The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) is supporting the eighth edition of the “Legends of Lion Dance” held in Antwerp, the port city of Belgium, from February 8 to 11 (Antwerp time). It offers Belgian and Chinese in Antwerp a Hong Kong film night, an exhibition showcasing Hong Kong arts and culture; and a carnival with a Hong Kong booth, food market and Chinese cultural shows, among other cultural talks and workshops during the period.

     Highlight of this 4-day event is a lively lion dance parade which delighted hundreds of local spectators as it made its way to Antwerp’s China Town to celebrate the start of the Chinese New Year today (February 10, Antwerp time), also the very first day of the Year of the Dragon. 

     The Special Representative for Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs to the European Union, Ms Shirley Yung, spoke to the crowds and wished all the guests have the energy and prosperity like a dragon in the year ahead. She said that Hong Kong is full of opportunities which makes the city a prime destination for businesses and talents. “We have rolled out talent attraction schemes to facilitate global talents to settle in, live, work and start up in Hong Kong. A dedicated office has also been set up to attract strategic enterprises by offering special facilitation measures such as land grant, financing and tax concessions”, she added as she encouraged the visitors to come to Hong Kong.

     After the speech, Ms Yung officiated at the lion eye-dotting ceremony and visited the exhibition displaying lion heads handcrafted in Hong Kong. The exhibition also features drawings by a Hong Kong comics artist, Pen So, curated by the Hong Kong Arts Centre (Comix Home Base) (www.hkac.org.hk) in the theme Wanderers’ Land – Cityscapes in Hong Kong.

     “Legends of Lion Dance” is organised by Asian Events, a non-profit-making organisation established by Hong Kong second-generation community members in Antwerp, with the support of the HKETO, Brussels and the Belgium-Hong Kong Society. The event has become a firmly-established event on Antwerp’s annual cultural calendar, which help promote the uniqueness of Hong Kong as an international arts and cultural centre.

     The HKETO, Brussels also organised two Chinese New Year receptions earlier this week, respectively in Milan, Italy (February 6) jointly with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, and in Luxembourg (February 8) with the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce and the China-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, to celebrate the coming of the Year of the Dragon.

     In Milan, the HKETO, Brussels took the opportunity to showcase Hong Kong’s East-meet-West culture and promote music talent by inviting a Hong Kong born Jazz vocalist and composer, Heidi Li to stage a performance in a quartet with Italian musicians, indulging the guests with Chinese-Italian fusion songs.

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) hosted a Chinese New Year reception in Paris, France, on January 30 to celebrate the start of the Year of the Dragon. 

     In her welcoming remarks, the Special Representative for Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs to the European Union, Ms Shirley Yung, emphasised Hong Kong’s role as the prime gateway to China, and its distinct advantages under the “one country, two systems” principle. Ms Yung added that Hong Kong was “uniquely positioned with the necessary network and resources to help European businesses gain easier access to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area”. Highlighting Hong Kong as a city full of exciting events and festivals, Ms Yung encouraged the guests to visit Hong Kong and experience the vibrancy of the city.

     The HKETO, Brussels took the opportunity to showcase Hong Kong’s East-meet-West culture through a creative and unique performance, amalgamating ballet dance and Chinese calligraphy. Performers were artists born in Hong Kong, including Lam Chun-wing, who was the first Chinese person to join the Paris Opera Ballet, and Nancy Kan, an esteemed actress and radio host in Hong Kong whose passion and talent in Chinese calligraphy and painting have earned her a reputation beyond the screen.

     The reception was hosted in co-operation with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the France Hong Kong Business Association. More than 300 guests joined the reception, including officials from national governments, consulates and embassies, financial and business sectors, academia, cultural and creative sectors, media and the Chinese community.

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) promoted Hong Kong as a green, dynamic and healthy international city at the 2024 Run & Bike event in Vilvoorde, Belgium on January 6 (Brussels time).
 
     In her address, the Assistant Representative of the HKETO, Brussels, Miss Annie Loong, said Hong Kong shared the same vision as Run & Bike on encouraging sports activities in the community and promoting healthy lifestyles.  Hong Kong is also developing the city into a centre for major international sports events.  It has had Hong Kong Cyclothon held in late October 2023 and is now expecting the highly popular Hong Kong Marathon to take place in late January 2024.
 
     Miss Loong welcomed participants to visit Hong Kong not just for its prosperous business opportunities and vibrant culture, but also for its sports-friendly landscape possessing scenic waterfront promenades, spectacular hiking and mountain bike trails, and beautiful countryside, islands and beaches.
 
     Run & Bike is an annual, cosmopolitan sports event, comprising 8-kilometre and 16-kilometre races, as well as family and children’s race.  The event this year saw the participation of 125 teams, each of which was composed of one runner and one mountain biker.  The participants come mainly from the diplomatic community, the business sector, European and international institutions and their families.  HKETO, Brussels was one of the main sponsors.

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) presented a Special Hong Kong Award to an Italian company at the 18th China Awards in Milan, Italy on December 13 (Milan time).
 
     The China Awards, organised by the Italy China Council Foundation (ICCF) annually, is one of the most influential business events in Italy with significant media coverage. It recognises Italian companies that have grasped the opportunities in the Chinese market and vice versa, Chinese companies that have invested in Italy and engaged in strategic and innovative collaborations with Italian counterparts. This was the second time that the HKETO, Brussels supported the event and presented a Special Hong Kong Award. 
 
     The Special Representative for Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs to the European Union, Ms Shirley Yung, commended the recipient of the Special Hong Kong Award, Tuvia Italia (a member of Kerry Logistics). The company successfully assists Italian companies with bespoke logistics, freight and support services to do businesses with China and wider Asia, riding on its network in Hong Kong. It is also a vivid example of Hong Kong companies collaborating with their Italian counterparts to explore the European and international markets hand-in-hand.
 
     The event comprising of an awards ceremony and a gala dinner offered an opportunity to put Hong Kong’s musical talents in the spotlight before 300 executives and senior representatives of top Italian and Chinese companies. Guests were enchanted by a performance of classical and modern songs by award-winning soprano Alison Lau from Hong Kong, who is now based in Europe. A Hong Kong promotional video was also screened at the event.
 
     Ms Yung said that the event is a quality occasion to highlight the unique status of Hong Kong as a gateway between China and the rest of the world, whether for businesses or arts and culture. She told guests that the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region endeavours to attract strategic enterprises and high-calibre talent from all over the world, offering them facilitation and customised support measures to meet their specific needs.
 
     She invited Italian companies to work with Hong Kong to seize the exciting opportunities it can bring to help them develop their business in Asia and in the Greater Bay Area, as the awarded companies had successfully done.

     The ICCF is the largest Italy-China business association in Italy that facilitates collaboration between Italian and Chinese companies. The ICCF organises the annual China Awards in partnership with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China and with the support of the China Chamber of Commerce in Italy.

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) is supporting the participation of Hong Kong films in the 45th Festival des 3 Continents being held in Nantes, France, from November 24 to December 3.

     With funding support from Create Hong Kong and HKETO, Brussels, the Festival is paying tribute to director Ann Hui with a retrospective of her productions from 1981 to 2020. In addition, the programme of the Festival also includes the French premiere of a 4K-restored version of the 1995 film “Bugis Street” by director Yonfan, as well as a screening of the 2009 film “Vengeance” by director Johnnie To.

     HKETO, Brussels hosted a reception at the Festival on November 30 (Nantes time). Speaking at the reception, Deputy Representative of HKETO, Brussels Miss Grace Li praised Hui for her achievements in the film industry which won international acclaim and touched the hearts of audiences around the world for the past four decades. She remarked that the East-meets-West culture of Hong Kong, as well as the unique blend of contemporary and cosmopolitan lifestyles with Chinese heritage and tradition, shined through the films of Hui. Miss Li also highlighted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government was keen to support the development of Hong Kong into an important centre for international creative exchanges, a role enshrined in the National 14th Five-Year Plan.

     The Festival des 3 Continents screens feature films from Asia, Africa and Latin America and presents film directors to the French public. This year, the Festival is bringing to the audiences 90 films with 240 screenings organised in 13 cities in the Loire-Atlantique region of France.