獻辭
Congratulatory Message
The Hong Kong Jockey Club is honoured to support the first-ever Greater Bay Area Built Heritage Summit organised by the Commissioner for Heritage’s Office and the Antiquities and Monuments Office.
The Greater Bay Area has a rich history and culture and this first summit highlights the vital need to protect its built heritage. It is also the perfect opportunity to learn from the conservation projects already implemented as well as to promote cultural tourism across the Greater Bay Area.
Policymakers and industry experts will explore new strategies for heritage protection. Just as importantly the summit will engage the community, aiming to build awareness and support for conservation. An exhibition will showcase the Hong Kong’s heritage while there will also be interactive sessions for students.
Committed to building a culturally vibrant city, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has long worked to preserve Hong Kong’s built heritage and traditional culture.
In partnership with the HKSAR Government, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has conserved and revitalised the Central Police Station Compound as Tai Kwun – Centre for Heritage and Arts. To date Tai Kwun has received more than ten million visitors. It was also the recipient of an Award of Excellence in the 2019 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
More recently, The Hong Kong Jockey Club funded the renovation of the “Heritage of Mei Ho House”, which showcases the history of the first public housing estate in Hong Kong. And for many years the Club has supported the Tai O dragon boat water parade, the Tai Hang fire dragon dance and the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival, all of which have been inscribed onto the national list of intangible cultural heritage.
This is in addition to The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s many other initiatives to support arts, culture and heritage. These include its HK$3.5 billion Charities Trust donation to construct the Hong Kong Palace Museum, and its support for a series of exhibitions and cultural events organised by the HKSAR Government to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
All of this is made possible by The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s unique integrated business model, through which racing and wagering generate tax and charity support for the community.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the HKSAR Government for initiating this summit. My thanks also to all our speakers for sharing their insights. And my best wishes to everyone for a most successful summit.
Michael TH LEE, JP
Chairman of The Hong Kong Jockey Club