Held by the Guangdong provincial government, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, as well as the Hong Kong and Macao SAR governments, the First Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival kicked off in Guangzhou on June 24.

The opening ceremony and shows were held at Guangzhou Opera House, with artists from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao staging performances.

The First Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival kicks off in Guangzhou on June 24. [Photo/gd.people.cn]

Ma Xingrui, governor of Guangdong, addressed the audience and announced the opening of the event. He said that Guangdong will team up with Hong Kong and Macao to build a first-rate bay area with international competitiveness and a world-class city cluster.

"The First Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival is a key move to build the 'Bay Area of Humanities', a significant part of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area released by the State Council," Ma noted.

He said that Guangdong will take the festival as an opportunity to work with the SARs to create masterpieces of literary and artistic excellence highlighting the characteristics of the Greater Bay Area, providing strong cultural support for the construction of the Greater Bay Area.

On the Pearl River, 12 boats, including a theme boat and 11 cruise ships representing the cities of the Greater Bay Area, offered a special boat tour for citizens along the river banks.

The festival will integrate cultural resources from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. A variety of cultural programs and events will be launched to promote exchanges and cooperation between the three places.