Insightful panel discussions at the Hong Kong Palace Museum bring Hong Kong International Cultural Summit 2024 to a successful close

The Hong Kong International Cultural Summit 2024 (the Summit), hosted by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA or the Authority), came to a successful conclusion today at the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM). The three-day event brought together more than 2,000 delegates from around the world to the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD), including nearly 40 eminent speakers and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing partners from the world’s top museums and arts and cultural institutions. Together with the related activities staged as part of the Summit, a total of over 6,000 people have participated. The Summit also attracted over 420,000 views via various livestreaming platforms globally.

Panel Discussion (III): Rethinking Museum Interpretation in a Global Context

The third day of the Summit kicked off at HKPM this morning with a panel discussion on the subject Rethinking Museum Interpretation in a Global Context, moderated by Dr Louis Ng, Museum Director, HKPM, with a panel featuring Dr Wang Chunfa, Director, National Museum of China; Dr Miguel Falomir, Director, Museo Nacional Del Prado, Spain; and Dr Yannick Lintz, President, Guimet-National Museum of Asian Arts, France. The experts shared insights on how museums worldwide are adapting an evolving landscape and examined the differences between the Eastern and Western models of museum operations, focusing on topics such as audience and community engagement, innovative display strategies, inter-cultural exhibitions, and the intersections of art, science and technology.

Panel Discussion (IV): New Ways of Collaborating and Sharing in the Post-Pandemic Era: International Perspectives

Dr Maria Mok, Museum Director, Hong Kong Museum of Art, moderated the last panel discussion of the Summit, titled New Ways of Collaborating and Sharing in the Post-Pandemic Era: International Perspectives. It featured insightful sharing from a panel made up of Dr Wang Xudong, Director, The Palace Museum; Laurent Salomé, Director, National Museum of the Palaces of Versailles and Trianon, France; Makoto Fujiwara, Executive Director, Tokyo National Museum, Japan; and Dr Chase F. Robinson, Director, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, United States. The panellists shared their expertise and collectively envisioned innovative models of collaboration and resource sharing in the post-pandemic era, closing the Summit on a high note with invaluable insights that highlighted the essential role of synergies and partnerships in driving change in the global museum sector.

Henry Tang Ying-yen, Chairman of the Board of the WKCDA, expressed his gratitude to all Summit speakers and participants, highlighting the Authority’s commitment to promoting dialogue and building partnerships across countries and regions through arts and culture. “The active participation of delegates from around the world reflects a shared vision for arts and culture as a driving force for future development in an increasingly interconnected world. Hong Kong is not only a global city, but also a place where a rich and diverse cultural tapestry intertwines with world-class creative talents and cultural infrastructures. The Summit proudly showcases Hong Kong’s ability to act as a bridge between East and West as a global arts and cultural hub, and underscores the WKCD’s growing influence in the global cultural landscape.”

The MOUs signed with leading arts and cultural institutions across the globe will see exciting projects across the District in the years to come. The first batch of deliverables include the special exhibition co-organised by HKPM and the National Museum of the Palaces of Versailles and Trianon, to be opened in December 2024, to examine the splendid cultural and artistic exchanges between China and France mainly in the 18th century; and another special exhibition, jointly organised by HKPM and the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar, in 2025. M+ will present Special Exhibition Picasso for Asia: A Conversation in March 2025, marking the first time a museum collection from Asia is in dialogue with masterpieces from Musée national Picasso-Paris.

As a highlight event of Hong Kong Art Week 2024, the Summit, themed “Connecting Cultures, Bridging Times,” was the largest international cultural conference ever staged in Hong Kong. In the Plenary Session moderated by Betty Fung, CEO of the WKCDA, on 25 March morning, four heads of major cultural districts/precincts delved into the contributions of cultural districts to driving cities’ social and economic transformation, drawing on examples and insights from their own projects. Four panel discussions gathered 19 esteemed speakers from around the world, who exchanged views on a range of issues pertinent to the future development of arts and cultural institutions in an increasingly interconnected world. The sharing by renowned international experts gave participants valuable insights into the global arts and cultural landscape and the challenges and opportunities the sector faces, helping to foster cultural exchange and propelling Hong Kong's own cultural development forward.

The Authority extends its heartfelt gratitude to the sponsors whose generous support made the Summit possible. They include the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the HKSAR Government, Major Sponsor of the Summit; Cathay, WKCDA’s Travel Partner; and The Peninsula Hong Kong and HKT, Hotel Partner and Technology Partner of the Summit, respectively. The South China Morning Post and The Art Newspaper were Media Partners for the Summit.

The WKCDA collaborated closely with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Information Services Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the HKSAR Government and Art Basel to promote both the Summit and Hong Kong Art Week – a concerted effort aimed at elevating Hong Kong’s international profile as a cultural hub and a premier cultural tourism destination.

Visit the WKCD’s social media platforms for details of highlights of the three-day Summit.

The content of this/these programme(s)/activity(ies) does not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

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About the West Kowloon Cultural District
The West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest and most ambitious cultural projects globally. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong on 40 hectares of reclaimed land located alongside Victoria Harbour. With a varied mix of theatres, performance spaces, and museums, the West Kowloon Cultural District will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances and cultural events, providing 23 hectares of public open space, including a two-kilometre waterfront promenade.