Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Rita Lau will officiate at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong exhibit at the 11th Venice Biennale International Architecture Exhibition in Venice September 12, a government press release said on Tuesday.

According to a press release from the Information Services Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, the exhibit, entitled "Fabrica Cultura (Culture Fabricate): Hong Kong in Venice", will feature the multiple facets and creativity of the city's architecture and culture in six categories, including object, buildings, landscape, city, media and text. Nine groups of local exhibitors, comprising architects, designers, photographers, performers and writers and critics, will showcase their interpretations of architecture.

Lau will host a gala dinner Friday night to encourage exchange and discussion between Hong Kong's creative talents and their overseas counterparts, the press release said.

During her stay she will meet with representatives of the Veneto Region Chambers of Commerce and major entrepreneurs' associations.

The Venice Biennale is a highly regarded and prestigious international cultural event featuring art, architecture, cinema, dance, music and theater. The Architecture Biennale is held on even years. It has presentations by a record 56 national participants in 2008.

The Hong Kong exhibition is jointly presented by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Hong Kong Institute of Architects and will be open to the public until November 23, the press release said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 10, 2008)