Quote Originally Posted by Gruntfuttock:
At the end of the day though "art" is a very small minority pursuit in every country - why should the rest of us who have no inclination to contemplate pickled sharks or some woman's stained bedsheets subsidise those few of you who do?
Everyone likes music though, everyone likes magic shows, plenty of people like other forms of art. It is about having somewhere for all of that and having somewhere in the public eye to attract more people. More people are attracted and inspired to either participate themselves or look for more of it. Looking for more of it internally helps to support local venues. Successful local venues can expand and attract international guests and support local artists. Looking for more of it internationally helps expand the population's understanding of the outside world. All of this results in making HK more attractive to travellers and gives it a better international reputation.

Lots of roll on effects. Where in the world is famous that doesn't have a large cultural aspect to it. A couple of places get famous for industry like HK's financial industry but industries move as money moves. Look at Detroit, no one gives a shit about that city anymore since industrial success left the place and they are desperately trying to reinvent themselves with art to stay alive.