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RECREATION AND THE ARTS
A new hostel with commanding views of Victoria Harbour and approaches from the heights of Mount Davis on Hong Kong Island was opened in June, 1981. Named Ma Wui Hall, it was built with a $2.7 million donation from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club.
New accommodation at the Sze Lok Yuen Hostel situated near the top of Tai Mo Shan was opened a month later, expanding the facilities there to 80 beds. Towards the end of the year construction started on a new dormitory block at Bradbury Hall, Chek Keng, over-looking picturesque Long Harbour. And another site has been reserved for the association at Mong Tung Wan on Lantau Island.
The steady improvement in the standard of living in Hong Kong in recent years is reflected in the number of members who seek to broaden their outlook by taking advantage of the low cost facilities now available to them in 66 countries when they enjoy their holidays.
Outward Bound
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The Outward Bound courses aboard the brigantine, Ji Fung, have been well attended by senior executives, students, young businessmen and children. The ship, launched in 1980, had sailed more than 10 000 nautical miles, in local waters, to The Philippines and up the China coast.
At the school, on the Sai Kung peninsula, a new range of courses encompassing most outdoor skills have been introduced with special attention being paid to the disabled. The courses on usage of the country parks, include route finding, camping and preservation of the countryside. Part of the courses encompass the MacLehose Trail which provides a walk of 100 kilometres across the New Territories.
Ocean Park
Ocean Park, a non-profit organisation, is the world's largest oceanarium, and is one of the most spectacular recreational and educational complexes in Asia. Developed by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club on land granted free by the government, it has attracted nearly nine million visitors since it opened in January 1977.
Spanning a high, rocky peninsula between Aberdeen and Deep Water Bay on Hong Kong Island, Ocean Park's lowland and headland sites are linked by cable car.
The Ocean Theatre, with a 4 000-seat auditorium, features daily performances by trained dolphins, sealions and a Killer Whale, while the Wave Cove - a simulated coastline of rocks and waves allows visitors to see and feed intermingled species of seals, sealions and penguins. At the Atoll Reef, the shallows and depths of a tropical atoll are recreated, along with viewing galleries at four levels. This is the world's biggest aquarium, displaying some 300 species of marine life ranging from sharks to tiny coral fish.
The lowland site has been landscaped around a small lake and pools. In addition to animals and birds, it contains a touch-and-feed area, an innovative playground for children and two outdoor theatres. Special exhibits on show during the year included a baby rhinoceros, emus and a baby hippopotamus. Donations of peacocks and black swans from the San Diego Zoo added to the variety of species on display. The annual flower show was an extremely successful and colourful attraction with the spectacular high diving exhibition offering an unusual and exciting show for visitors.
City Hall
Opened in 1962, the City Hall occupies about 11 000 square metres of land in Hong Kong's Central District and consists of two separate blocks connected by a public garden. The low