WestK Shanghai Week 2025 concluded successfully in June
Image Courtery of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
Organised by the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK), Hong Kong’s cultural tourism landmark, WestK Shanghai Week 2025 (WestK Shanghai Week) concluded successfully in June. In partnership with six renowned arts and cultural institutions and venues in Shanghai, the event featured seven premier cultural and artistic programmes, attracting over 300,000 participants across online and offline channels. These included arts and cultural leaders, artists, arts enthusiasts, students, and members of the public from both Hong Kong and Shanghai. Additionally, the “WestK x MANNER” art collaboration and associated promotional activities received widespread attention. Posts by WestK and MANNER on their official social media platforms, along with limited-edition coffee cups and souvenirs effectively promoted the WestK brand to millions of people.
M+ and Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) exhibitions, mainland premiere of original Cantonese musical The Impossible Trial recorded over 300,000 people participated
The Shanghai stop of I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture exhibition, co-organised by Power Station of Art (PSA) and M+, has been open to the public since 26 Apr. As of 15 Jun, the exhibition welcomed more than 80,000 visitors. Due to the overwhelming public response, the exhibition has been extended for two weeks until 10 Aug. After that, the exhibition will continue its global tour to Doha, Qatar. On 19 Jun, M+ and PSA co-organised a free public talk titled “More than a Formal Dialogue – Xu Bing and Li Chung (Sandi) Pei on I. M. Pei, Art and Architecture”. The event received an enthusiastic response, attracting more than 9,000 online and onsite viewers.
The HKPM’s exhibition City Rhythms: Chinese Traditional Culture Reinterpreted (City Rhythms), has been open at Shanghai’s ZHANGYUAN since 19 Jun. Themed around garden landscapes, the exhibition showcases the unique reflections and interpretations of garden aesthetics and contemporary society by 16 artists from Hong Kong through innovative expressions. These artists draw inspiration from ZHANGYUAN’s history and the diverse urban developments in both Hong Kong and Shanghai. On 21 Jun, the HKPM co-organised a cultural salon with Jiefang Daily‧Shanghai Observer. Titled “Evolving Landscapes: From Traditional Culture to Modern Urban Fabric”, the event attracted more than 200,000 viewers online and offline. The exhibition is open to the public free of charge and runs until 31 Jul. Reservations can be made via the HKPM WeChat mini program.
The premiere of the original Cantonese musical The Impossible Trial, commissioned by WestK and co-presented and co-produced with Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, has received widespread acclaim during its first tour in Mainland China. The original Cantonese version was performed at Shanghai Culture Square from 17 – 29 Jun with a total of 12 performances, with tickets almost sold out drawing close to 19,000 audience, setting a new record in terms of the numbers of performances and audiences for Hong Kong musicals touring in the mainland. Beijing will be the second stop of the mainland tour, featuring a total of 10 performances at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center from 11 – 20 Jul 2025. The show will return to WestK’s Xiqu Centre in mid-August for its third run with a total of 20 performances. The 2025 rerun of The Impossible Trial is proudly sponsored by HSBC Life and supported by the China National Arts Fund.
WestK Performing Arts Presents: Cantonese opera, jazz, and contemporary dance performances attracting more than a thousand Shanghai audience
WestK Performing Arts Presents: Live in Shanghai took place over three consecutive nights at one of the most iconic jazz clubs in Shanghai, JZ Club, featuring performances by some of the most outstanding young Hong Kong musicians. On 20 and 21 Jun, the Xiqu Centre at WestK collaborated with Shanghai’s Wanping Theatre to present two performances of the acclaimed experimental Cantonese Opera Farewell My Concubine (New Adaptation). On 21 and 22 Jun, two contemporary dance performances were staged at the Shanghai International Dance Center Theater: Chinese Dance x Martial Arts – Convergence, co-presented by WestK and Hong Kong Dance Company (HKDance), and PHONATE (solo), commissioned and produced by WestK, and co-presented with the Shanghai International Dance Center Theater. Both performances, along with the post-performance artist talks, were warmly received by the Shanghai audience.
The highly popular WestK creative brand promotional campaigns successfully captivated millions via online and offline channels
WestK Shanghai Week served as a springboard for the WestK brand to go global through a series of artistic and cultural showcases, spotlighting its distinctive charm and diversity. From 18 – 24 Jun, the “WestK x MANNER” art collaboration—co-created by WestK and Shanghai’s leading coffee brand, MANNER COFFEE—featured exclusive artwork by celebrated Hong Kong illustrator Don Mak. Drawing inspiration from Hong Kong’s iconic Victoria Harbour skyline, Mak’s designs appeared on limited-edition cups, cup sleeves, and takeaway bags across more than 2,000 MANNER stores throughout Mainland China, allowing millions of customers to experience the unique glamour of WestK’s cultural brand. Two specially themed WestK x MANNER concept stores, at Guoke Binjiang and Huaihai 755, fast became highly sought-after check-in spots, successfully integrating WestK’s artistic vision into the daily lives of Shanghai residents, and effectively showcased the WestK brand to millions of mainland citizens.
“WestK x MANNER” marks a new cross-sector collaboration initiative by WestK, tapping into Shanghai’s position as the leading city in China for coffee consumption. By combining WestK’s energetic brand spirit—bringing art into everyday life—with the artisanal coffee culture beloved by Mainland audiences, the collaboration sparked an enthusiastic response from Shanghai residents. Leveraging Shanghai as the launch pad, the campaign has extended its reach to cities across China, showcasing the distinctive charm of the brand and creating a powerful synergy.
The “WestK Fun Challenge: Roll & Win” pop-up booth was successfully staged from 10 – 23 Jun. Located at WestK’s venue partner Xintiandi, a landmark renowned for its rich cultural heritage and as a trendsetting lifestyle destination in Shanghai, the booth introduced WestK’s brand philosophy, its diverse arts and cultural venues, and cultural offerings to the Shanghai public through interactive games. Held in collaboration with Cathay, the Travel Partner of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), the event offered daily prizes of Asia Miles, along with one-year museum memberships or full-access tickets to the Hong Kong Palace Museum and M+, as well as exclusive WestK merchandise. The campaign proved hugely popular, attracting thousands of participants from Shanghai and beyond.
WestK Shanghai Week marks the first time since the establishment of the WKCDA in 2008 that a series of curated or co-organised cultural and artistic programmes has been presented outside Hong Kong. It represents a significant milestone in promoting Hong Kong’s premier arts and cultural offerings to go global.
WestK Shanghai Week is supported by the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism and the Shanghai Municipal Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, as well as the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The WKCDA’s Travel Partner, Cathay, is the Lead Sponsor for WestK Shanghai Week. Among the co-organisers are the Hong Kong Dance Company and several cultural institutions and venues in Shanghai, including PSA, Shanghai Culture Square, Shanghai International Dance Center Theater, Wanping Theatre, Shanghai, and JZ Club. The Shanghai United Media Group and Shanghai Media Group are the media partners for the event.
For more programme details, please refer to https://shanghaiweek.westk.hk/en.