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As the Hong Kong Drum Festival celebrates its 20th Anniversary, Chinachem Group (the Group) and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO) are joining hands for the first time to present a series of activities titled “One Beat, One World: Connecting Through the Drum". The aim is to infuse society with positivity through the sound of drumming, both online and offline, in the wake of the recent epidemic.

After the SARS outbreak in 2003, when Hong Kong was in dire need of revitalisation, the HKCO launched the Hong Kong Drum Festival (the Festival) to uplift the morale of local residents through various activities including interactive programmes, drum competitions and concerts. The Festival was also aimed at enabling people from all walks of life to understand and experience the beauty of Chinese music and culture. Since then, it has become a popular annual cultural event in Hong Kong, providing a range of cultural activities and fulfilling its social function by giving back to society.

The 20th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Drum Festival was launched at Central Market, with guests of honour including Vincent Cheng Wing Shun, Chairman of Legislative Council's Panel on Home Affairs, Culture and Sports; Vicki Kwok Wong Wing Ki, Deputy Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism; Donald Choi, Executive Director and CEO of Chinachem Group; and Dr Bobby Liu Kam Hing, Treasurer of the HKCO Council, joined by representatives of supporting organisations Under the baton of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor for Life of the HKCO Prof Yan Huichang, this year's Festival will feature a series of activities designed to bring positive energy to the community.

“We are honoured to collaborate with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra for the first time, bringing the public a series of rich music and cultural activities which will help enhance people’s wellness, connect all walks of life, and reach out to the world,” said Donald Choi, Executive Director and CEO of Chinachem Group. “By providing the chance for residents to learn and enjoy drum music, we hope to inject positive energy into society and create community value, supporting our Triple Bottom Line approach of benefiting People, Prosperity and Planet."

Prof Yan said: "The mission of the Hong Kong Drum Festival combines performance, education and community involvement. By using drumming to uplift people's spirits, the festival has embraced participants from various backgrounds, including seniors, young people, underprivileged communities, reformed young offenders and ethnic minorities. It embodies the Hong Kong spirit of perseverance and has earned praise from various sectors of society. The oldest participant in the annual Drumming Competition was 98 years old, while the youngest was only 2½. We are grateful for the full support of Chinachem Group, which has allowed the orchestra to deeply cultivate drumming in all 18 districts of Hong Kong, and to spread the healing power of drumming music, bringing smiles to society. Through technology, the festival will also spark a wave of drumming enthusiasm in the cloud, consistently connecting the world through music."

Presented by Chinachem Group, the "One Beat, One World: Connecting Through the Drum" programme covers a series of public drumming activities in different forms, including the "Connecting the community through drumming" training and performance filming that spans all 18 districts; an online beat drumming "#DrumChallenge" performance by world drumming teams; Percussion Workshops at Central Market and Nina Mall; the "One Beat, One World: Connecting Through the Drum" carnival and concert at West Kowloon Cultural District, and an Music Wellness Workshop at Nina Hotel Tsuen Wan West. All these demonstrate the Group’s care for supporting society through music and its efforts to promote social inclusion. The drumming culture embodies and highlights China's rich music culture, while a performance by drumming teams listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage of China and drumming masters from the five major continents is perfectly in line with the city's large-scale tourism promotion programme "Hello, Hong Kong," establishing Hong Kong's reputation as an events capital and a centre for cultural and artistic exchanges between China and the rest of the world.

For more information about the Hong Kong Drum Festival 20th Anniversary events, please check the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra website at www.hkco.org or the Facebook page "Hong Kong Drum Festival 20th Anniversary".