Speech for the Grand Opening of China-Hong Kong Exhibition Site at the 49th Venice Biennial
Dr. Patrick Ho, Chairman of Hong Kong Arts Development Council
Date: June 08, 2001
Venue: The 49th Venice Biennial China-Hong Kong Exhibition Site

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today we are proud to open the Hong Kong Exhibition Site and present to you some visual artists of Hong Kong with the theme "Magic at Street Level". This exhibition is the result of joint efforts and cooperation between the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. This is our debut appearance at the Venice Biennial, and will go down as a unique landmark event in the history of the visual arts scene in Hong Kong. Our participation in the Biennial is also an endorsement and recognition by China of Hong Kong's special status under "One country, Two systems" , and the Special Administrative Region's freedom to pursue its own arts and cultural aspirations. You will however note that our delegation is called "Hong Kong, China", which underlines the One Country concept.

In our poster for the exhibition, the skyscapes of the two cities merge together. We have a common sky but different buildings and different people in our streets. Our principal aim of coming to the Venice Biennial is to relate: to relate to Venice, and to relate to the world stage of art.

For many centuries Venice linked Europe to Asia through trade, and for a hundred years Hong Kong has been the gateway to China for the West. The immense wealth accumulated in Venice helped finance its architecture and the arts in the Renaissance. And now Hong Kong is flourishing in culture and the arts after we enjoyed decades of economic success. The similarities do not end there. Let me continue the tale of the two cities with a small village in Hong Kong called "The Venice of Hong Kong." The fishing village at the seashore in Tai O is famous for its stilted houses and flotilla of shops along the water passages. People call this fishing village in Tai O "The Venice of Hong Kong" and organised campaigns to preserve its architecture and community life, which are under threat from developers. The story is familiar to you all, the constant conflict between conservation and development, and how to achieve the right balance. We are not sure our image of Venice is derived from Venice itself, or affected by Marco Polo's perception of Hangzhou, his best beloved city in China which was served by a network of canals similar to those in Venice, the birthplace of the Venetian merchant and traveller. Similarly, spaghetti and macaroni have been favourite foods in the neighbourhood restaurants in Hong Kong. They are popular because pasta or noodle dishes are as Italian as Chinese.

When Hong Kong returned to the motherland China in 1997, some doomsday prophets proclaimed that Hong Kong would henceforth lose its status as an international metropolis and degenerate into a mere tourist resort. Like Venice losing its commercial power in the 15th century due to the change in trade route, with the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope route to Asia, they said Hong Kong's role as a business hub would fade out and become the "Venice of the East." This prediction did not come true. Indeed the prediction was proved to be unfounded. Venice was not just a tourist city for fun-seekers, and Hong Kong after 1997 is developing to a cultural metropolis in Asia, in addition to being a financial one.

Marco Polo was born in Venice in the year 1254 and traveled in China between 1275 and 1292. He did not write anything about his journey through the South China Sea, though his ship might have passed near the shores of Hong Kong. His report on the rich city life in China attracted many Europeans to go East, thus stimulating subsequent activities in East-West trade and cultural exchange. Marco Polo was frank and direct in his writings, and constantly spoke of trade, money, risks, and profits. He represented the pragmatic side of a Venetian, which is not very different from a stereotypic Hong Kong merchant. After enjoying a few days of artistic exuberance in Venice, particularly at the exhibition of the Biennial, I conclude that Venice has more in common with Hong Kong in its cultural splendour and rich lifestyles than many people realize.

Ladies and gentlemen, after centuries of exchange and convergence, for me to speak of East-West cultural exchange may be somehow superfluous today. We have Western culture and modern urban life in Hong Kong, and Europe also took up a lot of things and concepts Chinese since the 13th century. Under the influence of globalization, many modern cities now look similar to each other. The world has indeed become one "stage of mankind", which is the artistic statement of this Biennial. However, the fact that we are here in this arts exposition may mean that there are still subtle or even magical features that mark the differences from one city to another.

Our artistic exhibits with the theme of "Magic at Street Level" does not intend to present the complete picture of Hong Kong. It is actually a riddle. How much of the Hong Kong arts staged in the this former Musicanti San Appollonia actually represents Hong Kong? How much of them reflect other worlds, how much are unique aspirations of our artists, and how much are commonly shared by modern city dwellers? Or are they so mixed up that they now represent altogether an insoluble riddle? Like the Venetian Marco Polo seeing the canalled city of Hangzhou, we must explore and experience before we find out and become enraptured.

Enjoy your tour of the exhibits brought to you from Hong Kong. Thank you.