This photo shows one of the newly declared monuments, Hong Kong City Hall, constructed with toy bricks, which is one of the highlight of the exhibition "In Virtual of Heritage – Exploring Monuments with Heritage Technology" which will be held from Nov 11 to 22, 2022 at the Exhibition Hall, Low Block, Hong Kong City Hall. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG – Authorities of the Guangdong province and Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding on the exchange and collaboration on archaeological and cultural heritage in the Greater Bay Area.

The agreement was signed at the opening ceremony of the Greater Bay Area Built Heritage Summit 2022 which is being held at Hong Kong City Hall.

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Based on the principles of resource sharing, complementary and mutual benefits to gain a win-win deal, the three parties will further strengthen collaboration on archaeological and cultural heritage in the Bay Area, including research, preservation, education, promotion, community participation, and cultural products development, according to the government

An exhibition on 25 unique historic buildings in Hong Kong via innovation technology will be held at the City Hall from Nov 11 to 22

The two-day summit has been jointly organized by the Commissioner for Heritage's Office and the Antiquities and Monuments Office under the Development Bureau.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the HKSAR government has adopted a multipronged approach to conserve valuable built heritage.

The archaeological discoveries and built heritage in the city show the historical, traditional and cultural connection between Hong Kong and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Together they constitute an inseparable part of the Lingnan culture, he said.

He pointed out that Hong Kong organized the summit to highlight the unique cultural charm of the Bay Area through cultural relics and world heritage, and to promote exchanges and co-operation in heritage building conservation in the summit.

The summit explores the direction to strengthen further collaboration in the latest development of built heritage conservation and adaptive reuse of historic buildings, related education programs and application of new technologies as well as cross-boundary collaboration.

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During the two-day summit, around 30 officials, experts, scholars and business leaders will share their experiences and innovative ideas on four aspects: New Development in Built Heritage Conservation and Adaptive Reuse of Historic Buildings, Knowledge Sharing and Public Engagement – New Strategies in Built Heritage Education, Application of New Technologies in Built Heritage Conservation and Education, and Cross-Boundary Collaborations.

Witnessed by Financial Secretary Paul Chan (left), Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn (center) and representatives from the Guangdong Department of Culture and Tourism and the Macao Special Administrative Region’s Cultural Affairs Bureau sign the MOU on the Collaboration and Exchange on Cultural and Archaeological Heritage amongst the Greater Bay Area. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

To tie in with the summit, an exhibition titled “In Virtual of Heritage – Exploring Monuments with Heritage Technology” will be held at the City Hall, showing 25 unique historic buildings in Hong Kong via innovation technology.

The exhibition will run from Nov 11 to 22 and admission is free.