Over 100 renowned stars celebrate 26th anniversary of HK's return

Over 100 renowned filmmakers, musicians, and social dignitaries from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan gathered in Hong Kong on Thursday night to present a magnificent celebration of art, in honor of the 26th anniversary of the city's return to the motherland.

The event venue, AsiaWorld-Expo, was filled with excitement as the Greater Bay Area Film Concert 2023, titled "A Full Moon Rising above the Greater Bay Area," kicked off at 7:30 pm with a dragon dance and drumming performance.

Well-known artists appeared one after another and performed over 50 songs related to Chinese culture, classic Hong Kong movies and classic TV series to showcase the accomplishments of Hong Kong's film and television industry, the fruitful results of the "one country, two systems" and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,.

Movie directors Wu Jing and Su Youpeng were among the hosts of the event, which featured a star-studded lineup including movie veteran Jackie Chan, Hong Kong singers Lee Hak Kan and Ku Kuikei, Hong Kong actors Cheung Pakchi and Lau Tak-wah, Taiwanese singers Wu Si-kai and Zhao Chuan, and mainland Chinese singers Li Yuchun, Hua Chenyu, Tan Weiwei, and Zhou Shen, all of whom delivered fantastic performances.

Interspersed between the singing, the interactive roundtable sessions invited leading figures from different sectors to offer their best wishes for the prosperity of Hong Kong, the development of the GBA and the development of the country. Among them were renowned mainland film actor Huang Bo, Hong Kong singer Liza Wang Ming-chun, lawmaker Fok Kai-kong, and Director of the Hong Kong Palace Museum of Culture Wu Zhihua.

Hong Kong youth singer Gigi Yim Ming-hay was one of the performers and she said that she is delighted to perform at the Hong Kong main venue with over a hundred artists, hoping every one can enjoy their time in the city.

In her opinion, music can express different emotions and it is a good way to help people gather strength. In particular, Hong Kong music represents a lot of people's youth and memories, making it a great approach to tell Hong Kong stories.

Citing lyrics of classic song "Pearl of the Orient", Yim hopes that Hong Kong and the rest of the nation can continue to prosper and thrive, enjoying a even brighter future.

At the venue, the auditorium was completely packed with a buzzing crowd, and as the performers took to the stage, the audience erupted in enthusiastic applause, filling the space with thunderous cheers and claps. Meanwhile, the concert was also being broadcast live on several television stations and new media platforms, attracting countless viewers to watch it online.

Zhou Jianhua, director and editor-in-chief of Joint Publishing(H.K.) Co., Ltd, was among those who travelled to the venue to enjoy the performance. He was deeply impressed by Tsui Siu-fung's performance. As a Cantopop singer in Hong Kong, Siu is a symbol and icon of a generation, with a career spanning over 50 years.

Chinese culture is profoundly rich with a long and storied history, and this has been beautifully incorporated into Chinese film and music, Zhou said.

"I was deeply moved when I watched the classic film scenes and listened to the soulful songs", Zhou said.

Zhou said that he wished the country and Hong Kong the best, hoping for a prosperous and harmonious development of the Greater Bay Area.

The concert was organized by the China Movie Channel Programme Centre, Bauhinia Culture Group Co., Ltd, and Phoenix Television, with Television Broadcasts Limited and Shenzhen Media Group as co-hosts and Emperor Entertainment Group Limited as the supporting organizer.

Micheal Wong contributed to this story

oasishu@chinadaily.com.cn