A City where East Meets West

Because of its strategic position and historical factors, Hong Kong is widely known as an international metropolis where “East Meets West”. Many international cultural and sports events are held in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong artists and athletes travel to other countries to participate in international events.

he Hong Kong Arts Festival is held annually in February and March. It is the most important international festival of its kind in Asia and has become highly recognized worldwide. In 2021, a large proportion of the programmes were presented online, free of charge with registration, and attracted over 90,000 unique online viewers. The attendance at in-venue performances was about 9,000.

To preserve Hong Kong’s unique heritage the HKSAR Government formed the Antiquities Advisory Board and Antiquities and Monuments Office to maintain and protect the territory’s historic buildings.

After the International Olympic Committee decided in July 2005 to relocate the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events to Hong Kong, the HKSAR Government formed a special committee to take charge of the event. The event attracted tens of thousands of spectators and participants.

Another important sports event, the East Asian Games 2009 was held in Hong Kong. The HKSAR Government has made use of this opportunity to launch a series of exhibitions and activities to promote the games both locally and internationally.

After 26 years’ suspension, the traditional “race to collect the most baked buns”, known as “bun scrambling” was revived in 2005. The rebirth of the unique Bun Carnival not only attracted more than 8,000 participants and tens of thousands of local and overseas spectators, but also helped to promote Hong Kong’s traditional events and activities to overseas countries.