Aa

EVENT

Others

The Hong Kong Together Campaign

1998.01.01 - 1999.12.30

In August 1998, members of the Better Hong Kong Foundation started to think about what we could do to reinforce public confidence during the economic downturn. After consulting a number of business sectors, we felt it was possible to organise a campaign that would boost the confidence of the people of Hong Kong, unite them, and also show the world that Hong Kong people would overcome whatever difficulties lay ahead of us.

The Foundation was able to organise this Campaign within such a short period of time thanks to the enthusiastic participation and support of the many sectors who vividly demonstrated a sense of solidarity among the community. Participating sectors included business, education, hotel, labour, media, movie and entertainment, retail, restaurant, sports, tourism and the eighteen districts throughout the territory.

On December 6, 1998, the Campaign was inaugurated with a ceremony featuring an audience of about 5,000 and a live broadcast by the local media. The Campaign’s Patron, the Chief Executive Mr. Tung Chee-Hwa, the Chief Secretary for Administration Mrs. Anson Chan and other community leaders officiated at the ceremony.

The launch also marked the beginning of a series of Campaign activities. The education sector organised an essay competition for secondary school students and a painting competition for primary school students to enhance their civic spirit and awareness. Some twenty secondary school student winners were awarded scholarships for a four-week course at Qinghua University in Beijing in August 1999. Thirty winners from the drawing competition were selected for a one-day tour of major Hong Kong landmarks.

Several hundred restaurants pledged their support to the Campaign by organising lucky draws and a series of themed promotions, such as “The Appreciation of Delicious Dishes” and “The Best Chinese Cuisine in Hong Kong”. Customers dining at participating restaurants who presented Campaign coupons were given free dishes.

The labour sector organised job fairs featuring employment opportunities at various large corporations in early 1999, followed by a seminar on “The Importance of Good Relations between Employers and Employees.” Also, a series of retraining programmes were organised to help job-seekers.

The business sector held the “33rd Hong Kong Products Expo” from December 18, 1998, to January 11, 1999, at the Tamar Site in Central. An “SMEs Week” was held by the Industry Department in early February 1999.

In the retail sector, some 5,000 retail outlets including chain supermarkets, boutiques, department stores and cafes participated in a joint promotion entitled “Hong Kong Shopping Spree”, organised by the Hong Kong Retail Management Association together with the then Hong Kong Tourist Association (now the Hong Kong Tourism Board) to boost shopper confidence and to stimulate consumption. Additionally, all major shopping malls supported the Campaign by coordinating their respective mall activities to help promote the Campaign message.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club also pledged support for the Campaign by organising the “Hong Kong Together” Cup in January 17, 1999.

The Homes Affairs Department, together with the eighteen districts, organised more than ninety programmes for the community to show their solidarity with the Campaign.

In the sports sector, a wall-painting event held on 26th November, 1998 at the Hong Kong Sports Institute saw thousands of high-spirited students standing in support of Hong Kong’s athletes as they set off for the Asian Games in Bangkok. Sector representatives and the “Hong Kong Together” Campaign Joint Working Committee were there to cheer on the athletes.

The Campaign gained momentum and grew, with activities and events taking place right through to the end of 1999. Our aim was to keep this dynamic community spirit going, and to prove to both ourselves and the world that as long as we had confidence in ourselves, our community would come back better and stronger than ever.

The Campaign brought together employees and employers, students and teachers, the young and the old – essentially every member of the community – in a show of support for Hong Kong and a demonstration of their faith in Hong Kong.

  • Drawing Competition
  • Essay Competition
  • Student Program

The “Hong Kong Together” Campaign Logo

The heart-shaped element is a key component of the “Hong Kong Together” Campaign logo, and establishes our basic premise: every aspect of this Campaign comes from the bottom of our hearts. Inside the heart design, the three circles represent Hong Kong people from all walks of life uniting together and standing firm to meet the challenges they face. Next to the heart is the Tsing Ma Bridge and the Hong Kong International Airport, landmarks symbolising Hong Kong as an international city. The logo illustrates the vigour, dynamism and resilience of the Hong Kong people in overcoming difficulties, while also showing our solidarity in building a better Hong Kong together.