Hong Kong, a world-class international metropolis, sees no need to panic about the brain drain. The highly developed and civilized city, one of the freest economies in the world, has witnessed talents “coming and going” with grace and ease for decades. Being blessed with a sound economic and social foundation, the special administrative region has every reason to stay calm while positioning itself for a holistic recovery based on its own merits and strengths.
The talent shortage, though inevitable at this moment because of obvious reasons, will be short-lived if Hong Kong successfully taps its cultural resources.
Though visa application arrangements are highly relevant to luring high-end talents, one of the most effective and efficient elements of a talent policy lies in a cultural exchange strategy.
A convincing example illustrating the importance of establishing a sound cultural exchange system can be found in the practice of Japan. Tokyo is now a center of cultural exchange in the world. The International House of Japan, based in Tokyo, boasts a long history of inviting scholars and artists from all over the world to reside and study in Japan for a prolonged period.
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There are also different forms of cultural exchange projects and plans supported by the Japan Foundation, which contributes to the influx of experts and talents to the country. Besides the cultural exchange institutions, the government of Japan also plays its role in luring the best brains in the world.
Hong Kong and Shenzhen could work together to establish more platforms for international cultural exchanges to enhance the image of the twin cities and the Guangdong-Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area as a whole, and thus the cultural influences of the GBA will be established in the international arena
Various awards and exchange projects for the international communities have been set up by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The talent policy of a jurisdiction, therefore, is a reflection of its cultural exchange strategies.
Japan’s success in becoming a talent magnet reveals a common law in the battlefield for best players. The most interesting element of a talent policy is that when a city is culturally appealing, like Tokyo and Shanghai, there is no need to worry about a brain drain, as the city qualifies itself to be the apple of the eye of talents from all over China and the world.
It is time for Hong Kong to ponder establishing an effective cultural exchange strategy. The prerequisite for Hong Kong to become a Sino-foreign cultural exchange center lies in a thorough understanding of the current models of cultural exchange around the world, thereby establishing a new set of strategies.
Currently, Hong Kong’s cultural exchange strategies are mainly limited to holding activities, performances, seminars and exhibitions, with the lion’s portion of the resources allocated to the “event organization”.
In the long run, however, it is necessary for Hong Kong to diversify its approaches to international cultural exchanges and to hammer out a visionary cultural exchange strategy, with reference to different models in the world.
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Hong Kong can borrow a leaf from German cultural organizations’ book, especially the Goethe-Institut. The model of the Goethe-Institut is an open and proactive one, acting as a worldwide hub for cultural exchange in addition to teaching the German language. For example, the Goethe-Institut in Kyoto, Japan, welcomes artists from all over the world to apply for its artist-in-residence program.
As for the German Academic Exchange Service, scholars from all over the world are welcome to visit Germany for an exchange program to study there for months or years. Thus, the German cultural exchange strategy is inclusive. It does not only aim to promote German culture, but also to enable different cultures to communicate and interact with each other through the platform of the Goethe-Institut.
France has another model that deserved to be mentioned here. Its cultural exchange policy mainly targets exporting French culture. The French cultural organization Alliance Francaise has been set up in many parts of the world to hold French cultural festivals every year, making it a model for promoting French culture and teaching the French language.
Likewise, the British Council was initially set up to promote British culture by teaching the English language. However, its influence has been decreasing in recent years because of the rise of American pop culture.
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In this respect, instead of promoting Japanese culture, the Japan Foundation makes adjustments to meet the needs of its national development by studying the cultures of different countries. For example, the foundation has promoted a lot of exchange and cooperation projects related to India recently to encourage Japanese artists to visit India and collaborate with local artists. It is thus a model of cultural exchange designed to meet the needs of national development.
The Confucius Institute is actually very creative in cooperating with universities in different parts of the world to set up its branches for academic cooperation and language teaching, and thus it functions as an exchange and collaboration platform within the framework of the host universities. The models of the Confucius Institutes are diversified, and there are many successful examples.
How should Hong Kong develop its cultural exchange strategy? It is necessary to start with a thorough understanding of the city’s soft power as well as its “hardware” potency. For example, should Hong Kong, as an aviation hub, bring in international cultural institutions and NGOs to set up their headquarters in the city? The city should also consider establishing a closer partnership with Shenzhen.
Hong Kong and Shenzhen could work together to establish more platforms for international cultural exchanges to enhance the image of the twin cities and the Guangdong-Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area as a whole, and thus the cultural influences of the GBA will be established in the international arena.
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These proposals deserve in-depth strategic thinking to map out a set of policies and roll out systematic implementation in the city.
The author is a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies and artistic director of Zuni Icosahedron.The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.