17
Recreation and The Arts
In recent years, the people of Hong Kong have increasingly been able to pursue a considerable assortment of recreational activities in their leisure time. Practically every sporting activity has its fair share of devotees with better opportunities for participation today. The weekend exodus to the beaches and the countryside had been given greater impetus due to a reduction in working hours and improved standards of living. And facilities for these pursuits have been made available largely by government, the Urban Council and many voluntary associations.
1981 was a year of expansion and in October, the Recreation and Culture Division of the Government Secretariat - with its executive arms, the Music Office and the Recreation and Sport Service - was established as a separate government department. Within the depart- ment, a new division was set-up to strengthen government's work in support of the performing arts. This division provides administrative and financial support to a wide range of organisations including the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Society, the Hong Kong Conservatory of Music and the Hong Kong Academy of Ballet. The income of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music Fund, established in 1980 with a $10 million donation from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, is disbursed through the department to support music and dance activities, including the provision of scholarships to allow outstanding young musicians to continue their studies in Hong Kong or abroad.
An Advisory Council for the Performing Arts was established in November to advise government on all aspects of the development of the arts, similar in function to that of the Council for Recreation and Sport which advises the government on sport and recreation matters and which is served by the other new division the Music Office - responsible
for these matters.
Recreation and Sport Service
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Since the establishment of the Recreation and Sport Service six years ago, much has been done to promote leisure activities, so much so that the service now has 19 district offices. Stage II of the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village in the Sai Kung Peninsula was nearing completion at the end of the year and when completed it will have a capacity for 250 campers. The village provides a similar service to the popular Sai Kung Outdoor Recreation Centre, but with more emphasis on relaxation rather than on active pursuits. Since its official opening in January 1981, some 1 381 camping projects were organised benefitting participants from all walks of life.
Another new facility is the indoor Fitness Centre at the Hong Kong Football Club's stadium in Happy Valley, where fitness training, dancing courses and other indoor activities are provided. The centre, modelled on the prototype at the Hung Hom Car Park,