Over 100 exhibits featuring top technologies from both ancient and modern China were displayed at the InnoTech Expo 2017 that opened here on Sunday in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), aiming at generating Hong Kong youngsters' interest in science.
"I hope this expo can help Hong Kong residents, especially youngsters, learn about the brilliant inventions of ancient China, as well as the opportunities brought by the rapid development of our country," Tung Chee-hwa, chairman of Our Hong Kong Foundation, the organizer of the expo, said at the opening ceremony.
The expo, which runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. 2, consists of three main exhibition areas, respectively themed in astronomy, informatics and oceanography.
The exhibits include 28 inventions of ancient Chinese science and technology that date back to as early as thousands of years ago, such as the world's earliest compass, the ancient Chinese proofs on Pythagorean proposition, and nautical technologies in the era of Zheng He, a great navigator of the Ming Dynasty.
Also on display are dozens of cutting-edge technological developments in modern China, such as the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), the world's fastest supercomputer Sunway TaihuLight, Tianzhou spacecraft, and Liaoning aircraft carrier.
The expo also include an interactive section set up by the Chinese Academy of Sciences for visitors to learn knowledge about cutting-edge science and technology through interactive games, as well as a Hong Kong section to exhibit works by local inventors.
"With the tide of technological innovation shocking or even overthrowing the way of life on the globe, each youngster today has to try to be equipped, keep abreast of the times and be flexible to change," Tung said, expressing hope that the next generation in Hong Kong "have the mind and spirit for innovation, as well as the capability to create."
China's Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang suggested that Hong Kong attach more importance to the development of youngsters and seize the opportunity to further promote cooperation with the Chinese mainland on technological innovation.
Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of Hong Kong SAR, said that technological innovation can provide a remarkable driving force for Hong Kong's economic growth.
With its wide spread of education, world-class universities and academics, and excellent infrastructure for information technology, Hong Kong "definitely can take advantage of technological innovation to motivate the reindustrialization, by bringing in high-end manufacturing based on technologies such as artificial intelligence, data analysis and internet of things," Lam said.
