Literary, arts circles called on to help heal social rifts

Lu Xinning, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, on Wednesday called on the city’s literary and arts circles to use their influence to heal the social rift and enhance Hong Kong people’s sense of national identity.

Lu made the call in a speech at the founding ceremony of a local literary and arts group.

Lu, a strong beliver in the influence of art, said last year was a bumpy ride for Hong Kong before the National Security Law for Hong Kong was promulgated, ending the chaos that had rocked the city and restoring peace and order.

However, it will take time to heal the anxiety and social divide brought by the prolonged social unrest and it can’t be achieved overnight, she said.

That’s where artists can come in to help the city pick itself up with its healing power to build consensus and revitalize the city with hope and Hong Kong’s famed

“Lion Rock Spirit”, she added. This refers to the “can-do” attitude of its people, she said.

She said that artists can bridge the differences between people with different ideas and social systems.

“How to use the pen in our hands to bring people from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland closer and to facilitate the mutual understanding of the Chinese and world cultures is something that all artists should ponder,” she said.

Hong Kong, the city where East meets West, can be creative in promoting Chinese culture, she said.

Hong Kong has always been the mainland’s important entrepot, while Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has emphasized Hong Kong’s role as a cultural hub, she said.