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RECREATION AND THE ARTS
cycle velodrome and an ozone-treated swimming pool. Additionally, outdoors there are three grass soccer pitches, an eight-lane Olympic track, a tennis range, a jogging trail, an artificial-turf training area, a hockey pitch, an area for baseball and softball, and courts for basketball, volley ball and mini-tennis. Indoors there are squash courts, a gymnasium, a dance studio, a weight and strength training room, and halls for a variety of sports. The centre provides residential accommodation for about 100 persons.
City Hall
Opened in 1962, the City Hall occupies about 11 000 square metres of land in Central District and consists of two separate blocks connected by a memorial garden. The low block houses a 1 488-seat concert hall, a 468-seat theatre, an exhibition hall and a Chinese restaurant. The high block contains an exhibition gallery, a 116-seat recital hall, committee rooms, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, and public libraries operated by the Urban Council. Administered by the Urban Council, the City Hall's facilities are available for hire by the public as well as being used by the council for various functions and performances. With increasing public interest in cultural activities, the City Hall continues to be the centre of cultural life in Hong Kong. During the year, about 582 150 people attended 1026 performances held in the concert hall, the theatre and the recital hall; 152 exhibitions were held at the exhibition hall and exhibition gallery.
In 1982, a year-long fiesta of cultural events was launched to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the City Hall. The Urban Council organised performances by some 75 overseas artistes and groups, some appearing with the assistance of various cultural organisations such as the United States International Communication Agency, the British Council, the Goethe Institute, the Alliance Francaise, and various consulates including the Japanese Consulate General and the Austrian Consulate General.
The Urban Council also takes an active interest in promoting local artistic talent. Resulting from its popularity in past years, the Fifth Chinese Opera Fortnight was held in August with an increase in performances from nine in 1981 to 13 in 1982. During the year, 85 vocal and instrumental recitals, eight opera performances and 30 Chinese and Western dance performances by local artistes were presented.
In addition to the regular weekly series of French and German films, the Urban Council and local and international cultural organisations jointly presented a variety of film festivals. The council also organised a number of cultural exhibitions in the year, including the 37th Hong Kong International Salon of Photography, and a photographic exhibition organised jointly with the Commission for India.
Tsim Sha Tsui Cultural Centre
Overlooking the harbour on the site of the former Kowloon-Canton Railway terminus and newly-reclaimed land at the tip of the Kowloon Peninsula, the Urban Council and the government are building a cultural complex that will become the centre of Hong Kong's cultural life. Piling work continued during 1982 and the whole project is scheduled for completion in 1986.
Facilities will include a crescent-shaped auditoria block housing a 2 280-seat concert hall for presenting unamplified music, a 1930-seat lyric theatre for opera and ballet and stage shows and a 400-seat studio theatre for drama. A nine-storey tower block will accommodate the offices of the Cultural Services Department, the Urban Council computerised ticketing centre and an arts library. A restaurant block will house Chinese and Western restaurants, conference and lecture rooms.