Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Kevin Yeung has appointed Chinese contemporary artist Xu Bing as Ambassador for Cultural Promotion for about five years starting today. 
　

As Ambassador for Cultural Promotion, Mr Xu will initiate a series of large-scale art projects in Hong Kong and nurture young talent to promote cultural development.

The Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau said the appointment aims to extend the Ambassador for Cultural Promotion scheme to other fields of arts, after Chinese composer, musician and conductor Tan Dun became Hong Kong’s first Ambassador for Cultural Promotion last year.

Speaking at the appointment ceremony today, Mr Yeung said Mr Xu is widely recognised as one of the most innovative and influential Chinese contemporary artists.

The culture chief added that the Museum of Art collected one of Mr Xu's most well-known works A Book from the Sky, which contains both traditional and contemporary elements, just like Hong Kong, which is a fascinating blend of Eastern and Western cultures, crossing cultural boundaries with unique features.

Mr Yeung expressed hope that Mr Xu's extensive global network as well as his experience in teaching and cultural exchanges, would facilitate local young art talent to participate in internships or art exchange programmes on the Mainland or abroad and broaden their horizons, adding that his artistry and pioneering spirit would be a guiding force to local young artists and help inspire their creativity, thus showcasing Hong Kong's soft power and telling good stories of China and the city.

For his part, Mr Xu highlighted the significance of the East-meets-West cultural blend in the city, which strongly resonated with his own artistic philosophy and expressed his commitment to using the power of art to capture the essence of Hong Kong's distinctive qualities in refreshing and innovative ways.

Through future collaborations and upcoming art projects, he aims to nurture the next generation of artists, encourage cultural exchanges and create opportunities for young artists.