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RECREATION
In the Art Gallery, 14 special exhibitions were held during 1973, including two large-scale Chinese art exhibitions-the Ch'i Pai-Shih and the Kwangtung painting exhibitions. Paintings on display were loaned from various local collectors and both exhibitions proved successful. An exhibition of contemporary prints by Chinese artists consisting of original graphic work by Chinese artists from all over the world was also one of the most successful of the year. The seventh children's art exhibition- a biennial survey of art education in local schools-attracted many young visitors.
Six exhibitions came from abroad, including contemporary French tapestries, Indian miniatures, graphic art in Germany, Vienna School of Fantastic Realism, contemporary French art photographs, and Fabric Vibrations featuring tie-dye creations by American craftsmen.
The Lei Cheng Uk Museum, a site museum of a Han Tomb discovered in 1955 and preserved, continued to attract many visitors. Relics on display provide a glimpse of life in South China 2,000 years ago. Conversion of the display room started in the latter part of the year in order to provide better facilities for display and exhibitions.
Total attendance at the City Museum and Art Gallery for 1973 was 279,189, representing an average of 901 people per day. The corresponding figures for 1972 were 217,601 and 704. At the Lei Cheng Uk Museum-admission 30 cents for adults and 10 cents for children-total attendance was 17,578 averaging 58 per day. In 1972, the figures were 22,866 and 74.
Libraries
There are five Urban Council public libraries, three on the Kowloon peninsula and two on Hong Kong Island. These libraries offer free lending, reference and study room facilities to all residents of Hong Kong. There is a comprehensive bookstock of 526,055 volumes in both English and Chinese, 296 current newspapers and periodicals from all over the world, 2,765 reels of microfilm and 1,230 seats in the study rooms. There is also a separate students' study room at Kowloon Park with 282 seats.
The City Hall and Yau Ma Tei libraries, the main libraries for each side of the harbour, have comprehensive reference-sections in addition to the normal adult lending, junior newspaper and periodical sections and students' study rooms. Branch libraries at Waterloo Road and Ping Shek Estate in Kowloon and at Wah Fu Estate on the southwest of Hong Kong Island concentrate on lending facilities for adult and junior readers, but also have newspaper and periodical sections and study rooms for students.
Public libraries continue to be well-used and, in the 11 years since the first (at the City Hall) was opened, 413,661 people have registered as borrowers. In 1973, 2,651,935 books were borrowed from the lending libraries and 354,735 books con- sulted in the reference libraries.
Various extension activities in the form of book exhibitions, children's story- hours, a Christmas card competition and organised school visits have been a regular feature at the libraries and all have proved successful.