Lee said on Facebook yesterday that he visited the cultural district and its newly opened Hong Kong Palace Museum last week.

During his visit, he was accompanied by the museum board's outgoing chairman Bernard Charnwut Chan, the cultural district authority's chief Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee and the museum's director Louis Ng Chi-wa.

"The museum is based on the Palace Museum in Beijing and illustrates the stories of Chinese history and culture from the global perspective. It also acts as a focal point of cultural interaction between China and the West," Lee said. "The government aims to make Hong Kong a cultural capital and promote a creative economy. I expect to make the district a cultural hub for the bay area and Hong Kong a top exhibition spot for national artifacts and the performing arts."

Lee added that he hopes Hong Kong's art and culture sector will give new momentum to the city's economic development.

Nonofficial members of the Executive Council also paid a visit to the museum last week.

Exco convener Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee said: "We really appreciate the support given to Hong Kong's art and culture sector by the central government and Beijing's Palace Museum."