This is the concluding article in our city-by-city series exploring five Chinese cities investing in long-term resilience through culture and redefining what it means to be a global city in the 21st century. Data and findings cited in this article are drawn from the 5th edition of the World Culture Cities Forum Report.

A place shaped by centuries of migration, the layering of Cantonese tradition with international influence and that particular energy that comes from being at a crossroads, Hong Kong has long been Asia's world city and its art trading capital. 

With 7.5 million people packed into just 1,115 square kilometers, it is one of the world's most densely populated cities – and yet it has never felt cramped culturally. 

The numbers: breadth and depth

The scale of Hong Kong's cultural participation data is striking. Some 78% of the population are engaged in artistic activities – one of the highest rates of any city in the report. Live performance attendance reaches 28% of the total population. Multi-arts venues drew over 3.3 million admissions; museums welcomed nearly 10.7 million visits. The city has 83 public libraries with close to 4.9 million members, 73 theaters, 109 cultural centers, 31 film festivals and 9 music festivals. 

On the investment side, the culture department budget stands at approximately 2.3 billion HKD (over $293 million), with grants to arts and cultural organizations totaling nearly 5.9 billion HKD. Overall, the creative sectors employ 136,000 people across 24,678 businesses.

The West Kowloon bet

Any account of Hong Kong's cultural ambitions has to start with West Kowloon. The West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the most significant cultural infrastructure investments in Asia – a purpose-built arts precinct on reclaimed land that now houses some of the region's most important institutions.

The centerpieces are well known internationally. M+, the museum of visual culture, has established itself as a major force in the global contemporary art world since opening in 2021. The Xiqu Centre gives Cantonese opera and other Chinese traditional performing arts a landmark home. The Hong Kong Palace Museum, opened in 2022, brings a collection of Chinese imperial artifacts into dialogue with the city's identity.

22 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – and 1,580 more

The infrastructure story is striking enough, but Hong Kong's heritage picture is arguably even more remarkable. The city has 22 UNESCO World Heritage Sites within its boundaries – the highest figure among the Chinese cities featured in the 5th edition of the World Culture Cities Report, and among the highest of any city in the world. Alongside this, it holds 1,580 heritage and historical sites (excluding museums).

A growing inventory of intangible cultural heritage adds another dimension, celebrating local traditions that might otherwise be overshadowed by the city's global, cosmopolitan image. The report notes Hong Kong's expanding ICH work as part of the broader East Asia regional trend of revitalizing intangible heritage.

Arts in education: Two programs worth noting

Two initiatives in the report speak directly to Hong Kong's investment in the next generation of cultural citizens.

The first is the stART Up Community Arts Project, run by the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation since 2017. Working with young people through performing and visual arts such as songwriting, spoken word, visual expression, the project has engaged thousands of students on substantive social issues, including but not limited to climate change, ageing and disability inclusion. 

The second is the Arts-in-School Partnership Scheme, launched by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) in 2018. The scheme connects arts organizations and working artists directly with schools, enabling them to use school facilities for rehearsals, exhibitions and performances, while students gain access to workshops, community events and creative mentorship through this. 

A blueprint for the future

Cultural policy in Hong Kong is coordinated by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and guided by the 2024 Blueprint for Arts and Culture and Creative Industries, a document that sets the strategic direction for the coming years. The Culture Commission and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council provide long-term institutional architecture, shaping development and global partnerships with a focus on digital innovation, inclusivity and international exchange.

This is the framing the WCCF Report returns to for Hong Kong: a city conscious of its heritage and its global standing, now writing the policy foundations for what comes next. 

The infrastructure is largely in place. The participation numbers are exceptional. The education pipeline is being built. 

What this blueprint represents is the attempt to bring all of this together into a coherent, forward-facing identity – one that holds onto what makes Hong Kong distinct while reaching outward, as it always has, to the world.

Zaruhi Poghosyan is a multimedia editor for CGTN Digital. 

Read more from the series: 

Nanjing: China's city of literature rewrites itself for the digital age

Guangzhou: The 'millennium commercial capital' finds a new cultural identity