The third edition of the Hong Kong Palace Museum's flagship youth-learning initiative, the Bi-city Youth Cultural Leadership Programme, reached its final stop on Thursday at the Palace Museum in Beijing, marking the conclusion of a two-month journey of cultural exchange from Hong Kong to Chengdu in Sichuan province and Beijing.

Participating students from both Beijing and Hong Kong engaged in insightful discussions about the promotion of Chinese culture and the development of creative industries with Wang Xudong, director of the Palace Museum, Lou Wei, executive deputy director of the Palace Museum, Louis Ng, museum director of the HKPM, Vinci Chan, assistant director of the Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Beijing, and Han Zhi, director of retail at Swire Properties.

The program is supported by the Palace Museum and the Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Beijing, with Swire Properties as lead sponsor. The initiative was designed by program partner Ednovators, a Hong Kong-based charitable platform.

In addition to the dynamic session, the Beijing program also included a full-day visit to the Palace Museum. Highlights included a tour of a digital gallery, where students learned how the museum leverages digital solutions to display culture creatively, and a visit to the department of conservation science to explore the use of technology in artifact conservation.

A key event on Thursday was the session between students and the museum director, who shared his extensive knowledge during a talk themed "All that is the Forbidden City, and the Forbidden City for All". Students then shared their findings and experiences during the two-month study tour under the theme of "The Future of Cultural Ecosystems". In-depth exchanges between students and special guests in attendance followed.

"We have been deeply encouraged by how well the program has been received by students in Beijing and Hong Kong, as well as by industry professionals and experts, over the past three editions of the Bi-city Youth Cultural Leadership Programme," Ng said.

"The program not only advances our goal of fostering cultural interaction and promoting Chinese cultural heritage, it also reinforces Hong Kong's position as an international hub for cultural talent and future industry leaders," he added.

"We hope to empower the next generation to create vibrant and sustainable places where arts and culture can thrive as a part of everyday life," said Tim Blackburn, chief executive of Swire Properties.

For this third edition, which began in Hong Kong in July, participants took part in immersive workshops, master classes and internships at arts and cultural institutions and private businesses in Hong Kong, and had the opportunity to broaden their horizons and develop into cultural entrepreneurs.

In mid-August, they visited the recently opened New Sanxingdui Museum and Taikoo Li Chengdu, and learned about integrating art, culture and historical elements in place-making. They also attended a forum on "Tradition and Future: Modernization and Localization of Cultural Legacy", and had an opportunity to speak with experts in the fields of cultural heritage, design and architecture on topics such as cultural inheritance, innovation and urban rejuvenation.

Since its inception in November 2022, the program has allowed nearly 130 university students from Beijing and Hong Kong to immerse themselves in a series of exciting cultural exchanges and learning activities. Applications for the fourth edition of the program will be accepted in early 2025, with more details to be announced on the HKPM's website in due course.