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RECREATION
the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, the Association of Volunteers for Service and major government departments, all concerned with youth recreation.
Generous grants of more than $1 million from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club and a similar contribution by the government, together with numerous dona- tions from community groups, firms, families and private individuals, made possible another successful Summer Youth Activities Programme.
Entertainment and the Arts
The cultural life of Hong Kong in which the performing arts now play an im- portant role, tends to centre on the City Hall, administered by the Urban Council.
Facilities offered by the City Hall, opened in 1962, include a 1,500-seat concert hall that can be quickly converted for use for theatrical productions, an intimate 470-seat theatre (also used as a cinema), two exhibition halls, rooms for lectures and conferences, and two public restaurants with bars. In addition, the City Museum and Art Gallery and the main branch of the Urban Council public libraries system are also located there.
Local performers and overseas artists are presented regularly in the two auditoria. Unfortunately, the demand for use of the City Hall facilities is far greater than can be met. The Urban Council has therefore proposed the construction of an additional and larger cultural complex in Kowloon.
Of performances by local artists in 1973, a total of 200 Chinese and Western music, drama, opera and dance was presented by the Urban Council. They were attended by 165,883 people.
The Urban Council, mostly in association with national cultural organisations such as the Alliance Francaise, the British Council and the Goethe Institute, also engages overseas artists to perform music, ballet and drama. In 1973, there were 102 such performances.
The council also arranged regular concerts of recorded music using sophisticated equipment in the Concert Hall where acoustics are exceptionally good. In planning these 'hi-fi' concerts, attempts are made to include works which are unlikely to be heard 'live' in Hong Kong, and these have been particularly well received by the public. Admission price for students at Urban Council cultural presentations ranges from $1 to $3, and tickets are usually sold out quickly.
In addition to participating in the Urban Council's presentations, local musical groups and soloists gave 180 concerts in the City Hall during the year. In drama, many Chinese groups, amateur as well as professional, and three active English amateur groups presented 34 productions, with 109 performances in the City Hall.
Among projects planned by the Urban Council are regular performances of Chinese classical instrumental music, Chinese drama and Western plays translated into Chinese. The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, a semi-professional group