Free Exhibitions Celebrate 75 Years of Achievements in the People's Republic of China at Hong Kong Museums

2024-09-26 18:55 Last Updated At：19:08

LCSD to present "Glorious Voyage: Splendid Achievements of the People's Republic of China in Its 75 Years" Exhibition Series to showcase developments and achievements of China

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will present the "Glorious Voyage: Splendid Achievements of the People's Republic of China in Its 75 Years" Exhibition Series, at the Hong Kong Museum of History (HKMH) and the Hong Kong Science Museum (HKScM) from tomorrow (September 27) to illustrate the important developments and achievements of China over the past 75 years from a variety of perspectives. Admission to the exhibitions is free.

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LCSD to present "Glorious Voyage: Splendid Achievements of the People's Republic of China in Its 75 Years" Exhibition Series to showcase developments and achievements of China

LCSD to present "Glorious Voyage: Splendid Achievements of the People's Republic of China in Its 75 Years" Exhibition Series to showcase developments and achievements of China Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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LCSD to present "Glorious Voyage: Splendid Achievements of the People's Republic of China in Its 75 Years" Exhibition Series to showcase developments and achievements of China

LCSD to present "Glorious Voyage: Splendid Achievements of the People's Republic of China in Its 75 Years" Exhibition Series to showcase developments and achievements of China Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Addressing the opening ceremony of the exhibition today (September 26), the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, said that China is a force to be reckoned with in the areas such as economy, manufacturing, trade, technology, infrastructure, culture and sports. Today, China is the world's second-largest economy, the largest industrial manufacturing country, the largest goods trading country and the largest foreign exchange reserve holding country. These are the results of the people's forging ahead steadfastly and also the pride of all Chinese people. This exhibition series is one of the signature events organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, to promote the spirit of patriotism in the community. Its three exhibitions, namely "Leapfrog Development", "Scientific Breakthroughs" and "Era of Intelligence", showcase the country's modernisation process from the perspectives of economy, education, technology, culture, sports and people's livelihood. It aimed to enhance the understanding of the public, especially the younger generation, of the achievements of New China over the past 75 years, thereby enhancing their sense of national identity and sense of belonging.

Other officiating guests at the opening ceremony included Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Mr Yin Zhonghua; Vice President and Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the China Association for Science and Technology, Mr Meng Qinghai; Deputy Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the HKSAR Mr Fang Jianming; the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung; the Chairman of the Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group, Mr Li Dahong; the Convenor of the Working Group on Patriotic Education under the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee, Ms Starry Lee; the Chairperson of the History Sub-committee of the Museum Advisory Committee, Professor Joshua Mok; and the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Vincent Liu.

The "Leapfrog Development" exhibition, located in the Lobby, 1/F, HKMH, presents the developments and achievements of the economy, infrastructure, culture, sports and ecological conservation initiatives of China through text and images. It also displays medals won by athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Games to showcase their spirit of perseverance and hard work. They include the first gold medal won by Hong Kong, China windsurfer Ms Lee Lai-shan at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics for the HKSAR, the gold medal won by So Wa-wai, representing Hong Kong, China in the men's 100m races (T36) at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games, the gold medal won by Chinese diver Ms Guo Jingjing in the women's three-metre springboard event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the silver medal won by Ms Siobhan Bernadette Haughey, representing Hong Kong, China in the women's 100m freestyle events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. For details of the exhibition, please visit hk.history.museum/en/web/mh/exhibition/75A-Exhibition.html.

The country's scientific and technological endeavours have made remarkable progress over the past 75 years. The "Scientific Breakthroughs" exhibition at the 2/F Exhibition Hall, HKScM is divided into three parts, namely "The Lifeblood of the People's Republic of China", "Silent Thunder", and "A Chip-driven Patriotic Heart", based on three significant historical events: the 65th anniversary of the discovery of the Daqing Oil Field, the 60th anniversary of the successful detonation of China's first atomic bomb, and the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the State Preeminent Science & Technology Award. The exhibition showcases China's outstanding achievements in science and technology through graphics, videos, objects, and interactive exhibits, demonstrating the patriotic spirit and steadfast beliefs of Chinese scientists. Highlight exhibits include the Core Sample from Songliao Basin No.3 Stratigraphic Well (replica), which is important historical evidence for the discovery of the Daqing Oil Field; the immersive space "Big Bang in the East", which explores significant historical events such as the launch of the Dongfeng-1 missile, atomic bomb detonation, hydrogen bomb detonation, and the launch of the Dongfanghong-1; and the model of the Zuchongzhi Superconducting Quantum Computer, developed independently by a Chinese research team, which is the only one in China and one of only two globally to achieve "quantum advantage".

The "Era of Intelligence" exhibition at the Special Exhibition Hall, G/F, HKScM introduces the transformative technology of artificial intelligence, which has experienced rapid developments in recent years. The application of artificial intelligence in daily life will also be demonstrated at the exhibition. The exhibition features a total of 22 exhibits, with about 70 per cent of them being interactive. These include the immersive zone "Gravitational Battlefield", which is based on Mainland writer Liu Cixin's science fiction novel "The Three-Body Problem" and integrates artificial intelligence and mixed reality technologies; a simulation of autonomous driving; and an artificial intelligence model named Master Guess, with which visitors can train and play paper-scissors-stone. Visitors can engage directly with multiple artificial intelligence models to understand how they function in various scenarios such as chess playing, music composition, painting and the implementation of mixed reality. For details of the "Scientific Breakthroughs" and "Era of Intelligence" exhibitions, please visit hk.science.museum/en/web/scm/exhibition/75A2024.html.

The exhibition series is presented by the LCSD. The "Leapfrog Development" exhibition is organised by the Chinese Culture Promotion Office and the Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group, in collaboration with the HKMH, and supported by the Academy of Chinese Studies and the Hong Kong China Sports Alliance. The "Scientific Breakthroughs" exhibition is organised by the HKScM and the China Science and Technology Museum, in collaboration with the Office of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs of the China Association for Science and Technology and the Beijing - Hong Kong Academic Exchange Centre. The "Era of Intelligence" exhibition is organised by the HKScM, in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, the Hong Kong Institution of Science and Innovation, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and SenseTime. The exhibitions will run until February 5 next year.

Apart from museums, a display titled "Trendsetting Travel in China", which showcases the remarkable achievements of the motherland through a stunning array of media photographs and a relaxed curatorial approach, will be held at the covered walkway of Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park from September 28, providing members of the public an additional opportunity to learn more about the country's achievements.

The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture. For more information, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ccpo/index.html.

Court Sentences Three Defendants for Seditious Conspiracy in Hong Kong Case

2024-09-26 23:57 Last Updated At：09-27 00:08

Justice upheld in District Court's sentencing in a case of "conspiracy to publish seditious publication"

Following the conviction of three defendants on August 29 in a case of "conspiracy to publish and/or reproduce seditious publication", the District Court handed down its sentence today (September 26).

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government spokesman said: "The court has held earlier that Chung Pui-kuen and Lam Shiu-tung, while holding chief editorial positions at Stand News, had knowledge and approved of the seditious intent of the articles, providing Stand News as a publishing platform for inciting hatred against the Central Authorities and the HKSAR Government, as well as hatred against the administration of justice."

The spokesman said, "The reasons for verdict by the Court have pointed out clearly that the ideology of Stand News was localism which excluded China, and that it even became a tool to smear and vilify the Central Authorities and the HKSAR Government during the movement of opposition to the proposed legislative amendments. The court found that the relevant articles, without any objective basis, attacked the relevant law and procedures; and relevant law enforcement and prosecutorial process; spread hatred and anti-government sentiment with disinformation; attacked law enforcement by the Police and glorified the behaviour of rioters - in other words, they were not based on facts. To distort acts of inciting hatred as "journalism" is a complete reversal of right and wrong."

"According to Schedule 3 of the Implementation Rules of Article 43 of the Hong Kong National Security Law, the Department of Justice (DoJ) has made an application to court for a confiscation order to confiscate the proceeds of the relevant crime. DoJ will continue to handle subsequent procedures in accordance with the law."

"The court stated in its reasons for sentence that at the time of the offence, the three defendants were not engaging themselves in genuine journalistic work but were participating in the so-called protest at the time. From the editorial of Stand News and News Stand, it is evident that they sided with the protesters against the Government. The crimes committed by the three defendants are very serious."

"The reasons for sentence also pointed out that, given Stand News had approximately 1,600,000 followers, the seditious articles involved have undoubtedly caused significant harm to both the Central Government and HKSAR Government as well as the residents, although it is difficult to quantify."

The spokesperson stated: "The reasons for sentence also indicated that, due to the severity of the offences, imprisonment is the only appropriate sentencing option. Regarding the length of the sentence, the maximum penalty is two years' imprisonment. This maximum penalty is completely disproportionate to the severity of the offences. According to the existing Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, the maximum penalty for the crime of sedition is seven years' imprisonment. Based on the culpability of the second defendant, Chung Pui-kuen, a starting point of 23 months' imprisonment was adopted, and a sentence of 21 months was passed. For the third defendant, Lam Siu-tung, a starting point of 14 months' imprisonment was adopted but due to the potential risk to his life if sent to prison, a sentence was imposed that allows for his immediate release."

The spokesman says, "Following the verdict in this case, some have expressed concerns about freedom of the press and speech in Hong Kong. Some foreign media or other people with ulterior motives, as well as anti-China organisations and anti-China politicians, made untruthful and purely political remarks smearing the HKSAR. We have made clarifications and rebuttals many times to set the record straight. As demonstrated in the court's reasons for its verdict, Stand News completely disregarded objective facts and contravened the "special duties and responsibilities" which journalists must observe under international human rights conventions."

The spokesman pointed out that, "The Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights guarantee fundamental rights such as the freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, procession and demonstration. Members of the public (including journalists) in Hong Kong are, as always, free to make comments or criticisms that are based on facts, and to enjoy and exercise freedoms of the press and of speech in accordance with the law, without fear of unwittingly violating the law."

"It is the constitutional duty of the HKSAR to safeguard national security. In this regard, the HKSAR Government will ensure that laws are observed and continue to enforce the law resolutely, decisively and rigorously with a view to effectively preventing, suppressing and imposing punishment for acts and activities endangering national security with all-out efforts."

Free Exhibitions Celebrate 75 Years of Achievements in the People's Republic of China at Hong Kong Museums

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