Opening Ceremony of the 6th Hong Kong Literature Festival
Speech by Mr. Ma Fung-kwok, SBS, JP
Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council
Date: June 30, 2006
Venue: Hong Kong Central Library

Professor Leong, honorable guests,

It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the 6th Hong Kong Literature Festival to celebrate the best of Hong Kong's literature heritage.

Since its inception in 1997, the Festival has established itself, through promoting literary awareness and creativity with an array of popular activities, as one of the local literary world's biggest events. The Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) first co-hosted the event with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) in 2002. Fours years on, by leveraging our respective resources and expertise, the collaboration not only bolstered the diversity of the Festival but also its entertaining vigour for the enjoyment of all.

By adopting the motto 'Living the Literary Life' this year, the organizers are encouraging the public to discover and rediscover the joy of reading and writing in everyday life. The inspiration of most literary works comes from life itself, and paradoxically we bring classic and contemporary works to life through readings and discussions of literary texts. Literary appreciation is a life-enriching experience that expands our horizon of knowledge, inspires our thinking and lets our imagination run wild, all of which coincide perfectly with ADC's vision: To provide an enriching life, enhance the quality of life and artistic appreciation of the general public.

Literary appreciation is the missing link for creativity. Priding itself as "Asia's World City", Hong Kong has always kept its finger firmly on the social, economic and cultural spheres across the globe. Hong Kong, boosting a unique historic past and cultural strength, has been a hotbed of literary activity, grooming generations of scholars, writers and art practitioners who, nurtured by different cultural vibes, radiate them back to the reading and general public. Joining in the endeavours are a number of local art groups which have curated a series of literature-meets-multimedia events designed to invite the local community to take a personal dip into the treasure trove of the local art and literary scene.

Creativity, particularly a collective one, gives a city its unique colour and vibes. Literary arts take on extra significance as they inject vitality into the city life and open our minds to the vast vistas of creativity. Indeed it shapes a city, giving expression to its countenance. City branding is a global initiative emerged in recent years to retain and reinvent the many facets of a city through its arts and cultural excellence. Literary arts go hand-in-hand with the right provision of infrastructure to put Hong Kong on a competitive edge, and deserve our full support.

The 'Awards for Creative Writing in Chinese' and 'Hong Kong Biennial Awards for Chinese Literature' are two competitions also held by LCSD and HKADC to reward, promote and encourage literary creations. In addition, a number of ADC-sponsored publications have been launched to critical acclaims, allowing writers to present their works to lager audiences and paving the way towards a booming literary scene.

Without a doubt, the participation of the general public holds the key to the development of indigenous literature. As with previous years, the Festival continues to bring together the most exciting names in the literary world to spearhead the event. With a diverse programme catering to readers with different interests, we hope that all of you will uncover a piece of Hong Kong's literary heritage at the Hong Kong Literature Festival this year and embrace the spirit of 'the literary life'.

On behalf of the organizers, I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the speakers, co-organizers and participating art groups for their efforts and support. I wish the Festival every success.