Opinion | Hong Kong should give its art hub the funds it needs to succeed

Hong Kong’s Executive Council recently approved a proposal from the West Kowloon Cultural District to sell residential property rights. The objective was to cover the district’s operational deficit and capital expenses for the next decade.

Calls for heightened accountability, improved transparency and greater sensitivity and responsiveness to economic sustainability are most welcome. There nevertheless exists a fine line between minimising deadweight loss and positioning the district as a commercial entity that finances itself with a “sound business model”, as some have suggested.

As I visited the Louvre Abu Dhabi in June, I was struck by its ambition to “see humanity in a new light”. It sought to foster a cross-civilisational dialogue through its globally sourced exhibits, from 13th century France and 18th century Japan to ancient China and the works of Andy Warhol.

Similarly, if Hong Kong is to become a launching pad for Chinese soft power, it must showcase cultural diversity and value pluralism comprising both classical and contemporary arts of Asia and beyond. It must also critically shed light on how Chinese heritage can be situated and contextualised in the 21st century.

A hub that succeeds in so doing should be treated as a public good and a backbone to our city’s artistic and cultural infrastructure. Funding should not require budget cuts through pausing performances or reducing opening hours. Neither should its leadership feel forced to turn to real estate development to make ends meet.

For comparison, most British museums are funded by the UK government. In 2022-23, the British Museum received £47.8 million (US$62.7 million) revenue and £20 million capital grant-in-aid from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Even in the United States, where most museums are nominally self-funded, national endowments for the arts and humanities play a key role in supporting educational programmes for the public via cultural institutions.