Policy on culture and the arts (Hong Kong)

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (The Government)'s policy on culture and the arts comprises the following major elements:

1. to respect freedom of creation and expression;
2. to provide opportunities for wider participation and engage the community;
3. to encourage artistic excellence as well as diversified and balanced development; and
4. to provide a supportive ecology (venues, funding, education and administration).

This policy is in line with the core values of Hong Kong as a free, diversified and open society. As a facilitator, the Government is committed to upholding the freedom of cultural and artistic creation and expression, as well as providing an environment that supports the development of culture and the arts, both contemporary and traditional.

The Government, together with its partners, has been enhancing Hong Kong’s cultural software through a multi-pronged approach, i.e. developing cultural programmes, nurturing manpower, promoting arts education and audience building as well as facilitating cultural exchange. On top of capital works expenditure, the Government spends over HK$2.8 billion in the arts and culture every year. It has earmarked an additional HK$486 million for the five financial years starting from 2010/11 to enhance support for local arts groups, train arts administrators, encourage students’ participation in cultural programmes, promote public art, facilitate the development and the preservation of Cantonese opera, and enrich the content of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, etc.

In the process of formulating the arts and cultural policy, the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) coordinates the work among relevant bureaux and departments, maintains close contact with arts groups, and listens to the opinions of various sectors. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) under HAB is the implementing agency for promoting arts and culture in Hong Kong.