Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor (3rd left) co-officiates at the opening ceremony in Beijing of the Oral Legacies-Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Exhibition at Prince Kung's Mansion Museum on Dec 15. Joining her as officiating guests are Xiang Zhaolun (2nd left), vice-minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Chen Tong (2nd right), director-general of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. [Photo provided to China Daily] The much-anticipated development plan of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is likely to be released early next year, providing firm policy support and fresh opportunities for the 11-city cluster, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor revealed on Saturday. Lam said that with the development of the GBA entering a new level, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will tie its future closely to the country's overall development and more proactively seek opportunities within that context. The city's top official made the remarks to reporters before she left for Beijing on Saturday, for her annual duty visit. Lam noted that next year also marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. She said more opportunities lie ahead for Hong Kong and the SAR appreciates the continuous support from the central government. She added that Hong Kong will make full use of those opportunities. During her four-day visit to the capital, Lam will meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang on Monday, to present them with details of Hong Kong's latest developments including political, economic and social affairs. Shortly after Lam's arrival in Beijing on Saturday, she co-officiated at the opening ceremony of an exhibition, The Oral Legacies: Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The exhibition will remain open until Jan 5. Lam extended thanks to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for its great support in the conservation of intangible cultural heritage in Hong Kong. She acknowledged the ministry's efforts and guidance that made the exhibition possible. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Director of the Prince Kung's Mansion Museum Sun Xuguang said one purpose of the exhibition was to deepen the understanding among Chinese mainland visitors of Hong Kong's traditional culture, through the interactive, visualized exhibits. Sun added that the event presents new opportunities to increase cultural exchanges and cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong. The exhibition, at the Prince Kung's Mansion Museum in Beijing, is the first thematic exhibition in the mainland featuring Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage. A total of 20 items of intangible cultural heritage from Hong Kong are exhibited, including Cantonese Opera, the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance performed during Mid-Autumn Festival, Hakka Unicorn Dance and Hong Kong-style Milk Tea Making Technique. Also on display are hand-made lion head festive lanterns, Hong Kong-style cheongsam, Kwan Kwa Wedding costumes, and Cantonese Opera costumes. Visitors will have a taste of some authentic Hong Kong-style milk tea on Dec 16. Hong Kong's Leisure and Cultural Services Department disclosed the city's first intangible cultural heritage list in August 2017. The list is comprised of 20 items. Ten of those are part of the country's intangible cultural heritage list. customized friendship bracelets onlinesilicone bracelet usb flash drivewhere can you buy wristbandspersonalized pet braceletwristbands online coupon code
A photo taken on Dec 10, 2018, shows the Wu Pao Chun Bakery in Shanghai. [Photo/IC] A bakery scheduled to officially open next week in downtown Shanghai jointly invested by a Taiwan star baker and Singaporean company Bread Talk has attracted more talk than expected, as netizens, suspicious of the brand owner's alleged pro-Taiwan independence political stance, called for a boycott of the bakery. The shop, Wu Pao Chun Bakery, on one of Shanghai's most prosperous commercial streets, Huaihai Road, is the popular Taiwanese bakery's first branch on the Chinese mainland. It has been enjoying brisk business since it started a trial operation on Friday, despite early winter drizzle that has dampened the eastern city for days and the spiraling speculation on its founder's political stance. Wu Pao-chun, the bakery's founder, was born in southern Taiwan's Pingtung county in 1970, and started his career as an apprentice baker in Taipei at the age of 15. He founded the bakery in Kaohsiung in 2010 after he earned second prize in what's considered the bread-making Olympics, Coupe Louis Lesaffre, in 2008 and won the title of Master Baker two years later. Despite the baker's popularity in Taiwan, Wu has been slow to expand. In 2016 when asked about his plan for new branches, Wu was quoted by Taiwan People News as saying, Although the Chinese market has more than 1.3 billion customers, the world's market has over 7 billion. I won't put my eyes only on China. The words have been interpreted as Wu's support for Taiwan independence and in extreme cases, some media distorted them as, I would rather go starving than open a branch on the Chinese mainland, which aroused criticism and protest by mainland netizens at the bakery's recent expansion. In response, Wu issued a statement on the bakery's website on Monday, saying he's proud of being Chinese, supports the 1992 Consensus, and wants to contribute to cross-Straits economic exchanges. He also called for a news conference in the bakery's flagship store in Kaohsiung on Tuesday, where he further clarified his stance. I am just a professional baker, and the world of the bakery is pure and simple, he said. I am happy that many young people choose this profession because of me and I feel responsible to create a better market for them. Kaohsiung's mayor-elect, Han Kuo-yu, attended the news conference in support of Wu. Master Wu is just a baker who wants to develop his business for a better life, he said. So I hope people on both sides can protect and cherish him. According to The Straits Times, Wu and Singaporean company Bread Talk signed a joint venture agreement in March to bring Wu's bakeries to Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, as well as Hong Kong and Singapore. Bread Talk took an 80 percent stake in the deal and Wu Pao Chun Food Ltd holds the remainder.
