The Hong Kong Palace Museum has launched the fifth edition of its flagship Bi-city Youth Cultural Leadership Program, bringing together 22 university students from Beijing and Hong Kong for an eight-week learning and exchange initiative focused on cultural heritage, innovation and urban development.
Sponsored by Swire Properties, with support from the Palace Museum and the Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Beijing, the program aims to cultivate future cultural leaders through cross-city exchanges, internships and hands-on learning.
The program opened on Friday at the Palace Museum in Beijing, where participants met museum officials, government representatives, corporate partners and alumni. This year's cohort also includes overseas students from Japan and the Republic of Korea, adding an international dimension to the exchanges.
Wang Yuegong, deputy director of the Palace Museum, said the program reflects the close partnership between the Palace Museum and the Hong Kong Palace Museum in nurturing young cultural talent. "By immersing themselves in real-world cultural settings, students can explore the contemporary transformation of Chinese traditions from diverse perspectives," he said.
Dr Louis Ng, director of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, said the program connects young people in Beijing and Hong Kong while cultivating future cultural leaders. "We hope to nurture cultural talents with both global vision and strong local roots," he said.
Held under the theme "Culture in the Making", the program encourages students to examine how cultural spaces contribute to vibrant and sustainable cities. Since its launch in 2022, the initiative has engaged nearly 170 university and tertiary students from Beijing and Hong Kong.
During the program, participants will visit major cultural landmarks in Beijing, Guangzhou in Guangdong province and Hong Kong. A four-week internship in Hong Kong will place students at leading cultural institutions, where they will gain practical experience in arts administration, exhibition planning and cultural venue operations.
New to this year's program is the Innovation Studio, which focuses on content and intellectual property creation, cultural product development and visitor experience design. Students will work in multidisciplinary teams to develop creative proposals addressing real-world cultural challenges.
The program will conclude in late August with an Ideas Market in Hong Kong, where participants will present their projects through exhibitions, prototypes and interactive displays, showcasing how their observations and research have been transformed into innovative cultural concepts.
