Mark O'Neill

At Sotheby’s art auction in Hong Kong in April this year, it put on sale three works by Zhang Daqian ( 張大千). One of them, Sunshine after Rain (雨後斜陽), sold for HK$15.36 million. It was evidence that, more than 40 years after his death, Zhang’s work still commands high prices. Many consider him the greatest Chinese painter for 500 years.

The Hong Kong Ballet’s final programme of the current season is the premiere of a new production of “The Sleeping Beauty”. It is produced by the renowned international star Vladimir Malakhov, who had also staged his production of “La Bayadere” for the company in 2023. Each spring the Hong Kong Ballet invites a few guest stars to feature in its engagement at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre to boost the box office. This year is no exception.

The Hong Kong government is celebrating the success of the Kai Tak Sports Park which opened in March last year – nearly 600,000 people have attended major sports events there.