58-624: The West Kowloon Cultural District ( WKCD , Chinese : 西九文化區 ) is a large arts development in Hong Kong. Designed and planned by Foster and Partners , the district comprises 40 hectares (99 acres) with 17 venues. Major establishments include Xiqu Centre for Chinese opera, the Freespace Centre for contemporary performance, the M+ Museum , and the Hong Kong Palace Museum . As of 2023,
116-613: A 250-seat studio theatre. A Resident Company Centre and extensive rehearsal facilities will be situated in the complex as well. The centre will include two Black Boxes . On 23 December 2016, Carrie Lam, then chair of the WKCDA, announced in Beijing that a new Hong Kong Palace Museum would be built on the southern part of the land originally slated for the Mega Performance Venue and Exhibition Centre. Occupying around 10,000 square metres,
174-503: A certain extent in South Korea , remain virtually identical to traditional characters, with variations between the two forms largely stylistic. There has historically been a debate on traditional and simplified Chinese characters . Because the simplifications are fairly systematic, it is possible to convert computer-encoded characters between the two sets, with the main issue being ambiguities in simplified representations resulting from
232-545: A large concert hall, offices, and a hotel, while the former warehouse is used as a parking structure. The inaugural concert was held in January 2017. Source: There have been a lot of discussions about whether Herzog & de Meuron has a specific style. Even though people have tried to describe an 'H&dM style', the office always declines to have one: In an interview, founding partner Jacques Herzog stated that Herzog & de Meuron "never aspired to anything that might be called
290-401: A raised podium and space for presenting Chinese traditional theatre. The eight-storey building has a total area of 28,164 sq m and houses a Grand Theatre, accommodating 1,075 seats, a Tea House Theatre, with a capacity of up to 200 seats, eight professional studios and a seminar hall, all specially designed for different types of xiqu-related functions and activities. A unique feature of the venue
348-510: A term of three years. Traditional Chinese characters Traditional Chinese characters are a standard set of Chinese character forms used to write Chinese languages . In Taiwan , the set of traditional characters is regulated by the Ministry of Education and standardized in the Standard Form of National Characters . These forms were predominant in written Chinese until the middle of
406-542: A typical style of our own. […] To this day, we do not want to [design a series] of iconic buildings that would instantly communicate "Herzog & de Meuron" – as opposed to the new, specific location that can be created and communicated by a building. In that respect it's not wise to represent a style or a certain taste. We say that over and over again not out of modesty or to castigate ourselves but because we want to maintain our independence and because we are curious about new possibilities." Their recent work at Prada Tokyo,
464-798: Is 産 (also the accepted form in Japan and Korea), while in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan the accepted form is 產 (also the accepted form in Vietnamese chữ Nôm ). The PRC tends to print material intended for people in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and overseas Chinese in traditional characters. For example, versions of the People's Daily are printed in traditional characters, and both People's Daily and Xinhua have traditional character versions of their website available, using Big5 encoding. Mainland companies selling products in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan use traditional characters in order to communicate with consumers;
522-455: Is a highly flexible space fully adaptable for small- to medium-sized performances of experimental theatre, dance, parkour multimedia shows and music events, as well as exhibitions. Freespace Livehouse is a small bar and performance space presenting music from Hong Kong and around the world, also hosting workshops, film screenings and cultural events, and free outdoor music in the Art Park. Freespace
580-447: Is hard put to think of any architects in history that have addressed the integument of architecture with greater imagination and virtuosity", in reference to HdM's use of exterior materials and treatments, such as silkscreened glass. Architecture critic and Pritzker juror Ada Louise Huxtable summarized HdM's approach stating, "They refine the traditions of modernism to elemental simplicity while transforming materials and surfaces through
638-594: Is the location of the Grand Theatre at the top of the building, which allows for the large open atrium below. It was designed by Revery Architecture (formerly Bing Thom Architects ) and Ronald Lu & Partners and opened in January 2019. Freespace, a centre for contemporary performance, has the largest blackbox theatre in Hong Kong, accommodating up to 900 people, as well as other multi-purpose venues designed for creative exchanges, exhibitions and workshops, as well as professional and private meetings and gatherings. up to
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#1732849064130696-603: Is within walking distance of Tsim Sha Tsui (TST), a popular tourist area, and of the Kowloon Station and West Kowloon Terminus complex, which is connected to the Elements commercial centre and national high-speed rail network . The West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre was built at the junction of Canton Road and Austin Road West (the present site of Xiqu Centre) in January 2012. It was the first cultural event organised by WKCDA to mark
754-483: The Chinese Commercial News , World News , and United Daily News all use traditional characters, as do some Hong Kong–based magazines such as Yazhou Zhoukan . The Philippine Chinese Daily uses simplified characters. DVDs are usually subtitled using traditional characters, influenced by media from Taiwan as well as by the two countries sharing the same DVD region , 3. With most having immigrated to
812-545: The Barcelona Forum Building , and the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympic Games suggest a changing attitude. The shapes and forms of some of the works suggest art glass and objects d'art that one would see on a coffee table, like an art deco ashtray or quirky container for chocolates – a building becomes a blown-up version of desk art because the computer can do it, mimic the plasticity of
870-601: The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) conducted a survey of visiting tourists, who cited a lack of cultural attractions. The HKTB proposed to LegCo in 1998 that new venues for the arts and cultural events be established. In his 1998 Policy Address, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa proposed the establishment of the West Kowloon Cultural District, endeavouring to develop Hong Kong as a cultural hub for Asia. In April 2001, an international design competition
928-537: The Kensiu language . Herzog %26 de Meuron Herzog & de Meuron Basel Ltd. is a Swiss architecture firm headquartered in Basel (Switzerland), founded by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. In addition to their architectural practice, Herzog and de Meuron served as professors at ETH Zürich from 1999 to 2018, where they co-founded ETH Studio Basel in 1999 alongside architects Roger Diener and Marcel Meili within
986-622: The Shanghainese -language character U+20C8E 𠲎 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-20C8E —a composition of 伐 with the ⼝ 'MOUTH' radical—used instead of the Standard Chinese 嗎 ; 吗 . Typefaces often use the initialism TC to signify the use of traditional Chinese characters, as well as SC for simplified Chinese characters . In addition, the Noto, Italy family of typefaces, for example, also provides separate fonts for
1044-622: The Southbank Centre , was appointed CEO of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority by Tang. Lynch resigned in 2015, citing family reasons, and was replaced by Duncan Pescod . A popular figure, Pescod was forced to resign from the WKCDA in 2020, not long before his term was due to end. Longtime bureaucrat Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee was subsequently appointed to the post in June 2021, assuming her duties on 15 October 2021 for
1102-693: The Town Planning Board , which subsequently gave the go-ahead by the end of next year. The WKCD Authority was established under the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Ordinance, Cap 601 to develop the West Kowloon Cultural district. It came into action on 11 July 2008. The authority is made up of a board, committees and executive board directors. A board of directors was appointed in October 2008. Its chairman
1160-491: The 20th century, when various countries that use Chinese characters began standardizing simplified sets of characters, often with characters that existed before as well-known variants of the predominant forms. Simplified characters as codified by the People's Republic of China are predominantly used in mainland China , Malaysia, and Singapore. "Traditional" as such is a retronym applied to non-simplified character sets in
1218-598: The 25th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong. The MPV was planned as a performance venue with 15,000 seats. The board of the WKCDA, however, decided not to use the current Nursery Park as the site for the MPV. As of 2021, the Authority was presently considering developing the northern part of the coastal land as a medium-sized multipurpose venue for exhibitions, conventions and performances through privately financed initiatives. Batch 3 will also accommodate additional projects under
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#17328490641301276-670: The Core Arts and Cultural Facilities (CACF) of WKCD in April 2006 and the committee was scheduled to last until June 2007. It re-examined and re-confirmed the need for the CACF as defined in the Invitation for Proposals issued in September 2003. A Stage 1 Public Engagement Exercise was conducted from October 2009 to January 2010. Public forums and focus group meetings were held to understand the views and needs of
1334-702: The Lyric Theatre and other commercial structures are under construction. It is managed by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA). The wedge-shaped waterfront site was created from reclaimed land in the 1990s as part of the Airport Core Programme . It lies west of Yau Ma Tei in the Yau Tsim Mong District and is bounded by Canton Road in the east, the Western Harbour Crossing , Austin Road West, and Victoria Harbour . It
1392-483: The M+ Pavilion was used to provide exhibition space for M+ prior to the completion of the main museum building. It was inaugurated with the exhibition 'Nothing' by Hong Kong artist Tsang Kin-Wah in September 2016. It is now used a multi purpose space hosting various events and exhibitions. The park includes Freespace and The Lawn. Designed by Dennis Lau & Ng Chun Man Architects & Engineers with West 8 and ACLA,
1450-547: The People's Republic of China, traditional Chinese characters are standardised according to the Table of Comparison between Standard, Traditional and Variant Chinese Characters . Dictionaries published in mainland China generally show both simplified and their traditional counterparts. There are differences between the accepted traditional forms in mainland China and elsewhere, for example the accepted traditional form of 产 in mainland China
1508-571: The United States during the second half of the 19th century, Chinese Americans have long used traditional characters. When not providing both, US public notices and signs in Chinese are generally written in traditional characters, more often than in simplified characters. In the past, traditional Chinese was most often encoded on computers using the Big5 standard, which favored traditional characters. However,
1566-718: The department of architecture. They have also held teaching roles as visiting professors at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design , with Jacques Herzog serving as a visiting tutor at the Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning . Herzog & de Meuron was founded in Basel in 1978. In 2001, Herzog & de Meuron were awarded the Pritzker Prize , the highest honor in architecture. Jury chairman J. Carter Brown commented, "One
1624-431: The east via Museum Drive or via a pedestrian entrance close to the bus station, to the west of the toll booths. Bicycles are available for hire for riding along a short waterfront cycle track, which will be removed when the site is developed. The project has gone through multiple, well-publicised delays for nearly 20 years. The first phase opened in 2015, while the second phase is expected to be completed in 2026. In 1996,
1682-607: The exploration of new treatments and techniques." The firm was listed as "one of the most admired design companies in the world" in The New York Times Magazine in 2006." As part of the urban development project known as HafenCity, the Hamburg government approved the construction of the Elbe Philharmonic designed by Herzog & de Meuron. On a former warehouse in the port of Hamburg, rises a huge glass sail that houses
1740-438: The floor area of the new Palace Museum is estimated at 30,500 square metres, housing two exhibition galleries, activity rooms, a 400-seat lecture theatre, shops and restaurants. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust donated HK$ 3.5 billion for the design, construction and exhibition preparation works of the museum. Rocco Design Architects were commissioned to design the building. The museum opened on 3 July 2022 to commemorate
1798-836: The government established consultative committees to formulate a report on what facilities to offer and how they would be managed. In 2007, a three-month public consultation was carried out again, the early stages of which were completed in December 2007. In September 2003, the government announced an Invitation For Proposals for the Development of the district. While it required the provision of certain facilities, proponents were allowed considerable freedom, which meant that developers could sell residential and commercial space for profit. The requirements were: Three proposals, submitted by Dynamic Star International Limited, Sunny Development Limited and World City Culture Park Limited, were consulted on with
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1856-536: The government revised its cost estimates upwards, to over HK$ 29 billion. The WKCD's Stage 3 Public Engagement Exercise began in September 2011 at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre . The focal point of the exhibition was a giant 1:250 physical model of the hub. A digital 3D model, photo montages and panels displaying key information and features were also presented. The plan – with public consultation running until 30 October – eventually went to
1914-492: The interviewer, to which Jacques Herzog responded that the influence of the architect on the construction process is declining rapidly. On the other hand, some scholars, such as Deyan Sudjic , have stated that the very building of the stadium sent a signal from the Western architecture firm to the Chinese government to change societal norms. However, others have argued that this statement would go with any stadium design, decreasing
1972-493: The inverse is equally true as well. In digital media, many cultural phenomena imported from Hong Kong and Taiwan into mainland China, such as music videos, karaoke videos, subtitled movies, and subtitled dramas, use traditional Chinese characters. In Hong Kong and Macau , traditional characters were retained during the colonial period, while the mainland adopted simplified characters. Simplified characters are contemporaneously used to accommodate immigrants and tourists, often from
2030-512: The job. A recruitment exercise to replace Sheffield as CEO was subsequently launched, though the impact of these two top-level resignations worried critics. A member of the Legislative Council's home affairs panel, Tanya Chan , expressed fear at the time that candidates for the job could be deterred by the apparent problems with the project, ostensibly delaying the project until 2020. On 27 May 2011, Michael Lynch , former Chief Executive of
2088-596: The launch of the design and construction stage of the district. Bamboo theaters were once a staple for honouring and celebrating the Chinese sea goddess Tin Hau and Zhen Jun . The event, which was a combination of traditional Cantonese opera , contemporary visual art installations and film shows in collaboration with the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong and involved various renowned visual artists, attracted over 12,000 participants in 7 days. The Bamboo Theatre
2146-725: The mainland. The increasing use of simplified characters has led to concern among residents regarding protecting what they see as their local heritage. Taiwan has never adopted simplified characters. The use of simplified characters in government documents and educational settings is discouraged by the government of Taiwan. Nevertheless, with sufficient context simplified characters are likely to be successfully read by those used to traditional characters, especially given some previous exposure. Many simplified characters were previously variants that had long been in some use, with systematic stroke simplifications used in folk handwriting since antiquity. Traditional characters were recognized as
2204-682: The majority of Chinese text in mainland China are simplified characters , there is no legislation prohibiting the use of traditional Chinese characters, and often traditional Chinese characters remain in use for stylistic and commercial purposes, such as in shopfront displays and advertising. Traditional Chinese characters remain ubiquitous on buildings that predate the promulgation of the current simplification scheme, such as former government buildings, religious buildings, educational institutions, and historical monuments. Traditional Chinese characters continue to be used for ceremonial, cultural, scholarly/academic research, and artistic/decorative purposes. In
2262-462: The medium, and make it possible as a feat of engineering. Herzog & de Meuron have faced criticism for their vision for migrant workers in Beijing during the construction of the Beijing National Stadium . In a July 2008 interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel , Jacques Herzog was criticised for not having done more to ensure the conditions under which migrant workers constructed the stadium by
2320-975: The merging of previously distinct character forms. Many Chinese online newspapers allow users to switch between these character sets. Traditional characters are known by different names throughout the Chinese-speaking world. The government of Taiwan officially refers to traditional Chinese characters as 正體字 ; 正体字 ; zhèngtǐzì ; 'orthodox characters'. This term is also used outside Taiwan to distinguish standard characters, including both simplified, and traditional, from other variants and idiomatic characters . Users of traditional characters elsewhere, as well as those using simplified characters, call traditional characters 繁體字 ; 繁体字 ; fántǐzì ; 'complex characters', 老字 ; lǎozì ; 'old characters', or 全體字 ; 全体字 ; quántǐzì ; 'full characters' to distinguish them from simplified characters. Some argue that since traditional characters are often
2378-665: The official script in Singapore until 1969, when the government officially adopted Simplified characters. Traditional characters still are widely used in contexts such as in baby and corporation names, advertisements, decorations, official documents and in newspapers. The Chinese Filipino community continues to be one of the most conservative in Southeast Asia regarding simplification. Although major public universities teach in simplified characters, many well-established Chinese schools still use traditional characters. Publications such as
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2436-700: The original standard forms, they should not be called 'complex'. Conversely, there is a common objection to the description of traditional characters as 'standard', due to them not being used by a large population of Chinese speakers. Additionally, as the process of Chinese character creation often made many characters more elaborate over time, there is sometimes a hesitation to characterize them as 'traditional'. Some people refer to traditional characters as 'proper characters' ( 正字 ; zhèngzì or 正寫 ; zhèngxiě ) and to simplified characters as 簡筆字 ; 简笔字 ; jiǎnbǐzì ; 'simplified-stroke characters' or 減筆字 ; 减笔字 ; jiǎnbǐzì ; 'reduced-stroke characters', as
2494-610: The park was partially opened in 2017 and fully operational by 2018. Located on the eastern edge of the district, at the junction of Canton Road and Austin Road, the Xiqu Centre is directly accessible from Kowloon MTR Station , Austin MTR station and West Kowloon Terminus . The building was inspired by traditional Chinese lanterns. Stepping through the main entrance, shaped to resemble parted stage curtains, visitors are led directly into an atrium with
2552-467: The public from December 2004 to June 2005. The executive summary of the consultation report showed that the single-package development approach, the large canopy, government supervision of the district and the concept of the project itself were among most questioned in the open question section of the consultation form. The report noted there was fear that the project could evolve into an ordinary property development project, common in Hong Kong. Over half of
2610-624: The stakeholders and the public. Around 66 public engagement events were held. A Stage 2 Public Engagement Exercise followed, which sought to obtain feedback on the concept plans prepared by three planning teams, which incorporated public views learnt in Stage 1 into their conceptual plans. The three conceptual plans were unveiled on 20 August 2010 by the WKCDA: The Stage 2 Public Engagement exercise lasted three months and ran until November 2010. On 4 March 2011, Foster and Partners ' plan, City Park ,
2668-627: The traditional character set used in Taiwan ( TC ) and the set used in Hong Kong ( HK ). Most Chinese-language webpages now use Unicode for their text. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommends the use of the language tag zh-Hant to specify webpage content written with traditional characters. In the Japanese writing system , kyujitai are traditional forms, which were simplified to create shinjitai for standardized Japanese use following World War II. Kyūjitai are mostly congruent with
2726-970: The traditional characters in Chinese, save for minor stylistic variation. Characters that are not included in the jōyō kanji list are generally recommended to be printed in their traditional forms, with a few exceptions. Additionally, there are kokuji , which are kanji wholly created in Japan, rather than originally being borrowed from China. In the Korean writing system , hanja —replaced almost entirely by hangul in South Korea and totally replaced in North Korea —are mostly identical with their traditional counterparts, save minor stylistic variations. As with Japanese, there are autochthonous hanja, known as gukja . Traditional Chinese characters are also used by non-Chinese ethnic groups. The Maniq people living in Thailand and Malaysia use Chinese characters to write
2784-509: The ubiquitous Unicode standard gives equal weight to simplified and traditional Chinese characters, and has become by far the most popular encoding for Chinese-language text. There are various input method editors (IMEs) available for the input of Chinese characters . Many characters, often dialectical variants, are encoded in Unicode but cannot be inputted using certain IMEs, with one example being
2842-527: The wake of widespread use of simplified characters. Traditional characters are commonly used in Taiwan , Hong Kong , and Macau , as well as in most overseas Chinese communities outside of Southeast Asia. As for non-Chinese languages written using Chinese characters, Japanese kanji include many simplified characters known as shinjitai standardized after World War II, sometimes distinct from their simplified Chinese counterparts . Korean hanja , still used to
2900-571: The words for simplified and reduced are homophonous in Standard Chinese , both pronounced as jiǎn . The modern shapes of traditional Chinese characters first appeared with the emergence of the clerical script during the Han dynasty c. 200 BCE , with the sets of forms and norms more or less stable since the Southern and Northern dynasties period c. the 5th century . Although
2958-585: The working titles of Musical Theatre, Great Theatre, Music Centre, Medium Theatre, Xiqu Small Theatre and M+ Phase II. Some of these projects will require additional funding approvals and/or subject to review in the future by the WKCDA. Part of the district's site is still used as a temporary promenade, the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade , opened in 2005 and managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department . The promenade can be accessed from
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#17328490641303016-465: The written submissions were opposed to the canopy. As the government renewed conditions for the development, the shortlisted proponents failed to renew their proposals and Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan said the much-criticised giant canopy – a centrepiece of the winning design by Foster and Partners – would be scrapped. The government appointed members to the Consultative Committee on
3074-530: Was appointed in June 2009 but resigned for personal reasons less than two weeks after taking up the post. Project Director Augustine Ng Wah-keung subsequently led the project on a provisional basis. On 24 March 2010, Graham Sheffield , formerly artistic director of the Barbican Centre , was appointed CEO of the authority on a three-year, HK$ 3.5 million-a-year contract. However, on 7 January 2011, he, too, suddenly resigned for "health reasons," just five months into
3132-511: Was designed by Dennis Lau & Ng Chun Man Architects and Engineers (DLN) and opened in 2019. The M+ Museum has three major focuses: visual art, design and architecture, and the moving image. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron , the museum opened in November 2021. The Lyric Theatre Complex will be a major performing arts venue in the WKCD, comprising a 1,450-seat theatre, a 600-seat medium theatre and
3190-411: Was former Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen , subsequent chairperson of the WKCDA. While government officials and experts were recruited to aid the authority operation temporarily, executives and managers were recruited to independently manage the operation. The authority has an executive team of seven. Its first executive director, Angus Cheng Siu-chuen, a former executive at Hong Kong Disneyland ,
3248-499: Was initially to be an annual event, but as of 2021 has not been recreated. Opened in July 2015, the temporary Nursery Park is located at the northwestern part of the site. It features open lawns and a pet zone, and is a testing ground for greenery in the future park. It is also where Freespace Happening, a free outdoor music and arts event, takes place. Since September 2022, it is called AXA x WONDERLAND. Designed by VPANG + JET + Lisa Cheung,
3306-419: Was launched. Ten members of the judging panel selected a canopy design submitted by Foster and Partners as the winner under eight aspects. Leslie E. Robertson Associates were appointed as the structural engineering firm. However, the design was scrapped in 2005 due to intense public criticism with regard to financing models, the involvement of property developers, lack of planning, and the design itself. In 2006,
3364-484: Was selected as the master plan out of the three entries. Ronald Arculli , then head of the WKCDA, as well as of the selection board, said the master plan would be submitted to the Town Planning Board at the end of 2011. Construction could start as soon as the fourth quarter of 2012 with the first phase of the WKCD finished by the end of 2015. The plan was originally estimated to cost HK$ 21.6 billion. In October 2011,
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