Arts & Culture

Hong Kong is the cultural hub of Asia, with artists and cultural organisations from all around the world gathering here, to showcase creativity and vibrancy in this Asia's world city.

• Ranging from traditional Chinese dance and classical ballet to contemporary dance and experimental theatre, from exhibitions of cultural heritage to contemporary arts, Hong Kong has an endless array of arts and cultural activities, providing varieties to different audiences. Every year there are thousands of performances and arts exhibitions, revealing the creativity and vitality of local and visiting arts groups.
• From 2018-19 onwards, the Government has set aside additional resources to support performances or other suitable cultural exchange activities by artists and arts groups from Hong Kong with a view to showcasing Hong Kong's arts and culture, while providing new opportunities to Hong Kong artists and arts groups, as well as nurturing future administrative staff and impresarios.

Xiqu Centre

• The West Kowloon Cultural District occupies a prime 40-hectare site against the beautiful backdrop of Victoria Harbour. It is being developed into a world-class integrated arts and cultural district comprising local, traditional as well as international and modern elements. It is one of the largest cultural projects in the world and a major commitment by the Government to support the long-term development of arts and culture in Hong Kong.
• The West Kowloon Cultural District provides various major arts and cultural facilities – Xiqu Centre, M+ Museum of visual culture, Hong Kong Palace Museum and Freespace are now open while the Lyric Theatre Complex will come on stream in due course.
• The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority organises performances, exhibitions and other activities regularly to enhance audience building, encourage community participation, nurture local talents and promote professional development.

Creative industries

The eight creative industries (advertising, architecture, design, digital entertainment, film, music, publishing and printing, television) are important drivers for Hong Kong to become a high value-added and diversified economy. With the strengths of a well mix of Chinese and Western cultures, lively and open creative atmosphere, diversified pool of talent, common law system widely used internationally and being an international aviation hub and a free economy, Hong Kong can play the role of "attracting foreign investment" and "going global" for the Mainland.

• The Agreement on Promoting Cooperation in Creative Industries signed by the Hong Kong SAR Government and the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government in 2016 has deepened exchanges and collaborations between the two places in creative industries, with a view to developing Hong Kong and Shenzhen into Asia's first-class twin cities in design.
• The Government plans to support the industries to organise more exchanges like the HK-SZ Design Twin Cities Exhibition, and encourages the industries to actively participate in the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture organised in Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
• Zetta Bridge Qianhai Hong Kong-Shenzhen Design Innovation Hub, actively initiated by the Hong Kong Federation of Design Associations, came into operation in November 2019. The Government will continue to sponsor suitable projects through CreateSmart Initiative to leverage this new platform to foster talent exchange, business matching and trade collaborations, as well as support Hong Kong's young talent and start-ups to develop their career/business in the Greater Bay Area.
• The Business of Design Week is a signature annual event sponsored by the Government and organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre. It encompasses a series of activities such as forums, talks and exhibitions, which gather talent in the international design industries for exchanges and business-matching. The Greater Bay Area cities will continue to be invited for participation.
• Through the Film Development Fund (FDF), the Government supports production of local Cantonese films, subsidises distribution and promotion of Cantonese films in the Mainland and supports training programmes for talent in the film industry. From July 2007 to December 2018, the Government funded 46 films through FDF. These films won more than 100 awards in different film festivals all over the world.
• In April 2019, relevant Central authorities agreed to the introduction of the five relaxation measures below to further facilitate entry of Hong Kong films and film practitioners into the Mainland market:
  1. To remove the restriction on the number of Hong Kong people participating in Mainland film productions;
  2. To remove the restriction on percentage of artistes and requirement of Mainland-related plots in motion pictures jointly produced by the Mainland and Hong Kong (Mainland-Hong Kong co-productions);
  3. To waive the fees for establishing Mainland-Hong Kong co-production projects;
  4. To allow Hong Kong films and film practitioners to apply for nomination for awards in Mainland film festivals; and
  5. To allow Hong Kong film companies to apply for incentives for distributing and promoting outstanding Mainland motion pictures and Mainland-Hong Kong co-productions in Hong Kong, Macao and overseas.
• Benefitting from the implementation of The Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), the number of Hong Kong-Mainland coproduced films rose from ten each year before 2004 when CEPA started to be in implementation to around 30 in recent years.
• The Agreement Concerning Amendment to the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) Agreement on Trade in Services was signed on 21 November 2019. There will be no restriction on the quantity of Hong Kong-produced television dramas and animation television programmes imported by television stations, audiovisual websites and cable television networks in the Mainland. The measure will facilitate the entry of Hong Kong-produced television dramas and animation television programmes into the Mainland market.
• The Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, funded by the Government, is a major regional event of the film, television and entertainment industries every year. The Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum thereunder is a platform for global film practitioners such as film buyers, distributors and producers to connect and negotiate deals. The Bay Area cities will continue to be invited for participation.

Tai Kwun

• The Government continues to support the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Film Production Investment and Trade Fair organised by the Hong Kong Film Development Council under the Framework Agreement on Hong Kong/Guangdong Cooperation, with a view to enhancing the co-operation amongst Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao on films through activities such as investment conferences and symposiums.
• Creative landmarks in Hong Kong include PMQ, Tai Kwun, Hong Kong Avenue of Comic Stars and Ani-Com Park@Harbour"FUN".

Intellectual property

With sound legal framework, stringent enforcement actions and on-going public education, Hong Kong provides effective protection of intellectual property rights.

• Hong Kong is committed to enhancing its position as an intellectual property (IP) trading centre in the region including strengthening the protection of IP rights with a view to keeping our IP regime abreast with the times and align with Hong Kong's social and economic needs, and providing a wide range of intermediary services covering areas such as IP agencies, IP management and consulting, legal services, dispute resolution (including arbitration and mediation) and due diligence.
• The original grant patent (OGP) system, was launched in December 2019 to allow applicants to directly apply for standard patent protection in Hong Kong.
• The Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance 2022 came into operation in May 2023 to strengthen copyright protection in the digital environment.
• The Government will introduce a “patent box” tax incentive to provide tax concessions for profits sourced in Hong Kong from qualifying patents generated through research and development activities.
• The Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation (Guangdong Intellectual Property Administration) has set up the “Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Intellectual Property Enquiry Points” in 13 cities in the Guangdong Province to facilitate Mainland residents and enterprises to enquire about matters relating to applications for IP registration in Hong Kong. The Intellectual Property Department has also launched a reciprocal enquiry service through which Hong Kong residents and enterprises can enquire about matters relating to applications for trade mark registration on the Mainland via email.
• The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and the Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone of Shenzhen Municipality jointly promulgated the “16 Co-operation Measures for the Development of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Intellectual Property and Innovation Hub” in February 2023 to advance exchanges and co-operation in a wide range of IP areas between the two places.