Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai said on Thursday that she will visit Hong Kong on Nov.28 to deepen bilateral cultural exchanges.
'At the invitation of the University of Hong Kong, I'll deliver the speech 'My Hong Kong, My Taiwan' at the school as part of its centennial anniversary celebrations,' said Lung, who taught and lived in Hong Kong for nine years.
During her stay, Lung said, she will also visit major cultural institutions and call on cultural icons to explore the feasibility of forging a platform for Taiwan-Hong Kong cooperation in culture and arts development.
Among the figures she plans to call on is Michael Lynch, chief executive officer of the Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA).
The 40-hectare West Kowloon Cultural District is the flagship project in Hong Kong's goal of becoming a new Asian cultural center, and the construction of several performing arts centers and museums in the project is scheduled for completion around 2015, according to Lung.
By that time, Lung said, some of Taiwan's new cultural establishments, such as the Taipei Performing Arts Center, the Taichung Metropolitan Opera House and Kaohsiung's Wei-Wu-Ying Center for the Performing Arts, should also be completed.
'I'll take advantage of my upcoming visit to learn more about the WKCDA's operational and management guidelines and how it will integrate with neighboring communities,' Lung said.
The Minister said Hong Kong musician Anthony Wong will accompany her on visits to popular live houses there to get a firsthand look at their operations and the music production environment.
'I think the fact-finding tour will help me to better understand the advantages and disadvantages faced by our musicians and their Hong Kong counterparts, and the findings can be used as reference for crafting feasible measures to nurture a new generation of musical talent,' Lung said.
'Through extensive contact with Hong Kong artists and art groups, I also hope to gain a better idea of how our Kwang Hwa Information and Culture Center there can fulfill its functions of promoting bilateral cultural and arts exchanges,' the Minister added.
Given their geographic proximity, Taiwan and Hong Kong will both benefit in many aspects, including arts creation and products distribution, if they develop proper regional cooperative strategies, Lung concluded.