Kevin Yeung visits Sichuan

Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Kevin Yeung, while visiting Sichuan today, attended the co-operation agreement signing ceremony on the gift of a pair of giant pandas from the central government to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

At the Dujiangyan Base of the China Conservation & Research Centre for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) this morning, the agreement was jointly signed by CCRCGP Party Committee Secretary and Deputy Director Lu Yongbin, and Hong Kong Ocean Park Chairman Paulo Pong.

The pact sets out the arrival arrangements of the giant pandas, as well as the collaboration between the two parties about the rearing and caring, breeding research and popular science education.

After arriving in Sichuan yesterday afternoon, Mr Yeung visited the Eastern Suburb Memory (ESM), a zone for cultural and creative industries in downtown Chengdu, to learn about its operation and development into an international stage for fashion and cultural industries.

Located in Chengdu’s Chenghua District and originally named Eastern Music Park, the ESM was built on the site of the former state-run Hongguang Electronic Tube Factory, and has now been turned into a multicultural zone for a variety of activities including music, arts, drama and photography.

Major attractions, such as the Industrial & Cultural Square, the Old Train Display and the World of Pandas, appeal to the younger generation interested in arts and culture.

Additionally, the Hong Kong SAR delegation attended a dinner hosted by the CCRCGP the night before.

Mr Yeung departed from Sichuan for Hong Kong this afternoon.