Animation-Comic-Game Hong Kong

Animation-Comic-Game Hong Kong is an material-entertainment fair and book fair focusing on animations, comics and games in Hong Kong. It is held annually at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre usually around August, selling comic books and comic-related / animation-related / game-related products. In recent years, categories of products and services in ACGHK have been extending.

History

The fair was previously called Hong Kong Comics Festival . In 2004, The convention was sponsored by , and was called the 2004 Animax Summer FUNtasy.

Since 2006, Hong Kong Comics Festival had been renamed as Ani-Com Hong Kong and was held with Hong Kong Game Fair together. Then they were merged as ACGHK since 2008.

Events and Conventions

Other than comics, there are shows, cosplay and dancing competitions during the festival. The annual Hong Kong Game Fair is held in conjunction with the comics festival. Companies such as Microsoft's XBOX have large kiosks and displays in the show, as well as the Samsung Game Girl competition, in which 11 girls compete for the Game Girl title. This competition is not so much based on their gaming ability, but rather on their looks.

For 2007, the convention was held on July 27 - 31 at the HKCEC. This was the 9th year of the convention. The estimated attendance was over 500,000 visitors. The convention also took place in Guangzhou, China from October 3-7, 2007.

Lunar New Year Fair

Lunar New Year Fair is a type of fair held annually a few days before Lunar New Year in Hong Kong. The fair is held in various location in Hong Kong, notably and Fa Hui Park. Fair gathers hundreds of stalls for various goods. Half of the area is for selling auspicious flowering plants like , peony, chrysanthemum, peach and fruit plants like . Another half is for selling dry stuff for Chinese New Year.

The fair draws lots of people to visit. It is part of custom, ''hang nin siu'' or ''hang fa shi'' . The crowd peaks at a few hours before and after midnight of the New Year's Day. The stall tenders would try to sell all their stocks in these few hours before the fair closes. Flower stall tenders would not take the flowers back when the fair closes but destroy it or leave it to charity organisations.

In 2000s increasingly youths from various youth organisations, secondary schools and universities operate stalls their own.

In 2007, students from various schools set up stalls to sell many special products which are related to pig, for example Pig Tissue Holder, Fatty Pork Chop Scarf, etc.

In tradition, the Governor of Hong Kong visited the fair annually, usually in Victoria Park. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong continues this tradition.

Location

At the time of 2006, it was held in:
* , Causeway Bay
* Fa Hui Park, Sham Shui Po
* Cheung Sha Wan Playground, Sham Shui Po
* Kai Tak East Playground, Wong Tai Sin
* Kwun Tong Recreation Ground, Kwun Tong
* Sha Tsui Road Playground, Tsuen Wan
* Kwai Chung Sports Ground, Kwai Tsing
* Shek Pai Tau Playground, Tuen Mun
* Pedestrian Mall Opposite Yuen Long Public Swimming Pool and On Hing Playground, Yuen Long
* Shek Wu Hui Playground, North District
* Tin Hau Temple Fung Shui Square, Tai Po
* Yuen Wo Playground, Sha Tin
* Man Yee Playground, Sai Kung
* Po Hong Park, Tseung Kwan O

At the time of 2007, it was held in:
* Victoria Park on Hong Kong Island
* Fa Hui Park, Cheung Sha Wan Playground, Morse Park and Kwun Tong Recreation Ground in Kowloon
* Sha Tsui Road Playground in Tsuen Wan
* Kwai Chung Sports Ground
* the open space at the Tin Hau Temple in Tuen Mun
* Tung Tau Industrial Area Playground in Yuen Long
* Shek Wu Hui Playground in North District
* Tin Hau Temple Fung Shui Square in Tai Po
* Yuen Wo Playground in Sha Tin
* Man Yee Playground in Sai Kung
* Po Hong Park in Tseung Kwan O

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day is celebrated every 1 July in Hong Kong since 1997. The holiday commemorates the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The day is customarily marked by an officially organised extravagant fireworks display in the evening, and is also the platform for political rallies demanding universal suffrage.

Current festivities

Protest marches

On July 1 of each year since the 1997 handover, a march is led by the Civil Human Rights Front. It has become the annual platform for demanding universal suffrage, calling for observance and preservation civil liberties such as , venting dissatisfaction with the Hong Kong Government or the Chief Executive, rallying against actions of the Pro-Beijing camp.

However, it was only in 2003 when it drew large public attention by opposing the bill to enact the Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23. Most notably, in 2003, the HKSAR Government proposed to implement Article 23 of the Basic Law. However, fears that by legislating against acts such as treason, , secession and sedition, the legislation would infringe human rights by adopting the mainland's concept of "national security" into the HKSAR. Together with the general dissatisfaction with the Tung administration, about 500,000 people participated in this protest. Article 23 enactment was "temporarily suspended"

History

Colonial history

Hong Kong's territory was acquired by United Kingdom from China through three separate treaties: the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, the Treaty of Beijing in 1860, and The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory in 1898, which gave the UK the control of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon , and the New Territories , respectively. Although Hong Kong Island and Kowloon had been ceded to the United Kingdom in perpetuity, the control on the New Territories was a 99-year lease.

Sino-British Joint Declaration

The Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed by the Prime Ministers of the People's Republic of China and the United Kingdom governments on December 19, 1984 in Beijing. The Declaration entered into force with the exchange of instruments of ratification on May 27, 1985. In the Joint Declaration, the PRC Government stated that it had decided to resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong with effect from July 1, 1997, and the UK Government declared that it would restore Hong Kong to the PRC with effect from July 1, 1997. In the document the PRC Government also declared its basic policies regarding Hong Kong.

In accordance with the "One country, two systems" principle agreed between the UK and the PRC, Hong Kong would become a special administrative region where the would not be practised, and Hong Kong's system and its way of life would remain unchanged for a period of 50 years from the date of handover.

Origins of the holiday, controversy

The day was made into a holiday by the Provisional Legislative Council on 10 May 1997 when it passed the Holidays Bill, its first bill.

The under the colonial government adopted the Public Holiday Bill on 17 June 1997 by 27 votes to nine, with the abstaining. The government tabled the bill for first reading in Legco in April 1997, two weeks after the provisional legislature had completed the first and second readings of its own holidays bill. The government was fiercely criticised by provisional legislature members who said it was a political tactic to embarrass the interim body.

Hong Kong International Film Festival

The Hong Kong International Film Festival is an annual event first held in 1977.

The 30th Hong Kong International Film Festival was held from April 4 to April 19 2006.

The Hong Kong International Film Festival is one of Asia’s most reputable platforms for filmmakers, film professionals and filmgoers from all over the world to launch new works and experience outstanding cinema. Established in 1977, the 16-day event showcases over 200 new films and several retrospective programmes.

Challenges of Privitization

Previously operated by Urban Council and Leisure and Cultural Services Department from 1977 to 2001, and Hong Kong Arts Development Council from 2001 to 2004 respectively, HKIFF is officially corporatized as an independent, charitable organization – Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Limited after completing its 28th edition. The Hong Kong Government has continued to subsidize the festival through venue provision and funding for up to 7 million Hong Kong dollars.

The interests of the sponsors have played into the programming, changing the marketing and packaging of films. Using Hong Kong’s premiere actor Andy Lau as the festival spokesman was one of those adaptations. The committee also has to accommodate sponsors who favor films that provide red carpet opportunities, bringing in film stars to publicize their brands. While this may influence the festival to include films that are more "popular," the festival continues to showcase challenging and esoteric works.

The festival now has to spend more time working on branding, public relations and media placement, but film festivals worldwide are facing this problem. If the festival chooses to be only a highbrow high culture event, it would not be able to survive.

Funding Breakdown

Source Percentage

HKADC 32%

LCSD 18%

Commercial sponsors 30%

Ticket sales 20%




The operational cost, budget and scale have increased in the last two years. The HKADC subsidizes $7 million in seasonal intervals, making up 32% of the total funding. Over 30% comes from commercial sponsorship, 20% from ticket sales and the rest from the LCSD. The LCSD subsidizes the HKIFF indirectly by providing screening or event venues for free or at a reduced price, rather than cutting a check to the HKIFF.

Dodging Chinese Censorship

In 2002 or 2003, a legitimate film in the HKIFF program was retracted because a banned film was shown alongside it. Filmmakers worried that being in the league of banned films might offend the authorities. But it was the country title of “China” printed in the program notes that the Chinese Government had contested, not the film itself.

In the mainland, a film that has not received documentation is unauthorized, and therefore does not officially exist. Labeling such a film as “from China” offends the Chinese Government.

When the HKIFF ran these films, the Chinese government would retract them. They would blame it on the improper procedures taken by HKIFF but say nothing of the film content. The HKIFF has found a way to go around this.

Unauthorized films can still be part of the HKIFF program, thanks to creative classification. Since the 2003 incident, the HKIFF no longer classified Chinese language films by their countries of origin. They began to label mainland Chinese films “Putonghua”, Taiwanese films “Mandarin” and Singaporean films “Mandarin” They have had no trouble since.

Hong Kong Book Fair

The Hong Kong Book Fair is a fair organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, held annually at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, selling and exhibiting books, printed matter, stationery, printing, compact discs and other multimedia publishing.

Although the fair was originally intended to promote the international book trade, it has become more of a local temporary market for Hong Kong people to buy books at concessionary prices. Books are on sale in several different languages, including , and , and self study teaching books for other languages.

Books on sale included , fiction, jokes, prose, reference books, dictionaries, cookbooks, etc. There were formerly also comic books, but this section became so popular that a separate Hong Kong Comics Festival was launched.

Hong Kong Arts Festival

Hong Kong Arts Festival, founded in 1973, is a focus programmes for the Culture of Hong Kong, in order to provides a wide range of art programmes from all over the world.

HKAF has become an important symbol for the Hong Kong Culture, since an art lover called Charles Hardy broached the idea with Sir Kenneth Fung Ping-fan and Sir Run Run Shaw , which thought that Hong Kong should have a festival to promote the performing arts. The festival has introduced many exciting programmes - both internationally and locally produced - to the people of Hong Kong, stimulating their interest in the arts and raising their levels of appreciation. Every February and March, people flock to the Festival's programmes and exhibitions at venues that tange from large performing halls to intimate theatre spaces.

There have more choice for the Hong Kong Arts Festival, which included the Classical Music/Chinese Music, World Music, Western Opera, Chinese Opera, Drama, Dance and Family Choice to the Art lovers. Many foreign performers and groups had been joined for the previous festivals, including Wiener Philharmoniker, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Paris Opera Ballet, New Japan Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Shanghai Kunqu Theatre, Yo-Yo Ma and José Carreras. There also have each one concert by Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and Hong Kong Sinfonietta during the festival period. In addition to the general performances, the festival also provides the commissioning performances, which includes the affiliates with both local and foreign groups, in order to broaden the view of the audiences.

The Hong Kong Arts Festival is made possible, with the funding support of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the HKSAR Government. However, the ticket sales , and the generous grants from major companies, institutions & individuals will also be included. To provide more ways to make the donation, the "Patron's Club", "Student Ticket Scheme" and "New Works Scheme" are also provided.

In order to promote the Hong Kong Arts Festival, two membership series -- "Festival Friends" and "Young Friends Scheme" are also provided. To enhance the arts knowledge for the public, there also have "Festival Plus" during the festival period.

There are one important things to know - The news of next year's performances will be announced in August every year, in festival's website . The advanced booking starts in the end of October until early December, after such period, the box office will be opened to the public.

Membership list

*Patron: Chief Executive, Donald Tsang
*Honorary Life President: Run Run Shaw CBE

Executive Committee

*Chairman: Charles Y K Lee
*Honorary Treasurer: Billy Li

*Members: Wayne Leung, Peter Thompson, Allan Zeman, Mariana Cheng, Clara Weatherall, Ronald Arculli, Teresa Hong, David Gwilt, Daniel Ng, David Eldon

Programme sponsors

* Since the 1970s: British American Tobacco Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Airways, Exxon Mobil Companies in Hong Kong, , The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, IBM China/Hong Kong Ltd, Standard Chartered Bank Ltd

* Since the 1980s: , Philips Morris Asia Ltd.

* Since the 1990s: Dr Stanley Ho, , Shun Hing Group, TIME, Sir Edward Youde Memorial Found

* Since the 2000s: BNP Paribas, CITIC Pacific Ltd, Credit Suisse, Hopewell Holdings Ltd, , , Morgan Stanley, Sino Group, , , ,

HK International Comedy Festival

The HK International Comedy Festival is an annual comedy festival in Hong Kong.

Founded by The TakeOut Comedy Club Hong Kong in 2007 for English and Cantonese-speaking comedians resident in Hong Kong, the festival has expanded to include comedians from all over the world. There are separate English and Chinese language competitions. The festival also includes a night featuring improvisational comedy.

In 2007, Vivek Mahbubani won the Cantonese competition and Tom Schmidt won the English competition. The finals of the festival was hosted by Paul Ogata.

The 2008 edition will take place from October 9 - 18, 2008. The finals of the 2008 festival will be hosted by Tom Cotter.