The Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Office under the Leisure & Cultural Services Department (LCSD) is staging the "Celebrating National Day - Auspicious Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Greater Bay Area" Exhibition at the Heritage Museum from today to March 31 next year. Admission is free.

The exhibition is being hosted to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and to tie in with the 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture & Arts Festival as well as the "Cultured Bay Area, Brilliant ICH-2024 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Intangible Cultural Heritage Show", the department said.

This is the first roving exhibition with the theme of ICH items in the bay area, with Hong Kong as the first stop, followed by Shenzhen and Macau.

Featuring auspicious animals that symbolise good fortune as the main theme, the exhibition showcases performing arts, traditional craftsmanship, festive events and other ICH items of the 11 bay area cities to visitors through interactive exhibits, graphic panels, video screenings and experiential activities.

Addressing the exhibition's opening ceremony today, Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Kevin Yeung said that President Xi Jinping has emphasised the importance of promoting cultural confidence and strength by enhancing the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage on the report to the 20th National Congress to promote the fine traditional Chinese culture.

He also noted that the bay area cities, which are mainly of Lingnan culture, have rich regional characteristics and form their own unique culture.

They own ICH items such as Cantonese opera and Canton music, which are important representatives of Chinese culture, giving a significant meaning in demonstrating and preserving the diversity and uniqueness of the fine traditional culture of the nation.

Mr Yeung pointed out that Hong Kong, with its attributes of diversity, openness and a mix of Eastern and Western cultures, will develop into an East-meets-West platform for international cultural exchange as advocated in the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for promoting traditional Chinese culture.

Hong Kong will also collaborate with other bay area cities to jointly shape and enrich the sense of humanity and enhance the cultural identity and cohesion of the region, he said.

The exhibition is presented by the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Department of Culture & Tourism of Guangdong Province and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Government of the Macao Special Administration Region; organised by the LCSD, the Division of Intangible Cultural Heritage from the Department of Culture & Tourism of Guangdong Province and the Macao Museum; curated by the ICH Office and the Culture, Media, Tourism & Sports Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, with the support of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR.