Author: jezzabellemente

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 (Bernama) — Denmark, Switzerland and Finland took the top three spots in the 2023 World Citizenship Report, published by CS Global Partners, the world’s leading government and investment migration advisory firm.

According to a statement, this year, Denmark scored the highest points, knocking Switzerland out of the top spot. Switzerland came in second and Finland retained the third spot for a second year in a row.

Notably, global superpowers such as the United States and China did not rank in the top 10, symbolising a significant shift in what these economic giants can tangibly offer the global elite.

High-net-worth-individuals (HNWIs) and mass affluent citizens are searching for a better quality of life, security and financial freedoms, all aspects which have been on shaky ground since the pandemic.

The surveyed cohort chose ‘Quality of Life’ as the most important feature of citizenship, which ranked first across the World Citizenship Index’s five pillars, eclipsing both Physical Safety and Financial Freedom.

The report found that a competitive economy, public services, and environmental sustainability are the three areas mass affluent individuals feel most let down by their governments.​

“This year, we looked beyond HNWIs and extended our survey to the new mass affluent, a globally mobile generation who is providing fresh impetus for a renewed drive towards global citizenship.

“As the world continues to change at an exponential rate, bringing with it new crises and opportunities, individuals across the globe are increasingly calling their own citizenships into question in terms of the safety, freedoms and the prosperity they provide,” said CS Global Partners Chief Executive Officer, Micha Emmett.

The World Citizenship Report ranks 188 countries across five key motivators defining citizenship for the global citizen showcasing the World Citizenship Index (WCI), an innovative tool that takes a holistic approach to rank the world’s citizenships across multiple dimensions including the motivators of Safety and Security, Quality of Life, Economic Opportunity, Global Mobility and Financial Freedom.

Unlike other rating tools, the WCI ranking is designed to reflect a citizenship’s value through the lens of HNWIs and the newest generation of global citizens: the mass affluent population.

The WCI’s unique methodology relies on the experience gained through CS Global Partners unparalleled work in the citizenship solutions industry, as well as comprehensive research to evaluate 188 jurisdictions across the five motivators of citizenship out of a maximum attainable score of 100 points.

— BERNAMA

Experience the Charisma of Hong Kong’s Unique Pop Culture With Legendary Icons

HONG KONG, April 25 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — Hong Kong has one of the most influential pop cultures among Asian cities, especially its pervasive Cantopop and movies from the 1980s to the 1990s, which gave birth to a lot of superstars who were well-known internationally. The timeless influence of those masterpieces can still be found in the pop culture of Hong Kong and even the rest of Asia.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230424005383/en/

The first-ever “Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival” kicks off in April, with over 20 exciting events scheduled throughout the year. An array of experiences await visitors to relive the golden age of Hong Kong superstars, including Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui, who reigned in the music and movie industries.

Some pop culture classics will be reinterpreted with unconventional modern elements, including makeovers of some one-of-a-kind melodies with new components, like jazz and a cappella. With fresh presentations of Hong Kong classics, these events pay tribute to the legendary trendsetters who have assiduously contributed to the local pop culture.

Here are four recommended experiences for visitors to savour and reminisce about the old days, paying tribute to the legends.

Passing on the Legend with a Brand New Interpretation

Miss You Much Leslie Exhibition

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the passing of Leslie Cheung (“Gor-gor”) this year, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum has organised an exhibition, with Cheung’s close friends Florence Chan, William Chang and Wing Shya as guest curators. Featuring his stage costumes, vinyl records, music and film work, awards and personal collections, the exhibition presents Cheung’s legendary achievements in music and film, as well as his influence on popular culture.

Movie Tram – Tales Told by Cinematic Storytellers

Movie Tram

** Tickets available online for registration

A quintessential Hong Kong symbol on the move, the tram is a vessel of the city’s unique scenery and memories, making it an ideal backdrop for a lot of Hong Kong movies. The Festival will present “Movie Tram” tours, in which the participants will take a walking tour around film locations in Central & Western District before hopping onto a tram, where famous filmmakers, including Stanley Kwan and Kearen Pang, will share behind-the-scenes stories and inspirations for cinematic creativity, uncovering the gems of the city’s moving pictures.

In the Mood for Qipao – A Showcase of the Flourishing Era of Hong Kong Cinema

Cinderella and Her Qipao Exhibition

The qipao (cheongsam) is a fashion symbol of Chinese culture, as well as a key styling element for female leads in a lot of Hong Kong movies. This exhibition organised by the Hong Kong Film Archive, with over 30 qipaos from a selection of films spanning different eras will be on display, recreating the cultural landscapes of the past with pieces worn by iconic actresses such as Maggie Cheung and Brigitte Lin.

Out of Thin Air: Hong Kong Film Arts & Costumes Exhibition

The Hong Kong Heritage Museum and Hong Kong Film Arts Association will jointly present the exhibition. Through the display of iconic costumes, props, sets, paraphernalia and workshop scenes, the exhibition will take visitors behind the scenes to explore the nature of Hong Kong’s film culture, as well as the highly adaptable professionalism and creative inclusiveness of film industry workers.

More riveting activities will debut soon. Make these experiences part of your itinerary and embark on a distinctive pop culture journey in the footsteps of legendary Hong Kong superstars.

For more information about the “Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival”, please visit https://www.pcf.gov.hk/en/.

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FUZHOU, China, April 14, 2023 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–

Recently, the promo video of Fuzhou city, Fujian province, titled “What You Did Not Know about Fuzhou — Ancient Buildings”, was released through overseas social media accounts including “Oriental.Paris”, “Discover Fujian” and “Discover Fuzhou”, providing a guided tour around Fuzhou — a city with a time-honored history and culture of over 7,000 years as well as a history as a well-built city of more than 2,200 years, telling the living stories behind silent ancient buildings to global netizens.

“Gucuo”, is the special name for ancient residence and ancient architecture in Fujian local dialect, which generally means “ancient buildings”. The video focuses on the precious heritage of ancestral wisdom and art. The ancient buildings such as Qi Jiguang Temple, Mawei Martyr Temple, and Lin Zexu Memorial Hall carry the historical memories of trials and tribulations that stir people’s hearts. The Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, Shangxiahang Historical and Cultural District and Yantai Mountain integrate the classics and fashion, showing new vitality and brilliance, according to the Publicity Department of the CPC Fuzhou Municipal Committee.

To protect ancient buildings and cultural relics means to preserve history, the cultural lineage and the intangible fine traditions of a famous historical and cultural city. Since the 1990s, Fuzhou has always attached great importance to the protection of historical and cultural heritage, introduced specific policies, established long-term mechanisms, trained talented people, and focused on the protection and restoration of famous towns, blocks, areas with distinctive features and cultural relics. It has renovated more than 200 key cultural relics projects, and more than 1,300 ancient and historical buildings, created 17 featured historical and cultural blocks, writing a splendid chapter of Fuzhou in cultural heritage protection in the New Era.

Source: The Publicity Department of the CPC Fuzhou Municipal Committee

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   Caption: Fuzhou, a city with over 7,000 years of history and culture

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FUDING, China, April 14, 2023 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–

Recently, the First China White Tea Trade Convention and the 12th Fuding White Tea Festival, opened in Diantou Town of Fuding city, Fujian province. During this period of time, the Fuding Spring tea has begun to be picked for white tea production for the market, according to Fuding Convergence Media Center. As one of the most important core producing areas of white tea in China, the city of Fuding in Fujian province is best known as the hometown of white tea in the country.   In November 2022, the “Traditional tea processing techniques and their associated social practices in China” including Fuding white tea making techniques, were added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In recent years, the local government has seized the opportunity to create a national modern agricultural industrial park to promote the quality and efficiency of the whole industrial chain and facilitate rural revitalization, basing on its strengths in agricultural resources (Fuding white tea), location, ecology, branding, capital, culture, etc., and implementing measures including tech-driven agriculture, tax and fee reduction, financial support.   In 2022, about 305,000 mu (around 20,333 hectares) of the tea plantation area is available for tea-picking in Fuding, with a total output of 31,000 tons of tea, including 23,000 tons of white tea. The total output value of the city’s tea industry is 13.891 billion yuan.   Over the years, Fuding has firmly taken tea industry as the pillar to advance poverty alleviation and rural revitalization. Centering on the coordinated development of “tea of high quality, tea of science and technology, tea of premium brand”, Fuding has promoted the industry development in five aspects. By continuously improving the impact of Fuding white tea brand, the city has effectively helped 380,000 people in the tea industry increase their income and live a better life.   Fuding white tea industry is poised to redouble its efforts in developing international market, improve variety cultivation and brand value, expand the international impact of its white tea and sell more products with more competitive prices.   Source: Fuding Convergence Media Center

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KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 (Bernama) — China’s largest free trade port ushers in its annual national exhibition as the six-day 3rd China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) opened in Haikou, Hainan Province on April 10.

Themed “Share Open Opportunities and Co-create a Better Life”, this year’s CICPE aims to build a global exhibition and trading platform for consumer products and provide opportunities for enterprises worldwide to share the Chinese market.

With over 3,300 consumer brands from more than 60 countries and regions on display at this year’s CICPE, the exhibition area is 120,000 square metres, including 80,000 square metres of international exhibition area.

According to a statement, more than 300 brands are scheduled to release over 1,000 new products, with Italy being the guest country of honour for this year’s expo, showcasing 147 brands in fashion, design, food and beverage, automotive, hotel, yacht, jewellery and other categories.

Italian exhibitors hope to take advantage of the expo to introduce quality Italian products to Chinese consumers and establish more new contacts in the Chinese market.

Leading enterprises including from the United States, Germany, France and Japan show up at the expo with Volkswagen Group (China) bringing its Porsche, Bentley and other star models; Germany’s Kahl debuts steam cleaning machine in the field of consumer electronics; while Estee Lauder Group, Shiseido Group, Coty Group and L’Oreal Group put on display their high-end fragrance brands.

In addition to China, 10 more Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member countries are participating in this year’s expo, including Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam in the form of national pavilions.

— BERNAMA