How to put Hong Kong on global cultural map and drive arts tourism: star cellist’s tips
- Fostering cross-cultural collaboration and giving young musicians more performance opportunities among Trey Lee’s tips to drive arts tourism
From the “Chubby Hearts Hong Kong” balloons that rose over Hong Kong on Valentine’s Day to TeamLab’s multicoloured egg-like structures that stretched across Tamar Park from March to June, it is clear that the government is hoping to reinvigorate the city and its tourism sector through arts and culture, following a slump of activity over the last few years.
But such campaigns have met with mixed reactions. Some have hailed their success in attracting visitors, while others have chastised the government for wasting public cash and lacking transparency during funding processes.
Hong Kong-born cellist Trey Lee Chui-yee has some ideas for what might help draw tourists and grow Hong Kong’s presence on the global cultural map.
First is cross-cultural collaboration. When Lee co-founded Musicus Society – an organisation that focuses on bringing together Hong Kong and international artists – with his sister Lee Chui-inn in 2010, he discovered the twofold benefits of such collaboration: it could help elevate the skills of Hong Kong musicians while showcasing their talent to international musicians.
“I saw a lot of young people here [in Hong Kong], like myself, studying classical music, but not everyone could go further and make a career of it,” he says, noting the lack of opportunities for young artists to collaborate with world-class musicians on stage and make professional connections with renowned soloists.
