Chief Executive Carrie Lam today met Palace Museum Director Wang Xudong, who is visiting Hong Kong to learn more about the city’s latest developments in arts and culture.

Mrs Lam was accompanied at Government House by Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah.

The Chief Executive welcomed Mr Wang’s visit to Hong Kong at her invitation shortly after he assumed office in April.

She also thanked the Palace Museum for arranging a number of large-scale exhibitions in Hong Kong in the past and its staunch support for the establishment of the Hong Kong Palace Museum so that valuable artefacts from the Palace Museum can be displayed for long periods in the city.

The Palace Museum, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, has also organised the Beijing Palace Museum Conservation Internship Programme each summer since 2017.

The programme, which helps broaden participants’ horizons and enrich their knowledge of heritage conservation and appreciation, has been well received by young people in Hong Kong.

Mrs Lam expressed the hope to explore further collaboration to enhance Hong Kong people’s understanding of Chinese arts and culture.

After the meeting, Mrs Lam witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding under which timber seized by the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department during anti-smuggling operations will be donated to the Palace Museum for repairing and restoring cultural relics and historic buildings.

The pact was signed by Director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Leung Siu-fai and Mr Wang.

West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Board Chairman Henry Tang, and Jockey Club Board of Stewards Chairman Anthony Chow attended the lunch that followed the meeting.