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RECREATION AND THE ARTS
The Hong Kong Repertory Company produces traditional and modern drama in Cantonese. During the Festival of Asian Arts, the company presented two modern Chinese plays, Wu Kwei Bridge and Fragrant Rice.
In an effort to promote interest in the cinema, the Urban Council presented the First International Film Festival of Hong Kong during 1977. More than 40 films from 14 countries were shown alongside local films at the City Hall Theatre in an attempt to put Hong Kong on the international film festival map.
The Urban Council also places great importance on its extensive programme of free, open-air entertainment. In 1977, 757 of these performances were provided at locations throughout Hong Kong and Kowloon. On the programme were operas, puppets, singers, dramas, comedies, acrobatics and martial arts. More than 600,000 people attended these performances during the year.
Festival of Asian Arts
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Performers from nine Asian nations travelled to Hong Kong in 1977 to take part in the Urban Council's Second Festival of Asian Arts. They came from India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Hong Kong was well represented with groups performing Cantonese and Peking opera, Cantonese drama, Chinese folk dance, choral singing and puppet shows. The Hong Kong Philharmonic presented a special programme of works by Asian composers and the Chinese Music Orchestra made its debut. In addition, there were no less than five exhibitions featuring Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints, Hong Kong contemporary art, Chinese snuff bottles, Shek Wan pottery and Malaysian textiles.
Hong Kong Arts Festival
The Hong Kong Arts Festival has now become a major event, not only on the Asian cultural calendar, but throughout the world, where it now ranks among the leading festivals of its kind.
Since the first festival in 1973, the unique blend of Western and Eastern art has stimulated and entertained local audiences and overseas visitors alike.
The 1977 festival was opened by Princess Alexandra. Among those performing were the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Berlin, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Chinese Music Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli, pianist Tamas Vasary, dancers Manolita and Rafael Aguilar, mime artiste Bernard Rolli, the Thorndike Theatre and Victoria de los Angeles.
Preparations also are now under way for the 1978 festival. Among those invited to take part are the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Lucerne Festival Strings, pianist Peter Frankl, the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, Dionne Warwick, the Com- pagnie Philippe Genty, Hinge and Bracket, and the Charlie Byrd Trio.
Tsim Sha Tsui Cultural Complex
The Tsim Sha Tsui Cultural Complex is an ambitious project of the Urban Council and the government to further improve facilities for the arts in Hong Kong. It will comprise one large and one small auditorium, a museum, an art gallery, a library, a res- taurant, an open-air theatre, a garden and a space museum, including a planetarium.