Latest news with #HongKongEconomicandTradeOffice
The Star
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Feature: Prestigious piano contest winner from China cherishes heritage, pressure in artistic journey
by Qin Mingwei NEW YORK, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Aristo Sham, the newly crowned winner of the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, attaches high importance to the heritage he represents as well as the extreme pressure in the marathon piano contest. The 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition concluded on June 7 in Texas, the United States, featuring outstanding performances by 340 pianists from 45 countries and regions. Sham, 29, became the first pianist from Hong Kong, China, to win this 63-year-old competition. Sham was educated in Hong Kong, and then in Britain and the United States. He recently obtained an artist diploma from The Juilliard School in New York, and lives in the city currently. Sham began learning piano at the age of three and has won numerous international awards. Looking back on his artistic journey, Sham said that his childhood and his early piano training in Hong Kong nurtured his music expertise, allowing him to better understand the music he plays from different perspectives. "I'm very happy to be representing a part of the world which is part of my heritage. And I think it's great that music is such a universal language that we have artists and competitors from all over the world who are on the largest stages of the world," Sham said at a themed press briefing in Manhattan on Wednesday. Sham said that the biggest challenge in preparing for the competition was that the Cliburn was "a real marathon," requiring him to play six different repertoires in two and a half weeks. "The fact of having to prepare this program to such a high quality that we have to present both to the audience and jury there and also to audiences worldwide who are watching, is definitely something that pushes us to the extreme," said Sham. But Sham also appreciates the pressure, "because without this kind of pressure, we would not be able to sort of achieve the level that we have. And I like to see this in a positive way, and it's what really pushes the boundaries of what we can do and what we can do with art," Sham said. As the first Hong Kong pianist to win the Cliburn, Sham admitted that his artistic journey has faced prejudice against his Asian identity. "Even though it's much less than 20 or 30 years ago, there are still viewpoints out there that are loaded with prejudice and racism," Sham said. Sham considers his award as an opportunity to help consolidate and truly affirm the status of Asian artists on the world stage. "I think it's also up to us to try to break down these barriers and really just make everyone understand that we're all the same and we're all equally worthy of presenting art and being great artists," Sham said. Maisie Ho, director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (New York ETO), attended the press briefing to congratulate on Sham's achievement. "It is really such great news for a lot of Hong Kong people... and we can't wait to see how he would bring his own heritage and also his talent into the world stage, and we are prepared to support him along his journey," Ho told Xinhua on the sidelines of the event on Wednesday. The New York ETO, as the official representative of the Hong Kong government, will continue to support and promote more Asian artists to the world stage, such as hosting various cultural activities, according to Ho. "We could all learn and we could all exchange, and through people exchange, that's how our really treasurable friendship and artistic relationship could flourish," Ho added. While Chinese artists have gained greater global influence, an increasing number of Chinese pianists have made their mark on the international stage. Seven of the 30 finalists in this year's Cliburn hailed from China, setting a new record. Held every four years, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious contests in classical music. The gold medalist will receive a comprehensive and personalized career development plan lasting three years, including concert bookings, artistic support and publicity.
The Independent
02-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
US lawmakers propose to have Washington street named after Jimmy Lai
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has launched a campaign to rename the street next to Hong Kong 's Washington office after Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy media tycoon facing life in prison. Lai, 77, a British citizen, founded the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper. He is facing the prospect of life in prison if found guilty of sedition and collusion with foreign powers under Hong Kong 's national security law. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The group seeks to erect the street sign ' Jimmy Lai Way' on a stretch alongside the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, or HKETO, in Washington's Dupont Circle neighbourhood. 'By renaming the street in honour of Jimmy Lai, we show respect for this champion of democracy and human rights and all those detained in Hong Kong for exercising rights guaranteed them by international law and treaty,' said Republican Chris Smith of New Jersey, the sponsor of the bill. 'We want to remind every HKETO employee of their part in dismantling the freedoms that once made Hong Kong the most vibrant and prosperous city in Asia." The bill, co-sponsored by the Democratic Party, if passed, would also direct the US postal service to deliver mail to Hong Kong's offices in New York and San Francisco if addressed to '1 Jimmy Lai Way'. Maps, regulations and any other official records referring to the street or the trade office address would be required to reflect Lai's name. The legislation was originally introduced in April 2023 as the "Jimmy Lai Way Bill" by Representatives Smith and Tom Suozzi of New York, who wanted to honour the "renowned Hong Kong human rights defender who remains unjustly imprisoned by Hong Kong authorities". The bill strongly condemns Lai's imprisonment and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. Holmes Norton, the Democratic non-voting delegate, criticised the legislation. 'No matter how well-intentioned an initiative is, it is never appropriate for members of Congress not elected by DC residents to legislate on local DC matters, particularly quintessentially local ones like street names," he said. US secretary of state Marco Rubio recently said Lai's case was a 'priority' for him. The jailed China critic's son, Sebastien Lai, told Sky News that his father's case was a "litmus test" for the British government as he pushed prime minister Keir Starmer to press for his release.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US lawmakers seek to rename street for Hong Kong's jailed Jimmy Lai
US lawmakers moved Tuesday to rename the street next to Hong Kong's Washington office after Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy activist and media mogul jailed as China clamps down on the financial hub. A bill introduced in the House of Representatives would erect the street sign "Jimmy Lai Way" on a stretch alongside the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Washington's bustling Dupont Circle area. "We want to remind every HKETO employee of their part in dismantling the freedoms that once made Hong Kong the most vibrant and prosperous city in Asia," said Representative Chris Smith, the Republican co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which examines rights in the country. While Congress has less jurisdiction outside of Washington, the bill would also direct the US Postal Service to deliver mail to Hong Kong's offices in New York and San Francisco if they are addressed to "1 Jimmy Lai Way" in either city. There was no immediate timetable to act upon the proposal. The bill had co-sponsors from the Democratic Party but met opposition from the capital's non-voting delegate to Congress, Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton. "No matter how well-intentioned an initiative is, it is never appropriate for members of Congress not elected by DC residents to legislate on local DC matters, particularly quintessentially local ones like street names," she said. Lai was the founder of the Apple Daily, a now-shuttered Chinese-language newspaper that championed mass demonstrations in 2019 aimed at safeguarding democratic liberties promised when Beijing took control of the former British colony. China quelled dissent after the protests, some of which involved vandalism, including through a tough security law. Lai, now 77, has been behind bars since December 2020. He testified for more than 50 days, concluding last month, as he fights charges of foreign collusion under the law that could carry a sentence of life in prison. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a recent interview that Lai's case was a "priority". Rubio on Monday imposed sanctions on Hong Kong's police chief, justice secretary and other officials on human rights grounds over the crackdown in the city. The bill on the street name calls on Rubio to look at sanctions on additional officials specifically involved in Lai's detention and prosecution. Renaming streets has long been a means to embarrass countries about their rights records. Russia's embassy in Washington lies on Boris Nemtsov Plaza, named for the reformist politician killed near the Kremlin in 2015, and the Saudi embassy is on Jamal Khashoggi Way, named for the dissident writer who was strangled to death and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Both streets were renamed by votes of the DC City Council. Congress separately moved to name the plaza outside of China's embassy for Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Prize-winning writer and democracy activist who died in prison, but the effort floundered after intense opposition from Beijing. Other governments have sometimes acted similarly with the United States. The street outside the US consulate in Kolkata is named for Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh. sct/lb
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US lawmakers seek to rename street for Hong Kong's jailed Jimmy Lai
US lawmakers moved Tuesday to rename the street next to Hong Kong's Washington office after Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy media owner jailed as China clamps down in the financial hub. A bill introduced in the House of Representatives would erect the street sign "Jimmy Lai Wai" on a stretch alongside the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Washington's bustling Dupont Circle area. "We want to remind every HKETO employee of their part in dismantling the freedoms that once made Hong Kong the most vibrant and prosperous city in Asia," said Representative Chris Smith, the Republican co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which examines rights in the country. There was no immediate timetable to act upon the proposal, but it was co-sponsored by Democrats. While Congress has less jurisdiction outside of Washington, the bill would also direct the US Postal Service to deliver mail to Hong Kong's offices in New York and San Francisco if they are addressed to "1 Jimmy Lai Way" in either city. Lai was the founder of the Apple Daily, a now-shuttered Chinese-language newspaper that championed mass demonstrations in 2019 aimed at safeguarding democratic liberties promised when Beijing took control of the former British colony. China quelled dissent after the protests, some of which involved vandalism, including through a tough security law. Lai, now 77, has been behind bars since December 2020. He testified for more than 50 days, concluding last month, as he fights charges of foreign collusion under the law that could carry a sentence of life in prison. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a recent interview said that Lai's case was a "priority" for him. Renaming streets has long been a means to embarrass countries on their rights records. Russia's embassy in Washington lies on Boris Nemtsov Plaza, named for the reformist politician killed near the Kremlin in 2015, and the Saudi embassy is on Jamal Khashoggi Way, named for the dissident writer who was strangled to death and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. But an effort to name the plaza outside of China's embassy for Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Prize-winning writer and democracy activist who died in prison, floundered after intense opposition from Beijing. Other governments have sometimes acted similarly with the United States. The US consulate in Kolkata is named for Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh. sct/sst
