The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) joined hands with lead sponsor Swire Properties to officially launch the two-year "Bi-city Youth Cultural Leadership Programme". A kick-off ceremony was attended by Deputy Chief Secretary of Administration Cheuk Wing-hing, Chairman of the HKPM Board Winnie Tam, Director of HKPM Louis Ng and Chief Executive of Swire Properties Tim Blackburn. The Director of the Palace Museum Wang Xudong and the Director of the Office of the Government of HKSAR in Beijing Leung Chi-yan also joined the ceremony online from Beijing.

Blackburn said it is more important than ever that the next generation of leaders across Beijing and Hong Kong be inspired to respect and promote the cultural inheritance across the two cities, and shared case studies from the Company's portfolio such as Taikoo Place and Pacific Place in Hong Kong, and Taikoo Li Sanlitun and INDIGO in Beijing.

The programme aims to encourage and facilitate cultural exchanges between the youth in Beijing and Hong Kong. This year, over 80 university students from Beijing and Hong Kong will participate in eight online events that focus on the exchange of arts and cultural ideas to discover and shape the future of museums and cities. The following year, up to 16 university students will join a two-month learning programme and participate in various visits, talks and workshops in the two cities, and attend a three-week internship in Hong Kong.