Speech by Mr. Jonathan Yu
Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council
Date: October 27, 2006 (Friday)
Time: 9:30a.m. - 10:00a.m.
Venue: Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Center

Professor Tam, Mr. Herbert, honorable guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning. It is my pleasure to be present at the opening ceremony of the "International Symposium on Arts Criticism 2006" organized by the International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong) and commissioned by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

Arts criticism not only provides us with different, often new perspectives which enrich our understanding and appreciation of the arts, but could also be regarded as an artform of its own. It expands our horizon of knowledge, inspires our critical thinking and attitude towards our surroundings, 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.

With so many renowned local and overseas experts participating in this Symposium and the rich array of programmes such as keynote speeches, paper presentations, panel discussions, public lecture and forums, I am sure the Symposium will stimulate a lot of exchanges and ideas on important issues, on both the theoretical and practical levels.

The flyer for the Symposium mentioned that there is a global phenomenon that serious performing arts criticism has increasingly been marginalized. I took part recently in a discussion session of the Chinese drama scene when the issue of the lack of serious drama criticism in Hong Kong was discussed. There was talk of the lack of suitable platforms for arts criticism, in particular is the light of changes to the state of the mass media in recent years, the lack of resources as well as the lack of training for arts critics. I am sure these will be explored in more details at this Symposium, as one of its themes is on "the strategies of promoting local arts criticism." The ADC has a committee on arts criticism and one of its recent initiatives is on supporting the launch of an arts criticism magazine in Hong Kong. We would certainly be looking forward to the ideas from participants at this Symposium.

With these remarks, I wish the "International Symposium on Arts Criticism 2006" every success and for our overseas participants, an enjoyable stay in Hong Kong. Thank you.