West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) is a cultural development plan in the city of Hong Kong. It aims to create a district that will combine both traditional and modern elements, making it “A Place For Everyone” (About the District). The project began in the 90s and was approved by the Chief Executive-in-Council in 2013, and the first phase was finished in 2015 (Background). As a project, WKCD focuses on the needs of the population that lives in a busy city for a leisurely, artistic respite where they enjoy and appreciate art. Its significance lays in the unique combination of respecting old traditions, combining them with modern art, all in one district that can be enjoyed by all. Further, the essay will further observe and analyze the district’s background, core elements of WKCD, and how it is governed to bring the massive project together.
A Place for Everyone
The idea of creating a district that would combine modern developments with respected traditions happened when the Hong Kong Tourism Board surveyed locals and tourists about their experience in Hong Kong (About the District). Many voiced an opinion that Hong Kong lacked a presentable and culturally rich appeal many other cities do despite its grandeur. This survey pushed the tourism board to suggest new places for cultural and artistic events (Background). Due to the busy lifestyle and environment, residents have vocally supported creating a district that would unite the community, let them relax, and appreciate the culture. Eventually, it led to WKDC: a culturally rich area that would become a new artistic and cultural hub for the city. The idea follows the Hong Kong current cultural policy of expanding the cultural image of the city, preserving its history and background. The district houses several significant points of interest, and only three have so far completed their construction.
The Competition Pavilion offers visitors a place for leisure relaxation and small-scale events. Freespace is a platform that is made for contemporary artists to set their venues and demonstrate their performances. Finally, Xiqu Centre is an arts venue created to celebrate the art of Xiqu, or Chinese opera. It uses them and other, smaller culturally rich, colorful avenues that offer a diverse number of events as an influential factor that attracts visitors to the district. As Belfiore (2012) states, the drive to preserve cultural elements can be both a negative and positive factor, potentially either destructive or invigorating for the city (p. 105). WKDC focuses on preserving both modern and traditional art, attracting both citizens and tourists to enjoy and appreciate the Chinese culture and give the art scene a visible presence and avenues. It is, therefore, veritable to consider this drive to be a positive force for the community and the art scene. According to Richards and Palmer (2012), festive celebrations help cities and their communities to reach social, economic, and cultural goals, so a cultural hub would be a much needed addition for a strongly business-oriented city.
WKCD is overviewed by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) that was put together to create the district. The Hong Kong SAR Government authorized it in 2008 under the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Ordinance (About the Authority). WKCDA consists of a board of directors and an executive team. The district development operated under a public-private partnership (PPP) structure overviewed by WKCDA and then passed to assessment teams (Policies and Guidelines). Should there be conflicts or disagreements between the teams, they are referred to the Chairman of the PPP committee, who decides whether further actions need to be taken or the matter is trivial (Policies and Guidelines). The WKCDA functions as a bridge between the development team, artists, and governmental representatives. Though combining the private and public sectors gives artists some flexibility while keeping them within the official guidelines, all significant venues in the district are planned, constructed, and monitored by the WKCDA.
The public sector in WKCD is therefore regulated by the local government that ensures the proper development of the district, and establishment of local artistic and cultural events. They are interconnected, even if the artists who partake in the events can be independent musicians, artists, or actors. The tight regulation by the government can heavily impact the events and local art exhibitions, leaving little freedom for the artists to have. There needs to be a balance between the regulations that WKCDA presents and the freedom that the artists and events require to reach their full potential. As Foley et al. stated (2012), there needs to be a balance between a private and public sectors in event-based policies. The balance can promote growth of the community and businesses, but uneven or unregulated relation between the two can easily lead to destruction or corruption of the goal that the project was aiming to achieve.
Conclusion
After over twenty years in development, WKDC continues moving towards the goal of developing a district that lets people enjoy a culturally rich environment, and the artists have a venue for their skill. The district gives people a chance to enjoy leisure and clean environment, which is highly valued in a modern city. WKCD development combined private and public sectors with the implementation of the PPP structure and has demonstrated close attention to public opinion since its early development. Despite the slow process, the district has gained a significant following and is already functioning as a place of interest for artists and tourists alike. Nevertheless, the project also has a strict governmental ties that might restrict the freedom its offers to the artist and event holders, which can become a negative factor should they decide to heavily interfere.
References
About the Authority. (n.d.). West Kowloon. Web.
About the District. (n.d.) West Kowloon. Web.
Background. (n.d.) West Kowloon. 2021, Web.
Belfiore, E. (2012). “Defensive instrumentalism” and the legacy of New Labour’s cultural policies. Cultural trends, 21(2), 103-111.
Foley, M., McGillivray, D., & McPherson, G. (2012). Event policy: From theory to strategy. Routledge.
Policies and Guidelines. (n.d.). West Kowloon. 2021, Web.
Richards, G., & Palmer, R. (2012). Eventful cities. Routledge.