THE ARTS
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of the Arts, the former in English and the latter televised and in Cantonese; both organizations also continued to stimulate and encourage interest in the arts as part of their normal programmes in English and in Chinese. Two Chinese groups, the Chung Yee Players and the Chinese Drama Group of the Sino-British Club, participated in the Festival of the Arts. The Chinese Drama Group also showed an interest in Peking and Cantonese opera. More experienced producers and enthusiasts for drama in the medium of English and Cantonese helped to further the interests of the young in dramatic art, particularly in the schools' drama competitions, where they acted as advisers or judges.
No review of the arts in Hong Kong would be complete without a reference to the many activities of the British Council, which participates in so many cultural events. The library now offers some ten thousand books and over a hundred periodicals for public use at its library and reading room. Issues from the lending library total over 45,000 a year. The Council mounted the biggest exhibition it has yet shown in the Colony-'Shakespeare in the British Theatre'-which was assembled in London and is now travelling throughout the Far East. This was shown in both Hong Kong and Kowloon. The libraries of visual aids and gramophone records were more popular than ever. The Council continued to offer facilities for exhibitions of paintings and other forms of graphic art by local residents and others.
St. John's Cathedral Hall has been frequently used for exhibitions by local art societies and individual artists, whilst the University's Loke Yew Hall with its improved acoustics and air-conditioning is providing a popular setting for musical and dramatic events.
By a resolution passed by the Legislative Council in December 1957 it will now be possible for a reduced rate of Entertainment Tax to be levied on admission charges for live performances of special cultural or artistic value. Per- formances eligible for the concession will be decided by the