Dr Wilfred Wong Ying-wai, Ms Ada Wong Ying-kay and Mr Adam Wong Sau-ping discuss creative arts and culture at Lingnan University’s Distinguished Leaders Dialogue
Professor Leonard K Cheng, President of Lingnan University gives a welcoming address at the event.
Lingnan University organises the Distinguished Leaders Dialogue Series — Dialogue on Creative Arts and Culture today (17 April).
Dr Wilfred Wong Ying-wai, Chairman of Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Ms Ada Wong Ying-kay, Founder and Director of Make A Difference Institute and Mr Adam Wong Sau-ping, film director were invited as panelists for the dialogue, and Professor Michelle Huang Ying-ling, Assistant Professor of the Department of Visual Studies of Lingnan University was the dialogue’s facilitator.
Art and culture is the soul of every city – it not only nurtures the spiritual life of the citizens, but also creates business opportunities within society at large. In recent years, the wide-ranging social benefits art brings and its positive impact have been evident in many places. For a city to develop its own arts and culture scene, it requires the participation of all. Collaboration between government, business, the arts community and other stakeholders is essential.
In his welcoming address, Prof Leonard K Cheng, President of Lingnan University pointed out that to evaluate the quality of a society, we cannot just take into account its economic development, and we should not neglect arts and cultural development. “No one will deny that Hong Kong is a very successful international financial centre, but on the other hand in the past many people criticise it as a cultural desert. To become a successful international arts and cultural centre, what aspects should be upgraded? What are the existing dilemma facing arts development? At the dialogue today, guests will conduct in-depth discussion on topics such as the direction of Hong Kong’s arts and cultural development as well as arts education, and explore more possibilities together,” said President Cheng.
In the dialogue, panelists shared ideas and thoughts with all those concerned about developing a creative culture and the arts, such as what role should stakeholders take in promoting creative arts and culture, whether the focus of development be “globalised”, “localised” or can the two work in parallel, how should the influences of East and West be combined, how to initiate arts education and cultivate appreciation given Hong Kong's exam-oriented education system and parental expectations of instant benefits, and how will Artificial Intelligence affect the future development of the creative industries.
The Distinguished Leaders Dialogue Series is one of the major events in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Lingnan University’s re-establishment in Hong Kong. Starting from January 2018, distinguished leaders from different sectors are invited to share their insights in the dialogues on topics of public concern including education, financial development, housing for the youth, and creative arts and culture.