Date posted: 2014.06.21

Hong Kong’s New Creative Landmark PMQ Officially Opens

Enterprising Creativity by Hong Kong’s Design Talents in Revitalised Historic Building

(Hong Kong, 21 June, 2014) – After more than two years of conservation and revitalisation, Hong Kong’s new creative landmark, PMQ, commenced operation in mid-April this year. The opening ceremony of PMQ was officiated this afternoon (21 June) by The Hon. Mr. CY Leung, Chief Executive of the HKSAR; Mr Paul Chan Mo-po, Secretary for Development; Mr Gregory So Kam-leung, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development; Mr Bernard Charnwut Chan, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Revitalisation of Historic Buildings; Mr Leung Koon-kee, Director of Architectural Services; Mr Arnaud Barthélémy, Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau; Mr Stanley Chu, Chairman of PMQ Management Co. Ltd., and PMQ’s Board of Directors; and representatives of organisations supporting Hong Kong’s creative industries and design education. Following the lighting ceremony, the officiating guests also witnessed the reception of the gift of paper mache pandas, a symbol of creative conservation, on behalf of the Hong Kong public.

Transforming creativity into business value and possibilities
PMQ has received good public response with over 500,000 visited since its opening in mid of April. Mr Stanley Chu, Chairman of PMQ said, PMQ is well positioned to be a valuable platform, providing opportunities for up-and-coming create-preneurs to prove their products and services through direct market confrontation, transforming their creativity into business value, to build their design brands and enrich their business contacts. PMQ is a place where creative talents cluster and grow through networking and the cross-fertilisation of ideas and concepts.

Mr Chu added, “PMQ will also host a variety of educational and exchange programmes for design professionals, such as exhibitions, continued learning curriculum for professionals, designers-in-residence programmes, etc, as well as providing opportunities for the public to appreciate design and innovation, thereby nurturing Hong Kong’s new creative ecology.”

A hub to nurture budding local designers and the spirit of co-creation
Mr Victor Tsang, Executive Director of PMQ noted, “More than 100 create-preneurs are now stationed in PMQ. In a display of eclectic talent, the tenants form a strong mix of creative design categories ranging from design services, fashion, household product, jewellery/watches to food and beverage. Besides showcasing their distinctive personality and designs in PMQ, the create-preneurs can draw inspirations for outstanding designs from interaction and exchange with designers in other categories. There’re many surprises in store for visitors to PMQ, a site of adventure and treasure for lovers of design products.”

Mr Tsang contended, “Apart from being a platform for design and creative enterprises to launch their businesses, PMQ offers various training and support services to its tenants. Since the announcement of the results of tenancy application last year, we have held a series of talks and workshops to enrich the business knowledge of our tenants, as well as sharing sessions by industry leaders to enhance the creativity of designers. In the future, we will continue to promote interaction and exchange between design talents and business professionals. These initiatives set out to raise the standards of creative design in Hong Kong, and to foster the emergence of new and successful creative enterprises.”

He added, “Most of the design and creative enterprises stationed in PMQ have reported satisfactory business in the past two months. Visitors to PMQ have included local and travelling visitors, as well as buyers and creative practitioners who travelled from overseas to visit PMQ in Hong Kong. These exchanges have already prompted collaborative projects between PMQ tenants and other countries.”

Creativity meets conservation in PMQ
Since commencing operation in mid-April, PMQ has held a variety of cultural events such as “Le French May Andrée Putman – Ambassador of Style” exhibition and the Central Night Market. The tenants also hosted an array of regular design and creative workshops with enthusiastic response from the public. In celebration of PMQ’s official launch, the 1600 paper mache pandas that have toured over 10 countries as a symbol of creative conservation will be exhibited in PMQ from 15 June to 17 July. Through the series of activities including the “1600 Pandas World Tour in Hong Kong: Creativity Meets Conservation”, paper mache panda workshop and adoption scheme, the adorable pandas join hands with Hong Kongers in supporting creative culture and conservation.

At the opening ceremony, Mr Arnaud Barthélémy, Consul General of France in Hong Kong and French artist Paulo Grangeo presented the specially created paper mache pandas by Grangeo, which were modelled on Hong Kong’s own panda ambassadors “An An”, “Jia Jia”, “Le Le” and “Ying Ying”, as a gift for Hong Kong citizens. In the presence of Mr Leung Chun-ying, Chief Executive of the HKSAR, Mr Paul Chan Mo-po, Secretary for Development Bureau, Mr Gregory So Kam-leung, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, and Mr Bernard Charnwut Chan, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Revitalisation of Historic Buildings, PMQ’s Chairman Mr Stanley Chu and board member Dr Victor Lo received the gift on behalf of the Hong Kong public.

Following their international tour to more than 10 countries and the flash mob tour in Hong Kong, the 1600 paper mache pandas symbolising creative conservation will make their home in PMQ, Hong Kong’s new creative landmark. In hosting the world’s first “Made-in-Hong Kong” Paper Panda Mache Workshop, PMQ has teamed up with the “Bless Hong Kong” campaign of the Societal Engagement Task Force of the Commission on Poverty, offering underprivileged children to partake in the Workshop. To make creative conservation part of their everyday life, citizens can participate in the 1600 Paper Mache Pandas Adoption Scheme to take home a paper mache panda after the exhibition ends. The cost ranges from $200 to $450. All proceeds will be donated to WWF-Hong Kong for conservation and education work.

About The Former Hollywood Road Police Married Quarters
The Central School (Queen’s College) was the first government school in Hong Kong providing western education to the public at the upper primary and secondary levels. In 1889, the school was relocated to this site and renamed as Victoria College. The school was again renamed as Queen’s College in 1894.

The school was damaged during the World War II and was rebuilt as the first Police Married Quarters for married junior police officers in 1951. In November 2010, the Government of HKSAR announced the revitalisation of the Former Hollywood Road Police Married Quarters into PMQ. For the conservation of historical and cultural heritage, PMQ has included an Underground Interpretation Area for showcasing the remains of the original foundation for the Central School, which is open to public for free appreciation.

About PMQ
PMQ is part of the government’s “Conserving Central” initiative and also one of the heritage conservation and revitalization projects under Development Bureau. Awarded with the operating rights after an open invitation for proposals, the Musketeers Education and Culture Charitable Foundation Ltd (“Musketeers Foundation”) has set up a non-profit-making registered charitable organisation to run this project, in collaboration with Hong Kong Design Centre, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Hong Kong Design Institute of the Vocational Training Council (VTC), namely PMQ Management Co. Ltd. Not only to build this iconic design hub for the Hong Kong creative industries with the design community, PMQ also promotes “enterprising creativity”, creativity manifestation, and sets out to nurture more local designers.