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Media and Communications
Orchestra in Toulouse and Brussels, and by the Hong Kong Festival Youth Wind Orchestra in Barcelona.
The excellence of Hong Kong films was showcased at festivals in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Florence, Salento, Sitges, Thessaloniki, Vic, Paris and Udine, the last two presenting the retrospective 'Creative Visions: Hong Kong Cinema 1997-2017.
The Brussels office was also the title sponsor of Hong Kong's dragon boat competitions in Antwerp and Dublin, featuring performances by S/L/A/S/H of the Hong Kong Rope Skipping Academy.
In 2017, the London ETO organised eight visits by HKSAR Government principal officials to countries under its purview, including a visit to the UK by the new Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.
The London office organised and supported various cultural and business events to celebrate Hong Kong's 20th anniversary. These included gala dinners, receptions, business seminars, film festivals, music, theatre and dance performances, a fashion show and art exhibitions across the countries under its purview; as well as a Dragon Boat Festival in London. It took part in the London Lord Mayor's Show. In addition, for the sixth time it held a competition to encourage UK students to study in Hong Kong.
During the year, the Berlin ETO celebrated the HKSAR's 20th anniversary in Central and Eastern Europe. The activities organised included the 'Constructing Culture' exhibition, about the West Kowloon Cultural District project, at Berlin's international architectural forum Aedes; another exhibition at the Communications Museum of Berlin, entitled 'Let's Play Ping Pong!, featuring the works of young Hong Kong comic artists; a new Cantonese version of William Shakespeare's Macbeth performed by Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio in Berlin, Vienna and Warsaw; gala events in Berlin, Budapest and Geneva showcasing Hong Kong cuisines prepared by the Chinese Culinary Institute; and screenings of Hong Kong films at film festivals in Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Switzerland.
To promote opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative, the Berlin office and the Law Society of Hong Kong jointly presented the strengths of Hong Kong's professional services in Hungary and Poland.
North America
In 2017, the ETO in Washington, DC, organised the visit of the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan Mo-po, including a conference and luncheon co-organised with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to mark the HKSAR's 20th anniversary.
A black-tie gala dinner was hosted as part of the anniversary celebrations, featuring performances by tenor Warren Mok and the International Chamber Orchestra of America.
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