to set aside half of the commercial and residential space for open bidding, implying that the developer will control only 65 per cent of the 40-hectare waterfront site, with at least 30 per cent reserved for arts and cultural facilities.

The winner will have to pay $30 billion into a trust fund for the operation of the cultural facilities and a statutory body that will run them.

Dr Ho also said the winner would only be able to make recommendations on which part of the land to carve out for bidding. The final decision would rest with the government.

Responding to criticism that the statutory body would effectively work in favour of the major developer as it would free it from the responsibility of running the cultural complex, Dr Ho admitted that the government could never please everyone.

'At the beginning, we said we would let developers run the cultural complex. But the public [said] that developers were not equipped to run it. Now we rid the developers of the task and ask the people to take over, there are criticisms again. What do you want? Should it be run by the government instead?' he said.

'I think the government is doing its best to listen to the people. After all, West Kowloon does not belong to the government. It belongs to the people in Hong Kong. They have to have a sense of ownership of this project. Do they have to like it? I think they do.'

Dr Ho said the statutory body, which is expected to be set up in 2007 at the earliest with all members appointed by the chief executive, would require different expertise at various stages.

He said talks with the three shortlisted developers - Dynamic Star International, Sunny Development and World City Culture Park - would begin soon. They have until the end of January to decide whether they want to take part in the modified plan.


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## aphasian

Wednesday October 12 2005
*
First-rate returns, second-rate facilities?*

Quinton Chan

Every company knows that there are two ways to boost profits - increase revenue and cut spending. This truism also applies to the three bidders competing for the West Kowloon Cultural District project.

The revised scheme for the development, announced by the government on Friday, appears at first to have significantly reduced the three bidders' scope to reap profits. The winning bidder will now be allowed to develop only half of the 750,000 square metres of residential and commercial gross floor area, and must contract out the rest. It has to build an arts hub and pay another $30 billion up front into a trust fund to pay for the operation and maintenance of the facilities.

The government also reduced the project's density, setting the maximum plot ratio at 1.81. All this means a 50- to 70-per-cent reduction in the proposed gross floor area for building. Some surveyors have estimated that it will cost the winning bidder an expensive $17,000 per square foot to build the commercial and residential properties there. Henderson Land chairman Lee Shau-kee said on Friday that the firm would go ahead with its bid, but that its profit would be small.

The public seems largely to support the revised scheme, which drops the controversial single-developer approach and addresses concerns that the winning bidders would reap huge profits.

Now, it may seem as if the only way the bidders can make a profit is to cut spending. Under the original plans, bidders proposed teaming up with top cultural groups like the Centre Pompidou, Guggenheim Museums, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Company, the Victoria and Albert Museum and New York's Metropolitan Museum. Will they still come to Hong Kong? Or will we end up with a second-class, rather than a world-class, cultural hub because of the harsh terms offered by the government?

The key question here is whether the revised scheme will really cut the bidders' revenue significantly.

The $30-billion advance payment sounds like a huge investment. However, all three bidders did propose to set up such a fund in their original proposals, even though they were not specific about the sum.

But is it true that the successful bidder will now make much less money than before from property sales? That seems partly true. But while the project will have less land to develop for residential and commercial purposes, the site's lower density under the revised plan will make individual properties much more expensive than before. The maximum plot ratio of just 1.81 is similar to that found on the Peak.

Compare property prices nearby. At The Arch, a luxury residential project near Kowloon Station and the cultural hub, properties sold for up to $30,000 per square foot early this year. But its plot ratio, at nine, means that the area is as densely populated as Mongkok.

So, how much would one have to pay for a harbourfront apartment in the new cultural hub, per square foot? The reduced plot ratio makes the site more exclusive: Suddenly, the estimated $17,000-per-square-foot cost to build apartments and shops in the arts hub may not sound so expensive.

The revised scheme still allows developers to make good profits. So we need to guard against them delivering a second-class development using the excuse that they face smaller profits from property sales.

As former president Jiang Zemin pointed out, it would be too simple - even naive - to believe property tycoons when they say they are willing to build a world-class cultural hub with little, or even no, profit.

Quinton Chan is the Post's deputy news editor


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## aphasian

Wednesday October 12 2005

*Artistic heritage*

Aspiring young artists now have the chance to learn painting and drawing in an inspiring historical setting.

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has recently set up its new Academy of Visual Arts in the former Royal Air Force Officers' Mess in Kowloon Bay.

The 38,000 sq ft building, which the university is renting from the government, was built in the 1930s, and is an example of early 20th century European architecture. It is categorised as a Grade I listed building.

The university has reconstructed parts of the building and the students are already having lessons there.

However, the full reconstruction project is only expected to be completed next summer as it has to follow strict guidelines set by the government's Antiquities and Monuments Office to preserve the original style of the building.

The University Grants Committee has provided the university with a $37 million start-up fund to cover the renovation and five-year rental charges for the premises.

When it is finished, the academy will have a main gallery and 12 studios for activities such as ceramics, jewellery design, installation art, photography and sculpture.

'I like the building. It is full of style and it's tranquil. The main campus is very crowded. This location provides more inspiration to study and create art,' says Year One arts student Candy Chan Ching-yi.

The 20-year-old undergraduate says that it had been her wish, since she was young, to study arts at university, but there were few opportunities for aspiring artists in Hong Kong.

Of the eight local universities, only the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and now HKBU offer fine arts degree programmes. CUHK recruits only 20 students a year.

But HKBU's new programme - a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Visual Arts - offered places to 40 students this academic year. And an additional 25 places will be provided from next year to associate degree holders for Year Two admissions.

With so few arts places available at Hong Kong universities, competition to get on HKBU's new programme was tough. This year's freshmen were selected from more than 400 applicants who had to take a sketching test and present their portfolios to professors at an interview.

Assistant Professor Choi Yan-chi says that the academy will not only provide fine arts courses, but also applied arts courses which aim to provide graduates with skills suitable for the job market.

In addition to traditional drawing, painting, aesthetics and Chinese calligraphy classes, students can also learn about exhibit design, photography, digital media and multi-media design - skills which are needed in many industries.

Student Eric Cheng Ka-wah, 19, says he is optimistic about a future career as an artist even though many people, especially in Hong Kong, think that it is a difficult way to earn a living. He explains that art graduates can work as designers, advertising directors and curators.

He also thinks that the West Kowloon Cultural District, when it is completed, will offer many more opportunities for local artists.

To learn more about the Academy and the new BA programme, visit its website, www.arts.hkbu.edu.hk/{tilde}va/


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## aphasian

Thursday October 13 2005

*A risky business*

Christine Loh

Last week's big news was the government's revised plan to take the controversial 40-hectare West Kowloon Cultural District project forward.

This week, it is the policy address. Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's ambition is to be Hong Kong's master builder. Not only does he want to put a large government complex on the Tamar site quickly; he also wants to get on with developing the old Kai Tak site.

The revised plan for West Kowloon, released last Friday, provides useful insight into how the Tsang administration makes decisions, which in turn reflects Hong Kong's trend in governance.

The government says only the three shortlisted bidders will be considered. The winner can develop up to 50 per cent of the residential and commercial space, and must contract out the rest. The plot ratio is limited to 1.81 for the entire site, and the large canopy and an automated people-mover must be built.

The developer will have to devote at least 30 per cent of the gross floor area to arts venues. Only 20 per cent of the development can be residential. Moreover, the chosen developer must pay $30 billion upfront into a trust fund to support the operating costs of the arts venues and the people-mover, and maintenance for the canopy. That fund will also pay for a new, supervisory statutory body.

A total cost of $12 billion for the arts venue has appeared in news reports, while the canopy cost is estimated at $5 billion. The total outlay for the winning developer may be in the region of $50 billion.

The government's conditions make the project very risky - especially the 20 per cent cap on residential space.

But Lee Shau-kee, chairman of Henderson Land, one of the shortlisted developers, said last week that his company would go ahead if they were chosen, even if the profit margin was small.

Let us look quickly at how risky it is. One of the bidding consortiums, Cheung Kong and Sun Hung Kai Properties, is financially strong: the firms' market capitalisations are $195 billion and $188 billion respectively. Henderson's capitalisation is smaller, as are the other consortium partners among the shortlisted bidders.

Even for the biggest of them, $50 billion upfront is a big commitment - given the 20 per cent cap on residential space. Had there not been a cap, a 20-hectare site with 30 per cent reserved for an arts venue would mean the attractive prospect of about 4 million sq ft of floor area for commercial and residential development.

Based on recent comparable sales values, revenues could be around $60 billion and, with current construction cost per square feet around $2,000 for higher-end properties, the profit potential would still be good.

Thus, once the project was awarded, the share prices of the winning partners would probably rise, to reflect the profit potential. That would help them raise capital for the project.

Under the current terms, however, the profit potential is less certain and the risk higher. Nor is it clear when the rest of the site will be tendered for others to bid.

Some might say that if the developers want to take the risk, let them. The truth is, the chosen developer will be taking the risk via their companies and shareholders. The question is how their shareholders feel about it. What if minority shareholders decide to take legal action against the directors for taking unreasonable risks?

Further, the government has said the revised plan is open for negotiation. Does this mean that none of these revised conditions matters in the end?

Surely, it would be better to start all over again with a truly transparent and well-thought-out process that is an example of good governance instead of going through such contortions.

Christine Loh Kung-wai is chief executive of the think-tank Civic Exchange

[email protected]


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## aphasian

Thursday October 13 2005

*Pet park proposal for West Kowloon*

Patsy Moy

An animal welfare agency wants a pet park to be established near the proposed West Kowloon cultural hub, and says it will urge the government to make more parks accessible to pets.

The Society for Abandoned Animals chief executive officer Chan Suk-kuen said yesterday the West Kowloon reclamation area would make a perfect site as it was easily accessible but away from residential areas, which would prevent complaints from residents.

Ms Chan said the society would make its appeal to the government through the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong.

'Facilities for pets are not up to date in Hong Kong. We hope that the government can make some facilities for pets here,' she said.

'As the birth rate of children keeps declining, we see more people keeping pets. The number of dogs is probably greater than the population of toddlers. But the government has failed to facilitate the needs of pets and their owners.'

There are an estimated 150,000 cats and 120,000 dogs kept as pets in Hong Kong.

The society will stage a signature campaign next month to appeal to the government to open more parks for pets.

Ms Chan complained that there were only six public parks at present.

'We are asking the government to designate a small area in parks for animals, instead of opening the whole area to them, as we understand that some people may not like animals,' Ms Chan said.

'Most families here live in small flats and there are not enough facilities for their pets, which gives many pet owners a serious headache when they try to take their pets out for activities. It is dangerous to take animals outside due to the heavy traffic. We have seen many dogs hit by cars. So pets are usually kept in small flats all day.'

The Home Affairs Bureau said last night it had not received the society's proposal but would welcome any public ideas about developing West Kowloon.

The animal welfare organisation is keeping about 180 dogs and 70 cats that have been abandoned, as well as dozens of other animals including rabbits, two chickens, two pigs and five goats.

'There were originally two goats instead of five,' Ms Chan said.

'The two goats were smuggled from the mainland into Hong Kong by some construction workers who tried to cook them. But some people informed police after they saw them at a construction site in Tuen Mun. The pair later gave birth to three babies and the family has been staying with us for 21/2 years.'

The Society for Abandoned Animals, the DAB and GP Net Association, a social welfare group, are organising a carnival 'Hello Pet Win Win Day' at Mongkok's Macpherson Playground on October 30 for pet owners and their animals.


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## aphasian

Saturday October 22 2005

*Tsang's creative arts centre a misconceived idea in artists' eyes*

Rex Aguado

Unsurprisingly, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's policy speech last week again showed the government's apparent stance on culture and the creative arts industry: very minimalist in approach and highly conceptual in nature.

Minimalist because Mr Tsang promised - characteristically without details - that the government would build a 'creative arts centre' in a vacant Shekkipmei factory in Kowloon.

Conceptual because Mr Tsang said studies - whenever or by whoever, nobody knows - would also be done to help develop the cultural and creative industries. And hyper-conceptual, as Mr Tsang vaguely vowed the government 'will consider' setting up a think-tank to promote local talent and expertise.

In any case, in the spirit of teasing out the government's cultural and arts policy, Weekender canvassed the views of some players in Hong Kong's burgeoning arts scene.

Three subjects - a practising artist, a curator of a publicly subsidised arts space and the owner-director of a privately funded gallery - were asked to fantasise about writing their own arts policy speeches. The results, as with most things in the art world, are inspiring - and controversial.

First off is John Batten, the owner-director of an eponymous gallery in SoHo, off Elgin Street. Mr Batten is known for his bluntness and he minces no words on the undemocratic genesis of the highly contentious West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) project.

'This is a multibillion-dollar project and no one - either government officials or any of the architectural designers [who joined the design contest for the district] - has actually canvassed opinions of this project's potential users, such as the commercial art galleries.'

At the very basic level, he wonders why the government is insisting on building an arts and cultural precinct in West Kowloon when Hong Kong Island is host to an art district that has grown and evolved organically. 'Let me be very blunt - the West Kowloon area will not and never will be Hong Kong's art and entertainment area,' he says.

'The reality is, it is already in place and it is on Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong's art galleries have already decided and it is obvious why the SoHo area has emerged as the pre-eminent arts area: good transportation, including the Mid-Levels escalator, reasonable rents, proximity to the Central Business District and Hollywood Road's antique shops, Lan Kwai Fong and a middle-class neighbourhood.'

Of course, all of these will likely change with the government's plan to 'regenerate' the SoHo area through a massive 'urban renewal project' - Mr Batten's current bete noire.

Joel Ferraris, a Filipino artist based in Hong Kong who has been involved in some public mural projects, also wonders why the government is willing to spend so much money on WKCD.

He believes the city has a surfeit of potential art space - the huge lobbies of privately owned buildings.

'The spacious lobbies and other strategic spaces indoors and outdoors could offer suitable exhibition venues and other art-and-culture-related events to artists. These must be all for free. Therefore, there's no need actually to build more exhibition areas or centres and waste more money,' he says.

German-born Tobias Berger, executive director and curator of Para/Site Art Space in Sheung Wan, also has some concerns about the WKCD.

'The planned [cultural district] will include a new super-sized museum. Unfortunately, its form, function, content and finances are a mystery at the moment,' he says.

'It seems like it will be another attempt of the Hong Kong government to have private investors pay for the building and running of cultural institutions instead of taking own responsibility.'

Mr Berger's group is actually one of a handful of grant recipients of the government-funded Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Still, he believes more can be done, such as encouraging arts exchanges between Hong Kong and the rest of the Pearl River Delta.

Mr Batten says another problem that has led to a seemingly stunted growth in the local arts market is the lack of a reliable base of collectors.

He says one glaring policy fault is the way the government has structured its culture and arts institutions - largely through the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) - which are dominated by bureaucrats who hardly interact with the arts community.

'The LCSD [with a budget of more than $2 billion] makes up the greatest amount of arts and cultural funding in Hong Kong but most of this goes to mid-management bureaucrats 'managing' events or venues,' he says. 'This is a serious waste of public money.'

Mr Batten recalls meeting two Singapore Tourist Board officials who found their way into his gallery.

'I was invited to participate in the next Singapore Art Fair. They also informed me about tax concessions and other incentives if I were to relocate my business from Hong Kong to Singapore.'

So far, Mr Batten has decided to stay. Although the expected spike in rents from the government's SoHo regeneration project may just force him to move down south to Singapore - another gallery less just when Hong Kong needs a legion of them to fill West Kowloon.


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## aphasian

Thursday October 27 2005

*Management of cultural hub to cost at least $566m a year*

Chloe Lai

The government estimates it will cost about $566 million a year to run the West Kowloon Cultural District - but a critic of the project is calling the figure an underestimate.

The estimate was disclosed for the first time in a paper prepared for the Legislative Council.

The document said the sum would cover the core arts and cultural facilities, giant canopy and automated people mover, and the operation of the statutory body to be set up to operate the facilities.

It expressed confidence a $30 billion trust fund - to be set up by the development consortium that wins the tender for the project - would be enough to cover the arts hub's operation.

But a critic said the government had underestimated the amount it would need to run the cultural facilities, which include three theatres with a seating capacity of at least 2,000, 800 and 400 seats, a performance venue with at least 10,000 seats, four museums, an arts exhibition centre, a water amphitheatre and at least four piazzas.

Ada Wong Ying-kay, of the People's Panel on West Kowloon, said the Cultural Centre alone needed $100 million a year to operate and the Hong Kong Museum of Art close to $80 million.

She said: 'We must bear in mind the Museum of Art does not have many programmes.' She estimates the four museums will require $300 million a year.

Ms Wong hopes the government can break down the operating cost into individual budget items so academics can have a meaningful examination of the finances.

Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan announced in Legco two weeks ago that the winning developer would have to contribute at least $30 billion to a trust fund to pay for the arts hub's operation.

He said the winning bidder needed to carve out at least half the residential and commercial land on the site for other developers to bid for.

The government stressed in the document submitted to Legco that the timetable and format for the division of land would be decided by the government.

On the sensitive issue of whether the winning developer would reserve the prime land for itself, the government said: 'It depends on the proponents' response.'

It promised the statutory body would have an independent secretariat.


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## aphasian

Saturday October 29 2005

*Pompidou, Guggenheim join forces
*
Staff reporter

France's Centre Pompidou that had declared it could not possibly co-operate with the 'second-class' Guggenheim Foundation has now teamed up with the American group to make a joint proposal for a museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District.

The two museums announced yesterday that they would work with short-listed West Kowloon bidder Dynamic Star International to provide 'a world-class cultural complex' devoted to modern and contemporary art, the moving image and design.

Pompidou was a strategic partner of Sun Hung Kai Properties and Guggenheim teamed up with Cheung Kong (Holdings) before the two developers joined forces to form the Dynamic Star consortium.

Before yesterday's announcement it had appeared the two museum groups would operate separate establishments if Dynamic Star, one of three on the government's short list, won the project.

The pair said now, 'rather than pursue parallel paths', they would 'collaborate as equal partners'.

It seems to represent a remarkable climb-down by Pompidou, whose executives haughtily declared late last year they would never co-operate with the 'second-class' Guggenheim, which ran its museums 'like Coca-Cola factories'.

'We are world-class, they are second-class,' Pompidou's chief curator Alain Sayag told the South China Morning Post in Paris in December. 'It is impossible the two of us will merge and run West Kowloon,' he said, adding that 'The US culture [in Hong Kong] is too strong and we need to have a presence in Asia to counterbalance the American influence'.

Pompidou president Bruno Racine said the two groups had different concepts and 'we're not interested in managing a museum together with Guggenheim'.

Centre Pompidou spokeswoman Roya Nasser yesterday said Mr Racine had been in Hong Kong about 10 days ago. She said the decision to make a joint approach had been made a few days ago.

Yesterday's announcement noted the two museums intended to work closely with Hong Kong cultural partners on the West Kowloon project and might bring in other major institutions.


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## aphasian

Saturday November 5 2005
*
Local talent can be retained if arts master's are gained*

Some institutes are trying to keep graduate talent here by putting more into postgraduate programmes in fine arts, writes Stephanie Harrington

In pragmatic Hong Kong, a perception exists that fine arts are not something one studies seriously at university, never mind at the postgraduate level.

With finance, business, management and information technology topping the popularity lists of postgraduate programmes offered at local tertiary institutions and other private providers, supporting the arts to the average Hong Kong resident may translate into buying tickets for Stomp, Rent or the latest hyped - and imported - production that rolls into the city.

In his recent policy address, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said: 'Cultural and creative industries can propel the economy to a new level.' In Britain, this sector had an annual growth of 8 per cent from 1997 to 2001 due to government support. The same sector accounted for only 4 per cent of Hong Kong's GDP. Mr Tsang said the territory's growth was stunted by limited fostering of creative talent.

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (APA) could play a large role in nurturing local talent up to the managerial level with the introduction of five master's programmes by 2008, including master's degrees in fine arts in its schools of dance and music, tentatively by next year.

The degrees would help fill a gap in practice-based postgraduate programmes for the performing arts, said Herbert Huey Man-chiu, associate director of administration and registrar for the APA.

'We are thinking of performance and practice-based master's giving in-depth training to students inclined to have performance as their ultimate goal,' Mr Huey said.

Although University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University and Chinese University of Hong Kong have postgraduate programmes in the arts, Mr Huey said these were more theory and pedagogically based. Currently, graduates of APA's undergraduate programmes in drama, film and TV, music, dance and technical arts have to study overseas if they want a performance-oriented education, he said.

'The master's programmes will help in slow steps to build an arts and culture hub in the sense of training enough people to take up leadership and management positions,' Mr Huey said. 'When the programmes come on people will realise there are sufficient numbers of people to take up the development of arts and culture. Otherwise, we're talking about hardware, not software,' he said, referring to the government's proposed West Kowloon Cultural District.

With 750 full-time students studying from diploma to bachelor's degree levels and 1,000 junior students enrolled in various programmes, the APA expects to accommodate 100 postgraduate students across its five schools when the master's degrees are introduced. It is hoped the APA's schools of dance and music will both inaugurate master's courses in the next academic year. The self-financed programmes could be streamed, depending on demand, into modern or Chinese dance or choreography at its school of dance. Master's degrees in music may be offered on different instruments and in composition or conducting, Mr Huey said.

The drama school may introduce a programme in directing next year, with acting and perhaps scriptwriting to follow. The film and TV school will tentatively begin a master's degree focused on screenwriting or feature film-making in 2007.

A master's degree in technical arts, with specialisations in stage management, lighting, sound and costume design, is planned for the year beginning 2008.

'It's a natural progression for us. We believe we have now come of age to contemplate moving a notch higher [in our programming],' said Mr Huey.

The School of Creative Media at City University of Hong Kong plans to train the critics. The school will tentatively have its first intake of students for a master's in media culture in the 2006 academic year. Designed to complement its master of fine arts in media design and technology, the new self-financed programme will produce students with the ability to critically analyse media culture.

It has not been decided if the degree will be offered full-time or part-time, but Dr James Moy, dean of the School of Creative Media, expects there to be demand for the programme considering the role visual culture plays in society.

'We speak of literacy, English and Chinese literacy. What we're involved in is visual literacy, how to read it and be smart. We try to train our people to be not merely technicians but to be smart, socially aware and culturally aware,' he said. Meanwhile, the school will continue its work in advanced digital media including virtual reality.

The Art School, Hong Kong Arts Centre, has enjoyed steady enrolment in its master of fine arts programme, offered in collaboration with RMIT University in Australia. Introduced two years ago, there are 28 students in the first part-time, studio-based group and 21 in the second group.

Programme coordinator Dr Ho Siu-kee credited the government's education reforms. 'Society is really changing from an education perspective,' Dr Ho said. 'I think creativity has become more of a focus, more of an emphasis in education reforms. People are much more willing to talk about it.'


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## aphasian

Saturday November 5 2005

*Lack of curators hinders growth*

Crystal Tai

A SHORTAGE of art curators and other art professionals in the city is holding back the industry's expansion in Hong Kong, experts say.

'A curator is like an editor of a magazine. They find the best ways to bring out the issues of the theme [in art exhibitions] that you want to explore,' said Christina Li, assistant curator of Para/Site Art Space in Sheung Wan.

'They represent the art space [and] make the decisions on exhibition pieces.'

Before the arrival of art curator Tobias Berger, programmes at Para/Site were determined by the artists submitting their proposals. But now Mr Berger decides on the themes and generates the interaction between artists and ideas.

'They are essentially the [spokesmen] for the artists and space,' Ms Li emphasised.

There are other types of jobs in the co-ordination and presentation of art. For example, Para/Site employs a project co-ordinator, a gallery manager, a curator and/or an executive director as well as an assistant curator.

In addition, with the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District Project, many new jobs will be created within the sector.

In a press release last year, the then chief secretary for administration Donald Tsang said 'in the long run, this project will create for the local job market over 1,000 posts engaged in the operation and management of the arts and cultural facilities in the district'.

So those looking to get into the art industry might be in luck over the next few years.

In terms of training, there is little available in Hong Kong for prospective candidates looking to become art curators. Courses in art history and fine arts are offered at most higher learning institutions, but official training for curators must be done overseas.

Mr Berger plans to train one curator for each of the three years he will be in Hong Kong.

'Right now the [art] scene is quite young,' Ms Li said. 'But hopefully the whole standard [of] the art scene will benefit, as the quality of Hong Kong art will improve by having new people [and] work and ideas brought in.'


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## aphasian

Tuesday November 8 2005
*
Community input key to success of arts hub
*
May Chan

The West Kowloon Cultural District project is doomed if it continues with its tourism-oriented and top-down approach, a renowned international cultural consultant has predicted.

Robert Palmer, who has been adviser to European, North American and Southeast Asian countries on cultural planning for more than 20 years, warned that 'cultural development is not a mathematical formula'.

He was speaking at a seminar titled 'Business and the Funding of Culture' yesterday, sponsored by Citigroup and organised by the University of Hong Kong and the South China Morning Post.

Mr Palmer, who spent 10 years overseeing a cultural regeneration project in Glasgow, now advises to the European Commission.

'If the project aims to attract tourists, it is doomed given the volatile nature of tourism.

'The government has been preoccupied with property issues and tourism, instead of thinking about the project's details.

'It does not look into the relationship between different elements. It is like closing your eyes and putting your money somewhere without understanding how the cultural system operates.'

He urged Hong Kong to learn from other cities to avoid the pitfalls in cultural development.

Traditional cultural master plans were losing their attractiveness across the globe, Mr Palmer said.

These plans, while offering a legal framework and land use, failed to address key intangible factors, including memories, stories and attitudes of local people. Instead, they led to divisions in society, which in turn limited the impact of the plans.

For example, although public consultations were held, the public could only vote on details of the plan rather than participating in constructing the framework.

This had cost several US states and European countries dearly, he said, as they now had to remedy the damage caused by their flawed polices.

'I encourage the Hong Kong government to decentralise decision-making in the West Kowloon project,' Mr Palmer said.

'Cultural planning needs to be horizontal and holistic, joining things up rather than continuing the city's history of fabrication and disassociation.

'The government needs to map out the cultures in the city to identify the resources it already has, and focus on capacity building and sustainability.'

Alan Leong Kah-kit, who sits on the Legislative Council's subcommittee on the West Kowloon Cultural District, said community needs were ignored in the project.

'The government has admitted that the museums, coliseums and exhibition place it requires of the project is supply-led instead of need-based,' Mr Leong said.

A transcript of the conference is available at http://conferences. scmp.com


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## hkskyline

aphasian said:


> I started reading this thread a few days ago and am about 80% through EVERYTHING. hkskyline and hkth, thank you both for posting so much relevant info!
> 
> However, I noticed that in hkskyline's reconstruction of the thread, there is a huge gap between April 2005 and Feb 2006...which wouldn't matter so much except for that this was the CRUCIAL period when the project first faltered.
> 
> Is there a way to find the articles from this period without having to download them all from the SCMP website?


Thanks for your support. I believe the previous thread was deleted, but we have a backup in the Hong Kong forum that covers the period you mentioned :

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=222601

However, the posts are not always in chronological order. You can see the post-April articles in the first few pages.

Happy browsing.


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## aphasian

Thursday November 10 2005

*Shortlisted developer warns of delays if new bids are sought*

May Chan 

Re-tendering the West Kowloon Cultural District project will only cause further delay, one of the shortlisted developers warned yesterday.

Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong, vice-chairman of Sun Hung Kai Properties, also said there were still a lot of uncertainties over the project, including design requirements and the operation of a $30 billon trust fund for arts facilities.

'The West Kowloon project involves complicated issues, and the preparation work for the tender will take one to two years,' he said.

Mr Kwok was speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for the International Commerce Centre, a 118-storey tower which will be the tallest building in Hong Kong and third-tallest in the world on its completion in 2010.

Hung Lung Properties chairman Ronnie Chan Chi-chung demanded on Tuesday that the government order a new round of tenders for the project.

The administration scrapped the unpopular single-developer approach in September. However, the three shortlisted proponents - Dynamic Star International, a Sun Hung Kai Properties and Cheung Kong (Holdings) consortium; Sunny Development, a joint venture between Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings) and Chinese Estates Holdings; and World City Culture Park, a subsidiary of Henderson Land - were allowed to go ahead bidding for the key parts of the project.

However, Colin Lam Ko-yin, vice-chairman of Henderson Land, was open to the possibility of re-tendering.

'The site in West Kowloon is a very precious piece of land to the public, and it involves huge investments,' he said. 'Detailed studies to maximise its economic benefits may be worth pursuing.'


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## aphasian

Friday November 11 2005

*Hub talks focus on management, $30b trust fund*
Chloe Lai 

Negotiations between the government and bidders for the arts hub project in West Kowloon will largely concentrate on how to finance the $30 billion trust fund and whether the developer will have a say in the operation of the cultural facilities.

Shortlisted bidders for the West Kowloon Cultural District project said they needed to find out from the government whether they had to pay the requested $30 billion up front.

'There are other ways of funding; it doesn't necessarily [have to] be paid in advance and in cash,' one of the bidders said.

'It is better for us to pay after we generate revenue from the project a few years later.'

They also stressed that because arts and cultural programmes complemented commercial activities, their participation would be crucial in the operation of the museums, theatres and performance venues. It is understood the government wrote to the three shortlisted bidders to ask if they would still be interested in competing after new requirements were added last month. They had until the end of January to reply.

'Financial assessments are needed before we can make any decision. So we need to clarify with the government a number of things,' another bidder said.

A Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties joint venture, Dynamic Star International, the World City Cultural Park, which is wholly owned by Henderson Land, and a Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings) and Chinese Estates Holdings consortium, Sunny Development, were shortlisted to compete for the arts hub project.

Last month, Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan announced additional requirements the bidders would have to comply with, in the hope of assuaging critics of the project.

The government scrapped the single-developer approach, lowered the development density, significantly reduced the residential component and demanded that the bidder that wins the rights to develop two-thirds of the site provide at least $30 billion to set up a trust fund to pay for the operation of the arts facilities.

The winner will be responsible for building the arts and cultural facilities as well as profit-generating properties within the part of the site it controls. A statutory body will be set up to oversee the development. An official involved in the project said the issue of whether the winner retained the right to manage the arts and cultural facilities for 30 years would be discussed at a later stage.

Sources said most of the new restrictions were not a major concern for the developers. One bidder said: 'From what the government has said, it seems the money generated from selling the carved-up land to other developers will form part of the trust fund, so it doesn't matter if we can't have the entire site. But we must get confirmation from the government.'


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## aphasian

Monday November 14 2005

*Fleeting glimpse of the harbour's potential*


Victoria Harbour is Hong Kong's greatest natural asset and two separate festivals celebrated that fact yesterday.

The two sets of activities were not co-ordinated - the organisers were seemingly holding disparate events. But their focuses were essentially the same - to uphold the magnificence of the harbour and to engender greater appreciation and enjoyment of it.

Coming at a time when there has never been greater concern about harbourside development, the crowds that took part in both proved activists are not the only ones eager to embrace what nature has so spectacularly given us. They flocked to see displays of craft and waterside sporting events and to take part in tours of an environment they live around, but rarely experience so closely.

The government, which has for too long seen the harbour as a means to generate land revenue and relieve traffic congestion through reclamation, should take note: it is also for public enjoyment.

Harbour Day, with the backing of some of the city's biggest companies and corporations, including the South China Morning Post, evolved from the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's annual Around the Island race. Held for the first time, its organisers aimed to showcase the harbour's life and energy by bringing people to attractions.

The government was closely involved. A parade of vessels on Kowloon Bay included its fire boats and Lady Maurine, the weekend cruiser of former governors, while its approval was needed for use of sites such as Kai Tak. This - and the participation of some of the big property developers - prompted sceptics to view the event as a public relations exercise in the face of criticism.

But the aim was to draw people to the harbour and open eyes and minds to this underused resource. The objective was, in this sense, the same as that of the other celebration, Harbour Week, which culminated in a carnival in Wan Chai yesterday. Harbour Week was organised by anti-reclamation groups. The Society for Protection of the Harbour, the Action Group on Protection of the Harbour and Friends of the Harbour combined forces to stage events in the hope of increasing public opposition to government plans to reclaim land in Central and Wan Chai.

Both events come at a timely moment. The government plans to use the Tamar site for its new headquarters. An opportunity to provide the public with much-needed open space on this prime waterside site could, as a result, be missed. A landmark court decision frustrated the government's plans for reclamation in Wan Chai. But the future development of this area is in doubt.

Meanwhile, reclamation in Central continues as part of plans for a bypass that will include the development of large, low-level buildings dubbed 'groundscrapers'.

The West Kowloon harbourside area has been earmarked for a museum and art district. But much of the site has been set aside for commercial and residential buildings. The extent to which the cultural district improves the public's access to the harbour remains to be seen.

Similarly, uncertainties abound about the old airport site at Kai Tak. Just 15 per cent of the harbourside is currently available for public use, an appallingly small amount for such a natural treasure. A visit to Sydney, San Francisco, Copenhagen or any number of cities beside arguably lesser harbours or bays reveals kilometres of promenades, restaurants, museums and aquariums - attractions we should have and do not.

Tourists are rightly baffled as to why our waterfront is generally closed to public use or blocked by roads that are a hindrance and an eyesore, when so much beauty lies beyond. If efforts to clean up the harbour are genuine, we should be able to enjoy clear, sweet-smelling waters from up close, not looking down from a glassed-in, air-conditioned restaurant. We should be able to walk beside and enjoy the scene, not see it as a blur from a passing vehicle.

Yesterday's festivals were a wakeup call for Hong Kong's people: now it is time for the government to also wake up to the public demand and possibilities.


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## gladisimo

deej said:


> Interesting thoughts.
> 
> While I agree with you that creative arts should be left to 'find their own space' without government intervention, my belief is that if the government needs to kick-start this process and play an active role in creating the "hardware".
> 
> Part of this is cultural. In places like the US, many of the museums had their start through wealthy collectors (Solomon Guggenheim, for example). I can't see Li Ka-Shing or the Kwok family doing something like that (although they are generous donors in other ways). Moreover, while this is changing, I think many HKers don't see creative arts necessarily as a good career. In any case, one can hope that WKCD won't just be another iconic building, but that funding will also go to supporting various cultural groups who would use the new venues.
> 
> Add in the fact that tourism is an important economic driver and that other Asian cities are also trying to lay claim as a cultural hub, you can see why the government is so keen to try to use West Kowloon as a differentiator. I don't think an opera house and another shopping center would cut it.
> 
> HK doesn't yet compare to NY or London, but when it comes to "serious culture", it has come a long way from even a few years ago.


I believe there are a few collectors in HK, and even more collectors that use collection as a means of investment. Whether they would showcase their collections, however, is another question. If its an open square type where it can be used as a venue, without being so large and so deliberately cultural, it can work, but there have been plenty of other spaces that could've been used for the same purpose, (I'm thinking of TST east), developing a new area (see the irony here?) specifically for that is puzzling. 

Hong Kong has always had a certain depth of culture, maybe not as much as Paris or New York, but certainly internationally second tier, at least, it's just been that it has not been brought into the international view (other than movies), and gain the international recognition (the gov't is needed here) that Paris or NY might have.


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## hkskyline

The key is to give a platform for various cultural aspects to express themselves, and a cultural district is an overall signal that we no longer look at economic development from a financial perspective only. This is a good shift, and the willingness to spend the money to do this is an important policy shift.

However, to do this with expectations of profit or breakeven results is not the right approach. Cultural facilities do not usually generate good returns.


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong’s other soul ; A debate is going on in Hong Kong right now... *
27 August 2009
Business Standard

A debate is going on in Hong Kong right now as to whether it needs a Bilbao-type visual icon to transform its cultural landscape or just a plain-vanilla makeover to boost its image as an Asian cultural hub. At the heart of the debate is the government’s $2.7 billion plan to develop West Kowloon as an integrated cultural district where a string of theatres and concert halls would coexist with a full-fledged modern art museum.

Three top architectural firms — Foster & Partners, led by Norman Foster, the Office of Metropolitan Architecture led by Rem Koolhaas, and Rocco Design Architects — have been asked to produce a concept plan. The seed of the debate had been sown when Foster’s earlier submission, later rejected as being too ambitious, offered a design that would have eclipsed Singapore’s Esplanade in sheer novelty and established Hong Kong, China’s Special Administrative Region, as one of Asia’s foremost architectural and cultural destinations.

Foster had envisioned a grandiose pleasure garden on a section of reclaimed land on the West Kowloon waterfront, integrating a series of arts, performance, and leisure venues on an extensive cultural park within a dramatic, all-enveloping glass canopy. It would have been a unique addition to Hong Kong’s already vibrant landscape, providing people a special reason to visit the territory, just as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, designed by the famous Canadian architect Frank Gehry, draws hordes of tourists to the Spanish industrial city and has changed its economy.

But even as the architectural consultants put their heads together to produce a more workable concept plan, nobody disputes that, given Hong Kong’s rich creative energy, generated by its enormous commercial and business prowess, the territory deserves to have a permanent home for the arts.

Hong Kong’s art ambitions have risen significantly in recent years, especially in light of its growing importance as an international art market. Both Sotheby’s and Christie’s have offices in the territory, where their auctions of Asian art are among top international art events, and the Hong Kong International Art Fair (Art HK), launched only a year ago, is already a huge success. Hong Kong’s affluence, its proximity to the Chinese mainland where buying power is growing exponentially, and its total tax immunity on the import, export, and sale of art have combined to give the territory an extraordinary marketing advantage.

In terms of auction sales, Hong Kong is already the third largest art market in the world, after New York and London, and the new-found world interest in Asian art, especially Chinese and Indian, as well affluent Asians’ interest in Western art, is fast transforming the place into a connoisseurs’ den, a kind of Basel of the East.

This year’s Art HK brought together 115 galleries from 26 countries and drew more than 27,000 visitors during its four-day run. The participants included Tokyo’s top contemporary art dealer Tonio Koyama, London’s influential Lisson Gallery and White Cube, and international mega-dealer Gagosian. The international importance of this event was emphasized when Damien Hirst’s Tranquillity, from his Butterfly series, fetched $1.71 million, making it the most expensive Hirst sold till now in Asia.

Contemporary art from China, Korea, and India have seen meteoric price gains in recent years. At a Christie’s auction last May, a 1985 oil painting by Chinese master artist Zao Wou-ki fetched $1.2 million.

This October, the peak season in Hong Kong for major international art dealers, collectors, and connoisseurs, Sotheby’s will offer for its autumn sales over 2,300 lots of modern and contemporary Chinese and Southeast Asian art valued in excess of $100 million.

Sotheby’s has been in Hong Kong since 1973 and Christie’s since 1986, but it’s only recently that their auctions have drawn special international attention. Seoul Auction, South Korea’s leading auction house is the latest to set up an office in the territory. As art biennales and triennales spread across China to create more potential buyers, it’s only logical that Hong Kong should raise its cultural game.

The West Kowloon Cultural District is the latest in a series of developments that have helped substantially to give Hong Kong’s hard business-city shell a soft cultural soul. Hong Kong has long been a pioneer of modernist architecture in Asia. Sir Lawrence Kadoorie’s legendary collection of jade sculpture is only one example of Hong Kong’s exceptionally vigorous tradition of corporate art. And Henry Moore’s Double Oval in Exchange Square has been an abiding influence in preparing the ground for Hong Kong’s espousal of public art in a big way in recent years.

The Tung Chung Artwalk at Yat Tung Township, the Sculpture Walk in Kowloon Park, and the interactive Island East Artwalk, developed by Swire Properties, are only a few examples of how the promotion of art and culture is now as important a concern for Hong Kong as moneymaking.


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## hkskyline

Source : http://www.fotop.net/Sky/


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## hkskyline

*51 vying for top post at arts hub *
8 September 2009
South China Morning Post

Fifty-one people are competing for the top job at the West Kowloon arts hub, lawmakers were told yesterday.

Sin Chung-kai, chairman of the remuneration committee of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Board, said: "We are not just looking for someone who has worked in a cultural organisation - that is not enough. We need someone who has had actual involvement in arts.

"We stress the importance of the candidates' professional standing and leadership in the cultural sector."

The authority's chief executive must have 20 years' experience at the senior-executive level of a multifaceted organisation covering strategic development, financial planning and business modelling. He or she should also have experience in arts and culture, and be able to master a broad range of stakeholder relations in both the public and private sectors.

The authority had also received 16 applications for the post of executive director of performing arts policy, and 13 for executive director of museum policy, Sin said.

Priority would be given to getting these directors so that they would join the chief executive and the authority board in selecting the rest of the management team.

Thomas Tang Wing-hung, director of the Comics and Animation Federation, suggested the hub set aside space to set up production companies for his industry.

Tang Siu-wah, for the Literary Museum Initiative, said her group had gathered 500 signatures from writers and scholars backing a move to have a museum built at the hub.

Tang's group had advocated a place for literature in the "other arts and cultural facilities", for which 15,000 square metres was set aside.

Project director Augustine Ng Wah-keung told Tang to build up the proposal and it would be forwarded to the building consultants.


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## hkskyline

*Focus on 'software' side to fostering arts *
11 September 2009
SCMP

The West Kowloon Cultural District promises an art museum, theatres and other cultural and artistic "hardware", but what about the "software"?

Worried that Hong Kong neglects less visible forces underpinning the arts, the Home Affairs Bureau has already planned Creative October, featuring more than 40 programmes with 200 activities, to get things moving.

And now the government, with Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen having identified culture and the arts as one of six economic pillars, has set up a group to drive the project forwards.

A committee aims to break down the walls between government departments and co-ordinate initiatives to nurture cultural "software" and creative industries.

The Steering Committee on Culture and Creativity will be co-chaired by Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Carrie Yau Tsang Ka-lai and Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Communications and Technology) Duncan Pescod.

Yau said establishing the committee was the result of public demand.

"The media and the cultural sectors constantly remind us not to forget about cultural software development and cultivation of audiences for the future arts hub," she said.

Departments and bureaus would be better able to foster cultural and creative industries when working together.

Other members on the committee come from the Education Bureau, which aims to boost arts education among youngsters; the Home Affairs Department, which will co-ordinate district events; the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, which is the government's main presenter of artistic and cultural events; and CreateHK, which promotes creative industries and administers the HK$300 million CreateSmart Initiative funding scheme.

Yau yesterday also pushed the Creative October campaign, which hopes to boost the city's cultural life. The Tourism Board and the government's overseas offices will help promote the campaign internationally.

She hoped that Creative October could be an annual event. Fending off criticism that it was too similar to the Arts Festival, Yau said that next month's event focused more on community and young artists, as well as the audience.

"We hope to promote art in our lives so that a family gathering could be more than just a dinner or going to karaoke," she said. "Attending an art event is also an option."

Art critic Oscar Ho Hing-kay welcomed the formation of the new committee but said such measures had yet to solve the core issues. Ho said deeper discussion was needed.

"Taiwan is selling culture. Singapore is also selling culture. So culturally what makes us outstanding?" he asked.

Ho said that defining Hong Kong's cultural character was essential in the long run. "They can't keep using cliches like East meeting West," he said. "East meets West in Shanghai, and also in Singapore."

Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum cultural leaders from the region exchange views on cultural policies and developments in culture and the arts

October Contemporary city-wide exhibitions of contemporary visual arts

Community arts festivals street performances of dance and drama in the city's 18 districts

Silk Road Arts Festival performances and exhibitions celebrating the history of the ancient trade route between Asia and Europe, presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department

Julius Caesar performed by more than 100 primary school students, and with the story moved to Bali, presented by Shakespeare4All

Zampa Ufujishi Daiko Majestic Drums XIII Okinawa drum group Zampa Ufujishi Daiko's return to Hong Kong, presented by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra

Architecture Is Art Festival Musical and stage performances, lectures and an exhibition, presented by Zuni Icosahedron.


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## hkskyline

*HAB statement on cultural software investment *
Friday, September 18, 2009
Government Press Release

In response to media enquiries, a Home Affairs Bureau spokesman said today (September 18) the Government invests heavily in strengthening cultural software.

"We invest no less than $880 million directly into arts groups and programmes, of which close to $220 million is allocated to the nine flagship performing companies per year," the spokesman said.

"To encourage the flagship companies to engage in more outreach and outbound activities, on top of their baseline allocation, they are allocated an additional $45 million a year for 2008/09 and 2009/10. The $45 million extra allocation is one-off in nature. In accordance with the normal cycle for allocating extra resources to sustain past initiatives, whether similar allocation is forthcoming will not be known until later in the year.

"Funding the flagships is only one of the many means to build our cultural software. We are also committed to building the capacity of our performing arts companies, including the small and budding groups; building a wider audience base; targeting young people especially, and strengthening arts education and manpower training."


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## hkskyline

*Cultural district must be able to interact with diverse community *
1 October 2009
South China Morning Post

There is a sign seen in a Shanghai hotel, which reads, "Please leave your values at the front desk."

With further consultation about to commence on development of West Kowloon Cultural District, it may be helpful to look at how values informed consultative processes elsewhere and determined their outcomes. Decisions were made, deferred and overturned, then their loss nostalgically grieved over. More consultative groups were formed and reformed, individual taxpayer and collective agendas addressed and readdressed.

Iconic plans fell among thorns, were too shallowly rooted, or could not gather adequate life-giving civic and communal support and when the projects began they drew new waves of protest.

The examples might have been taken from London, New York or Sydney. Given quite different weights of history, the parallels could hardly resonate with the specific chronology of West Kowloon Cultural District, yet drawing parallels at a broader level, perhaps, exemplifies some of the confines and limits to which consultative processes are subject, in particular, where multiple stakeholders are drawn in.

Despite the importance of plans, design and architecture for the cultural district, what matters are not the apprehensions of making a wrong choice of architect, nor of understandable anxieties in making inappropriate aesthetic choices over buildings, but issues of focus, form, and functionality. These need to be thoroughly aired, addressed and readdressed through open discussion, inclusive of all concerned parties where differing or ambivalent views are respected and the ramifications of decisions taken are made known at an early stage.

Leaving one's baggage at the front desk is one thing, leaving one's values quite another.

The values and dynamic relationships we invest in a sustainable cultural district matter, if it is to become integral to all our lives. Constructive engagement of the community, moving from consultation to collaboration, can work.

An integrated cultural district is just that, one integrated in every sense, through art-form proximity, symbiotic local and international activity, commercial and residential development, and by interacting with a diverse community, the convert, the consensual and the sceptic.

Kevin Thompson, director, Academy for Performing Arts


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## hkskyline

By *vincent852* from dchome :


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## hkskyline

*Architect vows to integrate arts hub with Pearl River Delta *
2 November 2009
South China Morning Post

Internationally renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, who set up his second Asia office in Hong Kong last month, has vowed to integrate the arts hub with the Pearl River Delta.

Out of the public eye since his company was selected as one of the three potential master planners for the West Kowloon Cultural District in July, Koolhaas said he would be seen in Hong Kong constantly in the next year.

"We will engage the local community by being here," he said, bringing his partner and staff heading the Beijing and Hong Kong offices to an interview to show the firm's connections and influence in the region.

His company, Office for Metropolitan Architecture, set up an office in Beijing when it won the design competition for the China Central Television headquarters and had shown the same commitment to Hong Kong. The new office in Central will employ about 25 architects and urban planners.

David Gianotten, head of the Hong Kong office, said the strategy allowed the company to immerse itself in the local culture and establish connections with local artists.

Koolhaas' partner and head of the Beijing office, Ole Scheeren, said: "One really important part of the Beijing experience is that we took the decision to actually be there for a very important project. We have to live with it, not only work on it."

The arts hub is the company's first project for Hong Kong, and the other contenders are Rocco Yim Sen-kee and Lord Foster.

In what Scheeren described as an "interesting coincidence", the company has just won the design competition for the Shenzhen Crystal Island in Futian , site of the second station after West Kowloon on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, which terminates at the West Kowloon arts hub.

The Shenzhen project will become a focal point for the city's creative industries and will comprise a design village with 20 hectares of open space. The design of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, next to Crystal Island, was also Koolhaas' work.

He said the West Kowloon and Futian projects could "mutually support and strengthen each other in some ways", without giving details.

"The interesting thing is not so much that we are finding this region, but this region is finding us," he said.

Koolhaas began studying the Pearl River Delta region in 1994 when he was a professor at Harvard University, looking at how Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai , Dongguan and Macau interacted and how these cities could become a unique urban region in the 21st century.

"We realise the importance and influence of the Western world is diminishing. All kinds of forces are emerging and gaining importance here," Koolhaas said.

"In addition to serving the local needs, West Kowloon could provide an encounter for China, Indonesia and the Philippines {hellip} it would be extremely powerful if they were combined in an intelligent manner."


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## hkskyline

*Push for local flavour at arts hub *
9 November 2009
SCMP

Hong Kong's unique characteristics and traditional Chinese art forms should be emphasised in both the design and content of the future West Kowloon Cultural District, the second public forum on the arts hub heard yesterday.

More than 200 people attended the forum at the Hong Kong Arts Centre, where representatives of the three planning teams - Foster + Partners, the Office for Metropolitan Architecture and Rocco Design Architects - discussed and debated proposals for the arts hub.

Colin Ward of Foster + Partners stressed the importance of making the arts hub a truly Hong Kong project, while audience member Douglas White, a marketing executive, asked how the city's street cafes or dai pai dong and wet markets could be preserved or presented. Rocco Yim Sen-kee of Rocco Design Architects pointed out that one need not focus only on the past, but should also look to the future when highlighting the uniqueness of the city.

A number of audience members suggested an area dedicated to traditional art forms such as dough figure sculpturing and martial arts.

Representatives of the Literary Museum Initiative, which has been pressing for a literature museum, asked why only a few people from the city's literary scene had been included in the list of stakeholders.

The consultation panel chairman, Stephen Cheung Yan-leung, welcomed the heated discussion and promised to reflect the views to the board of the authority.

The third public forum will be held at Tai Po Civic Centre on December 6.

Fleurs des Lettres, suggested a focus group meeting with local writers and literature critics - a proposal that found wide support in the audience.


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## hkskyline

By *tsefayi * from dchome :


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong's artistic quest to build a good audience relationship *
8 November 2009
SCMP

As part of a co-ordinated, three-pronged approach to strengthen arts and cultural development - and to underline the importance of community engagement and participation - the chief executive's policy address focused, in part, on building an audience.

However, there is perhaps no such thing as an audience - only audiences. Each is different. Each organisation has to find its own approach to developing its audience.

Yet a co-ordinated approach is necessary if we are to develop audiences for the West Kowloon Cultural District, and we must recognise the commonalities in embracing the broad themes of audience development. This often requires looking at a range of variables, from programming, ticket pricing and customer care, to barriers to attendance, and audience values and motivation. But there are also opportunities for fresh partnerships, to focus on new, younger and more diverse audiences.

Any committed approach will invariably involve producing distinctive programmes, and ensuring that new audiences return again and again.

The American Symphony Orchestra, for example, has constructed a thematically organised series of concept programmes that relate music to trends in the visual arts or to broader historical contexts. Performances take place "in concert" with exhibitions in museums, art galleries and libraries.

Audience-building is like any kind of artistic quest, it is about a sense of discovery, and producing attractive and adventurous programmes.

It may involve seeking out the unknown, untried and the seldom seen, heard or experienced, or being open to the remarkable and inspiring.

As we seek ever more innovative ways to build relationships with our audiences, to increase participation and enhance the richness of the arts and cultural potential in Hong Kong, we must focus on education, placing audiences uppermost in our planning, and the nature of the relationship with our audiences over time.

These are at the very heart of audience development.

Kevin Thompson, director, HK Academy for Performing Arts


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## hkskyline

*Government ignores advice to set up museums board *
14 November 2009
South China Morning Post

The government is unlikely to take its advisers' recommendations to set up a statutory board that will take over management of public museums from bureaucrats and overhaul museums policy.

Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing told lawmakers at the home affairs panel yesterday that establishing an independent board would be a big move that needed careful consideration.

Rather than present a blueprint for the development of public museums as Legco had requested, Tsang instead put forward more immediate measures, such as inviting guest curators, arranging curator internships and outreach educational activities, and collaborating with business and community groups in organising exhibitions.

"A statutory museums board would impact on the mode of operations, human resources, financial arrangements, ownership rights of collections and curatorship," Tsang said. He would announce a decision on whether to set up the board in three months, he said.

The panel's vice-chairwoman, Tanya Chan, said Tsang's remarks were disappointing and, if a statutory board were not adopted, he would have to explain why.

The museums board was recommended by two different groups of advisers in 2000 and 2007 during reviews of the city's cultural policy.The body would encourage flexibility and creativity, the advisers said.

It would be led by professionals, draw up a research-based development strategy and allocate resources among museums, with more aggressive marketing to raise patronage.

A new museums law would inspire public confidence in overall museums management, attract corporate donations and promote curatorial independence, the advisers said.

At present, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department manages 14 museums.

The government has been accused of being inflexible and mismanaging collections in recent years.

In August, the department admitted that 21 items linked to Republic of China founder Sun Yat-sen had been missing for three years from its storage area.

In February, film star Jackie Chan spoke of his frustrations over decade-long talks with the government on a new museum to house his collections of historic wooden houses.

Andrew Lam Siu-lo, a member of the committee on museums that proposed the board idea, said the existing scene lacked vibrancy and character, and there was no mechanism to deal with private donations. "There is an absolute need for the board, and to co-ordinate operations between these museums and the future flagship in West Kowloon so that they don't overlap," said Lam, also a member of the board for the arts hub project.


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## hkskyline

*Opinion : Keep arts hub from bureaucrats until authority has strong leader *
26 November 2009
South China Morning Post

Architects have an adage: for a great building, get a great client.

Your report on the public forum regarding the West Kowloon Cultural District ("Push for local flavour at arts hub", November 9) makes me wonder what ran through the minds of the representatives of the renowned design firms as they received input regarding facilities for dough-figure sculpturing. That sort of input might be helpful someday, but not when the most fundamental issues remain unresolved.

At this point, West Kowloon needs something akin to a development team, capable of producing a strong concept for the software and, from that, a clear brief to guide design of the hardware. That effort should be largely top-down, where the "top" comprises experienced and expert professionals from key fields, directed by a talented leader.

The government seemed to acknowledge this in creating the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, the great client that would work on our behalf.

Yet five months after the authority's first senior hire resigned after nine days on the job, there has been little in the news about the authority's hiring the needed leadership and talent.

The Central waterfront is equally in need of a strong, independent authority. I was disappointed to read that Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor again sidestepped suggestions to study restoring Queen's Pier to its original location ("Group wants Edinburgh Place to be given monument status", November 11), by citing the public's preference for one of the two mediocre schemes developed by her department. A number of professional groups have put far better concepts on the table, but those would require effort and compromise. The Planning Department would apparently prefer to hunker down behind its dubious public surveys.

In these two sites, the government holds a pair of extraordinary raw diamonds. It should lock them away from its bureaucrats until the authority it has empowered - our great client - has hired a strong leader who, in turn, has recruited diamond-cutters who possess the vision and skills to produce crown jewels our city can be unreservedly proud to claim.

Dick Groves, Wan Chai


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## hkskyline

Source : http://www.fotop.net/philipchung


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## hkskyline

*Rail link station 'faces year's delay' *
5 December 2009
South China Morning Post

There will be a one-year delay in building the station for the cross-border express rail link if the number of shipping berths in West Kowloon is cut back as the chief secretary has requested, lawmakers were told yesterday.

The berths are for barges to carry away soil excavated for the railway, which will terminate at West Kowloon. Last week Henry Tang Ying-yen asked the Highways Department to scale the planned five berths back to two, to lessen their intrusion into the new cultural district's waterfront promenade. Five berths will occupy one hectare, and 1,000 metres of the arts hub's waterfront.

In a Legislative Council meeting yesterday, Highways Department director Wai Chi-sing told lawmakers that the work schedule of the station would be delayed by a year if only two berths were available.

About one-third of the 40-hectare arts hub site, or 14 hectares, will be used as a construction site and barging area for the railway station. These areas will be returned to the authority in stages from 2012 to 2014, a year before the West Kowloon Cultural District is due to open.

Lawmakers monitoring the arts hub project said they were worried the rail works might interrupt or delay its completion.

Dr Raymond Ho Chung-tai, who represents engineers in Legco, said: "Problems could arise when two large-scale projects are happening on the same site at the same time. Proper co-ordination is necessary. Would one of them be given a higher priority?"

Lee Wing-tat of the Democratic Party said lawmakers had not been informed of the full picture. "Would the rail station construction delay the arts hub project? Would the construction limit the planning of the arts hub?"

Patrick Lau Sau-shing, who represents architects, said uncertainty over the rail project could hinder the architects designing the arts hub. He urged the government to explain how the arts hub would be affected.

The occupation of the arts hub site by builders would also prevent the area from holding arts and cultural-related activities during the construction period.

Both projects are expected to be completed in 2015.

The chairman of the authority's development committee, Ronald Arculli, said the committee understood the complications of handling two projects at the same time, but he said the rail station would be a benefit for the arts hub.

Deputy home affairs secretary Cathy Chu Man-ling, who is responsible for the West Kowloon Cultural District, said the government had kept architects informed about the progress of the rail station's construction.


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## bimbin56

- edit


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## hkskyline




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## hkskyline

*Underpass link seen as vital to divert traffic *
18 December 2009
South China Morning Post

The government has been warned that traffic conditions in Yau Tsim Mong district will worsen if it fails to push ahead with a proposed vehicle underpass beneath Austin Road.

The work is seen as vital to divert traffic generated by the West Kowloon Cultural District and a high-speed rail line to Guangzhou which will have its terminus in West Kowloon.

In a final attempt to stop lawmakers from passing the HK$66.9 billion rail project today, experts from Professional Commons, a lobby group, accused the government of hiding crucial figures that showed the link's possible traffic impact on its neighbouring districts.

"Suppose all the government's road improvements works can be carried out, 11 junctions would still only have marginal capacity, while two would have no capacity left," Roland Taylor, an experienced engineer on MTR projects, said.

According to a government-commissioned transport impact study obtained by the group, a crucial part of the improvement works included an underpass for vehicles under Austin Road that would connect West Kowloon and Tsim Sha Tsui.

"If this underpass cannot be finished when the link opens in 2015, the road network will not even be marginally sustainable by 2031," said Paul Zimmerman, a member of the group. "But the government has not started doing a feasibility study."

The proposed underpass was not included in the HK$11.5 billion set aside for non-rail-line facilities.

An official from the Highways Department said, however, that they had already conducted a preliminary study and were satisfied the underpass was technically viable. He said it was not included in the plan because they did not yet know the design of the West Kowloon arts hub.

"Having big commercial centres in the hub would create a very different traffic volume from, say, like having a big piazza. We want to wait until the design draft is out to make a more accurate estimation."

Five years could be a bit tight for both consultation and construction of the underpass, given that many infrastructure projects - including the Central to Wan Chai bypass - have failed to be launched in over a decade.

It is highly likely, though, that Legco's Finance Committee will pass the funding of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong express link, as more than half of the 60 members have already expressed their support for the project.

Tsoi Yuen Tsuen villagers, whose homes will be razed to make way for the railway, conservationists and activists have vowed to mobilise more than 1,000 protesters today. They plan to surround the Legco building when the meeting begins at 3pm.

A group of students who began a vigil on Wednesday will continue walking around the building until the meeting starts.


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## hkskyline

*Tang tells of bold vision to create Asia's West End *
The Standard
Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The West Kowloon Cultural District will emerge from the harborfront in the image of London's West End - with a Broadway skyline - says the man ultimately responsible for its success.

Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang Ying-yen outlined his bold vision at a gathering in the United States yesterday.

He told the "Hong Kong, A Tapestry of Art and Culture" reception in New York that the government is determined to establish the city as Asia's cultural hub.

Tang said similarities between the two cities meant the West Kowloon Cultural District had exciting potential.

Hong Kong and New York never sleep, have shimmering skyscrapers, great shopping, wonderful food and a spectacular harbor, he said.

"Plans are well underway for no less than 15 arts facilities on the site, including concert halls, theaters, a contemporary arts museum, and a mega performance venue," he said.

"We will select a number of iconic architectural designs and incorporate piazzas for people to relax and enjoy the atmosphere."

Tang said the aim is to create a modern and high quality venue to "bring arts to the people and people to the arts."

"We are pressing ahead with a project to construct an express rail link that will connect to the high-speed rail network in the mainland with a terminus in West Kowloon," he said.

With almost 30 million visitors a year, the fact that the city is on the mainland's doorstep and a short hop from the thriving Pearl River Delta region, meant the project would succeed.

Tang said HK$21.6 billion on official funds had been granted for the project and the first phase is scheduled to open in 2014/2015.

He said the government is raising the profile of the arts in schools and upgrading arts management and providing training schemes and funding programs to support those with ambitions for a career in the arts.

"The government either sponsors or promotes more than 4,000 cultural and educational programs including major events each year," he said


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## hkskyline

*HK airport opens new ferry terminal to meet strong cross-boundary demand *
15 January 2010



















HONG KONG, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) on Friday launched the SkyPier, a new cross-boundary ferry terminal, to further facilitate strong demand for cross-boundary transport between the airport and the Pearl River Delta region.

The SkyPier is an important link between the airport and the Pearl River Delta region, said Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, at the opening ceremony held at the pier on Friday.

He said an international aviation hub underpins Hong Kong's efforts to enhance our competitiveness through the development of the four traditional pillar industries, in particular tourism and trade and logistics.

The new SkyPier is part of HKIA's near-term growth projects to enhance service levels and meet future demand, and the pier efficiently conveys passengers traveling between the Pearl River Delta and the world via HKIA, said Marvin Cheung Kin-tung Marvin Cheung Kin-tung, Chairman of the Airport Authority Hong Kong.

A temporary SkyPier opened in 2003 and served almost 10 million passengers.

The new 16,500-sqm permanent SkyPier is eight times the size of the temporary facility, and designed with a maximum capacity for 8 million annual passengers.

Currently, high-speed ferries make an average of 85 trips every day, shuttling around 5,000 passengers between HKIA and eight ports in the Pearl River Delta and Macao, including Zhongshan, Zhuhai Jiuzhou, Dongguan Humen, Guangzhou Nansha, Shenzhen Shekou and Shenzhen Fuyong as well as Macao's Taipa and Maritime Ferry Terminal.

Travelers using the SkyPier are not required to go through immigration and customs formalities at HKIA.

Passengers en route for overseas destinations via HKIA's SkyPier are also exempt from paying the Hong Kong Airport Departure Tax of 120 HK dollars.

The time for passengers to travel between the ferry pier and Terminal 1 is also shortened to about four minutes, half of the time previously required.

The 20,000 square meter North Satellite Concourse is also launched on Friday. Ten extra bridge-served parking stands for narrow-bodied aircraft are built to serve the rising number of narrow-bodied aircraft using the airport.


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## hkskyline

*Arts show that's struggling to stay afloat With bureaucracy confounding biennale curators, artists rely on own cash and wits *
17 January 2010
South China Morning Post

It was an unexpectedly warm day as Syren Johnstone stood, in shirt-sleeves and a bit of sweat on his brow, over a hole dug in the West Kowloon Reclamation site. He held a shovel in his right hand and stared down at a rusted reinforcing bar poking out of the earth.

"This is reclaimed land, but we're still making archaeological finds here," said Johnstone, who worked with two other architects, Kingsley Ng and Daniel Patzold, to create Excavation, a mock archaeological dig on the site of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism. The biennale, which has attracted an eclectic range of installations and exhibits, is being held until the end of next month on a vacant part of the reclamation grounds, and covers about 73,000 square metres.

As the architects' work progressed, they found the remains of construction waste that had been mixed with the soil used to reclaim the land - a reminder, Johnstone said, that something can never come from nothing. He turned and looked at the craggy grass and gnarly trees dotting the site, and the half-dozen unused shipping containers housing some of the works. "It's becoming a bit like Christiania here," he said, referring to the infamous anarchist enclave in Copenhagen. "People are just coming and doing all sorts of interesting things."

Since it opened last month, the event has won plaudits for avoiding the academic stuffiness of many architecture showcases, first by situating itself outdoors but also by stressing public participation and the constantly evolving nature of art and architecture - concepts reflected in the theme, "Bring Your Own Biennale".

But that approach came as much from necessity as it did from curatorial vision. Pressed for time and strapped for cash, the curators had no choice but to stage a more rag-tag production than they would have otherwise. From the beginning, the biennale's curatorial team, led by the architect Marisa Yiu with partners Eric Schuldenfrei, Alan Lo and Frank Yu, had to work on a tight schedule and budget. They were awarded the curatorship in July, more than a year after the curators on the biennale's Shenzhen side had been chosen. The disarray behind Hong Kong's effort, some involved say, reflects the wider organisational problems holding back arts development in the city.

"This is something Hong Kong needs to realise if it wants to stage these kinds of events - they cannot be done in less than six months," Schuldenfrei said. "For a while we thought of calling it the Instant Biennale."

Two-thirds of their original ideas had to be scrapped because of a lack of time and money, Yiu said. With an operating budget of HK$6.8 million - HK$5 million of which came from the Home Affairs Bureau and the rest from a private donor - the curators were forced to cut corners to reduce costs. The biennale's signature pavilion, designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, was completed only because Ban offered to reduce his fee and scale down the design. Many of the biennale's other 80 exhibits and installations faced a similar fate. If each had been funded according to plan, Yiu said, there would have only been enough money to build four.

But more than money, she said, it was the lack of time that prevented the curators from securing more funding. "Pretty much the minute we got the curatorship, a lot of people like banks were really excited about this, but they couldn't commit to funding because of the time," she said. The curators gave up their HK$600,000 fee to make ends meet. "There was no way we could do this if we hadn't put that money back into the biennale," Yiu said.

Their experience contrasts sharply with Shenzhen's, which launched the biennale in 2005 and invited Hong Kong to join as a partner in 2007. Shenzhen's biennale was given a budget of more than 10 million yuan (HK$11.4 million), according to its curator, Ou Ning. Most of the funding came from eight large real estate companies that were pushed to contribute by the government, which also provided the city's largest public space, the Shenzhen Civic Centre, as a venue, as well as support for marketing, logistics and security.

The Shenzhen arm is run by a permanent office that receives funding from the municipal government, while the Hong Kong side has no dedicated funding and is organised by a steering committee made up of members from the Institute of Architects, the Institute of Planners and the Designers Association.

Committee members said the reason the call for curatorial proposals was put out more than a year after Shenzhen's was because they were waiting to make sure the Home Affairs Bureau could provide funding. "The organiser needs to have confidence that sponsorship funding is available before calling out for curatorial proposals," wrote committee members in a statement.

Eve Tam Mei-yee, the curator of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, served as a liaison between the biennale and the Home Affairs Bureau. She said it was not until April that the steering committee approached the Home Affairs Bureau for funding.

Though it had only given HK$1 million for 2007 biennale, the bureau said it could provide more if the event was hosted in West Kowloon, where its opening could coincide with the East Asian Games and it could stimulate public interest in the future West Kowloon Cultural District. Under those conditions, the Home Affairs Bureau agreed to sponsor HK$5 million of the biennale's proposed HK$6.8 million budget. Tam said the committee did not give the bureau a firm proposal because the curators had not yet been chosen.

"It was a very tight schedule that they were working on, she said. "They were going to open in early December but I was told they were seeking additional funding in November, but they did not have enough time to work out the details of that extra funding."

The steering committee's original vision for the biennale was more modest than what took place. The committee estimated the current edition would cost only a little more than HK$6 million - the 2007 edition had a HK$8.42 million budget. The original plans submitted to the Home Affairs Bureau called for a maximum of 30 exhibits installed along the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade. Those plans, said Yiu, would have made for a biennale that would have attracted little public interest. After her curatorial team was chosen to lead the event, they nearly tripled the number of installations and expanded the biennale site to include a large undeveloped piece of land that fenced off from the public. Hosting only a handful of exhibits "on a very manicured promenade" would have had less of an impact, she said.

The tight budget forced many participants to rely on their own wits to get things done.

"I think it's a miracle that [the curators] were able to pull it all off," said architect turned artist Kacey Wong, who is in his 30s. He used his own money to build Paddling Home, a houseboat that resembles a miniature Hong Kong apartment, complete with pink exterior tiles, a bay window, a metal gate and a door altar. A meditation on the state of homes in Hong Kong, the piece has proved one of the most popular installations at the biennale. In a city where people pay a fortune for good views, his floating home has 360 degree views taking in all the harbourfront.

Yesterday, Stanley Wong took his Heaven on Earth - a sampan with tree and greenery - out onto the water as a pastoral counterpart to Kacey's house.

In the future, the steering committee wrote in a statement, the government should follow Shenzhen's model and commit long-term funding to events like the biennale.

"The organiser should be able to plan well ahead without fear of lack of funding or finding a suitable site for the exhibition," they wrote.

Yiu, who said Shenzhen was already organising for next year, is more blunt in her assessment: "It's been kind of ad hoc, which is the spirit of Hong Kong, but you can't always depend on the passions of people to drive it along. You need time and money. The biennale cannot be served up on a platter."


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## hkskyline

*High-speed link 'no threat to arts hub'*
23 January 2010
South China Morning Post

Officials have pledged that the construction of the high-speed rail link to Guangzhou will not delay the completion of the West Kowloon Cultural District, even though the work areas overlap.

With the HK$66.9 billion railway approved, lawmakers asked whether it would delay the arts hub opening in 2015 because one-third of the 42-hectare site would be occupied by the storage of rail materials and the construction of the terminus.

"I'm worried that the arts hub project will have to give way to the rail project. If there is a schedule conflict, how will it be solved?" Lee Wing-tat of the Democrats said.

He noted that the underground rail terminus would be sited on the eastern end of the arts hub - a 5.5 hectare area that would not be returned until 2013. It is also the last lot to be handed over.

Lee said the construction schedule was very tight and asked whether it allowed for contingency plans if there was a delay in the rail work.

He was also doubtful arts events could be held at the hub, given the dust from the construction work.

Augustine Ng Wah-keung, a project director at the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, said the holding of arts events would be concentrated on the western end of the hub, buffered from the building works by a clear area in the middle.

As for the underground rail terminus, the noise and vibrations from the foundation work would not affect the arts facilities to be built above it, he said.

The foundations above the five-storey terminus will be able to support structures of up to 70 metres high, or 15 to 20 storeys.

Wong Yung-kan, representing the agricultural and fishing sector, reminded officials to take into account the area's strong waves when designing ferry piers linking to the hub. "Fishermen told me it is difficult to moor in the area," he said.

The lawmakers also inquired about the progress in recruiting a chief executive for the cultural district authority. Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing said the authority had yet to make a choice and needed more time to interview overseas candidates.


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## hkskyline

*Arts hub chief likely to be European * 
21 February 2010
South China Morning Post

The HK$21 billion West Kowloon Cultural District is set to come under European leadership as the authority trims the options down to two finalists for the top job.

A person familiar with the selection process said that after a thorough worldwide search for a potential chief executive for the arts hub, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority had narrowed the shortlist to two European candidates, and they both have strong experience in contemporary arts in Europe.

The person said the final round of the interview process for the post would take place tomorrow.

It was hoped that the contract with the chosen candidate can be signed in March, and he or she can be officially on board in May or June at the earliest.

The search for the right person has been tough, the person said. There has not been a great pool of homegrown talent as most of the experienced arts administrators are either current or former civil servants, the person said.

The authority also tried looking for experienced talent from the US, but they turned out to be beyond the financial reach of the arts hub in its ability to match their salaries, the person said.

More than 50 applications had been received for the job, which pays more than HK$3 million a year, a similar wage for the head of the Urban Renewal Authority.

The arts hub authority is also looking for six executive directors in museum policy, performing arts policy, project delivery, finance, human resources, as well as marketing, communication and programming.

The person said there was great potential for the executive director overlooking performing arts to be a local person, but the museum policy position was highly likely to be a non-local Chinese person.

An earlier report said it was highly possible the arts hub would be headed by an overseas talent.

Hong Kong's arts community said it could accept a foreigner to lead the West Kowloon hub as it was the only option available. But it hoped the chief executive would be sensitive to local arts and culture, and that he or she would be given freedom to take the arts sector to a new level.


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## hkskyline

*Research on arts, cultural sector criticised *
22 February 2010
SCMP

Studies and research done to divine the needs and aspirations of Hong Kong's arts and cultural sector - and then to develop policy to realise the city's creative-hub dream - are badly directed compared to similar efforts overseas, one critic says.

"What we have only illuminates a little corner of the whole picture," art critic Mathias Woo said. "These studies have just been scattered around, conducted without a master plan."

Following the recent release of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council's (ADC) first annual arts survey, another study on the arts and cultural sector is due for release mid year.

The Central Policy Unit and the Home Affairs Bureau were studying the sector's human resources, a government spokesman said, the findings of which would be used to help develop policy.

The ADC survey collected hard facts on the performing arts and visual arts sectors, comparing figures such as audience distribution, event types, ticket prices and government funding.

Council chief executive Louis Yu Kwok-lit said there had been much qualitative discussion on arts and cultural policies, but little quantitative information gathered.

"This statistical report is a breakthrough, and it will lay a good foundation for future discussion on cultural policies," Yu said.

The Hong Kong Arts Administrators Association welcomed the council's survey as a first step towards building an evidential basis for planning and evaluation. "The report also provides helpful data for organisations to take stock of where they stand in the bigger picture today. We hope that the exercise will be repeated regularly over time, to track development and inform or verify the impact of any policy decisions," association chairwoman Tisa Ho said.

Critic Woo said that results of the studies would be crucial to generation of policies shaping the sector's future development. The government had finally realised the importance of research, although it had been a late starter compared to many administrations in the region.

However, Woo said research in Hong Kong had been inadequate. A quick Web search showed that only a few culture and arts studies had been commissioned since the handover in 1997. Only nine reports on the subjects could be found on the website of the Home Affairs Bureau, the government arm responsible for development of cultural policy.

Among them, the most relevant was 2004's A Study on Creative Index, using data from between 1999 and 2004 to assess the city's creative vitality and assist policy-making. But there has been no follow-up. Other studies were mostly consultant studies or reports on arts and cultural facilities.

The Central Policy Unit released a summary of A Pilot Study on the Practice of Theatre in Hong Kong in September 2009.

But then one must go back to 2004's Study on the Third Sector Landscape in Hong Kong, in which one chapter focuses on arts and culture. In 2003 there was the Baseline Study on Hong Kong's Creative Industries, which took a detailed look at various creative sectors and their potential development.

The Arts Development Council's website revealed 10 surveys done since 2000, including this year's Annual Arts Survey Report. Before that, the last study the council conducted was in 2006.

In contrast, neighbouring countries appeared to have put a lot more effort into research at much earlier stages of their cultural development.

Singapore's National Arts Council has collected data on its arts and culture since 1997. Continual research has closely monitored developments.

The council provides arts statistics from between 1997 and 2008, as well as cultural statistics, and information on the economic contributions of the arts and cultural sector from 2003 onwards.

In South Korea, where the government actively promotes cultural and creative industries, Arts Council Korea runs an arts library housing a substantial collection of documents and research related to arts and culture. The Korea Arts and Culture Education Services, jointly set up by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Education, has conducted more than 20 studies on arts and cultural education policies from 2005 onwards.

"In comparison, studies [done on Hong Kong] have been very basic, and have been done only because [development of] the West Kowloon Cultural District is approaching," Woo said. Data collection and close observation of the sector's ecology were crucial to generating policy, but the city was lagging well behind.

Woo questioned whether the manpower mapping study of the Central Policy Unit and Home Affairs Bureau could provide accurate insights. "How do they define manpower in the sector? he said. "Do they include reporters covering arts and culture? And will they include actors and investors in the field?" Researchers needed to provide not just hard facts, but also analysis.

Ho said that while the ADC's report provided a multitude of facts and figures, it offered no commentary or policy recommendations. She said some figures, such as the ratios of audiences to the city's population, were meaningless unless they were compared to overseas examples.


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## hkskyline

*A change of art *
22 February 2010
The Standard

Hundreds of millions of dollars from the West Kowloon cultural district's multibillion-dollar budget is set to be redirected to enhancing "software" as the government undergoes a dramatic change of heart.

The government hopes to switch some funds from the HK$21.6 billion approved by the Legislative Council last July and use them for improving cultural software - that is, the people, programs and events - by training performers and educating audiences, a source said.

Local groups, which are expected to benefit most from the revised approach, welcomed the idea.

The source said the funding will be used for three purposes: to enhance arts education in schools and non-traditional training centers; to subsidize art groups and sponsor performers to go overseas; and provide free art classes and tickets to performances.

Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying- yen, who is also West Kowloon Cultural District Authority chairman, will have to formally ask Legco to change the use of part of the approved funding.

The first phase of the arts hub is set to open in 2014 or 2015.

Chung Ying Theatre Company art director Ko Tin-lung said he had suggested that the Arts Development Council spend HK$500 million to improve the software for the cultural hub, which will contain up to 15 performing arts venues and a museum.

"The government should not wait for construction of the venues to start training talent," Ko said.

He suggested that HK$50 million be used in a trial scheme and, to ensure the most effective use of the money, existing arts groups should be sponsored.

On education, Ko said drama, for example, could be added to liberal studies in school.

"The students can understand the topic first then do a play on it," he said. "Students can then learn both drama and social issues."

Ko said many talented set decorators and lighting crew had left Hong Kong for Macau when the new casinos offered more attractive packages.

"The government should now estimate how many people they need when the art venues and museum are open."

However, Mathias Woo Yan-wai, creative and program director of arts group Zuni Icosahedron, said the government might not need the money from the cultural hub's budget as it could strengthen existing funding from the Home Affairs Bureau.

He said what Hong Kong lacks most is art teachers.

"Not all art experts can teach. Not all actors can be teachers," he said.

"To set a policy to train the teachers is a very important way to provide more 'software' too."


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## hkskyline

*Better luck next time with Biennale BYOB *
5 March 2010
South China Morning Post

Lai See has heard a number of arguments over the years about the origins of the phrase BYOB.

However, there can be no argument that it didn't stem from: "The Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture that respond to the theme of City Mobilisation: BYOB (Bring Your Own Biennale)."

That was the catchy little title of the recently concluded three months of exhibitions and events that were staged on the site of the West Kowloon Cultural District.

It prompted one confused reader to ask: "Why did I have to bring my Biennale to a Biennale? You don't ask people to bring their dinner to a restaurant, do you?"

Another commented: "I think they tried too hard to be different. They were really over the top with these BYOB slogans - bring your own beacons, bring your own banners, bring your own benches.

"Why did I have to bring all these things to an exhibition? Was I supposed to DIY my own Biennale? Their overarching concept was wrong," said another reader.

Lai See can only assume the organisers were trying to mobilise the public with the BYOB catchphrase and inspire individual participation to work outside conventional boundaries to generate unexpected results.

All we can say is: BLNT (Better Luck Next Time).


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## hkskyline

*Arts hub will be isolated without light rail link*
7 April 2010
South China Morning Post

You say that Hong Kong people want an easily accessible arts hub ("Public has arts hub say, but critics attack survey questions", April 1).

But according to the article "Arts hub design will surprise, Foster vows" (March 29), the government's plan is to sink Austin Road "below ground so that people visiting the hub can walk directly there from the station". Covering a distance of nearly one kilometre from Austin station just to reach the hub (and only slightly less from the future express rail link terminal), one wonders what state visitors will be in when they arrive, especially at the height of summer.

The MTR Corporation has further proposed "six bridges and two tunnels" to connect Austin to Jordan station, an additional 520 metres, which represents a total of three kilometres walking for the round trip to the arts hub. This is totally unacceptable, especially for young families and the elderly.

Lord Foster stated that: "The arts hub has to be a magnet drawing people there." But the location in West Kowloon is totally isolated from existing public transport links. It therefore requires a dedicated, environmentally friendly public transport system that can integrate with the arts hub and also advertise it in the environs with a distinctive vehicle design.

This can most readily be achieved by means of a light rail system which would not only feed visitors into the hub from existing southern Kowloon public transport nodes, but also traverse the hub area with minimum impact by embedding the rails within a lawn to reduce noise.

The vehicles would be the "low-floor" type, enabling easy access from street level. This is a popular feature in many European cities which operate modern tramways.

The main route would extend from the hub eastwards along Wui Cheung Road (Austin MTR); Austin Road (Jordan MTR); Cheong Wan Road (Museum of History) to Hung Hom station. The new line would enable East Rail passengers visiting the arts hub to avoid the heavily used MTR southern link line through Tsim Sha Tsui.

A branch line could be constructed south along Canton Road, terminating at the present Star Ferry Bus terminus.

After reconstruction, this area could be provided with a sea-view piazza on the roof of the new terminal connecting directly into the raised walkway along the harbour front.

Using the light rail transit with suitably decorated stops, and a few more surprises, the effect of the arts hub could spread eastwards to become an integral part of southern Kowloon rather than be a small projection off its western shoreline.

Michael Baxter, Tuen Mun


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## hkskyline

*Arts hub chief vows to make global impact*
25 March 2010
The Standard

A British artistic director named as the first chief executive of the West Kowloon Cultural District has promised to set up a multi-national team to create a cultural hub of ``global impact.''

After a worldwide search, Barbican Centre artistic director Graham Sheffield has been appointed to the post, which he will take up in August.

Sheffield, 58, who worked at the London-based multi-arts and conference venue for 15 years, described Hong Kong's art scene as ``good and vibrant'' and said he aims to take it to a new level.

``It is a unique place and as such I think it's ideally in a position to become the next great world art city,'' he said.

Sheffield, chosen from 52 worldwide applicants, admitted that he is not an expert in local arts and promised to help put together a well- balanced and multi-national team which includes experts of different art areas.

``We, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, will work with the community, with the local art groups, building local pride and engagement but also creating something of global importance and impact,'' he said.

Sheffield also said he is used to dealing with politics.

``Democracy has existed since the beginning of civilization. I think it's a necessary part of life to navigate that and I have my own tricks for obeying the rules but getting round them,'' he said.

Sheffield said he will also work on attracting mainland audiences to attend performances in West Kowloon.

Chief Secretary for Administration and chairman of the authority's board, Henry Tang Ying-yen, said Sheffield is ``the right man'' for the post.

``We did not intentionally look for a Chinese or non-Chinese. We just looked for the best person for the job,'' Tang said.

``Apart from his artistic and administrative achievements, Graham puts strong emphasis on developing artistic talent and has a remarkable track record in arts education and audience building.''

Tang yesterday declined to reveal Sheffield's salary, saying it will be mentioned in the authority's financial report.

The 2010-11 financial report will be filed to the Legislative Council by September next year, an authority spokeswoman said.

Jim Chim Sui-man, artistic director of Pleasure, Imagination, Play, said a local with insight in the city's art scene should be hired to assist Sheffield. He said art has already emerged as one of the most prominent industries in the world, but Hong Kong is still focused on finance.

Chim hoped Sheffield can bring the city's creative industry to a new level.


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## hkskyline

*Architectural team breaks rules in concept plan to build arts hub*
6 July 2010
South China Morning Post

One of the three rival concept plans for the West Kowloon arts hub deviates from the design brief laid down by the government and may go slightly over budget.

The plans, presented to the board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority in a closed-door meeting yesterday, will not be made public until next month when the second stage of consultation starts.

Each of the three architect teams had 90 minutes to introduce their work to the board at the meeting.

A person familiar with the arts hub development said all three teams had made a remarkable effort in turning the site into a green place, complying with the brief that 23 of the 42 hectares of the arts hub area had to be open space.

One of the three teams proposed a different phasing for the project - supposedly a two-phrase development to be completed by 2031 - which may result in a later final completion date, another person said. The design would also cost more than the budget.

The government has set aside HK$21.6 billion for the construction of the arts hub, which will be home to 15 performing arts venues, a museum known as M+, residential buildings, and retail and dining facilities.

The concept plans are intended to show the land use and layout of the cultural district as a whole, rather than the designs of individual buildings, which will be put up for competition later.

The authority has commissioned Britain's Foster and Partners, the Rotterdam-based Office for Metropolitan Architecture - led by Rem Koolhaas - and local firm Rocco Design Architects to draft the master plans.

"Foster is safe and boring; Koolhaas is challenging the rule and unrealistic; Rocco Yim is adaptive and complicated," planning activist Paul Zimmerman, said after receiving information from people familiar with the project.

"What is now important is to provoke a heated discussion about the merits and demerits of each option so the public can understand why the architects made their proposals and, in certain case, break the rules, which may not be a bad thing," said Zimmerman, who led Designing Hong Kong, an NGO concerned with urban planning.

A person close to the Foster design team said its plan would carry a local flavour, creating friendly streetscapes with shops like the old Yau Tsim Mong district and avoiding huge modern structures.

The three plans are undergoing preliminary assessments on technical feasibility and compliance with statutory requirements, the authority said last night. The public consultation exercise will last until November and feature a roving exhibition across the city, guided tours and forums.

The exhibition will showcase the three conceptual plans with models and animations. The public will be asked to comment on individual features of each option but not to make a choice out of the three, which is a decision to be made by the authority.


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## hkskyline

*Global gloss, but where is the local scene?
Despite influx of events, Hong Kong’s artists have not found spotlight*
8 July 2010
International Herald Tribune

Much has been made of Hong Kong’s push to become what the government likes to call an ‘‘art hub.’’ Its auction revenue is now third only to London and New York. Its annual art fair, which began only in 2008, is marked by million-dollar sales.

The city has proved its skill in organizing large, expensive events for international buyers, who laud the territory’s efficiency and tax-free status. Hong Kong excels at trading other peoples’ art. The question is, can it make its own?

A look through offerings at major sales, fairs and galleries turns up very few local names. While dealers and auction houses have profited, Hong Kong artists have had almost no share in the Chinese contemporary art boom that took place in the last five years.

The high-end events — where millionaires jet in to snap up prized paintings — are a shiny new facade. The local art scene pales in comparison.

Critics blame many factors: a stodgy state-run museum system, high real estate prices that discourage young artists from setting up studios, and a society that values traditional industries like banking.

Unlike the big names from London, New York, Tokyo or Beijing, no artists from Hong Kong have reached near-celebrity status. There is little in terms of vibrant local arts communities, like those that have cropped up in the Brooklyn borough of New York, the 798 Art District outside Beijing, or in other cities’ outlying areas.

The Hong Kong Contemporary Art Biennial Awards exhibition, which runs through Aug. 1 at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, is the largest showcase for local works. A government-run project that began in 1975, it is mandated to show only Hong Kong artists, meaning it does not get the critical attention that a more wide-ranging one would.

The most striking piece at the show is Hung Keung’s ‘‘Dao Gives Birth to One,’’ a Taoist-inspired work with screens showing a mesmerizing black-and-white pattern of Chinese characters and radicals constantly moving and melding. It was a refreshing addition for a biennial known for being stuffy and bureaucratic. In fact, ‘‘Dao’’ could not have qualified before last year, since a strict size restriction (3 meters, or about 10 feet, by 3 meters by 3 meters) was in force until then.

One issue younger artists have to grapple with is the fact that Hong Kong has some of the most expensive real estate in the world, with home prices rising almost 30 percent last year alone. Homes can cost more than $1,000 per square foot, and even spaces in the outlying New Territories go for several hundred U.S. dollars per square foot.

The largest cluster of young talent is in Fo Tan, a former industrial area in the New Territories where artists have been migrating since 2001. It is now home to about 180 artists and 50 studios.

But it is different from places like the 798 district in Beijing because it is essentially closed to the public. There are few small museums, galleries or even cool cafes or bookstores. It only draws crowds during the two weeks in January designated the Fotanian Open Studio period.

Another community is the Cattle Depot Artists Village, a state-funded project. Its century-old red-brick buildings, with traditional, slanted roofs would be charming if they weren’t located next to a garbage processing center in the run-down neighborhood of To Kwa Wan.

In 2001, Hong Kong gave a collection of art groups permission to use the Cattle Depot space, which the government also subsidizes. But, again, there are few open studios or exhibition spaces here, as it is mostly used for administrative offices.

Two spaces in the Cattle Depot — The Artist Commune and 1a space — sometimes have interesting shows, but few people see them.

‘‘We had more than 60 people for an opening a few weekends ago,’’ said Hilda Chan of Videotage, which has Hong Kong’s only archive of local video art. ‘‘But because we’re so remotely located, we don’t get many walk-in visitors. The setup is pretty discouraging.’’

Most days, the Cattle Depot is all but deserted except for a few staff members and security guards. Since it is run by a government bureau, surly guards sit by the entrance, grilling visitors.

The entire scene is a world away from the fairs and auctions that visitors see.

So what makes Hong Kong art different?

In some ways, it can be more old-fashioned than other contemporary Chinese art. The biennale had a large room with intricate calligraphy done on paper, fans and gold leaf — perhaps a reflection of the fact that Hong Kong still uses traditional complex written characters, which China does not. It also featured classical works, like long scrolls and misty mountainscapes, even from younger artists.

Hong Kong art is also less overtly political, eschewing much of the Communist imagery of contemporary Chinese art. There are very few Mao Zedong caricatures, or the rows of exaggerated smiling Chinese faces seen in the mainland Chinese art style called Cynical Realism.

Henry Au-yeung, who owns the only gallery in Hong Kong dedicated exclusively to local artists, explained the contrast.

‘‘If you look at the last 50 years, Hong Kong has been relatively stable, while mainland China has had all sorts of political upheavals,’’ said Mr. Au-yeung, who founded Grotto Fine Art in 2001. ‘‘The result has been dramatic, sensationalistic art, using icons like Mao Zedong or Tiananmen Square. It has a strong iconography and a strong narrative that appeals to a Western audience: the oppressed rising up to express themselves. Hong Kong art is less obvious.’’

Claire Hsu, the founder of the Hong Kong-based Asia Art Archive, had another assessment. ‘‘It is a known fact that Hong Kong art has not faired well commercially, especially in comparison to art from mainland China, although this is changing,’’ she said. ‘‘Arguably, it is this freedom from market pressure that has seen the emergence of a group of artists in Hong Kong whose works are conceptually very strong. You won’t find any grinning faces staring back at you.’’

Some change is under way. Hanart, which was opened by Johnson Chang in 1983 and is the city’s most established gallery, carries art from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In late May it opened another space — Hanart Square — in the industrial Kwai Chung area, with a show of about a dozen Hong Kong artists.

The government also has two projects planned in the next few years. One is the enormous West Kowloon Cultural District, which is estimated to cost more than $2 billion, and whose plans have been debated and delayed for years.

In an oddity for cultural planning, it is expected to include retail shops, restaurants and residential blocks. One concern is that it will be taken over by business interests and the city’s aggressive real estate developers, and become something like an art-themed shopping mall/housing complex.

There are more modest plans for the currently empty Central Police Station, a lovely complex of colonial-era buildings on Hollywood Road. According to a government press release, it will become ‘‘a self-sustaining, non-profit site that will be home to designers, art studios and exhibition spaces.’’

‘‘Something is better than nothing,’’ said Mr. Au-yeung. ‘‘But I don’t know if the government really understands how to develop culture, so I don’t have very many expectations.’’

Meanwhile, he is preparing to take a collection of local art on the road to various fairs over the next year: Art Basel Miami Beach, The Armory Show in New York and then Art Basel. ‘‘We’re getting ready to go into the big, wide world,’’ he said, ‘‘where nobody knows us.’’


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## hkskyline

By *shawnchau* from a Hong Kong discussion forum :


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## hkskyline

*Hub `beauty contest' ruled out *
10 August 2010
The Standard

Architects Norman Foster, Rem Koolhaas and Rocco Yim Sen-kee, who are competing to develop the West Kowloon Cultural District, have presented their masterplans for the massive complex.

Theplans will be soon be unveiled for a three- month public consultation.

It will kick off on August 20, followed by a number of roving exhibitions across the territory.

In the first of the three public forums, the three masters from London-based firm Foster + Partners, Rotterdam's Office for Metropolitan Architecture and the local Rocco Design Architects will present their concepts for the 40-hectare hub on August 22 at the convention and exhibition center in Wan Chai.

``Each of their plans has a specific theme,'' said Stephen Cheung Yan-leung, chairman of the consultation panel of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.

``All are very nice and different from each other. They did incorporate the ideas expressed by the public into their designs.''

Cheung did not go into details, but stressed that all the three firms address public worries on the so-called ``wall effect'' from possible high rises and the complex's connectivity to the fabric of the city as well as its transport arrangements inside.

The exhibition will feature 3D models and animated videos. ``With interactive three- dimensional models and animated videos, visitors could feel like they were inside the hub,'' Cheung said. ``There are also models at scales of 1:1,000 and 1:2,000. The models at the scale of 1:2,000 can show how the West Kowloon hub connects with its neighboring areas.''

Cheung said the public will be asked to state which features in the three concepts they prefer, but will not be asked to vote for their favorite plan or give a rating to all the plans.

``It is not a beauty contest. We won't simply ask the public to pick their favorites. We want to know what they like and dislike regarding each of the plans,'' he said.

Chan Man-wai, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority project delivery executive director, said: ``The contracts we signed with the firms state that we can use their design. It is unlike a competition in which we can only use the winner's plan.''

Suggesting that the final design may incorporate the features of three different plans, Chan expressed hope that the features will match the overall design.

Cheung estimates the second round of consultation will be more expensive than the previous one, which cost about HK$5 million.

The first round, carried out between October and January, sought views of the public on overall planning of the hub and views of performers on facilities in arts and cultural venues.

Cheung said the Public Policy Research Institute of the Polytechnic University will complete the analysis of the views and report to the consultation panel early next year.

The panel will then table the report to the board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, which will then pick one of the three architectural firms for the project.


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong is not a cultural desert, David Tang says*
14 July 2010
SCMP

Hong Kong is not a cultural desert, says entrepreneur and author David Tang Wing-cheung, and he aims to prove his theory right by organising a series of cultural events, from literature to fashion and theatre.

To kick off the programme he is inviting three renowned British authors to two sessions of a public forum during next week's Book Fair.

"The fact is, there are many people who are very culture-sensitive," says Tang, an art lover and cultural critic. "I have always thought Hong Kong is actually not a cultural desert. The image has attached itself to this territory because we are dwarfed by mad moneymaking and therefore people tend to think we do nothing else."

Tang has invited three author friends - Frederick Forsyth, Andrew Roberts and Stephen Fry - to fly to Hong Kong at his expense to attend a forum to discuss "How and what and why do writers write?"

One session will be held next Friday at the Convention and Exhibition Centre as one of the cultural events of the Book Fair, which has been aiming to expand the readership of English books. The other one will be at the University of Hong Kong on July 24.

Tang, who will be the moderator for both, says the popularity of the Book Fair, with nearly a million visitors last year, is one of the reasons for organising the forum.

"What does that tell you? The good news is, people are reading," says the founder of Shanghai Tang and the China Club, often addressed as Sir David since he was made a Knight Commander of the British Empire, the second-highest rank in the Order of the British Empire, in the 2008 New Year Honours list.

"It means that they must be interested in the lives of authors - what they do, how they do it and why they do it," says Tang, speaking at his Central office surrounded by books. "I thought it would be fantastic ... to make use of this opportunity to invite some of my good friends to come." He has been friends with the three celebrated authors for a long time.

Former journalist Forsyth, author of award-winning The Day of the Jackal and The Afghan, is one of the most popular thriller writers in the world.

Roberts is a historian and author of military books, including Masters and Commanders in 2008, which won him the Emery Reves Award of the International Churchill Society.

TV and film personality Fry, Described by Tang as incredibly witty and humorous, is a columnist as well as author of four novels, including The Liar.

Tang has high regard for his friends' achievements and believes they will provide an interesting forum.

"There are authors who are Nobel prize winners but they might not be as articulate as you would want them at a public forum," Tang says.

"I think these three friends of mine will fit the bill very well. I want them to excite people, respond to questions and be not only informative but also witty."

Last April, Tang staged an open forum at which nine leading cultural figures from around the world discussed how to make the West Kowloon Cultural District a success. Tang moderated the forum at the Academy for Performing Arts, which attracted a full house and generated heated discussion, both inside the venue and after the event.

This success motivated Tang to organise more cultural events.

By the end of the year, he hopes to organise a fashion forum, inviting people such as Vogue US editor Anna Wintour, whom Tang met recently and who has expressed interest in coming to Hong Kong. Others such as Stella McCartney, Jimmy Choo and Tom Ford are also on Tang's list. Acting will also be an interesting subject for discussion, and Tang suggests that Michael Caine and Jude Law could be potential guests.

Tang wants to ensure the forums are open to the public. "Anybody can come," he says. "When you have a good speaker, you either have to pay for it, or be a member of a fancy chamber of commerce, or be a High Street banker. [But] when I do a forum, I want it to be entirely free, entirely open to the public.

"I thought that one small contribution that I can make to the territory is to bring certain international people to come and talk about things that I know the public at large will be interested in," he says. "I will keep doing [these events] until nobody comes. Then I will give up."

The Book Fair runs from July 21 to 27 at the Convention and Exhibition Centre.


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## hkskyline

*36pc absentee rate at Tsang's strategic development talks*
7 August 2010
SCMP

Once described by Donald Tsang Yam-kuen as the government's "most important advisory body", the Commission on Strategic Development has an average absentee rate of more than one-third in its meetings in the past year.

One member, legislator Lee Cheuk-yan, has not attended any of the commission's four regular meetings since the beginning of its current term in July last year.

The commission, chaired by the chief executive, has 69 non-official members serving for a three-year term. Calculations from the latest attendance records provided by its secretariat showed that on average, each of the regular meetings had an attendance rate of 64 per cent - slightly lower than the 67 per cent in the previous two-year term, while the average absence rate was 36 per cent.

Ten members have attended all of the four meetings, while seven others have attended only one.

Lee was on a trip to Singapore yesterday and could not be reached for comment.

He was reappointed to the commission last year after having attended only one of the seven meetings in the previous two-year term.

Basic Law committee vice-chairwoman Elsie Leung Oi-sie and University of Hong Kong vice-chancellor Professor Tsui Lap-chee, who both attended only one meeting in the past year, said they had missed three meetings because of engagements outside Hong Kong.

Ocean Park chairman Allan Zeman said he was on business trips on two occasions and had missed another meeting because it clashed with an important meeting for the selection of the chief executive of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, of which he was a board member.

Four other members who missed three meetings, Dr Victor Fung Kwok-king, Jack So Chak-kwong, Professor Wang Shaoguang and Dr Allan Wong Chi-yun, could not be reached for comment.

A spokeswoman for the Central Policy Unit, which provides secretariat and research support to the commission, said the average attendance rate of the present term so far was about the same as in the past.

"As non-official CSD members are leaders from their respective fields, it is understandable that they may not be able to attend every regular meeting ... Besides, many of those who are unable to attend a meeting have forwarded their views in writing prior to or after the meeting," she said.

The four meetings discussed the chief executive's policy address, Hong Kong's regional co-operation with the mainland and other East Asian economies, and the government's public consultation on subsidising home ownership.

The commission was established by then chief executive Tung Chee-hwa in 1998 to explore long-term development strategies for Hong Kong. In an initiative to boost its functions, Tsang expanded its size in 2005, saying in his policy address the commission was the most important advisory body to the government.

Chinese University political scientist Dr Ma Ngok said he believed the commission's attendance rate was about the same as many other government advisory bodies. He said that given the large size of the commission it would be difficult for members to have a real exchange of views. Instead, high-level bodies with about six to eight members would allow in-depth discussions of long-term developments, he said.

Dr Lo Chi-kin, who sat on the Committee on Governance and Political Development under the commission from 2005 to 2007, said the way the commission operated was largely different between then and now. "At that time, our committee met every two months to discuss the latest developments of constitutional reform." The commission does not have any sub-group in the current term. With the whole commission meeting four times on four topics in one year, he said: "I am not sure how much it can do."


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## spicytimothy

In anticipation of the big reveal in the next few days, do we have someone in Hong Kong to post an update here??


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## hkskyline

^ Yes - plenty of forumers on the ground to give that update.


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## AmRodam

Is this the new plan for this area?


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## hkskyline

Here they are : http://www.news.gov.hk/en/category/healthandcommunity/100820/html/100820en05004.htm


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## Travis007

This plan looks great. West Kowloon is truly going to be a destination. I lived in one of the buildings beside ICC for a month and right now apart from mainly tourists and residents upstairs, Elements isn't really a spot to be for many people yet. This area will look really different when I return to HK in a few years with this and the Shenzhen express rail complete.


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## hkskyline

*Landmarks in every corner of the world *
5 March 2011
SCMP

Norman Foster, the 75-year-old British architect, has designed some of the most renowned landmarks around the world.

In Hong Kong, the HSBC headquarters building and the Chek Lap Kok International Airport bear his signature.

So do the restored Reichstag in Berlin, the redesigned Hearst Tower in New York City and the futuristic Expo MRT station in Singapore.

He is no stranger to the West Kowloon Cultural District.

In 2002, Foster triumphed in an earlier design competition for the site with a plan for an enormous canopy covering 55 per cent of the development area.

But the canopy concept sparked concerns over maintenance costs. The idea of a single developer getting the whole project and the plan's high-density development also met strong resistance. The government scrapped the whole plan and started all over.

The prolific architect refused to give up on the chance to shape the city's waterfront and Hong Kong's arts scene. He came up with a whole new plan, dubbed City Park, calling for a huge urban park with 5,000 trees to be planted on the west of the site, almost half the area.

His design also highlighted zero-carbon ideas such as recycling waste to create energy and renewable energy generation.

The plan took hits from the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design, which was set up by outspoken and influential architects, planners and engineers.

"We see no passion," Professor Bernard Lim Wan-fung, the institute's president, said in November. If we have to oust one from the competition, it would be Foster's."

Ivan Ho Man-yiu, a member of the institute's council, added at the time that the plan failed to offer a cultural identity.

"We see only a commercial site plus a park, things that are already built in London, Manhattan and Chicago ... Do we still want a city without character? We have already lived with it for the past few decades,"

Foster defended his plan in an interview in December.

"The park is absolutely unique to Hong Kong," the Briton said. `It uses the species you find in the countryside around Hong Kong. And it's unique because of the waterfront setting.

"We've shown how we understood the DNA of Hong Kong ... We've made an extension of the city in which all the activities are all very close to each other," he added.

Foster left school at 16 to do his national service with the Royal Air Force. His relentless passion and energy propelled him into the architectural stratosphere by the mid-1980s. He has won countless awards and was honoured with a life peerage in 1999.

Foster and Partners employs 1,000 architects working on an enormous number of projects: universities, skyscrapers, hospitals, museums, schools, production plants and entire city centres, stretching from Argentina and Brazil to Mumbai and Beijing, via London, Germany, Istanbul and the Middle East.


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## EricIsHim

All these architects and planners are yelling at the Foster and Partners design has no soul, not creative enough, doesn't reflect the local cultures etc. etc. I wonder what can they come up with for the WKCD if they were the designers.


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## hkskyline

I've always thought the whole process was wrong to begin with. Start with what facilities are needed, then run the grand design, not the other way around.


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## aab7772003

hkskyline said:


> I've always thought the whole process was wrong to begin with. Start with what facilities are needed, then run the grand design, not the other way around.


Building an iconic global landmark for nothing if ever possible as a way to establish a world-class art scene overnight, in a city when people are so deprived of breathing and living space and artists so starved of opportunities, is simply too tall an order.


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## g.yau

*Changes to the design?*

I was looking at the recent images for the project and found two small changes and it was the design of the opera house (I think it's the opera house, the one on the right) and the ribbon structure
They changed the shape and design of the opera house, from round to an elongated triangle. The ribbons seems to have extended to other parts of the site.
Before:









After:









Even though I prefer this design over the other proposed ones, I do wish that Foster would remove some of the buildings in the neighbourhood i.e. the ones blocking the West kowloon train terminus view from the harbour. A fantastic train terminus ruined by the buildings blocking the view of the harbour


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## pookgai

Has the design been confirmed now?


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## aab7772003

pookgai said:


> Has the design been confirmed now?


All the hooplas up to this very minute are about coming up with a masterplan, rather than the definitive designs of any landmark buildings.


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## caelus

g.yau said:


> Even though I prefer this design over the other proposed ones, I do wish that Foster would remove some of the buildings in the neighbourhood i.e. the ones blocking the West kowloon train terminus view from the harbour. A fantastic train terminus ruined by the buildings blocking the view of the harbour


I believe those will be residential buildings, not likely to be removed


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## aab7772003

caelus said:


> I believe those will be residential buildings, not likely to be removed


It is like that they will be "affordable" housing as touted!


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## JPBrazil

I thought that OMA's project had won the competition...


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## Rachmaninov

No, OMA didn't win, thank God!


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## spicytimothy

The park portion looks slightly bigger than Kowloon Park, so if Kowloon Park is any indication then I'm not interested in the "city" park that's even further from the city.


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## DiscoZimpy

In this cluster of venues and open space, long-term commercial, community and cultural partnerships will encourage a lively arts scene for generations to come.


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## Rachmaninov

DiscoZimpy said:


> In this cluster of venues and open space, long-term commercial, community and cultural partnerships will encourage a lively arts scene for generations to come.


wtf this guy is googling and copying phrases from other websites...?? This sentence appeared 6 years ago on this HK government page mentioning the OLD proposal!!

http://www.hab.gov.hk/wkcd/ifp/eng/public_consultation/intro.htm


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## hkskyline

*Ex-head of arts hub sorry for abrupt exit*
12 March 2011
SCMP

Graham Sheffield has apologised for causing "concern and controversy" over his abrupt departure from the West Kowloon Cultural District project and swift re-emergence as an arts executive in Britain.

And the arts authority, releasing fresh details about the former chief executive's vanishing act, said it would impose more safeguards when hiring the next arts hub chief.

"I am sorry that my departure and subsequent appointment at the British Council has caused concern and controversy. That was absolutely not my intention," Sheffield said in a long-awaited statement released yesterday through the arts hub. "I will start work with the British Council in May, after two more months of rest and more than four months after ... leaving Hong Kong. I believe I have behaved with integrity and regard for due process at all times."

The authority said Sheffield did not breach his employment contract, since a clause preventing him taking up related work for six months only applied to working in Hong Kong.

Asked whether Sheffield's actions were morally wrong, the chairman of arts hub board's remuneration committee, Sin Chung-kai, said: "Everyone who's been following this already has an answer ... there's a lot to learn from this lesson."

According to an account offered by the authority, the chronology of events was as follows:

On December 16, Sheffield tendered his resignation letter dated December 15, in which he said he was willing to serve the three months' notice required. The board asked him to reconsider the resignation and expected another round of discussion when he returned from his Christmas break in January.

"Unfortunately I became extremely unwell during my time in Hong Kong and I finally resigned in mid-December," Sheffield said.

Authority insiders previously said that Sheffield was unwell towards the end of his tenure, showing a terrible lack of sleep at meetings. Previously, board members said Sheffield was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but the authority said he declined to make his health condition known to the public.

On December 22, the authority received an e-mail from Sheffield's doctor, who recommended he stay in London. On December 29, Sheffield e-mailed the board to say his doctor insisted he "should not travel back to Hong Kong at all. If I have to go for a few days, I should under no circumstances go there alone."

The board agreed to Sheffield's resignation on January 5 and two days later, an official announcement was made. "The board was ... compassionate about my health situation and, in the circumstances, did not require me to work through my notice period," Sheffield said. More medical statements were received later.

It was announced on February 24 that Sheffield had been appointed as the British Council's director for the arts and would start work in May.

The British Council's chief executive, Martin Davidson, who was in Hong Kong yesterday, said a headhunter got in touch with Sheffield only on January 4, after he had resigned from the Hong Kong post.

Sin said that Sheffield stated his new salary was "substantially less" than he earned in Hong Kong.

Sin said the authority had received 40 applications for the job and had discussed with the headhunter the possibility of introducing other elements into candidate interviews, such as an assessment test.


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## Herzarsen

*Extreme Makeover*

HONG KONG NEWSMARCH 18, 2011, 3:41 A.M. ET

A rendering of the West Kowloon Cultural District.

Earlier this month, Hong Kong's Chief Secretary Henry Tang finally named Britain's Foster + Partners as the winning master-plan designer of the US$2.8 billion West Kowloon Cultural District. The announcement was a milestone, but hardly the final step in a long process that will unfold over the next two decades.

The selection came after 13 years of public debate, hundreds of presentations, thousands of committee meetings, the resignations of a couple of high-profile executives, and tens of millions of dollars in billable hours and preproject funding. Sir Norman Foster's firm beat out two other finalists, Rem Koolhaas's Office for Metropolitan Architecture and the local practice Rocco Design Architects.

See Photos:
http://blogs.wsj.com/hong-kong/2011...sign-kowloon-cultural-district/tab/slideshow/

See renderings of the three proposed designs for the West Kowloon Cultural District, including the winning one by Norman Foster.

Standing at a podium making the announcement, Mr. Tang, who is also chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, said: "The public's voice now is loud and clear: 'Move on and get the job done.'"

Once it is complete—assuming there are no more major hitches—the project could demonstrate that with enough money and effort, a city can create a globally relevant culture scene from scratch.

"Hong Kong needs this. We need it as we are looking for our own identity and our future," says Andrew Lam, an urban planner and member of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority board.

An arts hub the likes of West Kowloon Cultural District is the current must-have for many growing cities. It stems from the thinking that for a city to be an attractive location—for living, working and visiting—it needs a thriving and dynamic cultural scene.

"The cultural arts hub is on every major city's list of key interests," says Carolyn Cartier, a professor of cultural globalization and China studies at the University of Technology, Sydney. "It has become understood that creative industries—encompassing everything from design, architecture, software and theater—are essential for urban growth." She says the idea has spread around the world as city mayors share policy information and attend the same conferences.

In China, every major city seems to be sprouting an arts district. Just a few hours by train from Hong Kong, for instance, vast culture zones in Guangzhou's Zhujiang New Town and Shenzhen's Baoan have emerged in the past five years. Further north, Shanghai has an arts development in Pudong on the drawing board, and Beijing has plans to build three major museums close to the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest. Meanwhile, South Korea plans to pour $10 billion into its Seoul Creative City and Abu Dhabi will spend $27 billion on a cultural hub on Saadiyat Island, which will include a sister museum to the Louvre in Paris.

All of these projects—many of which are complete or nearly complete—came along after Hong Kong's plan for a West Kowloon Cultural District was first announced.

Introduced in a 1998 policy speech by former Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, the Cultural District was meant to transform the city into a world-class arts destination.

The project to convert 40 hectares of reclaimed land was initially awarded to Mr. Foster in 2001, based on his proposal for a giant glass canopy over the site, which sits near the Elements mall in western Kowloon. But that decision was overturned in 2005 after a public outcry, played out in the local media, over the government's essentially handing over prime real estate to a single developer. After a series of consultations, the Hong Kong government ordered a new round of bidding in 2009.

Meanwhile, as governments in post-credit crunch Europe and the U.S. slashed their arts and culture budgets, the city set aside a whopping $2.8 billion endowment to pay for the mammoth cultural project. Each of the three finalist architectural firms was given $5.1 million to pitch its master plan, a huge sum for such a competition.

Says Prof. Cartier, who has studied Hong Kong's struggles with West Kowloon: "The debate over West Kowloon has been successful in some ways so far because it led to the realization that you can't just build a set of several boxy museums, have limited collections with which to fill them, and then call the buildings a cultural center."

Indeed, recent history has shown that pouring money into a large construction project doesn't guarantee results: In the late 1990s, for instance, several cities across Asia—Hong Kong included—aspired to create their own versions of Silicon Valley. Kuala Lumpur had its $20 billion Multimedia Super Corridor; Phuket laid out plans for a Greater Phuket Digital Paradise; and let's not forget Hong Kong's $2 billion Cyberport. Today, the Super Corridor is anything but, and Cyberport is primarily a residential development.

*Foster + Partners's winning design for the West Kowloon Cultural District, in keeping with the government brief, will offer 17 cultural venues—including an opera house and a 15,000-seat outdoor arena—plus extensive arts-education facilities and commercial areas. A waterside public park will take up nearly half the land of the district and an underground transport network is supposed to be environmentally friendly.*

The crown jewel will be the M+ Museum, a contemporary art museum that the government expects will attract two million visitors a year, the same number that New York's Museum of Modern Art draws. The city has granted M+ $128 million to acquire artwork and $600 million to build the museum's 7,200-square-meter space.

Of course, with such an ambitious blueprint, the completion of the district is decades away: *According to the plans, the first phase of the West Kowloon district should open by 2015; the final phase will be finished in 2031. *However, Colin Ward, the Hong Kong-based Foster + Partners architect heading the project, says that government rules permitting, some events, such as tree plantings and pop-up exhibits, may roll out soon. M+ executive director Lars Nittve intends to start doing pop-up shows as soon as next January.

But Hong Kong culture critic and art curator Oscar Ho, who also teaches culture studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and is a member of the West Kowloon Cultural District consultation panel, says he thinks the choice of Foster + Partners as the master-plan designer was too conservative.

"It's always the 'no surprise, not challenging one' that wins," says Mr. Ho. "Art is about being unusual and risky, but obviously not for WKCD. The nice thing about Foster's design is, if things do get messed up, at least we will still have a park."

Most Hong Kong residents, adds Mr. Ho, don't care about or want the project. He interviewed about a hundred residents of Yaumatei district, which borders the project site, and more than 70% said West Kowloon had nothing to do with them.

"Some of the most expensive luxurious apartments are [near the Cultural District]. But across a main street on the other side is one of the poorest districts in Hong Kong. How would [the cultural district] be meaningful to the poor community?…WKCD will be dead if there isn't a strong local presence that speaks to the people," says Mr. Ho.

In some ways, although the decision to use Foster + Partners's master plan marks significant progress in the West Kowloon Cultural District process, it is just the start of more rounds of public consultations this summer. The earliest that construction bids on key Cultural District structures such as M+ can begin is the end of this year.

One upside to the West Kowloon Cultural District process is that it has energized local arts groups and brought a fresh wave of international star architects, culture theorists and urban planners to Hong Kong.

A few days before the master plan was awarded, Mr. Koolhaas said: "Whatever happens, Hong Kong is a lifetime commitment. West Kowloon has helped us understand the city better." Despite losing out on West Kowloon, his firm's work in the city continues—the MTR Corp., the territory's mass-transit rail operator, has hired OMA to redesign its train stations.

Foster + Partners, which has long ties to the city—it designed Chep Lap Kok airport and HSBC's headquarters—is helping to convert part of the old Kai Tak Airport into a cruise-ship terminal.

Mr. Yim's firm, a hometown favorite, is building the new Hong Kong government headquarters and the East Kowloon performing-arts center.

Redesigning Hong Kong's future continues.

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704623404576187650415935630.html


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## hkskyline

*No restraint on former WKCDA head taking jobs outside the city*
12 March 2011
China Daily - Hong Kong Edition

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) has denied that Graham Sheffield, former chief executive officer of the arts hub, breached a contracted six-month employment prohibition by taking up a new position with the British Council on Feb 25.

Sheffield himself issued a statement Friday through the WKCDA, claiming he only started job-hunting after the resignation.

In response to public concern raised after Sheffield accepted a job offer so soon after resigning his Hong Kong post, Sin Chung-kai, chairman of the Remuneration Committee of the WKCDA, said at a media conference on Friday that the restriction applied only to employment within Hong Kong.

The authority has no intention of make changes to the restriction clause in future contracts, and believes it's a resonable stipulation, Sin said.

He also stressed the board meeting's decision on Jan 7 to release Sheffield from his duty and excute his three-month notice was based on the information available at that time, the knowlege of Sheffield's health, and more importantly, the three letters of medical advice from his doctor.

He said that it was "an arrangement on the departure of a patient".

Sin said he asked Sheffield, when contacting him during the past two weeks, whether he could reveal the state of his health, but Sheffield declined.

He said it's possible that the immense pressure of the job touched off Sheffield's health problem.

He said the authority had considered changing current structure by creating a post of chief operating officer or deputy CEO. But the former CEO left before any actual change could be made.

Sin, however, admitted the indicent was a lesson. He said the authority will recruit more prudently.

But he didn't answer directly, when sked whether he considers Sheffield as an honest employee.

Chief Executive of the British Council Martin Davidson on Friday defended Sheffield, saying he accepted his new position after he resigned in Hong Kong.

A statement issued by the British Council two weeks ago indicated that Sheffield was appointed as the new director of arts of the United Kingdom's international cultural relations organization.

He will take up the post at the beginning of May.

The new job requires him to work both in the UK and overseas.

The controversy arose because Sheffiield accepted the new offer, only two months after resigning from the WKCDA citing "health reasons," only five months after taking office.

He submitted the resignation on Dec 15, 2010, and officially left the position on Jan 7.

The WKCDA had to pay him the salary for the last month of the probation, or about HK$290,000, according to his contract.

Davidson of the British Council on Friday clarified that Sheffield was only "formally approached" by the headhunters on Jan 4, "which was after his resignation from West Kowloon", and that he became a potential candidate for the new job on Jan 18, "which was after his resignation being accepted by West Kowloon".

Chief Secretary Henry Tang, also chairman of the WKCDA board, said on the day after Sheffield's new job was unveiled that the government will look into whether Sheffield had breached some clauses in his contract that prohibits him to be employed at a similar organization within six months after resignation.

Sheffield's predecessor, former Hong Kong Disneyland executive Angus Cheng Siu-chuen, quit after a week on the job citing "personal reasons".


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## hkskyline

*Time to foster art for art's sake *
The Standard
Monday, March 21, 2011

The results are out. Foster and Partners has officially won the commission to come up with the master plan for the West Kowloon Cultural District. 

A long and difficult journey has just begun - both for the architects and residents of the city. 

The whole hub, from the conceptual phase, to the open competition for individual spaces, to the actual construction of the buildings will probably take a whole decade to come to fruition. 

But now seems a good time for all of us to put aside our emotions and start the real planning of the software, and not just the hardware, of the West Kowloon Cultural District. 

Simply focusing on the latter demonstrates a myopic vision, one that the government is often accused of having. 

Although the past 10 years have seen a steady increase in the number of art lovers, it still remains a tightly knit circle of connoisseurs while the majority of locals could at best be described as passive art admirers. 

It is a common perception that art is still the preserve of auction houses and Western galleries. 

A case in point is the overwhelming majority of participants at Art HK and other similar biennials of strictly Western origin.

To be able to play host to a true arts hub, Hong Kong needs a strong and knowledgeable local community well versed in the arts. 

The government should consider supporting and channeling funds into educational and sponsorship programs that reach out to emerging talents and grassroot projects.

Earmarking resources to promote culture should just not be about building an icon or creating a cathedral for art. 

Why? Because the glue that binds the scheme together is not the architecture, but artists and the audience.

If American architect Louis Sullivan was alive, I am sure he would agree with us when we say: Form follows function and function follows demand. Hong Kong Art Vanguard Association members - architect Nicholas Ho and art historian Stephanie Poon - don't always see eye to eye.


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## hkskyline

By *淮海陳* from a Chinese photography forum :


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## Rachmaninov

hkskyline said:


> *Time to foster art for art's sake *
> The Standard
> Monday, March 21, 2011
> 
> The results are out. Foster and Partners has officially won the commission to come up with the master plan for the West Kowloon Cultural District.
> 
> A long and difficult journey has just begun - both for the architects and residents of the city.
> 
> The whole hub, from the conceptual phase, to the open competition for individual spaces, to the actual construction of the buildings will probably take a whole decade to come to fruition.
> 
> But now seems a good time for all of us to put aside our emotions and start the real planning of the software, and not just the hardware, of the West Kowloon Cultural District.
> 
> Simply focusing on the latter demonstrates a myopic vision, one that the government is often accused of having.
> 
> Although the past 10 years have seen a steady increase in the number of art lovers, it still remains a tightly knit circle of connoisseurs while the majority of locals could at best be described as passive art admirers.
> 
> It is a common perception that art is still the preserve of auction houses and Western galleries.
> 
> A case in point is the overwhelming majority of participants at Art HK and other similar biennials of strictly Western origin.
> 
> To be able to play host to a true arts hub, Hong Kong needs a strong and knowledgeable local community well versed in the arts.
> 
> The government should consider supporting and channeling funds into educational and sponsorship programs that reach out to emerging talents and grassroot projects.
> 
> Earmarking resources to promote culture should just not be about building an icon or creating a cathedral for art.
> 
> Why? Because the glue that binds the scheme together is not the architecture, but artists and the audience.
> 
> If American architect Louis Sullivan was alive, I am sure he would agree with us when we say: Form follows function and function follows demand. Hong Kong Art Vanguard Association members - architect Nicholas Ho and art historian Stephanie Poon - don't always see eye to eye.


That is a good point, but I am hopeful of the art future of Hong Kong, thanks to the recent spike in artistic activity. I have witnessed a steady change towards the better in terms of the quality and quantity of events taking place, and I believe Hong Kong's artistic population is expanding quite rapidly. One problem at this moment is that artists in Hong Kong are quite scattered and unorganised. I'm hoping that this cultural district is going to be effective in letting artists and art-lovers converge.


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## leeyn

zergcerebrates said:


> I like the 2nd place winner more than the canopy one.


I agree with you..:cheers1::cheers1:
I like the 2nd place winner more..


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## Rachmaninov

leeyn said:


> I agree with you..:cheers1::cheers1:
> I like the 2nd place winner more..


... are you talking about the enormously outdated pre-2005 designs?


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## hkskyline

*Foster eyes zero emissions for West Kowloon*
28 March 2011
SCMP

Norman Foster wants to turn West Kowloon into Hong Kong's first zero carbon-emission district.

The renowned British architect and his team think people tend to focus on the large urban park in their design. But their zero-emission ambition is just as "green," even if it may take up to 25 years to achieve.

To achieve that goal, the team will take into account emissions generated from buildings only rather than from other sources in the district.

"There's no one magic bullet," Colin Ward, one of the partners at Foster + Partners, said.

The hub's park will not be used as the only tool to offset carbon emissions as the hub will also target the district's waste problem by collecting the food waste generated daily in its neighbourhood and turn this into biogas for its power system.

Working with this architectural firm is a team of specialists from Arup, a global engineering firm with experience in zero- or low-carbon projects, including a new phase currently under planning at Hong Kong's Science Park and the BedZED residential project in Beddington, south London. The Foster firm also designed the zero-carbon city in Masdar, Abu Dhabi.

"We are not suggesting a fantasy or a mediocre design," said Raymond Yau, a director of Arup. "The arts hub still needs to be powered by the local electricity grid but we will offset by helping the city to solve part of its food-waste problem."

To arrive at the "zero" figure, will mean careful planning and design of the whole site and its buildings; a creative recycling of food waste, and increasing use of wind and solar energy. More importantly, it will mean bringing about behavioural change among hub users.

Yau added that the goal could be achieved much earlier - by 2025 (see graphic) - if the energy centre and the district cooling system could operate at an earlier stage.

The project, if realised, would set an example for the region. But if it fails, it could become an obstacle for other low-carbon projects in the pipeline. Ward said the plan aimed to cut Hong Kong's carbon emission by 135,000 tonnes a year, the equivalent of taking 23,400 cars off the road. Hong Kong generates 3,280 tonnes of food waste a day, accounting for 44 per cent of waste dumped in landfills.

"We need a strong policy in place to ensure a sufficient amount of food waste and an efficient operation of the energy centre, if you don't want to see it becoming a refuse-collection point," Yau warned.

The team follows the zero-carbon definition currently adopted by the UK government: using on-site renewable energy to offset electricity taken from the local power grid and allowing some degree of off-site emission mitigations, such as reducing methane gas in landfills in the case of the arts hub.

"It's a universally accepted definition," he said, adding that UK projects also target buildings' emissions rather than emissions generated by external transportation, as this is an uncontrollable factor.

Whether the plan will succeed hinges on many factors: "Design is just the first step. It will depend on how the authority decides on the phasing of the hub. Public education and behavioural change will also take time," he said.

Foster's background in designing a zero-carbon city, dubbed a green utopia, in the deserts of Abu Dhabi may not be seen as a credit, however. The project was described as a mirage after its scale and budget were cut. The original plan included extensive use of a transport system in which cars were banned and people transported in driverless pods. .

"There are reasons for its failure," said the president of the Hong Kong Green Building Council Andrew Chan Ka-ching. "The project of creating a city in a desert is very artificial to begin with. It is too ambitious."

Chan said that the key was to ensure the idea was implemented consistently and sustained in the long run, a role in which the arts hub authority will play an important part. For example, a clear set of design guidelines must be ready for buildings when sites are sold for development. "It's not beyond our reach," Chan said.


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## hkskyline

*`Cheated' lawmakers want arts answers *
The Standard
Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Legislators want former West Kowloon Cultural District Authority chief executive Graham Sheffield to return from Britain to explain his resignation.

Lawmakers attending a panel meeting on home affairs yesterday said the government should go after Sheffield since they "felt cheated."

Sheffield, 58, started work in August as authority chief executive but resigned in January citing ill health.

He was appointed new director for the arts at the British Council in London late last month and will take up his new post in early May.

Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat said: "He should return to Hong Kong and explain everything. I doubt his integrity since he was job-hunting when he was extremely unwell." 

Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong lawmaker Chan Kam-lam said the resignation of Sheffield has damaged the authority's reputation.

Authority remuneration committee chairman Sin Chung-kai said he "felt cheated."

Sin added: "We always hope Sheffield can return to Hong Kong and explain to the public. His resignation has affected morale but our team will continue to work hard on the project." 

The authority may consider legal action if it finds new evidence concerning Sheffield's conduct, he said.

But Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs Salina Yan Mei-mei believes the authority made "a suitable decision" when it accepted the resignation.


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## hkskyline

*Warning sounds on cultural costs *
The Standard
Wednesday, March 30, 2011

A senior West Kowloon Cultural District Authority member says the full project will cost much more than the HK$21.6 billion already approved.

But despite calls from several legislators for the authority to come clean on the total budget, the authority's development committee chairman, Ronald Arculli, said it is difficult to calculate as it will take up to 15 years to complete the project.

"With the rising construction costs in recent years, the approved HK$21.6 billion will not be enough for the 17 buildings ... if construction starts now," Arculli said yesterday. "But the project is still in the early stage, and we still need to carry out stage three public consultation on the detailed development plan of the chosen project." 

Arculli said the authority will have to bring the matter to the Legislative Council for further discussion later on. "I hope people can be more patient and wait until the development plan is out and approved by the Town Planning Board."

Arculli said it will take 10 to 15 years to complete the project. "It is therefore hard to arrive at a more specific figure for the entire project now, as social expectations vary as time goes on. We need to be cautious when using public resources." 

Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat said former permanent secretary for home affairs Carrie Yau Tsang Ka-lai had assured legislators in 2008 they would not be asked to dole out more money.

"Can the authority assure us it will not seek additional funding in the coming five to 15 years?" Lee asked. "I believe the cost of such a huge project will change as time goes by. Will the authority come up with the latest financial assessment?"

Another Democrat, Emily Lau Wai-hing, said with construction costs continually rising, the authority should constantly update the public on the expected budget. "The authority should be more transparent and announce the expected budget at different stages of construction," Lau said.

Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan Suk-chong also joined in the call for a full budget disclosure.

Legco approved HK$21.6 billion in July 2008 for the construction of 17 buildings.

Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen said recently the selection panel has gone for architect Norman Foster's "City Park" master plan, which will use 19 of the 40 hectares of the cultural district, and will require the planting of 5,000 trees.

The third public consultation will be conducted this summer on a detailed development plan, which will be submitted to the Town Planning Board later this year, with the first phase of the cultural district expected to be completed in 2015.


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## hkskyline

Source : http://www.fotop.net/xpan


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## hkskyline

*Former cultural desert starts to bloom *
After decades of being a place where finance was prized more highly than artistic talent, the city is making up for lost time
11 April 2011
South China Morning Post

It speaks volumes that until little more than a decade ago Hong Kong had no full-time art schools. No Parsons, no St Martin's, no Chicago Institute of Art. It was symptomatic of the cultural void that infamously plagued the city until very recently, according to Cissy Pao Watari, chairman of the board of governors at the Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC). "You need various things, different museums to accommodate different styles and periods, and you need institutions dedicated to inspiring creative people," she says.

But now, Hong Kong Art School, an offshoot of the non-profit HKAC, is an integral part of the city's art community. It offers diplomas, bachelor's and master's programmes to more than 600 students, half of whom are full-time.

Chairman Sebastian Law is full of enthusiasm about building on the encouraging response to a Hong Kong-based tertiary art programme. Now with an additional campus in Shau Kei Wan, the school aims to have a campus-style arrangement with numerous hubs spread throughout the city. And, Law says, as Hong Kong's appreciation of art grows - and not just as an investment vehicle - the chance that this will happen is increasingly likely.

"I strongly believe that Hong Kong is in a superb position," he says. "It's not like the old days. Our culture is different now - it's a boom. Art culture is no longer limited to painting and sculpture. The application of an art education now is so wide - everything from furniture design to 3-D art and animation. It's like a renaissance."

Law is passionate about the possibilities for young artists to capitalise on the emerging technologies that will form the basis of new media. "Art education can be a lot wider than people think," he says. "It's not just a way to become a painter or a sculptor. There is industrial design, photography, 3-D work, TV and graphics. An art education establishes the foundation for artists to move into other spheres. It's our responsibility to inspire students and make them aware of opportunities. We need to give our artists the confidence to express their creativity in whatever format."

The art school, he says, is ideally suited to provide the foundations that students need to express their creativity with technical proficiency while developing the correct mindset to be an artist.

"I believe you need a good foundation to be a good artist," Law says. "We focus on four areas. You need to have sound technical skills and design ability, which are things that we spend a lot of time developing. But you must also have a social conscience and self-discipline. These elements, together with good-quality teachers, a good curriculum and a good, stimulating learning environment, can set a good foundation for artists."

Pao believes part of Hong Kong's problem in the past was that it developed as a city of immigrants, where making sense of the world and having enough money to put food on the table were more immediate concerns than the appreciation of art.

"We don't have a history or heritage of art," she says. "But we have gone way beyond that and, while I think people should have more passion for art, a lot of my friends have passion and are very supportive."

The promise that the art school brings is its grass-roots approach to turning Hong Kong around and giving it a sense of purpose and creativity. Artists, Pao says, should come back to Hong Kong after an overseas education - and when they do, it will remove some of the stigma of being an artist that Hong Kong has developed.

"Right now, people think of artists as living on the fringe, not like they have a real profession," she says. "It's important to have that recognition. I think the whole environment, what comes after the education, is what makes the art school tick. A lot of very good artists, graduates of art schools overseas, don't want to come back here, but I think all that will change. They have to know that Hong Kong and the mainland have a lot of opportunities."

Pao and Law are positive about what the government is trying to achieve with the West Kowloon Cultural District. It is a force for good, they argue, if slightly ambitious in its attempts to build a complete, functioning cultural area. What will make the difference, they hope, is their plan to open a campus of the art school on the site.

"We'd like to expand to West Kowloon," Pao says. "This is how we connect - it should be connected to existing hubs. The key to West Kowloon is to have a school and take students there."


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## hkskyline

*Oz arts exec tipped for top cultural role *
The Standard
Friday, May 20, 2011

Australian arts administrator Michael Lynch is strongly tipped to be the next chief executive of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation director and former chief executive of London's Southbank Centre and the Sydney Opera House is the best among the some 40 candidates to lead the new multibillion-dollar culture hub, a source said.

His appointment will likely be announced soon.

The controversial resignation of previous chief executive Graham Sheffield in January prompted a renewed global job hunt by the authority. 

The screening of candidates has now been completed after applications closed in February.

An authority spokesman said: "The recruitment exercise has made good progress and an announcement is expected to be made later this month."

The new director will be paid about HK$5 million a year, HK$1.25 million more than Sheffield who resigned abruptly on health grounds.

He later revealed he had been headhunted for a senior job with the British Council.

The culture hub chief may be assigned a deputy or a chief operating officer to ease job pressures, as suggested earlier by the authority board.

Lynch, along with about 10 top administrators in the global arts scene, will next month attend a forum organized jointly by the authority and the Hong Kong Arts Administrators' Association.

The three-day forum on the design and management of the 15 performance venues at the West Kowloon arts hub will see them hold talks themed as "What makes an art venue work." 

The mega-project is expected to be constructed and launched in phases, with the first phase to open in 2015.

Lynch, an influential player in public broadcasting in Australia, was one of the 51 candidates in the previous recruitment exercise in 2009.

He has been involved with the arts community as well as the film industry for over three decades, and was appointed ABC director for a five-year term in March 2009.

From 2002 until 2009 Lynch was chief executive of London's Southbank Centre, where he was responsible for the transformation of the area's cultural precinct.

He has also had a long career in arts administration in Australia, as chief executive of the Sydney Opera House from 1998 to 2002, and general manager of the Australia Council from 1994 to 1998.

Earlier, he was a casting director with his own agency Forcast, and an agent for the performing arts, film and television. He began his career at the Australia Council for the Arts in 1973 and was manager of the Nimrod Theatre and administrator of the Australian National Playwrights Conference.

In 2001 he was awarded the Order of Australia in Queen Elizabeth's Birthday Honors for services to arts administration. 

And in 2008 he was named a Commander of the British Empire for services to the arts in Britain.


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## hkskyline

*Arts hub gives priority to small performing venues *
17 May 2011
South China Morning Post 

The performing arts director of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority told lawmakers yesterday that the authority was giving priority to building small and medium-sized performing venues in the arts hub. Louis Yu said his team was working with Norman Foster, the architect designing the arts hub layout, to locate spots within the 42-hectare site that are ready for construction. The four black-box theatres would take three to four years to complete. Yu also said four venues, including a theatre, a concert hall and a Cantonese Opera centre, would come with art education facilities.


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## hkskyline

*Royal academy chief hints at arts hub link *
25 May 2011
SCMP

The world renowned Royal Academy of Arts has set its sights on Hong Kong and West Kowloon as part of its planned expansion in Asia and the Middle East.

Although it is still an empty piece of land, the site of the future arts hub - along with government museums - is under consideration by the privately funded institution as a location for its first touring exhibition next year.

Future collaboration is also on the cards. Academy chief executive Charles Saumarez Smith says he will take the opportunity during a visit to Hong Kong this week to get to know arts leaders and "get a feel as how we might operate, and if there are opportunities in which we could work together".

But before establishing any permanent fixture, the academy will bring a travelling selling exhibition to Asia for the first time in the autumn of next year, following a model based on the academy's annual Summer Exhibition that has run since 1769.

Finding a suitable site will be part of Saumarez Smith's mission for his visit to Hong Kong during which he will also attend a talk by Chinese artist Zhang Huan at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday during the ART HK fair.

He said Swire buildings that had been used for exhibitions in the past were a possibility for the exhibition, while West Kowloon "seems to be imaginable", but no decisions had been made. Founded in 1768 by 34 artists and architects, the Royal Academy of Arts has become one of London's most important places to showcase art as well as a leading educational institution featuring a highly selective postgraduate programme admitting only 20 students a year.

Saumarez Smith said several cities, including Hong Kong, had shown interest in replicating the model of an academy led by artists, and the academy had been exploring international partnerships.

"I'm not going to pretend that we are the only people interested in this idea of a slightly global operation," he said. "There are cities besides Hong Kong - mainly in the Middle East - which have expressed an interest in thinking through the issue as to how an institution like ours could work in other parts of the world."

He did not say whether an overseas arm of the academy could be established in Hong Kong, but said it was "not unimaginable" that the development of West Kowloon would open the doors to collaboration.

Last year, the Savannah College of Art and Design opened its first Asian branch in Hong Kong at the historic North Kowloon Magistracy building.

Art critic and programme director of Chinese University's MA in cultural management Oscar Ho said that with the poor economies and severe funding cuts in the US and Europe, overseas institutions expanding in Asia was a common trend.

Even though Hong Kong was a small market, locating here could help the institutions open up a regional market and develop networks and projects on the mainland.

Saumarez Smith said the travelling exhibition was seen as a way of establishing international links.

"As the art world becomes more international and more globalised, [the academy] is certainly taking the view supported by other academicians that it's in our interest to work in an appropriate way internationally," he said.

It is understood that the exhibition will feature more than 100 works, half of them by artists represented by the Academy and the others from leading Asian artists.

The exhibition will begin in Singapore, then tour Hong Kong, Tokyo and either Taiwan or South Korea.

Proceeds of the sales will go towards the costs of the postgraduate students' studies.

A spokesman for the Leisure and Cultural Services department said it had started a dialogue with an agent working with the Royal Academy of Arts to explore opportunities for organising a major exhibition in Asia.


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## hkskyline

*Arts hub: no time to lose *
Michael Lynch should be able to kick-start the West Kowloon Cultural District project, but will he really have the desired autonomy? 
28 May 2011
South China Morning Post

Veteran arts administrator Michael Lynch has just stepped into a job that is as formidable and ambitious as the HK$21 billion project of which he is now in charge.

The West Kowloon Cultural District has never just been about the 42 hectares of land on which 15 performing arts venues, a large piazza, a visual-arts museum and an exhibition centre will be built. It is also about giving the city the much needed space to develop its arts and culture, elevating local artistic standards to a world-class level, building links and partnerships with the existing cultural facilities and integrating the new district with its neighbourhoods and the rest of Hong Kong.

As its chief executive, the 60-year-old Australian will not only have to deal with artists but also builders, politicians and government officials from an array of departments.

The position has so far proved to be a poisoned chalice: Angus Cheng Siu-chuen left the job after just a week in 2009 and Graham Sheffield, former artistic director of the Barbican Centre in London, resigned from the post in January after five months, citing health reasons.

However, many believe that Lynch, with his extensive experience and international background, will be able to take the challenges in his stride.

The former head of the Sydney Opera House and the Southbank Centre in London has arrived at a crucial phase in the project: the conceptual plan for the West Kowloon Cultural District proposed by British architect Norman Foster was approved by the government in March and should be endorsed by the Town Planning Board at the end of this year at the earliest. The next step is to turn concepts into reality.

"Lynch will be a leader not just of West Kowloon but all its surrounding districts," says one observer who is close to the project. "There are many technical issues that need to be ironed out and there is an urgent need for the WKCD to come up with a construction programme or infrastructural blueprint for the plan. For instance, the Foster plan proposes underground traffic. How will that be connected with the existing local traffic in the area?"

Besides traffic, the arts district authority will have to figure out how to integrate the cultural hub and the nearby Hong Kong-Guangzhou high-speed railway. Sorting out these issues will be laborious and time-consuming.

And it will involve a slew of government departments, including the Town Planning Board, Environmental Protection Department, Transport Department, Lands Department, Home Affairs Bureau and district councils. All the while, the WKCD Authority must keep a close eye on its budget to ensure that it does not overspend.

The project needs to start its construction phase very soon if it is to meet the scheduled completion of its first phase around 2015. That means building 12 performing arts venues and the M+ art museum.

But the authority made some progress while searching for Sheffield's replacement.

On Wednesday, Lars Nittve, executive director of the M+, told a group of international art dealers and reporters in town for the Hong Kong International Art Fair that "the momentum is already there". He said he hoped the designer for M+ would be identified, through an international competition, by next April and the architect by next summer.

"We are now working on the policy of collection, as everything is [built] from inside out," he said, adding that HK$1 billion was earmarked for acquisition. "In 10 years' time, the collection should reflect that you are here in Hong Kong, the Pearl River Delta, China, Southeast Asia and the rest of Asia."

M+ aimed to display local artwork, Nittve said, "but more importantly to bring great art here from around the world".

Louis Yu Kwok-lit, the executive director for performing arts, is looking at the feasibility of major local performing arts companies taking up residence in some of the new venues.

It will be Lynch's job to get his team of eight senior executives together and ensure everyone is working towards the same vision. He will need to get board members in agreement to put his administrative decisions in effect. The question of autonomy - whether WKCD will be free to make decisions about art without government interference - will need to be addressed, discussed and confirmed.

Most of all, Lynch has to learn about this city - fast. Despite his glowing résumé and extensive experience, Hong Kong is no London or Sydney. He will have a lot of catching up to do to understand the local cultural scene and more. The learning curve will be very steep.

"His position is not simply to oversee a cultural district; being an outsider, he needs to have an understanding of the government, how it works, the arts community and potential audience in order to design the project," says one veteran artist who is close to the project.

The WKCD cannot take the same approach as the government in promoting the arts, which places more emphasis on "fairness and pleasing everyone" instead of artistic merit, the artist says.

"West Kowloon should take a leader's role in local art and cultural development. This district is a project that is of international world-class standard. Artistically, it has to be able to decide what is of quality. You cannot cater to everybody.

"So will the new chief executive have the courage to make that decision?

"On the one hand [Lynch] will need to communicate and work with the government - which is set in its way of doing things - and on the other striving for high standards. He needs to be brave enough to stand up for his decisions and choices and that is really challenging."

But the success of the WKCD will not rest on Lynch's shoulders alone. The district's evolution will depend on who will take over the reins as chief executive in the future.

For now, it is hoped that Lynch will at least stay long enough to kick-start this mammoth project and give it a solid head start.


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## hkskyline

*Making a case for modern museums*
The Standard
Monday, August 01, 2011

Since there has been so much talk about our new contemporary art museum, M+, along with the many other cultural institutions like the Central Police Station, perhaps it's time to consider the role of today's museums in the community, and what they bring to the public.

Their benefits include:

Catalyst for change: museums can deliver specific messages encouraging people to think from varied points of view about given topics. They can stimulate debate and discussion among citizens, changing their perceptions of the real world through art.

Educational: museums can ensure that on leaving, everyone learned something they didn't know before, especially young people. Museums can also act as an educational authority by collaborating with schools and nonprofit organizations to bring art to the masses.

Centers for creativity: museums can engage visitors in participative projects, inspiring creativity among audiences through exposure to art. By offering people constant exposure to art, this can help develop their appreciation and interest in art.

Archival memory: museums can act as archives for history, traditions, places and people - serving as reservoirs for different generations and their collective memories.

Storyteller: museums can interpret a theme and display works in a manner that is informative in relating the past, present and future. Well-curated shows give viewers a spatial and contextual experience - better than any other medium.

Revitalization: museums can, through architecture and programming, help revitalize a town not on the tourist map. (The Bilbao effect through the Guggenheim, say.)

Local training ground: museums can act as training grounds for local artists, helping promote their careers and putting them under the international spotlight. This can greatly help the local art community mature, since museums will become clear venues for emerging artists.

Hong Kong Art Vanguard Association members - architect Nicholas Ho and art historian Stephanie Poon - don't always see eye to eye.


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## hkskyline

*New West Kowloon culture chief vows to finally get show on road*
The Standard
Friday, August 05, 2011

The new chief of the West Kowloon arts hub has pledged to speed up development of the project, which has dragged on for more than five years.

Michael Lynch, who toured the headland area around the site's promenade yesterday, said details of the final stage of the public consultation exercise will be announced in weeks, and proposals presented to the Town Planning Board by the end of the year.

It was his first media briefing since Lynch, 60, took on the role of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority chief executive on July 25.

The Australian, who leads and manages the site's artistic and project development, said he is surprised the site "still looks exactly the same" as on his last visit 3 years ago. 

The spot, on reclaimed land, is "potentially the best site in the world" in promoting arts and culture, he said, while pledging to lead the team to accelerate the HK$21.6 billion project.

"Hopefully, we will create the sense of enthusiasm for the project that all of you will feel excited about," he said.

Lynch was accompanied by Chan Man-wai, the authority's project delivery executive director.

As soon as the town planning exercise is over, one of the authority's priorities is to make the land "much more attractive than present" by developing a 23-hectare public park in the wedge-shaped development site, Lynch said.

He said he has met authority board members, government officials and key cultural stakeholders over the past 10 days, and also exchanged ideas with architect Norman Foster, whose "City Park" design was selected for the project.

Lynch, a former director of the Australian Broadcasting Corp, was appointed in May and replaces Graham Sheffield. Briton Sheffield resigned for health reasons in January, just five months after taking up the job.

The authority has seen top-level resignations and delays since a government committee was set up in 2006 to come up with recommendations about the low-density project.

Part of the site is now used as a temporary promenade managed by the government.


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## hkskyline

*Arts chief loves city, not the chicken feet*
The Standard
Thursday, September 01, 2011

It wasn't a baptism of fire but more like a foodie exercise for Michael Lynch in his first month on the job as chief executive of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.

Lynch, the 60-year-old former chief executive of the Sydney Opera House and Southbank arts complex in London, said it might be his taste buds that got him through what he describes as "the hardest part of a new job."

That's because he had to leave his family, his house and "it is about adjusting to a different place in a different way."

He joined the authority on July 25 on a three-year term after a global search that followed the shock resignation of his predecessor, Graham Sheffield, for health reasons.

Lynch, an Australian, said it is his first time working in an environment where he doesn't speak the local language but it is his love of food that "helped him to breeze through easily."

"I get Chinese food three times a day, so I am feeling absolutely happy on that front," he was quoted as saying in the August issue of the WKCD e-newsletter, which was uploaded yesterday.

Lynch said he eats almost everything except chicken feet and shark fin, which he finds "highly overrated."

He needs all the help he can get as the third stage of the public engagement exercise on the HK$21.6 billion project, based on the winning design by architect Norman Foster - dubbed "City Park" for the 40-hectare waterfront arts complex - will begin this month.

Lynch has a new Chinese name, "Lien Nah-chi," which means "continuously taking wisdom."

Another fact that he revealed: he caught polio when he was three. That's why the first thing he agreed to do officially was attend the awards night for the Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong.

He said his hectic schedule here reminded him of his seven- year reign at the Southbank Centre in London in 2002.

His favorite painter is Russian Wassily Kandinsky, his favorite singer is Canadian Leonard Cohen, and top actress for him is Cate Blanchett, also an Australian.

His wife, Chrissy Sharp, will move here in October.


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## hkskyline

*Tang in zero-emissions drive for culture hub*
The Standard
Monday, September 26, 2011

The future West Kowloon cultural hub will also pioneer a green city vision right down to its power generation facilities.

That's according to Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen, who expressed confidence the government is willing to put in billions more dollars to realize the "City Park" idea.

Tang, speaking as the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority head, has yet to announce when he will step down as chief secretary to run for the post of chief executive in a move that may also require him to resign as the arts czar.

The political speculation is likely to give an extra buzz to Thursday's unveiling of the hub's development plan, which is based on a "minor" enhancement of Foster+Partners plan for a City Park, which had gained public traction in the past two exercises in 2009 and last year.

Tang said that besides "green power" generation, the park will also have a monitoring station for roadside emissions.

"West Kowloon will be the future pioneer of a green city," Tang told The Standard.

Terming sustainability as "the most important ingredient," he said Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau Tang-wah has agreed it is worth committing more resources to green features.

Thursday's announcement is expected to encompass phase one facilities and their completion dates, as well as the green features.

Following in its immediate wake on Friday will be the launch of a month-long public consultation exercise, the visual concept of which will be a 1:250 scale model of the arts hub and information panels that will be put on display at the Heritage Discovery Centre in Kowloon Park through October 30.

The plan will also incorporate "desirable features" from the other two master plans, including a more accessible Chinese opera center.

Still the subject of negotiations between the authority and the government is the additional HK$4 billion needed to build underground infrastructure, which threatens to add considerably to the original project cost of HK$21.6 billion.

The first level of the underground facility will be set aside for vehicular traffic and the second story for an underground car park.

Tang said it will be difficult to stop private cars from coming to the hub given its public nature.

Therefore a "zero-emissions underground [infrastructure] will be a good idea," he said.

Because it is infrastructure, it makes sense for a portion of its HK$4 billion cost to be met through the public purse, an authority spokesman said.

The City Park will have a cooling system for its 17 buildings, waste and water recycling systems and use renewable energy sources.

The original concept also calls for an elevated rail and a biobus service.

"This [final] design will serve as the basis for launching construction next year, pending approval from the Town Planning Board," said consultation panel chairman Stephen Cheung Yan-leung.


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## hkskyline

By *csk_stg * from a Hong Kong discussion forum :


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## hkskyline

*Bamboo christening for Kowloon hub*
The Standard
Friday, December 09, 2011

Cantonese opera is coming to the West Kowloon cultural hub - and the fact that the project has not yet been built won't stand in its way.

The four-day program cum contemporary visual arts exhibition will be held during the Lunar New Year next month at a purpose-built bamboo theater.

The event will mark the launch of the design and construction stage of the future cultural district and celebrate the Year of the Dragon.

West Kowloon Cultural District Authority's chief executive,Michael Lynch, said that tickets will cost only HK$10. The bamboo theater will be able to seat 800.

And Louis Yu Kwok-lit, executive director for performing arts, said there will be stalls and exhibitions at the fringe of the theater, reminiscent of how festivals were celebrated in Hong Kong in the old days.


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## hkskyline

*Leung denies conflict in W Kowloon project*
The Standard
Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Chief executive candidate Leung Chun-ying has been accused of a conflict of interest involving the West Kowloon Cultural District project.

In an exclusive report, East Week magazine said Leung was one of 10 judges in the 2001 concept planning competition - despite his company acting as a consultant for one of the competitors.

Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah, the former secretary for planning and lands bureau, was quoted as saying he was shocked when he stumbled across the alleged conflict of interest while checking nearly 160 competition entries. He then met with Leung, asking him to step down as judge.

Liberal Party vice chairwoman Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee, who was on the judges' panel, recalled Leung was excluded in the final stage.

Lawmaker Ronny Tong Ka-wah said if the conflict accusation is true, Leung's role was unreasonable even if unintentional. Tong called on the government to release the relevant information in accordance with the Power and Privileges Act.

Another legislator, Cheung Man-kwong, urged the government to clearly explain what happened, as Leung's credibility is at stake.

Reacting yesterday, Leung was at first unwilling to comment, saying: "Let me check first."

Later, when asked why he had provided consultation services to candidates, he said: "It happened 10 years ago. Several professional teams participated in the competition, but neither my company nor I joined any of the teams.

"One quantity surveyor under a particular professional team asked our company about related comments and information on land prices in West Kowloon. But we did not take any money in return.

"There was no business relationship, or conflict of interest. I have already reported the case to the jury committee chairman and government bodies."

Meanwhile, the Federation of Trade Unions has threatened to boycott Leung and rival Henry Tang Ying-yen if they do not reveal their positions on statutory working hours.

Federation chairman Cheng Yiu-tong accused them of behaving worse than Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen on the issue.

"Tsang, at least, is studying the issue, but Leung and Tang only say they will let the public discuss it first," Cheng said. The federation holds 60 votes in the 1,200-member election committee.


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## iamawesomezero

I don't really like it...


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## hkskyline

*Welcome to the culture club*
The Standard
Wednesday, June 26, 2013










The West Kowloon Cultural District project is being set in concrete as we speak, and racing to ensure nothing slips through the cracks at this late stage is a dedicated team.

But some problems are building, the most significant being construction costs soaring over budget.

And as if the road ahead isn't bumpy enough, the district authority lost communications and marketing chief Garmen Chan Ka-yiu, who reached retirement age.

Finding a replacement of comparable caliber must have posed quite a headache, but for a protracted headhunting exercise.

That secured a successor of equally high standing in Wendy Lam Yuen-mui - who previously held top positions at both the Arts Development Council and the Consumer Council.

I understand Lam has been on board the West Kowloon project for nearly a month now.

She had indicated she would be looking for new challenges when her Consumer Council contract expired last October.

I heard that talks about her appointment were initiated when she bumped into West Kowloon Cultural District Authority board member Ma Fung-kwok at a function.

She and Ma had worked together for several years at the Arts Development Council when he was chairman there.

West Kowloon is a mammoth and expensive project involving numerous stakeholders, with the key ones being the arts and cultural sector, government officials as well as politicians.

Given its scale, the project and how it turns out impacts on the way the outside world perceives us. As such,
there is an intricate division of responsibilities in place to ensure there are no contradictions on the inside.

A joint Legislative Council subcommittee chaired by Christopher Chung Shu-kun is also scrutinizing its implementation like a hawk.

There has been talk that the project may be watered down to curb costs.

Friends asked Lam how she plans to tackle these thorny issues, and the key for her to winning public support lies in the whole process being transparent.

She reassured them she is fully aware of the complexity and immensity of the project, and as such, will not underestimate the challenges of her new position. 

Siu Sai-wo is chief editor of Sing Tao Daily


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## randolphan

Swiss architecture studio *Herzog & de Meuron* has been selected to design a visual culture museum (M+) in Hong Kong's new West Kowloon Cultural District.














































Source: http://www.designboom.com/architecture/herzog-de-meuron-unveil-design-for-m-museum-hong-kong/


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## hkskyline

* Arts hub may suffer from din of trains* 
Environmental study suggests rumbling from railways under the West Kowloon site could annoy patrons trying to enjoy performances
14 September 2013
South China Morning Post

Underground rumbling from passing trains might disturb patrons trying to appreciate the arts at the West Kowloon Cultural District.

Noise from two railway lines running under the arts hub will exceed the specified maximum level for three key venues, an environmental impact assessment for the project shows - and an art critic says vibration could be a bigger worry.

But the arts hub says the problem will be offset by the design of the buildings.

According to the assessment, the maximum noise from the West Rail line in the Xiqu Centre for traditional opera will be 32 decibels, against a specified level of 25.

The Tung Chung Line will cause up to 56 decibels of noise at the M+ Museum and Lyric Theatre, against specified maximums of 35 and 25 decibels respectively.

The assessment report, which was open for public comment until August 21, has yet to be tabled to the Advisory Council on the Environment for endorsement.

Engineer Greg Wong Chak-yan, who is familiar with rail work, said 56 dB could be compared to the noise at construction sites without pile-driving, while 32 dB "should be very quiet".

All three venues meet the requirements for continuous noise level, but not the maximum level. Wong said the maximum level meant occasional noise that would not last long.

"It's not a serious problem, but of course the tough standards were made to suit an arts venue," he said.

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority said ground-borne noise-control measures were incorporated into the design and construction of the cultural facilities built above the railways.

"Given the … railways' proximity to the arts hub, at-receiver noise and vibration control measures such as building isolation or box-in-box installations will be required in the design of relevant arts and cultural venues," a spokesman said, adding that there will be "no extra cost to the project".

He said the arts hub did not have an estimate of the noise and vibration levels after control measures were installed but it would strive to meet international standards.

"Building isolation can reduce up to 20dB of structural-borne noise, [and] typical box-in-box installation can reduce up to 15dB," the spokesman said.

Art critic John Batten said noise and vibrations could affect art appreciation.

"Will it affect the exhibition you want to put on?" he asked. "There's a worry there and there will be more concerns about the vibrations.

"Most museums have concerns about vibrations. Is that the right spot for M+?"

Wong said the problem could be alleviated by improving the MTR tracks or laying noise-absorbing material in the venues.

"But either way, it shouldn't cost much, and the costs should be shouldered by the district authority," he said. "The railways have always been there, and it was the authority which chose to build on top of them."

The MTR said it would contact the authority for more information.


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## ramakrishna1984

*WKCDA breaks ground on Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong*​
The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) has broken ground on the $350m Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong's £1.7bn cultural district(*source*). Xiqu Centre will be the first of the 17 core arts and cultural buildings that are planned to be built in the West Kowloon Cultural District, which is scheduled to be completed by 2016.


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## hala

*It’s about time! Work finally starts at cultural centre project*

Source: http://www.construction-post.com/time-work-finally-starts-cultural-centre-project/

25 Sep 2013









*Ground-breaking for first facility Xiqu Centre at West Kowloon*

Work has finally started on the first facility for the government’s showcase project, the West Kowloon Cultural District, fifteen years after it was first mooted.

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority held a ground-breaking ceremony on Tuesday for the Xiqu Centre which will be used for performances of Chinese opera on completion in 2016.

The centre, budgetted at HK$2.5 billion, will have a gross floor area of over 23,700 square metres (255,107 square feet) over seven storeys and two basement levels.

Among the planned facilities in the centre are a main theatre with 1,100 seats, a tea house, arts education facilities, external performance space and retail and dining areas.

The centre is located at the junction of Canton Road and Austin Road West, immediately north of Tsim Sha Tsui Fire Station.









Shovels at the ready - Chief Secretary for Administration and also Chairman of the Board of the West Kowloon Cultural Authority Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor (sixth from left) officiates at the ground breading ceremony for the Xiqu Centre (Danny Chung)

Shovels at the ready – Chief Secretary for Administration and also Chairman of the Board of the West Kowloon Cultural Authority Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor (sixth from left) officiates at the ground breading ceremony for the Xiqu Centre (Danny Chung)

Speaking to the press afterwards, authority chief executive officer Michael Lynch said the authority was working hard to develop the other facilities for the cultural district.

“Like Rome, it just doesn’t happen in a day,” Lynch said.

The cultural district project has been beset by delays by concerns over design and huge construction and operating costs since the project was first proposed by the-then Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa in 1998.

The authority is now looking to supplement the HK$21.6 billion endowment approved by the Legislative Council in 2008, Lynch said, with corporate sponsorship and philanthropic gifts.

The authority had no figure in mind for the additional funding although executive director for performing arts Louis Yu Kwok-lit said: “Of course, the more the better.”

Lynch said the first batch of facilities, which also includes the M+ museum, would be delivered within budget.

He pointed out that apart from the endowment, land was also provided to the authority by the government.

“They have given us the most valuable piece of real estate in the world,” Lynch said.

According to a paper submitted to the Legislative Council in early July, the authority said the latest “ballpark estimate” of construction cost for the whole project was about HK$47.1 billion, more than double the HK$21.6 billion endowment.

Authority executive director for project delivery Chan Man-wai said the contract sum for the foundation work, which was awarded to French specialist contractor Bachy Soletanche, was less than HK$100 million.
The Xiqu Centre for performances of Chinese opera is slated for completion in 2016. The entrance to the building is designed to resemble the curtain of a theatre stage (Photo courtesy of BTA & RLP Company Limited and West Kowloon Cultural District Authority)










The Xiqu Centre for performances of Chinese opera is slated for completion in 2016. The entrance to the building is designed to resemble the curtain of a theatre stage (Photo courtesy of BTA & RLP Company Limited and West Kowloon Cultural District Authority)

The authority has just started inviting expressions of interest from contractors for the superstructure works, which would also include the basement levels.

A shortlist of contractors for tender would be compiled early next year with awarding of tender sometime in the second quarter.

“I think April/May,” Chan said.

The Building Authority approved the building plans, drawn up by a joint venture of Bing Thom Architects and Ronald Lu & Partners, for the Xiqu Centre in July.

Renowned British architect firm Foster + Partners won a design competition in 2011 for the master plan for the cultural district, the second time it has done so after the first master plan was eventually scrapped due to concerns over cost.

While the government and the authority were basking in the good vibes generated by the Xiqu Centre, one construction industry observer remained sceptical about the whole project.

“Probably the only thing that will be built while they wrangle over the rest,” he quipped.

Danny Chung


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## hala

*herzog & de meuron reveal new images of M+ museum*

Sources: 
http://zeusitup.com/herzog-de-meuron-reveal-new-images-of-m-museum/
http://afasiaarq.blogspot.com/2013/09/herzog-de-meuron.html

herzog & de meuron reveal new images of M+ museum
all images courtesy of herzog & de meuron

the winning herzog & de meuron ‘M+ museum’ design, the latest addition to the west kowloon cultural district, is currently under construction (see designboom’s earlier coverage of the swiss firm’s scheme here). the in progress images reveal a further articulated program and tectonic palette; the architecture is slated to be a testament to the changing seaside region with a site comprised of reclaimed earth. while spaces will be dedicated to the showcase of art, design, architecture and the moving image, the archetypal white cube will be bolstered by reconfigurable halls–elements that will be able to be combined or divided to create small, additional rooms–which will distinguish and structure the sequence of the internal areas. integrated screening rooms and a so-called industrial space, have been conceived to grow with the programmatic complexity of the museum.

a central accretion of volumes are used to affix the institution to the post-industrial site while the airport express tunnel creates a discoverable void that characterizes interior circulation. the obstacle of the arguably synthetic, post-industrial site will be re-framed as a sunken forum that will challenge both curators and visitors alike to create and enjoy the dynamic viewership of art. the museum’s overall horizontal mass will employ a network of ‘anchor rooms’ and double-height gallery spaces pervaded with diffused daylight from strategic bands of glazing and a monumental circular cutout that visually stretches the building vertically.


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## hala

*herzog & de meuron reveal new images of M+ museum*

deleted


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## hkskyline

*Arts team to draw in the crowds*
4 October 2013
South China Morning Post 

The West Kowloon Cultural District team will host an array of arts programmes over the coming six months in the hope of attracting audiences beyond the 500,000 who have attended its events in the past year.

The arts hub authority is working on attendance quantity - in the absence of a detailed plan to evaluate audiences from the perspective of quality.

It had conducted audience surveys that collected demographic profiles and opinions, said Wendy Lam Yuen-mui, the authority's head of communications and public affairs.

But a system of analysing the data was not yet in place, Lam admitted. "We have just started building such a portfolio."

Performing arts chief Louis Yu Kwok-lit cited surveys held during their Cantonese opera programme, Bamboo Theatre, in the past two years that showed it now had broader appeal - not just to dedicated fans of the artform but to a more diverse audience.

The programming for the next half a year will see the Freespace Fest of music, dance, theatre and literature return in December to a site at the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade. Bamboo Theatre will restart on January 17 with an extended four-week run, while visual culture museum M+ will stage two exhibitions in February and March.

The West Kowloon site will also be rented out for events. The authority said the rental income from five events slated for November and December would subsidise in-house ones such as Freespace Fest.


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## hkskyline

*Logistics presents poser for design contest*
The Standard
Monday, November 18, 2013

The deadline for the West Kowloon Cultural District's single-stage design competition for its arts pavilion is coming up on Friday.

It aims to provide an exhibition and event space for artists, designers and organizations who plan to stage small-scale shows.

In the run-up to the completion of M+ in 2017, the pavilion will also serve as the museum's primary channel for exhibitions from 2015.

With a gross floor area of 470 square meters, a budget of HK$20 million for construction and a design fee of HK$3 million, the competition is supposedly open to all interested parties including designers, artists and any other professional.

In theory, this sounds inclusive.

In practice, it's not. Individuals or group participants must partner with a Hong Kong Institute of Architects' registered practice. The design team must include a Hong Kong authorized person, a registered structural engineer and a building services engineer.

Now, of course, if you are Zaha Hadid, this might be done with ease, but if you are a small architect, artist, designer or student, in Hong Kong or elsewhere, chances are the logistics of finding the appropriate partners is just too difficult.

First, a registered practice may apply on its own, without the need to partner, unless you have a starchitect reputation.

Second, even if you did have a mind-blowingly innovative design idea, architects have egos, or they could just adapt your design.

Third, once you find an institute-registered practice, you still need the engineers. It is possible to go through the practice, but why would they do your work for you?

Of course, there are benefits to opening a competition in this way. The project is on a tight deadline and this is the fastest route toward securing a good design that can be executed straight away, with production taking place pronto.

Thus, it would be interesting to see the breadth of the three winning entries and six commendation entries. Will the submissions be varied or limited? Will they be selected on quality or will they be selected to fit the profile of inclusiveness? We look forward to checking them out.

Architectural critic Nicholas Ho and art historian Stephanie Poon don't always see eye to eye.


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## kunming tiger

Any news on plans to build a vast underground shopping district beneath the Cultural District?


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## hkskyline

kunming tiger said:


> Any news on plans to build a vast underground shopping district beneath the Cultural District?


There won't be. The cultural district is a cultural district and not a shopping destination.


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## kunming tiger

hkskyline said:


> There won't be. The cultural district is a cultural district and not a shopping destination.


 According to a report I read online a proposal to use the vast underground space directly underneath the WKCD has already been put to the government for consideration. The reasoning being that the numbers of shoppers coming into HK after 2015 will increase dramatically and connecting such a district to the HSR terminus will do two things, first concentrate them in that area to relieve strain on the transportation networks above ground and secondly to provide a steady revenue stream to recover the cost of the WKCD. A plan for intergrated underground walkways has been drawn up.

My query was if the proposal has been approved, modified , stil under consideration or rejected. The museum U/C includes two basement levels linked to Austin MTR adjoining the China Ferry Terminal who are doing a feasibility study into turning their basement into a shopping arcade connecting the WKCD and TST areas if so the value of commercial rents there would increase a lot.

In short is there any word either way?


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## hkskyline

kunming tiger said:


> According to a report I read online a proposal to use the vast underground space directly underneath the WKCD has already been put to the government for consideration. The reasoning being that the numbers of shoppers coming into HK after 2015 will increase dramatically and connecting such a district to the HSR terminus will do two things, first concentrate them in that area to relieve strain on the transportation networks above ground and secondly to provide a steady revenue stream to recover the cost of the WKCD. A plan for intergrated underground walkways has been drawn up.
> 
> My query was if the proposal has been approved, modified , stil under consideration or rejected. The museum U/C includes two basement levels linked to Austin MTR adjoining the China Ferry Terminal who are doing a feasibility study into turning their basement into a shopping arcade connecting the WKCD and TST areas if so the value of commercial rents there would increase a lot.
> 
> In short is there any word either way?


Can you provide a link? The information I have on hand says the cultural district is not meant to have any commercial components. Underground walkways at the WKCD would not make sense as they won't link to the malls on Canton Road.


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## kunming tiger

I have the proposal in the form of a PDF file but from megashare I can't post it onto this forum for you.


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## kunming tiger

LCQ10: Development of underground spaces
****************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Jeffrey Lam and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mr Paul Chan, in the Legislative Council today (July 3):

Question:

The Chief Executive has mentioned in the 2013 Policy Address that Hong Kong can examine the development of underground spaces as a source of land supply. Regarding the development of underground spaces (excluding rock caverns), will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether the Government has commenced any feasibility study or planning work on the development of underground spaces at various selected sites; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(b) whether the Government has made reference to the examples of developing underground spaces into pedestrianised streets, car parks and stadiums in foreign countries; whether it has assessed the types of uses of the underground spaces which are more suitable to be developed in Hong Kong; and


c) whether the Government will conduct studies on the development of underground shopping malls/business cities in those major development projects (including the West Kowloon Cultural District and the Kai Tak Development area) the works for which have not yet commenced at present?

Reply:

President,

Nowadays, the urban areas in Hong Kong have been densely developed with very limited land for new developments. The shortage in land supply has affected our competitiveness. In view of this, the Chief Executive has suggested in the 2013 Policy Address to develop underground spaces in the urban areas as one of the viable sources of land supply.

In fact, Hong Kong has been using underground spaces for public and commercial facilities for many years. However, most of them were associated with individual development projects, such as basements and car parks of shopping centres, as well as Mass Transit Railway (MTR) station development. In recent years, a relatively large scale example is the underground passage connecting the Tsim Sha Tsui and Tsim Sha Tsui East MTR stations and the surrounding shopping centres. However, in order to develop underground spaces strategically, we need to further review the relevant policies, regulations and administrative measures with a view to enhancing the use of underground space resources more systematically. 

Our answers to the three parts of the question are as follows:

(a) and (b) Since the Chief Executive suggested in the 2013 Policy Address to develop underground spaces in the urban areas as a viable source of land supply, we have been actively preparing for commencing a study on "Underground Space Development in the Urban Areas" to further explore the potential of developing underground spaces in the built-up areas of Hong Kong. We have preliminarily collected and analysed some overseas and local examples of using underground spaces in the urban areas to identify the development opportunities and constraints of the relevant projects. We are now drafting the consultancy brief based on the main objectives of the study, with a view to creating more urban space for development, and enhancing connectivity of the urban areas (including new towns) through linking of existing and planned buildings and facilities with underground developments. The study will identify some representative areas for detailed assessments. We will soon conduct selection of consultants, and plan to commence the study the soonest in end 2013. Through the study, we will explore the suitable uses for further developing underground spaces in the urban areas, including commercial facilities such as shopping arcades, underground streets and car parks etc. 

(c) The Government has embodied the element of enhanced use of underground spaces in the planning of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) and the Kai Tak Development area.

The WKCD Development Plan was based on Foster + Partners' "City Park" Conceptual Plan, in which the cultural and art facilities are integrated with other facilities with a view to increasing the vibrancy of the cultural district. Taking into account the need for optimising the use of land resources, the Development Plan places the vehicular transport network of the WKCD underground.

With a flexible use of underground spaces, more above ground spaces could be made available for public enjoyment and pedestrian passage. The statutory planning procedures of the Development Plan have been completed in January this year. The approved Development Plan has incorporated the views and suggestions given by the public and the stakeholders in the public engagement exercise.

As regards the Kai Tak Development area, in order to enhance the community and cultural linkage with the nearby areas, the Government has proposed to develop two Underground Shopping Streets in the "Kai Tak Outline Zoning Plan" to connect Kowloon City and San Po Kong with the Kai Tak Station of the Shatin to Central Link under construction with a view to enhancing the integration of the new and the old districts. The Underground Shopping Streets are at the planning stage and the implementation mechanism needs to be further studied.


Ends/Wednesday, July 3, 2013


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## hkskyline

Answer to (c) made no mention of any commercial spaces under WKCD.


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## kunming tiger

2.2: Invest HK$10bn in a 2m sf “Sub-
Culture” underground mall in the
West Kowloon Cultural District to
(1) enhance TST’s retail quantum
and range of experience as a global
shoppers’ paradise and (2) generate
recurrent income to support the
development of arts and culture in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is bursting at
the seams with tourists and
shopper 

The theme of Hong Kong “bursting at the seams” in the Golden
5 Years cannot be clearer than when one stands in the middle
of Tsimshatsui (TST), a global shoppers’ paradise with its main
streets reportedly grossing more sales than London’s Oxford
Street/Tottenham Court Road and New York’s Fifth Avenue. With
no new space in the pipeline, ever-rising rents and ticket prices,
packed shops, overflowing pavements and jammed streets will
conspire to chase customers away from Hong Kong. 

We need to extend our edge as a shopping destination by
adding capacity and capabilities to our city’s favourite retail
district without delay, or else the extra patronage from the
opening of the Express Rail Link in 2015 which will put 30m+
population from the affluent Guangdong cities of Guangzhou,
Dongguan and Shenzhen within 48 minutes’ reach of the TST
terminus, together with the “trend” growth of visitor arrivals, will
crowd out the joys of shopping and eating in the World City of
Hong Kong. We support Dr. Cheung Kwok Pun’s concept of
subterranean space in our district and propose adding square
footage and service offerings in TST with a 2m sf underground
mall, provisionally named “Sub-Culture”. Sub-Culture’s 1m sf first
phase should open in 2017, its 0.5m sf second phase in 2019
and its 0.5m sf final phase in 2021.
Providing real and powerful support to the development
of art and culture enjoyment in Hong Kong, Sub-Culture
should produce net profit of some HK$1bn in its first full year
of complete operation. This income amounts to 35% of the
spending on arts and culture by the Home Affairs Bureau in2011/12.

To preserve and add to Hong
Kong’s reputation as shoppers’
paradise, we must add square
footage and service offerings
in TST – a 2m sf underground
mall, provisionally named “Sub-
Culture” can be a highly useful
solution
Annual net profit from Sub-
Culture can add some 35% to
spending on arts and culture

What are we investing in?
- A 2m sf art-infused and culture-themed mall with 600+ shops
and eateries under the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD)
which we have provisionally named, “Sub-Culture”.
- The financial parameters: If considered as a standalone
and un-levered (ie all equity financed) project, the HK$10bn
investment should produce a Net Present Value (NPV) of
HK$11bn and achieve a full payback within eight years of full
opening. The latter compares with payback periods of 36+
and 40-50 years for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge
and Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link,
respectively.

Sub-Culture will produce
Net Present Value north of
HK$11bn and a full payback
within eight years of full
opening

In the project’s first full-year’s operation upon completion of
the entire project, a net profit of some HK$1bn should arise,
implying a 10% return on total investment of HK$10bn. To
better appreciate why the financial attributes of Sub-Culture
are so favourable, it is worth remembering that the cost of
land normally accounts for 70-80% of the total development
cost of a property project in Hong Kong. As the government
already owns the land the main investment it needs making is
the construction cost of around HK$4,000psf.
- The absence of a hefty upfront cost for land has also greatly
lessened the sensitivity of its time-adjusted cash value to
the rate of discount. Hence, Sub-Culture carries a very high
Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 11%. In other words, the
discount rate one has to adopt in order to nullify the project’s
NPV is 11%. This means that the lower one’s cost of fund,
the higher will the project’s NPV. As comparison, the yield on
US 10-year treasuries is around 2% and in our computation,
we have adopted the discount rate of 4% as adopted by the
government for the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-HK Express Rail
Link which will situate next to Sub-Culture.
- The externalities: While there is no “magic formula” that
guarantees success of any new undertaking, with 8m sf of
space for performance and art appreciation above ground
in WKCD, the 2m sf of retail area that lies below it does not
appear excessive, especially when Hong Kong can easily
absorb the additional capacity with the rising number of
customers to our services. Just as Broadway in New York
City is supported by shops and restaurants within walking
distance, the pairing of the heart/vision/hearing Vs mind with
stomach/eye/tactile experience of shopping may yet prove to
be as enjoyable as good food and wine.

Also, it should not take much to realize the possibility that
what starts out as a shopping expedition for many in Sub-
Culture may lead to a lifetime love affair with the arts when
shoppers experiment with attending an exhibition or a
performance above ground in WKCD.
- The ownership structure: While making little or no difference
to operations, the financing and ownership of Sub-Culture
can be put under the government’s Home Affairs Bureau
or the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA).
Legislation to set aside the funding is needed to be approved
by the Legislative Council in either of the cases. There are
pros and cons as to the level of private sector participation
in the scheme but this decision can be delayed till the
project is completed. Given the significant surpluses in our
public coffers and the low returns they tend to generate, an
investment in Sub-Culture should offer superior risk-adjusted
returns.
- The operational arrangement: There is no shortage of capable
designers, builders and operators of great shopping centres
around the world that can bring Sub-Culture to fruition.
Through an open and fair process of competition and tenders,
the right mix of expertise can be brought together speedily.
B. Why should we invest in Sub-Culture?
We believe there are two major reasons supporting the
proposal of investing in Sub-Culture:
1. Reinforce TST’s prominent position as a shoppers’
paradise and capitalise on the traffic brought by the
HK$62bn Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express
Rail Link which should open in 2015. (for a more detailed
Improve the quality and range of services offered by
the HK$22bn WKCD by attracting more traffic and
providing complementary enjoyment to patrons of art and
performances. Generate recurrent income to support the
provision of arts and cultural activities. (for a more detailed
discussion please read on)
1. Reinforce TST’s prominent position as a shoppers’
paradise and capitalise on the traffic brought by the HK$62bn
Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link
As we have discussed earlier in section 2, Hong Kong is suffering
from acute shortage of retail space, resulting in displacement of
traditional retail offerings and soaring rentals which translate to
general inflation.
Hong Kong’s excellent service quality is highly appealing to
tourists, yet the city is heavily constrained in retail space and
this is especially true in urban areas. Canton Road, for instance,
contributes 10% of Hong Kong total retail sales but only accounts
for 2-3% of Hong Kong total shop spaces.
For instance, Canton Road
contributes 10% of Hong
Kong total retail sales but only
accounts for 2-3% of total shop
spaces
To safeguard the competitiveness of Hong Kong’s flagship
shopping district, we need to bulk up the spaces devoted to
both tourists and local shopping needs and widen the range
of service experience available. In the past few years, many
retail offerings that support day-to-day needs of Hong Kong
citizens (for instance, traditional restaurants, fast food shops
and pharmacies) have been displaced by watch and jewellery
and fashion outlets, many of which now dominate Canton Road
and half of Queen’s Road, Central. According to the Rating and
Valuation Department, average high-street retail rentals of Mong
Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay increased 20-30% in
2010 and 30%+ in 2011.
Once the Express Rail Link is completed, an additional
50,000 traffic will arrive per day in the TST area, potentially
adding significantly to demand for shopping facilities
Once the Express Rail Link comes into operation in late 2015,
30m+ population of from the affluent Guangdong cities of
Guangzhou, Dongguan and Shenzhen will only be a mere
48-minute train ride away from Hong Kong, a shorter travel time
than the ferry ride from Hong Kong to Macau. In fact, the MTR
Corporation forecasts that by the first full year of operation, in
2016, 99,000 passengers will travel between Hong Kong and
mainland (both ways) by the Express Rail every day, i.e. around
50,000 passengers arrive at Hong Kong every day.
With Express Rail Link bringing some 50,000 arrivals every day,
this traffic will add a significant burden to the foot traffic passing
through the major malls in the TST area today: 150,000 at
Harbour City and 100,000 at The Elements. In the next four years
and before the Express Rail Link is opened, it is expected that
arrivals at TST will grow at a compound rate of 10-15% a year,
adding 50-80% to current flows. Let us not forget that the 50,000
Express Rail Link daily arrivals has not included the traffic drawn
by WKCD, which could number 11,000 visitors per day according
to the economic assessment conducted by the Financial
Secretary’s Office in 2007. These traffic numbers serve as a highlevel
indication that an additional mall in the TST area is justified.
If nothing is started today, there may be a need to pedestrianise
Canton Road within a few years.

Improve the quality and range of services offered
by the HK$22bn WKCD by attracting more traffic and
providing complementary enjoyment to patrons of art and
performances
WKCD, at least in its early stages of operation, can rely on other
facilities such as retail to help drive traffic
WKCD is the first large-scale art and cultural complex Hong Kong
has ever planned and built, a right step for Hong Kong aspiring
to be the next World City after London and New York.
An inconvenient truth is that most local arts and culture groups
are not financially self-sustainable. Taking the example of the
most heavily-subsidised “Big Nine” performing art groups
(namely the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO), the Hong
Kong Dance Company (HKDC), the Hong Kong Repertory
Theatre (HKREP), the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
(HKPO), the Hong Kong Sinfonietta (HKSIN), the Hong Kong
Ballet (HK Ballet), City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC),
Chung Ying Theatre Company and Zuni Icosahedron (Zuni)),
ticket sales can only generate an average of <40% to cover their
operating expenses. One cause for the low profitability is Hong
Kong people’s lack of demonstrated interest in cultural activities.
For instance,while 63% of Londoners and 33% of Singaporeans
have seen a performance in the past 12 months, only 21% of
Hong Kong citizens have done so. Therefore, other attractions,
including retail, are helpful in generating traffic.
In fact, more and more cultural facilities around the world have
started to co-locate with commercial offerings such as retail to
drive patronage. A famous example is the Mori Art Museum,
a contemporary art museum on the 53rd floor of the 54-level
high Mori Tower in the Roppongi Hills area in Tokyo, Japan.
The museum, despite having no permanent exhibitions of
international acclaim, still attracts 1.5m traffic per year (the
24th most popular art museum in the world according to the
Art Newspaper) - mostly leveraging the traffic to the sky-deck
observatory and the 0.48m sf shopping mall at the Roppongi
Hills.
The operational surplus from the extra mall can help finance
capital shortage and subsidise more arts and cultural
activities
As construction costs have risen 60% since the approval of the
HK$21.6bn endowment to WKCDA in 2008, it is widely reported
that the authority is in short of cash to finance the construction
of all its originally planned arts and cultural facilities. The
government should take advantage of the effort in assessing
Sub-Culture to bring all costings of WKCD up to date and allow
for extra costs in connecting the two facilities. With inflation not
expected to abate anytime soon, the biggest disservice to Hong
Kong is to procrastinate while costs escalate and art and tourist
opportunities evaporate.
From WKCDA’s latest Development Plan, it seems that
the authority is planning to seek public-private partnership
opportunities to help fund the construction and operation of
certain facilities such as the Mega Performance Venue, yet
whether this arrangement is commercially viable remains
uncertain. However, Hong Kong people have already waited for
13 years since these facilities were promised back in 1998 and
WKCD remains a barren piece of land. Therefore, we believe a
possible way for WKCDA to overcome its financial burden is to
obtain extra funding to complete its facilities as soon as possible
and the government can rely on future incomes it derives from
Sub-Culture to make good possible future shortfalls in WKCDA.
Proposal
We propose building a 2m sf 600+-shop underground mall,
Sub-Culture, in WKCD to cater for visitors and residents in TST
as well as potential traffic brought by the Express Rail Link. The
mall is comparable in size and number of shops as Harbour City
(2m sf, 700+ shops), compared with the nearby The Elements
which houses 220 shops in 1m sf of space. It should be noted
that when The Elements opened for business, it added 1m sf or50%, to the mall supply of Harbour City in a soft market and the
subsequent prospering of both has illustrated the significant size
of demand for shop space in the district, even before there was
suggestion that a HK$62bn Express Link with Guangzhou would
land in the middle of this market. Sub-Culture should provide,
in addition to range of goods and services offered by shopping
centres, spaces for galleries, auction houses and other art and
design-related businesses. Unlike the arrival of The Elements,
Sub-Culture’s first phase of 1m sf in 2017 will only add 33% to
the combined spaces of The Elements and Harbour City and in
market conditions that will likely exceed the current ebullience
as it opens one year after the opening of the Express Link. The
addition of the two tranches of 0.5m sf of spaces will open with a
two-year gap with the earlier phase, providing the flexibility to put
right any problems with footfall and design before more capacity
is introduced.
114
Mode of operation
The government or a public body should start the project and
only consider its longer term future after running the completed
projects for a few years. The subject property is a shopping
centre and this requires top professional advice which does not
come likely arise from public consultation.
Estimated construction timeframe
9 years
Estimated investment
HK$10bn
Estimated payback period
8 years (after full opening in 2021)
Net present value
HK$11.1bn
(Timeframe: 30 years, 2012-2041; nominal discount rate: 4%)
Internal rate of return
10.9%
(Timeframe: 30 years, 2012-2041)
5. Assumptions
1. Nominal Discount Rate = 4%
Benchmarks: 4% (Guangzhou-Shenzhen-HK Express Rail
Link)
5.3% (HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge)
6.1% (WKCD)
2. Inflation = 5% (2012-2014), 3% (2015-2032)
Benchmarks: (HK Census & Stat. Dept.) 5% (2011)
3% (2008-2011)
2% (2004-2011)
3. Escalations of costs: 5%
4. Capital Expenditure Phasing: 2-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1
5. Financial Model Timeframe: 30 years (2012-2041)
6. Estimated Rent Growth (Yoy)
7. Practicality


----------



## kunming tiger

hkskyline said:


> Answer to (c) made no mention of any commercial spaces under WKCD.


 I believe that's because a decision one way or the other on commerical space under WKCD has yet to be taken. It's under consideration but I do know they have been studying similar underground commercial districts in other countries. 

" Where there is smoke there is fire"


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## ramakrishna1984

*West Kowloon Cultural District of Hong Kong selects architects to design arts pavilion*

A team of VPANG architects, JET Architecture and Lisa Cheung has been selected to design the arts pavilion in Hong Kong's West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD).

The winning team will work with the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) to design and deliver an exhibition and event space for artists, designers and several organisations in the park at WKCD. (*Source:*)


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## hkskyline

2/3


Kowloon by BarracudaPhotography, on Flickr


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## TohrAlkimista

I really hope that whenever in the future they will plan to re-design, renovate or even demolish and rebuild the actual ferry terminal.


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## hkskyline

*Bringing a Flagship of Contemporary Art to Hong Kong*
21 March 2014
The New York Times

HONG KONG -- Lee Kit, an artist in Hong Kong, watched as his works were installed this month at the Cattle Depot, an abattoir-turned-artists' commune.

''You,'' an adaptation of his solo show at the Venice Biennale, is a quiet reflection on daily life: a video of hands sorting cutlery, a faded sun chair, an old T-shirt. It is also one of the many pop-up exhibits organized by M+, the planned museum for the West Kowloon Cultural District, an enormous and long-delayed government project budgeted to cost 21.6 billion Hong Kong dollars, or about $2.8 billion.

''I'm pretty happy they chose me,'' Mr. Lee said shyly.

M+'s budding curatorial team is faced with two daunting tasks: It has to assemble a major collection and has to engage the public through temporary offerings, years before the museum building is completed.

Workers are expected to break ground in August, with a planned completion date of 2017. In the meantime, M+ will use a smaller waterfront pavilion that should be finished by next year for its show, ''Right Is Wrong -- Chinese Contemporary Art 1975 to Now.''

Lars Nittve, M+'s executive director and a founding director of the Tate Modern, is no stranger to new museums, but even he said that starting a collection from scratch was ''rather unusual.''

''The Tate Modern was born out of the Tate Gallery, so it has a history of over 100 years,'' he said. ''Most museums, whether private or public, start with some sort of collection, something from an original donor.''

Doryun Chong, who began work as M+'s chief curator less than a year ago, acknowledged that it was ''very rare for any curator to have the opportunity to build an institution from the ground up.'' He added, ''That's exactly why I took this job.''

The Korean-born Mr. Chong was with the Museum of Modern Art in New York. ''I'm used to working in a well-oiled machine like the MoMA,'' he said. ''It's different here -- everything is new.''

When Mr. Nittve began work in 2011, the museum's collection did not have so much as a pencil doodle. The first thing Mr. Nittve did was court Uli Sigg, a former Swiss diplomat and an important private collector of contemporary Chinese art. The lobbying paid off in 2012, when Mr. Sigg donated 1,463 works worth 1.3 billion Hong Kong dollars, or about $165 million, according to estimates from Sotheby's. M+ topped that with a purchase of an additional 47 pieces.

Mr. Sigg was vocal about choosing Hong Kong because he wanted the works to stay on Chinese soil, but he was concerned about censorship at mainland institutions. His collection included one of Ai Weiwei's ''Tiananmen'' photos, which shows the artist's middle finger raised in front of the Beijing square.

M+ now has 2,784 pieces and shows no sign of slowing down or bending to government critics who have questioned its more politically charged choices.

The museum will also become home to almost 100 photos from Liu Heung Shing's ''China After Mao'' series. Some of these document the deadly 1989 crackdown on student protesters in Beijing; one graphic image shows bloodied bodies being rushed to the hospital. For now, the collection is mostly focused on greater China or the Chinese diaspora.

Last May, when art world luminaries flocked to the first Art Basel Hong Kong, M+ announced that it had acquired the complete editions of Tehching Hsieh's performance art from 1978 to 1999. It makes up the most comprehensive collection of the New York-based Taiwanese artist's work by a public institution. This January, the Chinese collector Guan Yi donated 37 contemporary works, including ''Canton Express'' from the 2003 Venice Biennale.

The curatorial team's next goal will be to reach out to the rest of Asia.

''We're spending more time on Taiwan, Korea and Japan, partly because Japan has a long history of important avant-garde movements,'' Mr. Nittve said. ''But as our team grows, we will look toward Southeast and South Asia.''

Mr. Chong said the fact that Japanese and Korean museums had done a good job in preserving modern works boded well for the region, but maybe not so well for a new museum. ''This is particularly true of Asian works from the early 20th century,'' he said. ''When you see major works already on a museum wall, you know you can't collect them. Museums almost never sell their collections, unless something catastrophic has happened.''

''In some ways, South and Southeast Asian art may be more accessible to us because of a lack of a strong history of institutional collecting,'' he added. ''But we haven't done much work there yet. We are very new at this.''

M+ will show not only art, but also what it calls ''20th- and 21st-century visual culture,'' including disciplines as wide-ranging as film and design.

Earlier this year, M+ used an art space called ArtisTree to showcase about 100 models, photos and drawings from its growing architecture collection, which spans the 1920s to the present day.

On M+'s long to-do list is the development of its ''moving images'' collection, which is still lacking a curator.

''Our collection could include movies -- Hong Kong cinema is a classic -- but also video games, graphic design or computer design,'' Mr. Nittve said.

One advantage of starting with a clean slate is that the M+ collection can address historic imbalances.

''We've been struck that the Sigg collection is very male-dominated,'' Mr. Nittve said of the major donation of Chinese works. ''There is an over-representation of male artists and an under-representation of female artists of standing. I think we need to keep an eye on this and not end up in the same situation as many Western museums.''

M+ is being built in a city whose art scene only began attracting international attention several years ago. Much effort has been made to include local artists.

Last year, M+'s directors visited Blindspot, a small gallery that was showing Stanley Wong, a Hong Kong designer and artist also known as anothermountainman.

They bought 10 works from his ''Lanwei'' photo series for an undisclosed sum, while the artist donated an additional 36 works so the show could be kept together. This was Mr. Wong's first gift to any museum, which he says he plans on following up with more donations.

''Lanwei'' documents unfinished or abandoned building projects from across Asia, which Mr. Wong spent six years tracking down across 12 cities.

''These 'lanwei' buildings are actually a bit dangerous -- holes in the floors, no walls, no elevators, no windows,'' he said. ''There I am, lugging 30, 40 pounds of equipment up the stairs. There I am, squatting on some industrial estate sidewalk trying to manipulate film in a cloth bag.''

''A 'lanwei' building in Asia says something about the issues in this region, like overinvestment or corruption,'' he said. ''I photographed an enormous road built outside Bangkok's new airport that had never been used.''

Mr. Wong said he was not overly concerned by the delays and budgetary squabbles that have beset the West Kowloon project.

''West Kowloon has been called a white elephant, and there have been criticisms of whether it is the best use of government money,'' Mr. Wong added. ''But if we are going to be committed to making this into a cultural city, we need something like this.''


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## hkskyline

*Neon signs focus of online art exhibition*
21 March 2014
The Standard

Hong Kong's ubiquitous neon signs will be the focus of an online exhibition to run from today by M+, the future museum of visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District.

Mobile M+: NEONSIGNS.HK'' will feature a crowd-sourced Neon Map through which the public will be invited to post images and stories, via Instagram, e-mail and the NEONSIGNS.HK website (www.neonsigns.hk), of neon signs from throughout Hong Kong.

These will be posted on the Neon Map, searchable by district and featured sections.

The online exhibition will be active until June 30.

It has been launched following the recent acquisition by M+ of two iconic neon signs: the neon cow that hung above the Sammy's Kitchen in Sai Ying Pun since 1977, and a Kai Kee Mahjong School rooster sign, dating from 1976, from that company's now-shuttered branch in Kwun Tong.

``M+ plans to continue to acquire important Hong Kong neon signs that would otherwise be discarded, and NEONSIGNS.HK is an effort to document the remaining examples in the city while researching neon signs as a rich topic for exploration in the field of visual culture,'' theWest Kowloon Cultural District Authority said yesterday.


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## hkskyline

*西九申請放寬樓面面積高度*
2014年3月29日 (六)

_Synopsis : 
- Town Planning Board requested to increase the GFA and height limits of the West Kowloon Cultural District.
- GFA 740,000 sq m increase to 850,000 sq m
- height limits increase by 5-14m
- purpose to increase food, retail, and entertainment facilities to offset losses from the cultural facilities
_









_從海港城望向西九，放寬高度限制的前後比較。（電腦模擬圖） Before (top) and after (bottom)_

【本報訊】西九文化區向城市規劃委員會申請放寬總樓面面積及高度限制，西九管理局指此舉對營運文化區有幫助，但民政事務局常任秘書長楊立門指，提高發展密度亦未必可以解決西九的財政問題。

未必紓解財政問題

西九擬放寬總樓面面積百分之十五，由現時七十四萬平方米調高至八十五萬平方米，建築物高度則增加五至十四米不等。西九項目推展行政總監陳文偉昨在立法會監察西九小組委員會上稱，西九完成評估後，認為放寬總樓面面積技術上可行，不會造成不可克服的影響。

西九行政總裁連納智未有回應新增樓面面積的成本和帶來的收益，只說可以提供更多餐飲、零售和娛樂設施，對營運文化區有幫助。楊立門則稱，此舉目的在於善用土地，但文化藝術設施不太賺錢，即使提高發展密度，亦未必可以解決西九的財政問題。有議員擔心西九文藝設施空間不足，建議將部分商住用地撥作文藝用途，楊立門回應稱，新增的樓面面積已可滿足不同表演的需求。


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## kunming tiger

Then they are planning a commercial area under the WKCD as I alluded to before. Well that's good news lets hope it gets the green light.


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## hkskyline

*Rail delay rocks culture hub plan*
17 April 2014
South China Morning Post

Long-awaited West Kowloon arts hub likely to be hit by challenging geological conditions affecting work on HK$67b rail line’s terminus

Delays in completing the high-speed railway to Guangzhou will hinder the progress of the West Kowloon Cultural District, where the line terminates, although how big an effect it will have remained unclear yesterday.

It is understood that the Centre for Contemporary Performance and the Medium Theatre II, which will sit atop the railway’s lavish terminus, could be directly affected by complex geological conditions at the site.

The impact on other facilities of the two-year delay – which will push the HK$67 billion railway line’s opening back to 2017 – is uncertain.

Disclosing the delay on Tuesday, the MTR Corporation cited the breakdown of a tunnelling machine at Yuen Long as the main problem.

But MTR projects director Chew Tai-chong also said that underground rock strata at the terminus were at a level higher than expected and would therefore take longer to excavate. Progress was also slowed by boulders and uncharted utilities.

The performance centre was expected to be completed after 2018 as part of the second batch of facilities to open at the long-delayed cultural hub. Other facilities due to be ready in the same period include the Lyric Theatre and Medium Theatre I.

The delay is the second setback for the culture hub in a year. In June, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the completion of some facilities, including the performance centre, would be held up by a lack of funds.

The centre comprises three performance spaces with different designs and equipment, with 150, 250 and 400 seats. It is designed for dance, theatrical and multimedia performances.

It is understood that M+, the museum of visual culture due to open in 2017, should not be affected as it is above the existing Airport Express tunnel.

The MTR said it had been communicating with the cultural district authority and would hand the terminus site back to it once railway construction was completed. “At this stage, we can’t see any delay in that,” a spokeswoman said.

A spokeswoman for the cultural district authority said it would work with the MTR and the government to assess the impact of the railway delay on its plans.

Construction of the first building in the district – the Xiqu Centre for Chinese Opera – started in September, 15 years after the project was first proposed. It is due to be completed by 2016.

In June, Lam said the arts hub would include more flats and offices to avoid the need for more government funding as costs rose to more than HK$47 billion. She said there would be deviations from the master plan by British architect Norman Foster.

The idea of building a cluster of state-of-the-art performance venues on reclaimed land at West Kowloon was first touted in 1998.


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## hkskyline

*West Kowloon Cultural District needs to develop a 'human side': expert *
10 June 2014
South China Morning Post	

Arts figures called yesterday for a long-term plan to develop the human side - or "software" - of the West Kowloon arts hub after hearing that the lack of such a plan is hampering the huge project.

But the arts hub management said that besides events and programmes, long-term software development would require broader cultural policy planning involving the government.

This emerged as members of the Legislative Council subcommittee monitoring the project were being briefed on progress yesterday.

West Kowloon Cultural District Authority board member Danny Yung wrote that the arts hub could be the missing piece in a grander scheme of making Hong Kong a cultural metropolis.

But Yung, co-artistic director of theatre group Zuni Icosahedron, said it lacked a blueprint connecting it with the rest of the city's cultural infrastructure, including arts funding and education.

"The current budget does not include software development. And what is West Kowloon's role in Hong Kong's cultural development in the long run? Is it only a venue operator?" asked researcher Leung Wai-sze.

Arts hub management had earlier outlined the plans for venues in the first two phases to be ready by 2020.

These included the live-performance venue Freespace, the Xiqu Centre for Chinese opera, visual culture museum M+ and the Lyric Theatre for dance.

The Centre for Contemporary Performance and Medium Theatre, black box theatres with 150 to 600 seats, will focus on theatre but they will be held up by the two-year delay in construction of the cross-border express railway.

Opera Hong Kong director Gordon Jones said while there were no dates for the larger venues such as the Great Theatre and concert hall, the Lyric Theatre should be made a multi-purpose venue for all performing arts.

Arts hub chief executive Michael Lynch said the HK$21.6 billion upfront endowment from the government had now grown to HK$24 billion after investment. Phase-three facilities would definitely be developed but the plans would need to be reviewed in future, he said.

But in response to the role of West Kowloon, Lynch said the arts hub "can't be divorced from the whole system". Its direction required "broader cultural policy" development.


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## hkskyline

*Pledging to safeguard Hong Kong's heritage won't save traditions from dying out, critics fear *
19 June 2014
South China Morning Post	

Hong Kong has identified 480 items of intangible cultural heritage and pledged to safeguard them. But no one has thought about how to keep them alive.

This, critics say, is a result of the government's reluctance to develop a cultural policy that integrates intangible cultural heritage - including forms of kung fu and techniques for making delicacies like milk tea - into the cultivation of Hong Kong's cultural identity.

This is fundamental for arts and cultural development, heritage conservation and subsequent cultural and creative industries as well as cultural tourism, they say.

"The government only handles culture from a laissez-faire approach. There isn't a holistic vision or a master plan for cultural development," cultural critic and consultant Desmond Hui said. "Intangible cultural heritage carries intrinsic value that is important to a society's identity and knowledge," he said, adding that resources were allocated on a piecemeal basis.

In policy recommendations drafted in 2003 by the defunct Cultural and Heritage Commission, heritage - tangible and intangible - was identified as an important element in making Hong Kong an international cultural metropolis. The report said Hongkongers had to understand their own culture and history before introducing them to others. IN FULL: Click here to see the entire Hong Kong cultural heritage list

But the report was not fully adopted by the government.

And undersecretary for home affairs Florence Hui Hiu-fai said on Tuesday that the government had no concrete plans for safeguarding the 480 items of intangible heritage it had identified.

The Unesco Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was drafted in 2003 but Hong Kong did not begin to react until 2007.

Dr Liu Tik-sang, director of the University of Science and Technology's South China Research Centre, which worked on the inventory list for three years, said Hong Kong was late to recognise the importance of intangible cultural heritage. The next step should be to identify items that might be lost.

Liu said "safeguarding" did not necessarily involve money. "What is most important is to keep these items alive as part of our lives," he said. "Archiving it and putting it in a museum is meaningless. It's not about staging a show for tourists either."

At the policy level, the government should work with the community. "Can the government provide a public space for people to learn kung fu at flexible times and not turn off the lights at night?" Liu asked.

The West Kowloon Cultural District should play a role in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, board member Danny Yung Ning-tsun said.

The arts hub's Xiqu Centre, for example, shouldn't be just an ordinary venue for Chinese opera and music performances.

"It should be developed into a think tank [for Chinese opera] with a vision," he said.


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## hkskyline

*Seen any white elephants lately?*
23 June 2014
China Daily	

The hugely extravagant West Kowloon cultural hub project is already a financial black hole and a massive "white elephant" just waiting to happen.

With Hong Kong's economic future becoming increasingly bleak it is absurd that the costs solely for the basement complex of the project have ballooned to HK$23 billion, about HK$1.4 billion more than the original estimate for the entire project, albeit several years ago.

The whole idea originated from a survey by the Tourism Board claiming that visitors thought Hong Kong should have more "cultural opportunities." The Tung Chee-hwa administration "picked up the ball", envisioning that Hong Kong could become Asia's hub of culture and arts. A wedge-shaped reclamation west of Yau Ma Tei was allocated for the site, and an international design competition held to select the best design. A flamboyant creation featuring a transparent canopy covering the entire site by Lord Norman Foster took the prize, but a few years later it was scrapped, the excessive cost being part of the reason.

Nevertheless, the grand vision still encompasses no fewer than 17 core arts and cultural venues, many of them packed into that "super-basement" occupying a mind-boggling 17 hectares.

Do these simple calculations offer a realistic view of just what we're getting into - how many tens of millions of bums-on-seats will be required to repay the HK$23 billion, plus all the other billions the rest of this complex will swallow up? Isn't it pure fantasy to imagine that even over 50 or 100 years it will pay for itself?

Wouldn't it be much better for this huge amount to be used instead for a pension fund for our increasingly aging population? Or must still more old people scavenge along dirty lanes looking for cardboard boxes and other recyclable trash to eke out an existence that is a blot on our consciences? As for the hub, let's settle on a far more modest set-up, and use the basement for a car park.

Moving on, the fact is that every year we already provide a rolling program of performances, presentations and other events covering festivals, music, dance, theatre, film, multi-arts and Chinese opera.

Easily the biggest event is the month-long Hong Kong Festival of Arts, while Chinese tradition is honored with colorful annual events marking the Birthdays of Tin Hau, Buddha and Tam Kung, plus the Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn festivals and the Cheung Chau Bun Festival.

The fact is that we already have a quite remarkable spread of cultural facilities led by the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and including the Hong Kong Coliseum, City Hall, Queen Elizabeth Stadium, and many civic centers, theaters and town halls.

Turning to museums, there are a dozen or so of them ranging from the comprehensive to the Law Uk and Sheung Yiu Folk Museums etc. And let us not forget the 65 public libraries available to us.

Yes, although not all of us may be aware of it, Hong Kong is blessed with a vast array of cultural venues and services for the man-in-the-street who makes up the great majority of Hong Kong residents.

Now let us move on to another point about the proposed West Kowloon Cultural Hub, which warrants the oxygen of public discussion. We hark back to last June's graduation ceremony for 276 students of the Academy for Performing Arts, many of whom took part in an extremely regrettable orgy of insulting and disgraceful misbehavior towards Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, who was presiding at the ceremony. One went so far as to turn his back on the CE, lift up his gown and figuratively point his backside at him; another gave him three deep bows in a revolting parody of a salute to the dead. Most of the others either pointed their middle fingers at him, gave him the thumbs-down or crossed their hands above their heads.

To their great credit, a small minority refused to join the vulgar demonstration and behaved themselves admirably despite peer pressure.

To return to the vast, rude and crude, majority, may we ask how many of these callow, undeserving brats are likely either to gain future employment at the hub, or perhaps appear on stage there in various performances?

If you were the government, would you give them a job?

Meanwhile, if this wretched project is indeed built in all its fallacious glory, will the government secretary directing cultural matters at that time be fully capable of fulfilling his responsibilities, unlike our present Transport Secretary Cheung Bing-leung, who blithely kept his silence and let the MTR administrative "train wreck" happen without uttering a word of warning to the government?

And one final question - How large a staff, enjoying how large a payroll, would be required to keep all the hub's venues up and running?

The author is a former civil servant and news agency correspondent.


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## kunming tiger

Valid questions better still exactly how much of the super basement will be occupied by commercial premises and what is the estimated gross revenues per year? If the answers are none and none then it's the worst case scenario in the article,


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## hkskyline

By *anyuan.li* from dcfever :


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## hkskyline

*Declaration of independence for M+ - but museum won't open until 2018*
19 July 2014
South China Morning Post	

The West Kowloon arts hub's first museum will have its own board to ensure its independence and efficiency, it was revealed yesterday.

But filibustering by lawmakers means the M+ museum of visual culture will open up to six months late, in the first half of 2018 rather than late 2017.

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority announced the changes in its latest update to lawmakers.

It said M+ would be a "separate legal entity", registered as a subsidiary company of the authority, rather than one of the authority's departments.

While the arts hub board will oversee policy and development for the entire site, the M+ board will focus on developing the museum's own mandate and vision, as well as its operations.

Under the museum's acquisition policy, a trust will be set up, separate to the museum, to own its collection. This would "remove legal ambiguity", boost transparency and accountability, and ensure artistic freedom and curatorial independence, the authority said.

However, work on the museum building has been delayed as the authority seeks cash from the Legislative Council to begin construction of the arts hub's vast basement, through which traffic will pass to ensure the area above ground is free of vehicles.

Filibustering of several controversial funding requests has led to a backlog of applications in Legco's Finance Committee, which will not meet again until October.

As of last month, M+ had bought almost 1,000 pieces and received more than 2,000 artworks from 51 donors, the report reveals.

The figures include 47 pieces of contemporary Chinese art bought from, and 1,463 works donated by, Swiss collector Uli Sigg. M+ had a budget for acquisitions and associated costs of HK$1.7 billion.

Meanwhile, the authority pledged to maintain the public park that will make up much of the arts hub as an urban oasis that would inspire "cultural pursuits" - and be free of foul language and dirty behaviour.

The authority will draft by-laws for the park and is proposing that spitting, urinating or defecating in public and using "obscene language" would be among the offences covered.

But the authority also cited a recent online survey in which 90 per cent of the 3,302 respondents favoured a hands-off approach to managing the park. Most said self-discipline by park visitors was key to maintaining order.

While the M+ team will be responsible for art installations in the park, it is not clear who else from the artistic team will be involved in the management of the public open space.


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## hkskyline

*Lawmakers assured on controls for museum project*
The Standard
Thursday, July 24, 2014

The company to be set up by the Kowloon West Cultural District Authority to manage the M+ museum will not become an independent empire, a government official says.

Lawmakers at a meeting of the Legislative Council joint subcommittee monitoring the West Kowloon Cultural District project had earlier asked why the museum needed to be a separate legal entity, as this would make monitoring more difficult.

Authority chief executive Michael Lynch said being separate was essential if Hong Kong wanted a properly funded world-class museum.

"It is not a reason to set up a wholly owned subsidiary," Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Chan Yuen-han said. What would happen if it became an independent empire? 

Principal Assistant Secretary for Home Affairs Sabrina Law Chung agreed with Lynch but assured lawmakers there would be controls in place. Whatever the arrangements for staff, finance or business, the museum operators will still need to get the approval of the authority, Law said.

Meanwhile, it was revealed construction of the museum will be delayed by six months since Legco's Finance Committee failed to process a funding application before the summer recess.

Lars Nittve, executive director of M+ museum, said because of the funding delay, the completion date will be put back from the end of 2017 to the first half of 2018.


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## hkskyline

* Make arts hub an underground city, say lawmakers*
13 January 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Government argues proposals would require digging deeper into the ground, raising costs

The HK$23 billion basement in West Kowloon Cultural District should house people as well as traffic say some lawmakers, who have proposed an underground city, providing retail and other services, connecting the arts hub to the neighbouring area. 

But the government said doing so would mean digging deeper into the ground and would increase the bill that the taxpayer would have to foot.

At a meeting of the Legislative Council panel monitoring the development of the West Kowloon arts hub, Democrat Helena Wong Pik-wan questioned whether the HK$23 billion serves any purpose beyond traffic and underground parking.

“If it is only used for [this], we can’t explain to the public why this basement will cost HK$23 billion,” she said.

The arts hub received an upfront endowment of HK$21.6 billion public money in 2008; a master plan by Norman Foster – under which a basement would house all cars, keeping 23 hectares of open space above ground free from traffic – was selected.

The basement will cost an extra HK$23 billion to be covered by the government, which is seeking funding approval from Legco in different phases.

Wong highlighted the Japanese city of Osaka, which has a large network of underground facilities, including retail and dining, connecting a wide area.

But Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee, Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, said that Foster’s design was for the basement to house traffic only.

“If we add other features, we will need to dig one or two levels deeper, and this extra cost will be reflected,” Fung said.


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## hkskyline

*Boss in plea for culture hub funding*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Friday, January 30, 2015

If legislators do not approve funding for the first phase of the West Kowloon cultural hub this year, the multibillion dollar project could grind to a halt, its chief executive warned.

Michael Lynch said the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority is asking for a pre- construction budget of HK$300 million for foundation work of an underground parking space, which along with integrated public infrastructure works, will eventually cost some HK$23 billion.

Lynch said foundation work started in August last year and the next part of the project will begin in September.

"We've already gone out on the tendering process and construction of the above ground park will commence in December this year," Lynch said. "Our view is we think the Legislative Council, politicians and the people of Hong Kong now see that it is important we are able to deliver the project as fast as we can. 

"Clearly the decisions made by Legco over the course of this year are going to be very important to this project, not just to M+ [museum] but also to the other buildings."

Lynch said to some extent Legco's funding approval is outside of the authority's control. "But we hope that sense will prevail," he said.

If the government is unable to get the approvals from Legco, "then the project will grind to a halt," he said. "That is not something Hong Kong wants or ultimately the members of Legco would want."

Lynch was speaking after a time capsule ceremony to mark the construction of the M+ museum, the second flagship art and cultural facility in the hub.

It is scheduled to be completed in 2018 and will be open the following year.


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## hkskyline

*Cultural hub boss quits*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Wednesday, February 11, 2015










Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor attacked the idea there was a rift between her and West Kowloon Cultural District Authority chief executive Michael Lynch, who quit yesterday citing health and personal reasons.

The Australian's departure was a great loss to Hong Kong, said Lam, who chairs the authority.

What was not highlighted was that Lynch's predecessor, Graham Sheffield, lasted only five months in the job, and also cited health reasons when quitting in January 2011.

Before that, former Disney executive Angus Cheng Siu-chuen lasted as executive director for only a week in 2009 then went for "personal reasons."

Lam, however, praised Lynch's work during his 3 years on the job, pointing to his leadership in getting the 40-hectare arts hub's development plan approved and construction of the Xiqu Centre and M+ museum started.

He "contributed significantly to the expansion of the arts and cultural scene," she said, and talk of strains between Lynch and her affecting the project - plagued with delays and controversy since its inclusion in the 1998 policy address of then chief executive Tung Chee-hwa - was "certainly not true."


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## hkskyline

By *RAL* from dcfever :


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## hkskyline

* HK Phil ‘deserves world-class venue’*
7 April 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 

Vice-chairman calls on government to deliver after European tour shows orchestra’s standard

The city’s top orchestra has proven its world-class standard and now the government should deliver on its promise of a new concert hall in West Kowloon, one of the Phil’s veterans says. 

Liu Yuen-seng, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Philharmonic’s board of governors, said the orchestra’s highly acclaimed European tour last month had lived up to a pledge made with a top government official seven years ago.

“In 2008, then chief conductor Edo de Waart and I, as board chairman, met with then chief secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen. He told us the new concert hall in West Kowloon was aiming to open in 2015 and he wanted the HK Phil to open it, not an orchestra from Vienna or Berlin,” said Liu in an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post.

“We are now ready but West Kowloon is not, and the earliest date of a concert hall – if it gets built – would be after 2022.”

Last year, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Tang’s successor, announced that the hub’s “phase-three facilities” – presumably including the concert hall – would be looked at after completion of the first two phases by 2020.


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## macdalight

thank you :lol:


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## SkYsCrApEr2013

Interesting articles


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## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*Aussie named as new M+ chief*
July 21, 2016

An Australian art expert has been appointed executive director of the much-delayed flagship M+ Museum project in the future West Kowloon Cultural District.

Suhanya Raffel, deputy director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, will take up the post on November 1, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced after the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority's board meeting yesterday.

Raffel will replace Lars Nittve, who quit in January due to frustrations over delays in developing the project.

"Ms Raffel is an expert in Asian contemporary art, and has over 30 years of professional experience in museum management. Her capable leadership, professionalism and vision inspire our confidence in the successful opening of a world-class M+ Museum in just three years' time," said Lam, who chairs the authority.

The M+, a vast new museum of 20th- and 21st-century culture, is expected to open by 2019 after completion in 2018 - two years later than planned - as the cultural hub saw frequent managerial changes, with Michael Lynch resigning last year.


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## hkskyline

Afternoon at West Kowloon, Hong Kong by johnlsl, on Flickr


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## dminer

Any info when are they starting work on the Park area?


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## hkskyline

*Museum to get landmark sign*
The Standard _Excerpt_
August 30, 2016 

Dangerous and disused neon signs have been offered a new home at the M+ Museum to be opened in the West Kowloon Cultural District in 2019.

The latest addition is the 30-year-old fish-shaped neon sign of Law Fu Kee Congee and Noodle Expert at Lyndhurst Terrace, which was removed yesterday.

Law Cheuk-lam, the original shop owner, created the sign in the early 1970s. The fish outline had a light blue background with the letters in red and soon became one of the landmarks in Central.

"You couldn't miss the neon fish when descending on the Central-Mid- Levels escalator," said Albert Law Kam-keo, son and the current owner of Law Fu Kee.

The sign is 150 by 410 by 45 centimeters with a head heavier than the tail. It required extra support that, the Buildings Department said, posed a danger to passersby. A notice from the department urged Law Fu Kee to remove the sign before the end of 2016.

M+ believes neon signs articulate a language of Hong Kong through its symbols, signs and texts. To preserve this disappearing culture, it started to collect signs for the museum's opening in 2019.

So far it has received four neon signs donated by the owners: Sammy's Kitchen in Sai Ying Pun, the Kai Kee mahjong parlor in Kwun Tong, Very Good Tailor in Yau Ma Tei and the Law Fu Kee in Central.

"Neon signs are not just for advertising as they also represent local culture," said assistant curator Chloe Chow Lai-shan. "You can feel the strong visual sense from the signs which numerous directors, photographers and artists have used as a source material."


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## jchk

Took two mediocre shots of the Xiqu Centre under construction today. In the first one, some tiered seating is visible:

XiQu1 by jezze0410, on Flickr

XiQu2 by jezze0410, on Flickr


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## kunming tiger

are there two museums currently U/C?


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## jchk

kunming tiger said:


> are there two museums currently U/C?


As far as I know, the only bits of the Cultural District currently under construction are the Xiqu Centre and the M+ Museum, i.e. one theatre and one art museum. The M+ Pavilion (a small structure for small-scale art exhibits) has recently been completed, and is now hosting its first exhibition.


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## jchk

*Palace Museum to be built in WKCD*

http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1303933-20161223.htm



> 政府決定在西九文化區興建香港故宮文化博物館，長期展示故宮珍藏，預計在2022年落成。





> 部分展覽廳會長期展出有關故宮文化歷史及與宮廷生活有關的文物，亦有專門展出香港收藏家藏品的展覽。


A museum will be built in the western fringes of the WKCD to exhibit artefacts from the Forbidden City and items from Hong Kong collectors that relate to the palace's history. The estimated completion date of 2022 seems a tad optimistic, given the glacial pace of developments in the WKCD so far, but it should be an interesting project.


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong arts hub to get HK$3.5 billion replica of Beijing’s Palace Museum
Construction to begin late next year with Jockey Club funding*
December 23, 2016
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

In a cultural coup for Hong Kong, the city on Friday signed a HK$3.5 billion deal with Beijing to create a replica of the capital’s celebrated Palace Museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District.

The project, funded by the Jockey Club, is a highlight of next year’s events to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule and the culmination of close collaboration following an agreement in 2012 between the city and the Palace Museum.

At the signing ceremony, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said construction of the new “Hong Kong Palace Museum” would begin next year, calling the original in the Forbidden City “one of the most influential museums in the world”.

“This is the best and biggest gift to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland,” he said.

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who has been overseeing the preparations for next year’s anniversary and chairs the board of the authority in charge of West Kowloon, said the support of the central government was essential.

“The future exhibits will be loaned to us by the Palace Museum on a long-term basis, which would have been impossible within the existing state policy on the export of artefacts,” she said.

According to a government source, the present policy limits the number of exhibits on loan to 120 items per tour for a maximum period of three months, but the future museum will feature over 1,000 items on display for up to three years at a time.


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## hkskyline

*Carrie Lam defends plan for HK$3.5 billion Palace Museum over transparency concerns*
Chief secretary cuts short her Christmas holiday to fly to Beijing for cultural exchange meetings
December 26, 2016
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Hong Kong’s No 2 official on Monday dismissed concerns about a lack of transparency over the city’s HK$3.5 billion deal to build its own version of Beijing’s celebrated Palace Museum, saying it would be “embarrassing” if a public consultation threw up opposition to it.

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was on the defensive as she announced that she would cut short her Christmas holiday to fly to Beijing for the second time in a week for official meetings on cultural exchanges. But she made clear she would not be meeting Beijing officials to discuss her widely expected bid for Hong Kong’s top job after Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying opted out of seeking a second term.

“It is very difficult to conduct a public consultation because it involves the central government and the related ministries,” Lam said. “You can imagine that, if we were to ask the public if they wanted to have more exhibits from the Palace Museum more than half a year earlier, everyone should respond positively.

“But if more than half a year later, someone disagreed with it, it would be very embarrassing.”

Last Friday, Lam announced a surprise deal with Beijing to create a Hong Kong version of the Palace Museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District. Critics have questioned the lack of public consultation for the project, which will be fully funded by the Jockey Club and will not require the Legislative Council’s approval.

Lam insisted there was no need to invite public feedback because the arts hub is run by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority instead of the Hong Kong government.

She pointed out that she was also the chairwoman of the authority’s board and had met each member to discuss the project before getting their approval last month.

“It might have taken people by surprise because the confidentiality worked so well,” she said, adding that no consultation was required when the mainland gifted Hong Kong with two giant pandas about a decade ago.


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## hkskyline

*Decision to build Hong Kong Palace Museum at West Kowloon Cultural District only revealed to board last month, member claims*
Lawmaker on panel monitoring arts hub implementation says public should have been consulted before plan was announced
December 26, 2016
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

The plan to build a HK$3.5 billion Hong Kong version of Beijing’s Palace Museum in West Kowloon Cultural District was only made known to the district authority’s board during a meeting about a month ago, a member has revealed.

Chris Ip Ngo-tung, a member of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority board, also said preparations had begun for the Hong Kong Palace Museum when members were first briefed about the plan during the meeting in November.

On Friday, the government announced it would build a 10,000 sq m museum housing a permanent display of relics provided by the Palace Museum on a long-term and regular basis to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule.

But critics slammed the government for not seeking public consultation for the project and raised questions whether its decision in September to scrap a performance venue – citing a sufficient number of performance venues in the city – was to make way for the new museum.

Speaking on a radio programme on Monday, Ip said he understood that board members only learned about the plan to build the local museum at a meeting in November during which they generally expressed support for the project.

He claimed preparations for the museum had already begun before the meeting. He added that the government at the meeting updated members about the Jockey Club’s provision of the HK$3.5 billion funding and said prominent local architect Rocco Yim Sen-kee would lead the project.


----------



## hkskyline

*Ip hits out at museum secrecy*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Dec. 28, 2016 

Chief Executive candidate Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee questions the need for secrecy of a HK$3.5 billion scheme to build a Hong Kong version of Beijing's Palace Museum in the much-delayed West Kowloon cultural hub.

The plan was announced on Friday by one of Ip's potential rivals for the top job, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.

In an interview with The Standard yesterday, Ip said the issue could have been handled differently after the plan was criticized for the lack of consultation that went into it before it was revealed in Beijing during a cultural visit by Lam, who is also chairwoman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.

If she had been handling the matter, Ip said, she would have informed all WKCDA board members of the plan early on, taken them on a site visit and discussed the scheme in the Legislative Council.

A political leader should be aware she would face opposition and "I don't think it is necessary to keep such tight confidentiality," said Ip, chairwoman of the New People's Party and until she resigned recently a member of the Executive Council.

"There are many critics who think development of the West Kowloon Cultural District has already taken too long," she said, referring to the first moves for taking up some of the reclaimed land 20 years ago. "The land has been wasted."

Ip said of the Palace Museum plan that she thought the government had "good reasons to want to get on with it" and consult only when "absolutely necessary," that it would be a "great thing" for Hong Kong, and she "would love to go" there. Yet she did not understand why the whole matter was so secretive.

Ip added that she did not see any procedural impropriety in Lam's handling of the project, which will be fully funded by the Jockey Club and did not require legislative approval. It was "a gift from Beijing" and "a matter between the central government and the Hong Kong government."


----------



## WhiteGerbera

"Planned Hong Kong Museum Will Showcase China’s Imperial Relics"
from New York Times today
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/27/world/asia/hong-kong-palace-museum.html?module=WatchingPortal&region=c-column-middle-span-region&pgType=Homepage&action=click&mediaId=thumb_square&state=standard&contentPlacement=8&version=internal&contentCollection=www.nytimes.com&contentId=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2016%2F12%2F27%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fhong-kong-palace-museum.html&eventName=Watching-article-click


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## hkskyline

The idea is quite good but I don't see why there was so much secrecy around the plans. Bad to see the lack of transparency common in the mainland seep into Hong Kong.


----------



## dminer

Not sure how recent/unknown this is, but the official website got live cam feeds for Xiqu, M+ & Park construction, along with cool time-lapses & pics:

Xiqu Centre: http://www.westkowloon.hk/en/the-di...es/xiqu-centre/chapter/construction-progress/

M+/Park: http://www.westkowloon.hk/en/mplus/m-building/m-4/chapter/construction-progress-76

tip: Click Zoom button and then right-click -> Show Image to get bigger pics like this:


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## kunming tiger

What is the building on the extreme right of the above photo?


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## dminer

The oval one with blue edges and spikes on the roof? Just ventillation for the car tunnel, the one with black-yellow columns a lil bit to the left is metro tunnel's vent system. Or vice versa. Doesn't really matter, neither can be removed so they're both staying, but they should be a bit more covered & hidden by trees in future Park:


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## kunming tiger

The propsed site for the new museum that will house imperial exhibits from Beijing?


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## jchk

kunming tiger said:


> The propsed site for the new museum that will house imperial exhibits from Beijing?


Here's an "artist conception" from the article I posted above:


----------



## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*'Secret' museum views sought*
Jan. 6, 2017

The administration has bowed to pressure and will launch a six-week public consultation on a Hong Kong version of Beijing's Palace Museum at the West Kowloon cultural hub -- but only on its design and operation.

There had been fierce criticism of the project being kept secret, with the fact it was even in the works only becoming known on December 23 when Chief Secretary for Administration Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor signed an agreement with the Palace Museum in Beijing.

It was presented as a marking of this year's 20th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to Chinese rule.

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority defended a need for "confidentiality" and argued that there had not been a basis to conduct a public consultation before the signing of a memorandum of understanding, which was a prerequisite to proceed with a project that is being paid for by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Legislators now lead the way as people attack and question the administration on why the public will be consulted only on the look and the operation of the museum rather than being asked whether it should be built in the first place.

That sees Lam, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority chief executive Duncan Pescod and WKCDA vice chairman and Jockey Club chairman Ronald Arculli being called to a special Legislative Council House Committee meeting this morning, when they will also be questioned on the secrecy factor.

According to a paper for legislators from the Chief Secretary's Office and the WKCDA, the appointment of Rocco Yim Sen-kee as the design architect was approved by the authority with "full justification and authority" and the Palace Museum agreeing to the choice.

The design and construction cost will be covered by a HK$3.5 billion donation by the Jockey Club while the authority will shoulder operating costs.

The six-week public engagement begins on Monday to collect opinions on the museum's design, operation and focus of its exhibitions.

Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan Suk-chong dubbed it a "fake consultation" and said the public should be consulted on whether the museum should be built in the first place and about its location -- not the operational details.

She also said no explanation was given why the architect for the project was not selected by an open and competitive process.


----------



## jchk

Apologies for bumping this thread again; would just like to share an aerial view of the WKCD from earlier today:


20170711 West Kowloon by jezze0410, on Flickr

And here is a shot of (what I believe to be) the M+ construction site:


20170711 Pano by jezze0410, on Flickr


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## jchk

Some clearer ground-level shots from earlier today:

I believe this building U/C is Freespace.


WKCD (i) by jezze0410, on Flickr


WKCD (ii) by jezze0410, on Flickr

This is what will become the M+ museum


M+ by jezze0410, on Flickr


WKCD Pano by jezze0410, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

West Kowloon Cultural District - Xiqu Centre_1 by RAYMOND TAM PHOTO - ONEPLUS STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY, on Flickr


----------



## jchk

From today:


20170817 WKCD 1 by jezze0410, on Flickr

(notice the first signs of cladding appearing on Xiqu centre)


20170817 WKCD 2 by jezze0410, on Flickr


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## kunming tiger

how many different projects are U/C in the above pic?


----------



## jchk

kunming tiger said:


> how many different projects are U/C in the above pic?


In the second photo, the projects you can see are the M+ Museum, the Lyric Theatre Complex, and Freespace (a Black Box and an outdoor stage, part of Art Park).


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## kunming tiger

a sky walk is to be constructed from the WKCD to the China Ferry Terminal once the first museum opens next year.

Does anyone have any information on the proposed underground link to TST?


----------



## Oasis-Bangkok

Court rejects 'premature' bids for legal action against Express Rail Link joint checkpoint arrangement by Hong Kong Free Press, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong’s new Chinese opera centre will be run by an American, and local performers aren’t happy*
Industry veteran says appointing foreign art director a blow to local performers
October 19, 2017
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Cantonese opera performers in Hong Kong said they were “extremely disappointed” after the job of running the city’s new showcase for the traditional art form went to an American.

A stalwart of the local opera industry said Alison Friedman’s appointment contradicted promises by the arts chief that the West Kowloon Cultural District, where the Xiqu Centre will stand, would nurture local talent.

But the position has been bundled in with others, to be held by one person.
That person will be Friedman, whom the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority appointed last Wednesday as director of performing arts, leading its Chinese opera, dance, theatre and music teams.

The new director will oversee productions at the Xiqu Centre, the district’s Chinese opera venue, which is still under construction and is expected to open late next year.

The Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong, which represents more than 1,000 Cantonese opera performers, said in a statement that it had expected the job of Chinese opera chief to be separate from posts overseeing other art forms.

Liza Wang Ming-chun, a long-time chairwoman of the association and a renowned local performer, said the authority had pledged to appoint an independent art director for the Xiqu Centre.

“The management reneged on their promise … We are extremely disappointed,” Wang said.

She said Friedman did not have any experience with Xiqu, or Chinese opera, and there were many suitable candidates in Hong Kong.

“I have no doubt of the academic calibre of the artistic director, but Xiqu is about artistic attainment,” Wang said, in an interview. “The authority has a mentality of putting the arts hub on the international map by hiring foreigners.”


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## hkskyline

_The problem is cultural venues are rarely profitable, and in most cases need government subsidies/support._

*Tang outlines vision for culture hub*
Sept. 20, 2017
The Standard _Excerpt_

The West Kowloon Cultural District will not become a real estate project, but it is necessary to introduce some commercial elements so it would not rely on taxpayers' money, new WKCD Authority chairman Henry Tang Yin-yang said.

Tang will replace Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung on Monday as board chairman, making him the first non-official to serve in the position.

At a media gathering, Tang said any CS will be too busy to focus on the culture hub and it did not need his leadership if the district was a real estate project.

"Its core mission is cultural activity. I think the potential for Hong Kong to become one of the three major [cultural] cities in the world, together with New York and London, has huge potential for our youth, community and for our economy," Tang said yesterday.

But maintaining commercial elements is a must because it would not be good to keep requesting funding in the Legislative Council, he said.

"I don't think we should continue to go to the government to ask for money, as the government will then go to Legco. Whoever believes West Kowloon shouldn't have commercial project at all, you should ask them if they are you prepared to continue to subsidize it?" Tang said.


----------



## Oasis-Bangkok

iphone icc by bennychun, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong arts hub boss defends appointment of American artistic director*
Henry Tang Ying-yen, chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, insists Alison Friedman is the ‘best person’ for the job
October 24, 2017 
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

The new chairman of Hong Kong’s West Kowloon arts hub has defended the management’s appointment of an American as its artistic director for performing arts amid criticism from local performers.

Henry Tang Ying-yen, chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, said after a board meeting on Tuesday that Alison Friedman was the “best person” for the job.

“It is my view that we have selected the best person for the job because it is important that if we want to build an international, first-class cultural centre, we must have first-class people,” Tang said after chairing the meeting.

“Alison is very familiar with the Chinese culture and has lived in Beijing for more than 10 years. She was very successful in Beijing.”

He made the comments after Cantonese opera performers in Hong Kong said they were “extremely disappointed” that the job went to an American.

Liza Wang Ming-chun, chairman of the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong, which represents more than 1,000 Cantonese opera performers, said earlier that Friedman did not have any experience with xiqu, or Chinese opera.

Wang has also said that the authority has a mentality of “putting the arts hub on the international map by hiring foreigners”.

Friedman is the founding director at Ping Pong Productions, a Beijing-based consultancy promoting cultural exchange. She has worked in China for almost two decades.

Having majored in Chinese literature and literary translation at Brown University in the US, she is a fluent Mandarin speaker. She lectures at various universities in China and around the world.

“We found the right person to be the overall artistic director. Under the artistic director, there will be four specialists, four heads – one for dance, one for music, one for drama and one for xiqu. We have already appointed the music, drama and dance heads. The only remaining one is xiqu,” Tang said.

But according to Wang, the authority had earlier promised to hire another director to be in charge specifically for xiqu – not just a “specialist” or “head” as Tang suggested on Tuesday.


----------



## hkskyline

West Kowloon Cultural District 13.10 (1) by Jamie Lloyd, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

West Kowloon Cultural District 29.11.17 - image taken from the 102nd Floor Ritz Carlton Hotel by Jamie Lloyd, on Flickr


----------



## Oasis-Bangkok

IMG_0580 by Neal Jennings, on Flickr

IMG_0584 by Neal Jennings, on Flickr

IMG_0527 by Neal Jennings, on Flickr


----------



## jchk

Took an amble around the area today:


20171217 Xiqu 1 by jezze0410, on Flickr


20171217 Xiqu 2 by jezze0410, on Flickr


20171217 M+ by jezze0410, on Flickr


20171217 Art Pavilion 1 by jezze0410, on Flickr


20171217 Art Pavilion 2 by jezze0410, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Hub discounts for artists*
21 Dec 2017
The Standard _Excerpt_

From next year, Hongkongers can start hiring venues at the West Kowloon Cultural District, including the soon-to-be-completed Xiqu Centre.

Both artists and non-artists are welcome to use facilities at the hub, but art groups will be given priority and enjoy significant discounts.

The "artistically driven" pricing mechanism was unveiled yesterday at a Legislative Council panel meeting.

"Artistic hirers have priority and will pay lower prices," said Lisa Tsang, the head of venue operations at the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. "We want a good overall mix of programs to reflect the venue's artistic positioning."

A "cut" will be taken from ticket sales and Tsang said such scheme will help "share financial risk."

Bookings can be made three years in advance but hirers are not required to sign any binding contract.

Venues available for booking in the first phase include the Xiqu Centre, set to be completed next year, Freespace, and the Lyric Theatre Complex.

Art groups that wish to hire a venue, which costs around HK$60,000, can avail of a discounted rate of HK$44,000 and an 8 percent cut from ticket sales.

If an event is not ticketed, hirers will be charged a lump sum instead, which will be slightly more expensive.

All scheduling will be handled by the culture hub's venue operations team.

WKCDA chief executive Duncan Pescod acknowledged lawmaker Edward Lau Kwok-fan's fear that the mechanism could potentially result in revenue loss.

"Art venues generally don't make money and the board has accepted that fact," Pescod said.


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## hkskyline

視察西九文化區 Visit to West Kowloon Cultural District (2017.12.21) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察西九文化區 Visit to West Kowloon Cultural District (2017.12.21) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察西九文化區 Visit to West Kowloon Cultural District (2017.12.21) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察西九文化區 Visit to West Kowloon Cultural District (2017.12.21) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察西九文化區 Visit to West Kowloon Cultural District (2017.12.21) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Troubled West Kowloon Cultural District to seek extra HK$11.7 billion for deficits next 15 years*
Authority tells sceptical lawmakers loans or bonds needed to close funding gap at controversial arts hub
South China Morning Post Excerpt
February 9, 2018

Hong Kong’s multibillion-dollar West Kowloon Cultural District was called a “fiscal abyss” on Friday as its board planned to issue bonds or borrow loans to fill a funding gap of HK$11.7 billion (US$1.5 billion) in the face of deepening deficits for up to the next 15 years.

Lawmakers also questioned if the strategy was an attempt to bypass the Legislative Council’s further financial scrutiny as the controversial project incurred hefty cost overruns.

The loan plan was revealed at a Legco panel meeting attended by former chief secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen, now chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. For the first time since taking up his position last October, Tang delivered a report to lawmakers on the project’s latest financial situation.

The chairman said the upfront endowment of HK$21.6 billion granted to the authority in 2008 would only cover the design and construction costs for Batch 1 and most Batch 2 facilities but not the remaining Batch 3 facilities. This would result in a capital funding gap of HK$11.7 billion based on 2016 prices to complete the rest of the project.

“We originally envisaged an investment return of 6 per cent every year but due to the financial tsunami in late 2008 the actual annual return only stood at 3 per cent,” Tang explained. “Also, the construction cost has soared by 136 per cent. Therefore, we need to borrow loans or issue bonds to cope with this funding gap for the medium term.”

However, Tang stopped short of disclosing the exact amount to be requested, noting a financial adviser would be hired to draw up the loan plan.

“The West Kowloon project will start to incur an operating deficit from 2018/19,” he said. “Thereafter, it will face a prolonged and increasing structural operating deficit for running Batches 1 and 2 of the facilities.”


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## jchk

https://stories.mplus.org.hk/en/blog/a-tour-of-the-m-building-mockups

Interesting blog post about mockups of the M+ Museum building, including some new (at least to me) details about the facade.



> These tower facade tiles, made in Italy and assembled as part of the framework in China, are of a rich, dark green colour. They’re laid out in a horizontal louvre structure that will provide sun shading to the museum’s interior spaces.
> 
> The recesses in the louvres will be embedded with LED light bars to form a media facade on the south side of the tower towards the Victoria Harbour. The images and videos displayed will be visible even from the Hong Kong Island side.


Here are some of the photos from the post:


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## hkskyline

In the clouds by Joachim Wuhrer, on Flickr


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## Oasis-Bangkok

Xiqu Centre by Chris Dawson, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong by Neil O'Connor, on Flickr


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## jchk

A fantastic video about the construction progress of the M+, with some fascinating insights into the facade manufacturing process:


----------



## jchk

From this webcam (apologies for the horrendous quality):



















The installation of the ceramic cladding seems to be going swimmingly. Longing to see how it looks in person!


----------



## Antioch

HK looks nothing short of stunning. Keep it up!


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## hkskyline

HKMP_1 by RAYMOND TAM PHOTO - ONEPLUS STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY, on Flickr

M+West Kowloon_1 by RAYMOND TAM PHOTO - ONEPLUS STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY, on Flickr


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## kunming tiger

definite progress 

completion date?


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## hkskyline

kunming tiger said:


> definite progress
> 
> completion date?


Various completion dates by project. M+ shown in the last set of photos will finish next year.


----------



## hkskyline

M+ Construction, West Kowloon Cultural Centre, Hong Kong by Jamie Lloyd, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Xiqu Centre 戲曲中心 - 110918_DSF2519j by KK Hui Photography, on Flickr

Xiqu Centre 戲曲中心 - 110918_DSF2532j by KK Hui Photography, on Flickr

Xiqu Centre 戲曲中心 - 110918_DSF2528j by KK Hui Photography, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

KMB Alexander-Dennis Enviro500 MMC Facelift 12m VR1587 904 by Thomas Cheung, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Arts hub opera venue to open in January*
Oct 15, 2018
Facebook 
The Standard _Excerpt_


Xiqu Centre 戲曲中心 - 280918_DSF3017j by KK Hui Photography, on Flickr

One of the key structures in the West Kowloon Cultural District, the Xiqu Centre, will open on the January 20, officials announced today.

The center is dedicated to promoting and developing Cantonese opera and other genres of Chinese traditional theater, RTHK reports.

The Cantonese opera classic, the Reincarnation of Red Plum, will be the first show to be staged there.

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority said applications for tickets to the opening programme will be accepted via its website from Tuesday morning.

The Xiqu Centre houses two theatres with a combined 1,300 seats. The 13,800-square-metre centre will be the first major venue to open in the multi-billion-dollar West Kowloon Cultural District project.


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## hkskyline

Sky Corridor of High Speed Railway Station Hong Kong by LZ775, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

IMG_7483 by Roger, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

20181028_154558+154602+07(3) by Kar Wah Tam, on Flickr

20181028_161747+51 by Kar Wah Tam, on Flickr


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## jchk

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority marks the topping out of the M+ building
Source








> The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) is pleased to announce the topping out of the M+ building, a milestone in the development of M+ as a world-class museum and as a major cultural institution of and for Hong Kong. It marks a crucial moment in the countdown to the museum’s planned opening in 2020..
> 
> Part of the West Kowloon Cultural District, M+ is a museum for visual culture focusing on twentieth- and twenty-first-century design and architecture, moving image, and visual art from Hong Kong, Asia, and beyond. M+ will be one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary visual culture in the world. With a gross floor area of 65,000 square metres, the museum, designed by renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron in partnership with Hong Kong–based TFP Farrells and Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong, will provide an important addition to the cultural landscape of Hong Kong.
> 
> The building features state-of-the-art spaces, facilities, and functions. Accessible through multiple entry points, the building’s horizontal form contains 17,000 square metres of exhibition space, cinemas, a lecture theatre, a learning centre, a museum shop, performance spaces, cafes, a médiathèque, and a public roof terrace that looks out to Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong skyline. Soaring up from the horizontal podium is the vertical museum tower, which houses the library, archive, study centre, members’ facilities, museum offices, and restaurants, and features an LED facade for the display of moving image works by artists.


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## hkskyline

Doesn't seem to be an architecturally stunning building to go with the contents that will end up being displayed inside.


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## Oasis-Bangkok

20181213 Night time at Hong Kong by conneti, on Flickr

View from the Sky by Keith Mulcahy, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

M+West Kowloon_2 by RAYMOND TAM PHOTO - ONEPLUS STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

Kowloon from Victoria Peak by yc4646, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

DJI_0060-Pano by 小影, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

December 28, 2019 
*CE eyes art museum to help improve HK's art, culture*
Xinhua _Excerpt_

Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Friday she expects the revamped Hong Kong Museum of Art to help improve Hong Kong's art and culture.

The museum, along with two world-class museums under construction, namely the M+ Museum and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, will stand as unique landmark for culture, arts and tourism on the Victoria Harbour waterfront, raising Hong Kong's art and culture to a higher level, Lam said during a visit to the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Having been closed since August 2015 for a major expansion and renovation, the Hong Kong Museum of Art reopened on Nov 30.

More : https://www.chinadailyhk.com/articles/199/117/242/1577504528947.html?newsId=116943


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## hkskyline

West Kowloon -2019 by Eric, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

Xiqu Centre, Hong Kong by chailey, on Flickr

Xiqu Centre, Hong Kong by chailey, on Flickr

Xiqu Centre, Hong Kong by chailey, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

參觀西九文化區 Visit to West Kowloon Cultural District (2020.01.13) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

參觀西九文化區 Visit to West Kowloon Cultural District (2020.01.13) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

參觀西九文化區 Visit to West Kowloon Cultural District (2020.01.13) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

參觀西九文化區 Visit to West Kowloon Cultural District (2020.01.13) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

參觀西九文化區 Visit to West Kowloon Cultural District (2020.01.13) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

20200203 陰, 维多利亚港，西九龍 by Sailisa Li, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

IMG_4656RR by Ringo Leung, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

kowloon west-09510 by Michael Tam, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Kowloon's new star rises *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Apr 29, 2020

Two recent developments have helped put the West Kowloon District Authority on course to complete the construction of Hong Kong's world-class cultural hub.

On March 20, the Legislative Council approved funding for various infrastructure and other works.

Among projects is the semi-enclosed Artist Square Bridge, which will serve as a gateway to the complex. It also includes an integrated basement, which will cover transport zones and free up space for cultural and commercial facilities.

And a few days later executives also finalized paperwork for the official transfer of land to the authority.

While these might seem like formalities they are key steps toward the creation of what will surely be the most outstanding cultural district in Asia - 40 hectares of facilities for art and education plus plentiful open space.

So far, the M+ Pavilion, the Xiqu Centre (for Chinese opera) and the Freespace contemporary performance venue have opened.

Work on the M+ Museum of modern visual culture, the Lyric Theatre Complex, the Hong Kong Palace Museum and extensive public park and performance and exhibition spaces is under way. There will also be a two-kilometer harborfront promenade.

Although some building work has been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the flagship M+ Museum is coming along well and should be open by the middle of next year.

More : Kowloon's new star rises


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## hkskyline

* Here's How You Can Enjoy And Support The Arts During The Pandemic *
Hong Kong Tatler _Excerpt_
Apr 23, 2020

There's been a post circulating the internet that reads, "If you think artists are useless, try to spend your quarantine without music, books, poems, movies and paintings". With concerts and events cancelled, gallery doors shut and travel bans for the foreseeable future, the arts have really taken a hit as a result of the global pandemic.

Here are a few ways that you can support the arts, in Hong Kong and around the world, during this tricky time.

Museums & Galleries

Don't let travel bans stop you from wandering through New York's MoMa or perusing the works on display at Musée d’Orsay. As museums and galleries around the world have shut their doors due to Covid-19, many have introduced virtual tours and exhibitions so we can appreciate some of the world's most incredible collections from the comfort of our homes. 

Explore European, Asian and American artworks spanning the 8th to 21st centuries at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, or Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, which houses 8,000 pieces that span 800 years in 80 galleries. 

Locally, M+ museum, which is due to open next year at the West Kowloon Cultural District, has launched a digital platform called M+ Stories containing a huge range of content covering art, architecture and design, including video interviews with artists, blogposts from curators and academics, and interactive quizzes. 

More : Here's How You Can Enjoy And Support The Arts During The Pandemic


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## hkskyline

Nightfall over Hong Kong by Thomas Walther, on Flickr


----------



## jchk

Some less photographed angles of M+:





























Palace museum:








Western End of Cultural District:


----------



## hkskyline

Construction Updates - 6/11

*M+ Museum*
































































*Hong Kong Palace Museum*


----------



## hkskyline

20200621 - Xpan - Ektar -6-s by Terence Yam, on Flickr

20200621 - Xpan - Ektar 2 -16-s by Terence Yam, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong Palace Museum*
7/7


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## hkskyline

West Kowloon Cultural District by Alex Mak, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

8/8


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## hkskyline

By *sharetak* from dcfever :


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## hkskyline

*Covid-19 pandemic triggers looming financial crisis for West Kowloon Cultural District as developers avoid bidding for massive new project*
Aug 16, 2020
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority’s (WKCDA) decision to withdraw its tender for a massive commercial project in the multibillion-dollar arts hub, following a cool response from developers, signals massive deficits ahead, observers said.

Lawmakers are worried that with the Covid-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on arts and exhibition events, the authority will sink deeper in the red and keep asking for more government funding.

“The government is the most convenient ATM for it,” said Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan, a member of a Legislative Council committee that monitors the development of the massive West Kowloon arts hub.

More : Financial crisis looming for West Kowloon Cultural District


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## hkskyline

* Arts hub boss leaving *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Sep 29, 2020

Duncan Pescod, who had overseen several milestone projects at the challenging cultural project, the West Kowloon Cultural District, is wrapping up his long tenure.

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority said today the Chief Executive Pescod, who had been responsible for operations since 2015, is leaving at the end of November.

The West Kowloon Cultural District, a mega cultural project, remains a work in progress, 22 years later. It was first announced in 1998.

Before joing the arts hub, Pescod had served for more than three decades with the Hong Kong government, serving in various branches, bureaux, and departments.

WKCD chairman Henry Tang Ying-yen, said Pescod's departure is a great loss.

Just last monthe arts hub pulled a tender a for an exhibition hub, citing an uncertain economic outlook, while the opening of the M+ a museum for visual culture, was postponed. In August, 2018, its builder Hsin Chong Construction was terminated due to financial troubles.

More : Arts hub boss leaving


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## hkskyline

* CEO exit raises questions over arts hub financing *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Oct 5, 2020

Last week's acrimonious shake-up at Hong Kong's controversial arts hub has exposed a bitter row between the management and its governing board, raising new questions about the future of a 22-year-old project grappling with cost overruns and delays.

Duncan Pescod, 61, a former civil servant who became CEO of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority five years ago, said he was being forced to step down at the end of November, nine months before his HK$5 million-a-year term expires, without being told why.

Board members have retaliated, criticising his leadership in public and in private. In a radio interview on October 1, board member and pro-establishment politician Chris Ip Ngo-tung aired a long list of grievances, saying Pescod lacked financial discipline, among other failings, and the CEO took a cavalier approach to major changes in projects.

Ip told the Post that Pescod's team failed to account for major crises, such as flooding and the appearance of a giant sinkhole at a construction site last year, and planned the allocation of resources poorly. "The biggest problem is that the mutual trust between board members and him is no longer there," he said.

Asked to respond, Pescod said in an email that he had nothing to add.

The 40-hectare West Kowloon Cultural District is meant to make Hong Kong one of the world's leading cultural destinations.

The initial government grant for the project was HK$21.6 billion, although some have said cost overruns could take the total investment past HK$70 billion.

More : Arts hub seeks new CEO to steer through delays, massive cost overruns


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## hkskyline

* Opening date set for city's version of Palace Museum *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Oct 14, 2020

A Hong Kong version of Beijing's Palace Museum - located in the heart of the Forbidden City - will make its debut in June 2022, the mainland attraction's director has said, moving the city's troubled arts hub a step closer to its goal of simultaneously showcasing both Western and Chinese culture.

Two Hong Kong sources confirmed the opening yesterday, while a West Kowloon Cultural District Authority board member said curators for the local project were in talks with Beijing about the possibility of showcasing exhibits not previously displayed in the city.

The Beijing venue's director, Wang Xudong, revealed the date in the museum's publication while citing his colleague's collaboration with Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan in strengthening the cohesion of Chinese culture.

"The Palace Museum first signed an exchange and collaborative agreement with Hong Kong's … Leisure and Cultural Services Department in 2012 and had the groundbreaking ceremony of the Hong Kong Palace Museum in May 2018. [It is] expected to officially open at the end of June in 2022," he said in the article, which ran in full on the website of People's Daily, a government mouthpiece.

In 2016, the city signed a HK$3.5 billion deal with Beijing to create a replica of the capital's celebrated Palace Museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District. Hong Kong's initial portfolio of relics will be supplied by its capital counterpart, which has 1.86 million pieces.

More : Hong Kong’s HK$3.5 billion Palace Museum replica gets June 2022 opening date


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## hkskyline

11/7


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## hkskyline

* Is having two bosses really the way forward for the West Kowloon Cultural District? *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Oct 24, 2020

After the Xiqu Centre, will chief artistic officer (CAO) become the next nudge-nudge-wink-wink name adopted by the West Kowloon Cultural District?

The name of the Chinese opera theatre sounds like “private parts” in Cantonese, while cao, in Mandarin, is often used in less polite circles as a short way of saying “go forth and multiply”.

Jokes aside, the idea of a CAO is being floated now that the very serious business of finding a replacement for Duncan Pescod, the ousted chief executive of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), is under way.

At least two authority board members have told me there is support for the idea of splitting the CEO job into two. One, a chief in charge of sorting out the construction projects and commercial tenders. The other, a chief in charge of the content behind the concept of the West Kowloon Cultural District: a CAO overseeing all the venues; M+, the museum of visual culture; and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, with its focus on the treasures from Beijing's Forbidden City.

The reason behind this thinking is that it is simply unrealistic to expect to find in one person all the skill sets required for such a complicated and troubled project. They have tried CEOs with an arts background. For example, Graham Sheffield, the CEO appointed in 2010, was the former artistic director of the Barbican Centre in Britain. He stayed for five months. Pescod, a career civil servant and former director of housing in Hong Kong, was seen as a safe pair of hands when he took over in 2015. Even though he didn't know about the arts, it was felt that someone with his background was best suited for getting the district built.

More : Is having two bosses the best way forward for West Kowloon cultural hub?


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## hkskyline

11/11


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## hkskyline

In this Chinese media report, the Palace Museum is expected to open in mid-2022. Construction began in May 2018 and the 5-storey building was topped out this past July. 800 artifacts will be exhibited here.

* 故宮文化博物館料2022年中開幕　將展出800件文物 *
東方日報 _Excerpt_
Nov 18, 2020










西九文化區的香港故宮文化博物館由馬會慈善信託基金捐贈35億港元興建，自2018年5月起動工，博物館今日(18日)預計，在不超支的情況下可於2022年年中開幕。屆時，博物館會展出約800件由北京故宮博物院提供的展品，當中約20%為國寶級文物，預計每日有5000人次參觀，每年人流量約150萬至160萬人次。

博物館今日邀請傳媒參觀工程情況，指進度理想。負責博物館的建築師、來自許李嚴建築師事務有限公司的嚴迅奇稱，博物館建築設計融合了三大文化，包括中國傳統空間文化、香港當代城市文化，以及中國傳統視藝文化，當中最具特色的是內部空間以層次感及序列感為主，中庭則以旋轉及疊高的方式設計，體現故宮特色。

故宮文化博物館館長吳志華指，博物館大樓今年7月已平頂，博物館樓高5層，將設9個展覽廳及可容納400座位的演講廳，目前正進行機電設備安裝工程如電梯等，預計明年第3季可以收樓，其後會進行內部裝修工程及組裝展櫃，再從北京運送800件文物，如藝術收藏、書畫及陶瓷等，屆時將會設有特別展覽如書畫展覽、學習及創新中心。吳續稱博物館以現代建築手法表達中國傳統藝術，將當代與傳統緊扣，並強調博物館不會超支，即使超支亦可使用備用基金，並會積極開拓收入來源如門票及紀念品等。

More : 故宮文化博物館料2022年中開幕　將展出800件文物


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## hkskyline

*Betty Fung named interim head of troubled arts hub *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Nov 18, 2020

Career bureaucrat Betty Fung was on Wednesday named interim head of the troubled West Kowloon arts hub, replacing Duncan Pescod, who's leaving the position nine months before his contract is due to expire.

She will be seconded from her position as head of the government's Policy Innovation and Coordination Office to the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority next month.

Authority chairman Henry Tang says she'll remain interim chief until a permanent CEO is found in a global search.

Asked by reporters whether he's worried that the career civil servant would be overly bureaucratic, Tang said he's confident Fung will put arts as her top priority.

He also thanked the outgoing chief, Duncan Pescod, for his contributions to the hub, though he declined to comment on whether he had left the post voluntarily or was told to quit early.

More : Betty Fung named interim head of troubled arts hub - RTHK


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## hkskyline

* Hong Kong Palace Museum to open in mid-2022 *
CGTN _Excerpt_
Nov 19, 2020 

The main structure of the Hong Kong Palace Museum on the coast of Victoria Harbor was officially completed on Wednesday, according to Xinhua News Agency. When the museum opens in mid-2022, some 800 cultural relics from the Palace Museum in Beijing will be on display at the Palace Museum in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The Hong Kong Palace Museum is positioned as a world-class museum of Chinese culture and art. It is understood that the museum will adopt a new curatorial approach to display the treasures of the Beijing Palace Museum and other important cultural institutions in the world.

Many of the 800 cultural relics at the museum will be on display outside the Chinese mainland for the first time, and some will be on display for the first time ever, according to the museum.

Speaking at the completion ceremony, Carrie Lam, chief executive of the HKSAR, said the museum has a broad vision and mission to promote the study and appreciation of Chinese art and culture and promote dialogue among world civilizations.

More : Hong Kong Palace Museum to open in mid-2022


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## hkskyline

12/1


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## hkskyline

11/29

West Kowloon 西九龍 by YY Ma, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*About West Kowloon Cultural District*


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## hkskyline

1/15

DSC08033 by STANLEY Cheng, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

2/16


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## hkskyline

3/29

參觀西九文化區 Visit to West Kowloon Cultural District (2021.03.29) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

參觀西九文化區 Visit to West Kowloon Cultural District (2021.03.29) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr 

參觀西九文化區 Visit to West Kowloon Cultural District (2021.03.29) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Storm over M+: is Beijing targeting the Hong Kong museum, or is it just politicians looking to score points? *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 
April 6, 2021

Former Hong Kong lawmaker Sin Chung-kai remembers the elation that greeted the news that M+, a unique new museum expected to open by the end of the year, would be the permanent home of one of the world’s most extensive collections of Chinese modern art.

More than 1,500 works by over 300 contemporary artists, from a collection amassed by Swiss art collector Uli Sigg, would form the core of the star attraction at the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD). 

Sin recalled that the name of Ai Weiwei, China’s best-known dissident artist, was brought up specifically during a WKCD Authority board discussion, but nobody raised concerns that his artworks – part of the Sigg Collection – might besmirch the reputation of China.

“At that time, the ‘one country, two systems’ principle was seen to uphold the differences between Hong Kong and the mainland. So there was no problem displaying something that could not be exhibited on the mainland,” he said.

That was in 2012, when Sin was on the board alongside then- secretary for development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, now Hong Kong’s chief executive.

Fast forward nine years and M+, which is finally preparing to open after cost overruns and years of delays, has landed in the thick of a political storm over Ai’s Study of Perspective – Tiananmen (1997).

More : Storm over M+ sparks fear Beijing is targeting Hong Kong’s art scene


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## hkskyline

*M+ museum building completed. The first global museum of contemporary visual culture in Asia, set to open at the end of 2021 in Hong Kong *
March 12, 2021
Press Release _Excerpt_ 

M+ has reached the important milestone marking the completion of construction of the museum building. With the Occupation Permit for the museum building obtained on 24 December 2020, M+ is set to open to the public at the end of 2021.

Designed by a global team of the world-renowned architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in partnership with TFP Farrells and Arup, the M+ building is set to become a new addition to the global arts and cultural landscape and a new international architectural icon. Located in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District on the Victoria Harbour waterfront, it provides a permanent space for M+, the first global museum of contemporary visual culture in Asia dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and interpreting visual art, design and architecture, moving image, and Hong Kong visual culture of the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries.

The commanding architectural form consists of monumental horizontal and vertical volumes—an expansive podium and a strikingly slender tower—reflecting the architects’ reading of the unique typologies of Hong Kong’s architectural landscape and their sensitivity to local urban conditions. Beneath the building site lie the MTR Airport Express and Tung Chung Line. While the pre-existing site condition presents a challenge to design and construction, it has also become a point of departure for the M+ building. The excavation around the railway tunnels produces a ‘found space’ that provides an anchor for the building for hosting dynamic and rotating installations.

More : M+ museum building completed. The first global museum of contemporary visual culture in Asia, set to open at the end of 2021 in Hong Kong


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## hkskyline

* How M+ museum can boost Hong Kong’s reputation as Asia’s World City *
Apr 22, 2021
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 

Fifteen years ago, I had the honour of chairing the museum advisory group, under the consultative committee on the core arts and cultural facilities of the West Kowloon Cultural District. The task was to propose what type of museum the district should have. We proposed a bold concept “M+” to create more than a conventional museum that would be consistent with Hong Kong’s position as one of the world’s great cities.

A truly great city needs to be more than a business powerhouse or a major tourist hub. Investments in culture produce both qualitative benefits and economic returns. M+ was our vision of what a 21st century cultural institution in Asia could be, offering a Hong Kong perspective on global visual culture and creating a unique, world-class platform in Asia to foster exchange between Hong Kong and the world.

Hong Kong is the world’s best example of global exchange. M+ reflects this identity in every way, from its collections and exhibitions to its staff. M+ followed the highest international standards for museum operations and governance. The M+ acquisitions committee and the M+ Collections Trust were established in 2016 and 2017, respectively, to govern matters relating to acquisitions and protection of legal interests of the M+ collection. The rigorous approach creates the needed environment conducive to the long-term development of M+.

More : How M+ museum can boost Hong Kong’s ‘world city’ reputation


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## hkskyline

5/16

The West Kowloon Cultural District and ICC, the tallest building in Hong Kong by Jamie Lloyd, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

6/3


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong’s New M+ Museum Is a Beautiful Study in Contradiction *
ArchDaily _Excerpt_
Nov 25, 2021

In this week's reprint by Metropolis, author Mimi Zeiger explores the new M+ Museum in Hong Kong, finally open to the public. "Designed by Herzog & De Meuron, the impressive building asserts the city’s cultural ascendancy while also magnifying the region’s unescapable political tensions".

Nearly a decade in the making, its opening pushed back by the pandemic, M+ finally greeted Hong Kong last week. The billboard-like façade of the 700,000-square-foot art museum, designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, lit up the budding skyline of the West Kowloon Cultural District with a wall of 5,664 LED tubes. Blue, red, and green from the institution’s logo made watery stripes in Victoria Harbor.

The reflection is practically the perfect metaphor for the opposing sentiments swirling around the institution’s opening celebrations: one elatedly touting M+ as “Asia’s first global museum of visual culture,” the other condemning museum leadership for yielding to Beijing’s influence in complying with China’s new National Security Law. Implemented in July 2020 after a year of pro-democracy protests, the law clamps down on a wide swath of dissident actions and materials. Just days before the opening, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei publicly accused the museum of censorship for not exhibiting his artwork— a series of photos that depict the artist giving the middle finger to various seats of power, including Tiananmen Square.

More : Hong Kong’s New M+ Museum Is a Beautiful Study in Contradiction


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## hkskyline

M+ museum, Maripedia and Lilli Hollein, Monocle on Design 529 - Radio


We head to M+, Hong Kong’s impressive new visual-culture museum. Plus: we learn about Finnish fashion brand Marimekko’s pattern database and Alexei Korolyov…




monocle.com


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## hkskyline

D5-6988 by Spencer poon, on Flickr

D5-6981 by Spencer poon, on Flickr

D5-6976 by Spencer poon, on Flickr

D5-6958 by Spencer poon, on Flickr

D5-6957 by Spencer poon, on Flickr

D5-6923 by Spencer poon, on Flickr

D5-6874 by Spencer poon, on Flickr

D5-6747 by Spencer poon, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Palace Museum*

11/30

Sunset at West Kowloon, Hong Kong by johnlsl, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*M+*

Hong Kong 香港 by George Chen, on Flickr

Hong Kong 香港 by George Chen, on Flickr

Hong Kong 香港 by George Chen, on Flickr

Hong Kong 香港 by George Chen, on Flickr

Hong Kong 香港 by George Chen, on Flickr

Hong Kong 香港 by George Chen, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Hong Kong looking to expand West Kowloon Cultural District, developers invited to bid for right to build entertainment blocks, offices *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Nov 26, 2021

Hong Kong’s new cultural hub is inviting bids from developers to construct and operate three buildings earmarked for offices and entertainment, the first commercial project in the area.

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority issued the tenders for the Artist Square Towers Project on Friday, two weeks after the opening of M+, the city’s first purpose-built visual arts museum.

Located in the heart of the district, the project comprises three commercial buildings with a gross floor area of about 65,000 square metres, about 96 per cent of which will be for offices with the rest for retail, dining or entertainment.

More : Hong Kong cultural hub seeking bidders for first commercial project


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## hkskyline

*Auction house Philips to become first tenant at West Kowloon *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Dec 16, 2021

Leading auction house Phillips will move its Asian headquarters from Central to the West Kowloon Cultural District next September, becoming the first and major tenant of the art hub. 

The new office will consist of six floors -- a total of 48,000 square feet -- in the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Tower, including the top two floors for exhibition and auction halls.

The global auctioneer, which is currently located at the St George's Building on Ice House Street in Central, is the first tenant at the 16-story WKCDA Tower.

More : Auction house Philips to become first tenant at West Kowloon


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## hkskyline

* West Kowloon district emerging as new darling of Hong Kong-based multinational tenants *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Dec 20, 2021

The West Kowloon district is likely to become an important commercial district in Hong Kong in the coming years, as new office space comes onto the market, according to analysts.

“The Kowloon station precinct serves as an extension to the core Tsim Sha Tsui office submarket but currently has only limited amount of office space, so it isn’t seen as a stand-alone office submarket for the time being,” said Marcos Chan, head of research at real estate firm CBRE Hong Kong.

However, “the future offices and generous open space to be built within the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) Tower will help strengthen the commercial atmosphere of the area and gradually build up the appeal of the Kowloon station precinct as a preferred office district”, Chan said.

More : West Kowloon poised to draw Chinese and multinational tenants


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## hkskyline

*M+ Museum*

















































































































































More photos : Hong Kong Photo Gallery - M+ Museum


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## hkskyline

* M+ owner plots next chapter for West Kowloon project, buoyed by record winning bid for Hong Kong’s Central Harbourfront site *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Dec 29, 2021

Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District Authority said the response to the HK$50.8 billion (US$6.5 billion) New Central Harbourfront Commercial Site 3 plot had boosted its confidence in inviting bids from developers to construct and operate three office and entertainment buildings.

The authority issued tenders for the Artist Square Towers Project – the first commercial district in West Kowloon – in late November, two weeks after the opening of M+, the city’s first visual-arts museum, which it owns. The tender is expected to close in February, while the approval will be granted in March or April.

“Across the harbour, Central Site 3 was a good insight for us. It turns out … a waterfront, high-quality with ease-of-accessibility project is attractive to developers,” said Wendy Gan Kim-see, the authority’s deputy CEO (District Development).

More : Buoyed by US$6.5 billion Central site, M+ owner plots new West Kowloon project


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## hkskyline

2/11


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## hkron

West Kowloon Cultural District 西九文化區 by YY Ma, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

*Opera or xiqu - it's no small talk *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Dec 29, 2021

Things change over time - and it is wise to take the opportunity to review the appeal of West Kowloon Cultural District facilities that are coming onstream.

The Xiqu Centre for Chinese opera, the Freespace for contemporary performance and the M+ museum are already open, with the Hong Kong Palace Museum, Lyric Theater and others expected in the near future.

The concept of the cultural district was brought up in the mid-1990s before it was officially included in the 1998 policy address by then-chief executive Tung Chee-hwa. But it has taken longer than expected to build the 40-hectare project.

More : Opera or xiqu - it's no small talk


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## hkskyline

*M+ Museum*

M+ by YY Ma, on Flickr

Neon Sight by YY Ma, on Flickr


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## hkskyline




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## hkskyline

*West Kowloon Cultural District Authority welcomes 2022-23 Budget *
Press Release _Excerpt_
Feb 23, 2022 

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA or the Authority) welcomes the provision of additional resources to promote arts and cultural development as proposed by the Financial Secretary in the 2022-23 Budget.

Mr Henry Tang Ying-yen, Chairman of the Board of WKCDA, said, ‘I am pleased to note that the HKSAR Government continues to commit additional resources to furthering the development of arts and culture, which in turn is conducive to promoting the development of Hong Kong into an international cultural hub and supporting the fulfilment of Hong Kong’s new positioning as an East‑meets‑West centre for international cultural exchange under the National 14th Five‑Year Plan.’

In particular, the WKCDA welcomes the allocation of $37 million over the next six years to provide professional training for conservators, including those from the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM).

Mr Tang added, ‘As HKPM will present over 900 finest objects from the Palace Museum in its opening exhibitions and gradually establish its permanent collection, it is of utmost importance to preserve and conserve these invaluable artefacts. We warmly welcome the proposed initiative which will help nurture more museum conservators for Hong Kong.’

More : https://www.westkowloon.hk/en/press...al-district-authority-welcomes-2022-23-budget


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## hkskyline

*M+ receives significant donation of works by Chinese-French master Zao Wou-Ki, consisting of prints and paintings spanning the artist’s entire career*
Press Release _Excerpt_
10 Mar 2022

M+, Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District, is pleased to announce a significant donation of works by Chinese-French master Zao Wou-Ki (1920–2013). The works were generously donated by Zao Wou-Ki’s daughter Sin-May Roy Zao, whose mother was Zao’s second wife, Hong Kong actress May Zao (1930–1972). The donation comprises twelve works, including nine prints, two oil paintings, and one watercolour painting ranging in dates from 1945 to 2005, spanning almost his entire professional career. This is M+’s first acquisition of Zao’s work and the biggest donation of his work ever to an Asian museum. M+ now holds one of the largest collections of his work in a public institution outside of Europe.

Among the most important modern masters, Zao was a fixture in the mid- and late twentieth-century international art world. He has been hailed as a lodestar for generations of Chinese artists and a trailblazer who achieved success in Paris by integrating his Chinese aesthetic heritage with European artistic mediums.

More : https://www.westkowloon.hk/en/press...s-chinese-french-master-zao-wou-ki-consisting


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## hkskyline

3/5

China Ferry Terminal Observation Deck by YY Ma, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Palace museum undeterred on July debut date *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Mar 24, 2022

The Hong Kong Palace Museum still has its sights set on a July launch despite various delays due to the pandemic, said Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee, chief executive of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.

Fung said yesterday that the museum's construction has been completed but the fit-out process is still in progress.

The fitting out of several galleries had been slightly delayed, Fung said, as necessary materials did not arrive in the city on time.

More : Palace museum undeterred on July debut date


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## hkskyline

*Bernard Chan named as new M+ Museum chairman*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Mar 28, 2022 

Executive Council convener Bernard Chan has been appointed the new chairman of the board of M+ Museum.

Chan has been appointed for a two-year term from Friday to March 31, 2024, succeeding current chairman Victor Lo Chung-wing, who has had the post for six years.

Former chief executive of Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Anita Fung Yuen-mei, regional chief executive of United Overseas Bank Christine Ip Yeung See-ming, deputy chairman of Ocean Park Paulo Pong Kin-yee and founding and managing partner of Sequoia Capital China Neil Shen Nan-peng were also appointed as members of the M+ board.

More : Bernard Chan named as new M+ Museum chairman


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## hkskyline

*Hong Kong Palace Museum to open to the public by mid-year*
The Standard _Excerpt_
May 10, 2022

Construction of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, a future cultural landmark of the city, is mostly completed and is expected to be opened for public viewing by mid-year, according to Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee, CEO of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. 

The museum is expected to exhibit more than 900 pieces from the Beijing Palace Museum’s national treasures — 166 of which are first-class cultural relics of China. 

Fung said the museum will be charging visitors an admission fee, with details to be announced at a later date.

More : Hong Kong Palace Museum to open to the public by mid-year


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## hkskyline

5/10

視察西九文化區 Visit to West Kowloon Cultural District (10.5.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

5/11

View from the ground by Keith Mulcahy, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* Emperor experience showcased at Palace Museum - but it's not for free *
The Standard _Excerpt_
May 11, 2022

Hong Kong Palace Museum visitors can get a glimpse of the life of an emperor by checking out the museum's nine galleries, featuring clothes and utensils used by rulers, as well as paintings and poems written by Qianlong, the Qing dynasty's sixth emperor.

But visitors to the seven-story museum at West Kowloon Cultural District - expected to open in July - will have to pay for tickets due to the high operational and management cost of the historic exhibits.

Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee, chief executive officer of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, said the admission fee will be announced by the end of the month at the earliest.

More : Emperor experience showcased at Palace Museum - but it's not for free


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## hkskyline

* Hong Kong Palace Museum’s deputy director on its mission – education – and what led to a job that’s beyond her wildest dreams *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Apr 29, 2022

No amount of urging will get Daisy Wang Yiyou, deputy director of the new Hong Kong Palace Museum, to reveal anything about the 900 artworks and antiques coming from the Palace Museum, in Beijing’s Forbidden City.

Wang is one of only a few who know what the exhibits are going to be, when they will arrive, where they are now and how the museum in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District can install everything in time for its planned July opening.

We have been told that next month, when the press are taken around the finished building with Rocco Yim Sen-kee, they will only see empty display cases. Yim is the architect behind the building beside Victoria Harbour, whose design is said to invoke the architectural and cultural essence of its Beijing namesake.

More : Hong Kong Palace Museum’s No 2 gives nothing away about its opening show


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* Hong Kong Palace Museum to open for 25th anniversary of city’s return to Chinese rule*
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
June 2, 2022

The Hong Kong Palace Museum, modelled after its famous counterpart in Beijing, will open on an “important day” as part of celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the handover, the city’s leader has revealed.

But Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor did not say if Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is expected to visit Hong Kong to oversee the inauguration of the city’s next administration on July 1, will also officiate the opening of the museum.

Attending an event at the Hong Kong Palace Museum on Thursday, Lam recalled the venue was gifted by Beijing five years ago to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule.

More : Hong Kong Palace Museum to open for 25th anniversary of city’s handover


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* HK Palace Museum welcomes 914 priceless treasures on loan from China*
The Standard _Excerpt_
June 5, 2022

The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) announce that the central government has approved 914 priceless treasures from the Palace Museum to be lent to HKPM. These loans will be presented at the opening exhibitions of HKPM in July.

The 914 loans are thoughtfully selected from over 1.86 million works in the Palace Museum’s collection. Amongst them, 166 works are grade-one objects which are classified as “national treasures”. Most of the objects on loan are exhibited in Hong Kong for the first time.

The treasures on loan to HKPM are rich and diverse, covering all major categories in the Palace Museum collection ranging from painting and calligraphy to bronze, ceramics, jade, metalwork, enamelware, lacquer, seal, costume and textile, jewelry, rare book, and architecture. These splendid works span nearly 5,000 years.

More : HK Palace Museum welcomes 914 priceless treasures on loan from China


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## hkskyline

* Hong Kong Palace Museum to open on July 2 *
RTHK _Excerpt_
June 7, 2022

The Hong Kong Palace Museum is set to open its doors to the public from July 2, with regular tickets to cost HK$50, officials announced on Tuesday.

The opening is part of celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the city’s return to the motherland.

The chairman of the museum's board, Bernard Chan, said the new venue, along with the M+ Museum, put Hong Kong on a par with other major cities such as London and New York.

More : Hong Kong Palace Museum to open on July 2 - RTHK


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## hkskyline

*Palace Museum*


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## hkskyline

* Will Hong Kong Palace Museum be the summer special? *
Hong Kong Economic Journal _Excerpt_
June 8, 2022

Who doesn’t look forward to the Hong Kong Palace Museum?

The new baby that marks the 25th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to China stands to become another star of the West Kowloon Cultural district that saw the opening of the contemporary museum of M+ last November.

Although the pandemic did not dent popularity of M+, it’s Palace Museum that steal the show. Already I gather corporate sponsors are rushing to get their names in the galleries of national treasuries gifted by Beijing.

Yesterday the Hong Kong Palace Museum announced the ticket price of HK$120 when it opens on July 2, although admission will be free on Wednesdays in the first year.

This does not look too far off from a cinema ticket, although one may wonder if that would provide much more excitement than the latest hit “Top Gun: Maverick”.

Tickets of the local chapter of Palace Museum will be less expensive than those of Louvre Museum (15 Euro, HK$125) in Paris and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (US$25, HK$196) , still, it is the most expensive Palace Museum in the world.

Palace Museum in Beijing charges about 60 yuan (HK$70) while the National Palace Museum, which traces its root back to Kuomintang taking these treasuries to Taiwan in 1948, charges citizens 150 Taiwan dollars (HK$40).

More : Will Hong Kong Palace Museum be the summer special? EJINSIGHT - ejinsight.com


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*Palace Museum offers naming rights to help revenue shortfall * 
The Standard _Excerpt_
June 13, 2022 

Naming rights for certain exhibitions at the Hong Kong Palace Museum may be sold to generate extra income for the costly museum, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority chairman Bernard Charnwut Chan has said.

The museum is set to open on July 2 with a top draw of 914 antiques from Beijing Palace Museum.

Chan acknowledged the museum is facing financial pressure in the short term but said it would explore ways to diversify sources of income, including selling naming rights.

More : Palace Museum offers naming rights to help revenue shortfall


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* Please wait in line: tickets to HK Palace Museum open for sale * 
The Standard _Excerpt_
June 14, 2022 

Citizens waited for over an hour online to purchase admission tickets to the Hong Kong Palace Museum on Tuesday morning ahead of the museum's opening on July 2. 

The sales of about 140,000 tickets in the first four weeks opened to the public at 10am Tuesday. Visitors must purchase their tickets in advance through the museum's website or West Kowloon Cultural District's website or app. 

After logging into the museum's website at about 9.30am, the landing page said the waiting time remained about 10 minutes, and there were about 400 users ahead. 

More : Please wait in line: tickets to HK Palace Museum open for sale


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*Higher prices just the ticket in museum race * 
The Standard _Excerpt_
June 15, 2022 

Pricier HK$120 tickets that promise full access to the Hong Kong Palace Museum proved more popular among weekend visitors than the HK$50 general-admission offer during the first day of online bookings yesterday.

The museum, located in the West Kowloon Cultural District, offers tickets priced between HK$25 and HK$120. Set to open to the public on July 2, the museum will only accept online bookings for the first three months.

The general-admission tickets on offer will allow visitors' access to seven galleries. However, those who wish to visit the two galleries where "national treasures" are displayed will need to cough up HK$120.

More : Higher prices just the ticket in museum race


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## hkskyline

A bus ad for the new *Palace Museum* opening in a few days!

vm9311_296D by Bus Photo, on Flickr


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* Enhanced security for 'national treasures' as stage set for Palace Museum's big day *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Jun 29, 2022

The police will be notified if anyone endangers the safety of other visitors or the exhibits, Hong Kong Palace Museum director Louis Ng Chi-wa said in response to a hypothetical question about visitors donning political slogans.

Ng did not specify whether clothes featuring political slogans are prohibited but added that he hopes people can respect the museum and other visitors.

"There are laws in Hong Kong that regulate clothing," he said. "We will contact the police if the safety of visitors or exhibits are compromised."

More : Enhanced security for 'national treasures' as stage set for Palace Museum's big day


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*Hong Kong Palace Museum ‘ready to be fully opened’ on July 2, with security checks in place *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Jun 28, 2022 

The Hong Kong Palace Museum is set to open its doors on Saturday, having sold more than 70 per cent of tickets for next month and received a final shipment of national treasures loaned by its counterpart in Beijing.

Unlike M+, the other flagship museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District, visitors to the Hong Kong Palace Museum will have to undergo security checks at the entrance on the ground floor, passing through metal detectors upon entry while backpacks and other belongings will be screened by an X-ray detection machine.

“We have been working overnight to place the artefacts in our exhibition halls, everything will be placed in display cabinets tonight and our exhibitions will be ready. We are confident that the Palace Museum is ready to be fully opened on July 2,” museum director Dr Louis Ng Chi-wa said.

More : Hong Kong Palace Museum to open on July 2, with security checks in place


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*New Palace Museum head as doors set to open*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Jun 30, 2022 

Former Bar Association head Winnie Tam Wan-chi will be at the helm of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which opens on Saturday.

Tam will be the board chairwoman for a two-year term from September 1 to August 2024, replacing Bernard Charnwut Chan, who took office as M+ Museum board chairman in April. Chan is also the outgoing Executive Council convener.

Tam, 60, has served on the board of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority since 2016 and has been chairwoman of the Performing Arts Committee since 2020.

More : New Palace Museum head as doors set to open


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* Palace Museum misses opening as No.8 Storm Signal remains *
The Standard _Excerpt_
July 2, 2022

Hong Kong Palace Museum missed its opening scheduled at 10am on Saturday as Hong Kong is still being hit by Typhoon Chaba. 

Yet, visitors who booked their tickets already need not to worry as they will see the tickets automatically extended for 180 days starting from the day on which the No.8 Storm Signal or the Black Rainstorm is issued. 

They can then visit the Palace Museum in the reserved timeslot of their original tickets within the extended six-month period. 

More : Palace Museum misses opening as No.8 Storm Signal remains


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## hkskyline

* Palace Museum starts welcoming citizens on Sun *
The Standard _Excerpt_
July 3, 2022

Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) opened its door to the public at 9am on Sunday, as it missed the original opening on Saturday due to No.8 Storm Signal.

At 8am before the door opened, some 20 citizens had already arrived to queue up for entry, while the first in line said he arrived at about 6am. Mr. Tsai, who was the first in line, was most interested in the ceramics and paintings exhibits.

The museum board chairman Bernard Charnwut Chan, the Secretary for culture, sports and tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, and museum director Louis Ng Chi-wa welcomed visitors at the entrance.

A citizen holding a HK$120 ticket for full admission said he would go directly to Hall 8, "The Making of Masterpieces: Chinese Painting and Calligraphy from the Palace Museum" to appreciate national Treasure paintings and calligraphy. 

The gallery collected 30 thirty early treasures of Chinese painting and calligraphy from the Palace Museum collection, which will be exhibited in three rotations, with 10 pieces on display each time for about one month.

More : Palace Museum starts welcoming citizens on Sun


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## hkskyline

7/1

Hong Kong Shipyard 40m Regional Training Launch by Samson Ng . [email protected], on Flickr


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* How the Hong Kong Palace Museum Is Forging Its Own Identity *
Smithsonian Magazine _Excerpt_
July 8, 2022

After overcoming a rocky start and, more recently, a delay caused by a typhoon, the new Hong Kong Palace Museum—a branch of Beijing’s Palace Museum—is now open in the semi-autonomous city’s West Kowloon Cultural District.

Visitors to the $450 million facility, which opened on July 3, can now peruse 914 artifacts from the roughly 1.86 million works in the Palace Museum’s collection, many of which are being shown publicly for the first time.

The Hong Kong display, which includes ceramics, jade, bronze, costumes, jewelry, paintings, calligraphy and other national treasures, is the largest loan made by the Beijing institution since it became a museum in 1925, reports Artnet’s Vivienne Chow.

The new seven-story Hong Kong outpost features 84,000 square feet of exhibition space spanning nine galleries, each with its own theme, such as life, architecture, design and art in the Forbidden City, where the Beijing museum is based.

Though the two institutions are linked, the Hong Kong museum is establishing its own identity by incorporating multimedia works from six local, contemporary artists in its opening show. The museum also wants to attract young people and build a global connection with Chinese culture, as Chow reported for the Art Newspaper in 2021.

More : How the Hong Kong Palace Museum Is Forging Its Own Identity


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* The 15 under-the-radar Palace Museum treasures from Hong Kong, Beijing and Taipei *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
July 9, 2022

The Palace Museums in Hong Kong, Beijing and Taipei showcase some of the most important relics from Chinese civilisation. And like any museum, they also feature interesting artefacts that get overshadowed by their more famous neighbours on display.

We showcase five under-the-radar artefacts from each museum below. 

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/people-cu...palace-museum-treasures-hong-kong-beijing-and


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* Reselling tickets to Hong Kong’s Palace Museum an offence, warns cultural hub district CEO, after asking third-party websites to take down listings *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
July 15, 2022

The head of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority has warned reselling tickets to the new Hong Kong Palace Museum is illegal and has made at least one website take down posts involving such touting.

Tickets to the newly opened and popular museum have reportedly been listed for sale at higher than face value on third-party websites. Residents complained about being asked to fork out between HK$150 to HK$200 (US$19 to US$25) for special exhibition tickets, which originally cost HK$120 each. Tickets for regular admission on Wednesday, which can be booked for free, were going for HK$75 each.

On Friday, district authority chief executive Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee said that the issue had been handled.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...ickets-hong-kongs-palace-museum-offence-warns


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7/25


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視察香港故宮文化博物館開幕後情況 Visit to Hong Kong Palace Museum after its opening (2.8.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察香港故宮文化博物館開幕後情況 Visit to Hong Kong Palace Museum after its opening (2.8.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察香港故宮文化博物館開幕後情況 Visit to Hong Kong Palace Museum after its opening (2.8.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察香港故宮文化博物館開幕後情況 Visit to Hong Kong Palace Museum after its opening (2.8.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察香港故宮文化博物館開幕後情況 Visit to Hong Kong Palace Museum after its opening (2.8.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察香港故宮文化博物館開幕後情況 Visit to Hong Kong Palace Museum after its opening (2.8.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察香港故宮文化博物館開幕後情況 Visit to Hong Kong Palace Museum after its opening (2.8.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr

視察香港故宮文化博物館開幕後情況 Visit to Hong Kong Palace Museum after its opening (2.8.2022) by 立法會 Legislative Council, on Flickr


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* 15 National Treasures on display at Palace Museum for a limited time *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Aug 4, 2022

The month-old Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) has rotated 15 grade-one cultural relics that are dubbed “national treasures” for the exhibition titled “The making of masterpieces: Chinese painting and calligraphy from the Palace Museum”.

Beginning on August 3, the second stage of this exhibit will feature 15 national treasures for a month before the artworks are transported back to the Palace Museum in Beijing.

Among these 15 art pieces are the “Nymph of the Luo River (Northern Song copy)” by Gu Kaizhi (346-407), and the “Copy of the Orchid Pavilion Preface in Running Script” attributed to Yu Shinan (558-638).

More : 15 National Treasures on display at Palace Museum for a limited time


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## hkskyline

8/29

gfx 50r contax 135 2 mmg_DSCF2866 by 19821018, on Flickr


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*Palace Museum*

DSC01996 by Yoshi & Toro 爸爸, on Flickr

DSC02299 by Yoshi & Toro 爸爸, on Flickr

DSC02296 by Yoshi & Toro 爸爸, on Flickr

DSC02294 by Yoshi & Toro 爸爸, on Flickr

DSC02293 by Yoshi & Toro 爸爸, on Flickr

DSC02289 by Yoshi & Toro 爸爸, on Flickr

DSC02288 by Yoshi & Toro 爸爸, on Flickr

DSC02286 by Yoshi & Toro 爸爸, on Flickr

DSC02284 by Yoshi & Toro 爸爸, on Flickr

DSC02283 by Yoshi & Toro 爸爸, on Flickr

DSC02266 by Yoshi & Toro 爸爸, on Flickr

DSC02269 by Yoshi & Toro 爸爸, on Flickr


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## hkskyline

* M+ to charge visitors from November 12 *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Sept 15, 2022

The M+ Museum will start charging visitors from November 12, ending a one-year waiver for admission fees.

In a statement on Thursday, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority said a general admission ticket for adults will cost $120, with concessionary tickets priced at $60 each.

But one of the museum's opening exhibitions presented in the main hall gallery on the ground floor will remain free until June 2023.

More : M+ to charge visitors from November 12 - RTHK


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9/21


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* Special exhibitions on West Kowloon bill *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Oct 6, 2022

More than 200 works by Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama will go into the M+ museum's first special exhibition.

Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now runs from November 12 to May 14 with the aim of promoting contemporary Asian visual culture.

This comes with HSBC becoming the first lead partner of M+ and providing free guided visits for social service organizations, special schools and charities related to rehabilitation services and the disabled.

More : Special exhibitions on West Kowloon bill


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## hkskyline

*Palace Museum* - Gallery 2


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## jchk

Lyric theatre construction update:


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