A delegation of 50 artists who attended the inaugural Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo last week arrived in Shenzhen on Saturday to explore the progress of the city's major cultural infrastructure projects.
The five-day expo, which ended Friday in Hong Kong, is designed to facilitate global arts and cultural exchanges, expand the trading market for performing arts, and spark new opportunities for arts institutions and practitioners worldwide.
Their Shenzhen tour, also known as the "Shenzhen Day" event, was an extension of the expo.
During the visit, the artists showed particular interest in the Shenzhen Opera House and the Shenzhen Bay Cultural Plaza that is scheduled to open to the public before the end of 2024. They lauded Shenzhen's dedication to building these cultural facilities and expressed their desire for increased collaboration with the city.
A flagship cultural facility in the city, the Shenzhen Opera House, currently under construction at the southern tip of the Shekou Peninsula and adjacent to the Shenzhen Bay Bridge, is poised to become a world-class, high-standard cultural exchange platform in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Upon completion, the venue will host premier opera and ballet performances and symphony concerts. It will also serve as a creative hub for producing and showcasing opera and ballet productions, as stated by the city's cultural and tourism administration.
Tisa Ho, international advisor for the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, one of the organizers of the Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo, was deeply impressed by the vibrant cultural development in Shenzhen, especially the Shenzhen Opera House.
"One of the most thrilling aspects of visiting from Hong Kong is witnessing the growth of this infrastructure," Ho remarked. "While Hong Kong boasts a wealth of creative products and content, our infrastructure development has been somewhat lagging. Therefore, I believe there is immense potential for collaboration between our cities."
Ho watched Shenzhen's original dance drama "Wing Chun" while it was being staged in London at the Sadler's Wells Theatre between Aug. 30 and Sept. 7. She also attended post-show discussions and academic exchanges.
She also revealed that "Wing Chun" will return to Hong Kong for performances in November, saying, "I've already bought my tickets in advance. It's very popular, and if you're slow, there won't be any tickets left."
She is confident that the completion of the Shenzhen Opera House will propel Shenzhen's original literary and artistic works to new heights, and she also sees vast and promising prospects for future cultural cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
"Now it has become a trend for citizens of Shenzhen and Hong Kong to cross the border to watch exhibitions and performances. In the future, Shenzhen and Hong Kong can leverage their respective strengths to enhance cooperation in joint creation, construction, and performance."
Douglas Gautier, chairman of the Association of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Centers in Australia, worked in Hong Kong for many years and is familiar with Shenzhen. "Shenzhen keeps changing for the better, and many great new cultural facilities and interesting work are happening — so impressive," said Gautier.
He said China is an important trade partner of Australia, and the two countries have established close ties in various fields such as the economy and creative arts. With the completion and establishment of more new cultural facilities in China, there will be opportunities for closer cooperation between China and Australia.
Thomas Molyneux, from the Monash University Performing Arts Centers in Australia, was on his first visit to Shenzhen. He said he is looking forward to Shenzhen's new cultural facilities and plans to visit Shenzhen more often once the projects are completed.
Canadian Dustyn Wales, the associate producer of Talk Is Free Theatre, was happy to see so much culture and activity in Shenzhen. "It's so exciting to see what's coming in the future, and I hope to come back and be able to bring [cultural] things here as well," he said.