A collection of the finest works showcasing Hong Kong's creativity
Sharing session explores Hong Kong as a cultural hub and its value in the global printing industry
LONDON, April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- "Soaring Creativity — Hong Kong Publishers and Printers Participation at London Book Fair", which is jointly organized by Hong Kong Publishing Federation (HKPF) and The Hong Kong Printers Association (HKPA) with sponsorship from Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSARG), showcases to the world the creativity and achievement of Hong Kong's publishing and printing industry through Hong Kong Pavilion at the London Book Fair.
It is the first time for the industry to participate in The London Book Fair as an assemblage. Concurrently, in celebration of the 15th anniversary of Hong Kong's reunification with China, the HKSARG is organising a "15th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Photo Exhibition" to showcase the successful implementation of "One Country, Two Systems" and the Basic Law.
To highlight the significance of both events, the HKSARG, HKPF and HKPA jointly held an opening reception today (16 April) to unveil the Hong Kong Pavilion. Mr. Liu Bin-jie, Minister of the General Administration of Press and Publication of the PRC, and Mr. Alistair Burtenshaw, Director of the London Book Fair, attended the ceremony as the guests of honour.
Mrs. Agnes Allcock, Director-General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, said, "The HKSARG is specially organising the photo exhibition at the London Book Fair this year to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover, hoping to showcase to the world the successful implementation of 'One Country, Two Systems' and the Basic Law, which preserved Hong Kong's economic prosperity and social stability, through the support of the Central People's Government and the concerted efforts of Hong Kong people."
Mr. Elvin Lee, Chairman of the Organizing Committee for "Soaring Creativity", said, "This is the fourth stop for the Hong Kong Pavilion to be set up at international book fairs; we have previously participated at the Beijing International Book Fair, Frankfurt Book Fair, and Taipei International Book Exhibition, gaining valuable experiences and feedback. The London Book Fair is one of the most significant international exhibitions for publishers and printers, attracting the participation of over 1,500 publishers and 24,500 industry professionals around the world last year. We think that is an ideal platform for publishers and printers from Hong Kong to promote business opportunities overseas. Coincidentally, the market focus of the London Book Fair this year is China, and China has organized a great team of industry professionals to participate in the book fair. As a significant part of China, it is especially meaningful for Hong Kong to take part in this international event."
Mr. Elvin Lee continued, "Although Hong Kong is a very small city, her publishing and printing industry has played a unique and significant role in China, as well as in the world. Due to her bilingual advantages and her place at the convergent point between Eastern and Western cultures, Hong Kong is an important gateway for China; her freedom, diversity, open-mindedness, and active tide of thought nurture limitless creativity. This cultural uniqueness is fully reflected in the publishing and printing industry, placing Hong Kong's industry in an irreplaceable position in the world. Recently, the Hong Kong government has put an emphasis in promoting creative industries as one of the powerhouses for economic development. Therefore, in order for the world to understand more about Hong Kong, we have collected in total more than 750 representative works from the industry, including around 465 books, 219 printed matters, and 67 ebooks, to showcase the outstanding creative achievement of Hong Kong's publishing and printing technology. At the same time, we offer publishers and printers of different scales business opportunities overseas."
Mr. K. C. Chiu, Chairman of the Supervisory Committee said, "Publishing and printing make up an important part of Hong Kong's creative industries, and they are the best platform for presenting creativity. Through the outstanding printing craft and quality service provided by Hong Kong printers, new creative ideas can be vividly presented, forming an added-value space for different industries connected by the link of cultural creative industry. Hong Kong's printers have aligned with the international market since the 1960's and 70's, forming excellent relationship with the international clientele through their quality services and reputation. It is the bridge that helps creative industries of both Hong Kong and China to enter the world. Furthermore, Hong Kong's printers closely follow the steps of digitalization, offering the strongest support for digital publishing."
Mr Jerry Liu, Head of CreateHK, welcomes the efforts of the publishing and printing industries to stage a Hong Kong Pavilion at various international book fairs. "As the dedicated office to spearhead the development of Hong Kong's creative industries, CreateHK is pleased to sponsor this kind of project, which can help the industry tap the Mainland and overseas markets, and promote Hong Kong as Asia's creative capital," he said.
After the London Book Fair, the exhibits of Hong Kong Pavilion will be donated to the library of Cambridge University, which is one of the top educational establishments in the world with a diversity of collection in its library holdings of over 7 million books, including German, French, and Japanese books, as well as a rich collection of Chinese books. This donation hopes to further expand the quantity and diversity of the holdings at Cambridge University Library, and also offers British readers a taste of Hong Kong's publications, with a view to promoting more collaboration between Hong Kong and British's publishing and printing industries, as well as cultural exchange of these two places.
Hong Kong Pavilion Sharing Session
In addition to the exhibition, Soaring Creativity held a conference with elites from the industry to share their views on Hong Kong's role as a global cultural hub and how printers can create and reveal values for different industries. Guest speakers include Dr. Steven K. Luk, Director, General Manager & Chief Editor of The Commercial Press (Hong Kong) Ltd., and Mr. Charles C. H. Lo, Honorary President of The Hong Kong Printers Association.
Dr. Steven Luk is the Director, General Manager & Chief Editor of The Commercial Press (Hong Kong) Ltd. Since setting foot in publishing, Dr. Luk has served in many important positions and has frequently hosted talks about culture, reading, and publishing. At the sharing session, Dr. Luk shared the topic, "Hong Kong as an International Cultural Gateway to Greater China" and pointed out that, "Hong Kong can provide the necessary logistics, infrastructure and linguistic support to both Chinese and Western publishers who want to expand in the Asian market." Hong Kong has unique commercial conditions and cultural advantages that allow her to continue to fulfill the role as an international centre for publishing and printing in the changing trends and market of Greater China and the world.
Mr. Lo is the Honorary President of The Hong Kong Printers Association. He has many years of experience in publishing and printing, and has edited, translated, and written a range of publications and journals. Mr. Lo has always been devoted in promoting the development of Hong Kong's printing and publishing industry, which has earned him a Medal of Honour from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government. At the sharing session, Mr. Lo shared the topic, "Printing for Value by Hong Kong", exploring the development and background of the printing industry in Hong Kong and its success factors and advantages as one of the key locales for the global printing industry. Mr. Lo also introduced the advanced printing technology and equipment in Hong Kong, and the measures taken to implement environmentally-friendly ideals, as well as how the printers in Hong Kong have created and revealed values for different industries.
About Soaring Creativity
"Soaring Creativity — Hong Kong publishers and printers at London Book Fair" is jointly organized by Hong Kong Publishing Federation and The Hong Kong Printers Association with sponsorship from CreateHK of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to showcase the creativity and achievements of publishers and printers of Hong Kong. The assemblage has already participated in Beijing International Book Fair (31 Aug–4 Sep 2011), Frankfurt Book Fair (12–16 Oct 2011) and Taipei International Book Exhibition (1–6 Feb 2012), and will join London Book Fair (16–18 April 2012) as an assemblage for the first time. The Hong Kong Pavilion will be located at Stand Y105, 205, EC2 Earls Court Exhibition Centre, Warwick Road, London, SW5 9TA, displaying a total of over 750 exhibits, including a vast diversity of around 465 books, 219 printed matters, and 67 ebooks.
This press release is issued by Joyous Communications Ltd. on behalf of Hong Kong Publishing Federation.
