Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Warner Cheuk Wing-hing (center) attends the launching ceremony of the Hong Kong City Chinese Orchestra's grand tour project in the Greater Bay Area at the Royal Garden Orchid Room in Tsim Sha Tsui on Aug 1, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY

The Hong Kong City Chinese Orchestra will bring classic ethnic orchestral works to audiences in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with a grand tour and a series of exchange activities in the coming year.

Four large-scale concerts and three academic seminars will be held in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Macao. The concerts in Hong Kong and Shenzhen will be in September and December respectively. Over 100 people will be directly involved in the concert performance and various related activities.

Several famous orchestral works with Chinese characteristics will be performed at the concerts, including the orchestral Song of Bliss, which was composed to celebrate the return of Hong Kong to the motherland

Several famous orchestral works with Chinese characteristics will be performed at the concerts, including the orchestral Song of Bliss, which was composed to celebrate the return of Hong Kong to the motherland; the erhu concerto Xin Qiji, which depicts the heroic life story of the eponymous Chinese poet; and the dizi concerto Legend of the White Snake, which is about the folk love story between a man and a snake spirit.

ALSO READ: Japan echoes traditional tunes with artists from HK orchestra

Supported by the China National Arts Fund, the project involves 16 activities, which will also include youth exchange seminars and youth workshops.

Ching Sau-wing, artistic director of the Hong Kong City Chinese Orchestra, delivers a speech after the launching ceremony of the orchestra's grand tour project in the Greater Bay Area at the Royal Garden Orchid Room in Tsim Sha Tsui on Aug 1, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

During the launching ceremony on Tuesday, Ching Sau-wing, artistic director of the Hong Kong City Chinese Orchestra, said that since the mid-1970s, the Chinese orchestra has developed in Hong Kong. A group of visionary and open-minded composers, as well as outstanding Chinese music works, have emerged in the city.

“These works depict Chinese stories and embody the deep-rooted patriotic sentiments of the Hong Kong people. They also encapsulate the values represented by traditional Chinese culture, becoming an inseparable part of Chinese musical culture,” Ching said.

Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Warner Cheuk Wing-hing delivers a speech at the launching ceremony of the Hong Kong City Chinese Orchestra's grand tour project in the Greater Bay Area at the Royal Garden Orchid Room in Tsim Sha Tsui on Aug 1, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

The purpose of these activity tours is to revive the brilliance of these classic works from Hong Kong on stage, as well as to promote exchange among the music industry professionals in the Greater Bay Area and foster cultural integration among the public in different cities, he said.

Warner Cheuk Wing-hing, deputy chief secretary for administration, emphasized that the National Arts Fund has shown the country’s great support for the development of arts in Hong Kong

READ MORE: Stirring notes

The Hong Kong City Chinese Orchestra was established in 1994 to promote Chinese culture and the development of the Chinese orchestra in Hong Kong. The 2023 China National Arts Fund funded 10 Hong Kong projects, including the one organized by the Hong Kong City Chinese Orchestra.