RECREATION AND THE ARTS
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It was the major venue for the 13th Hong Kong International Film Festival and the International Arts Carnival – both Urban Council events - and the 1989 Hong Kong Arts Festival. Other performances by local and international artists were also presented there by the council, various cultural organisations and impresarios.
Facilities in the City Hall complex, which has a total area of 11 000 square metres, include a 1 480-seat concert hall, a 467-seat theatre, an exhibition hall and Chinese and Western restaurants in the Low Block. The High Block accommodates the Hong Kong Museum of Art, an exhibition gallery, a 116-seat recital hall, two committee rooms, a public library and a marriage registry. The two blocks are connected by the Memorial Garden.
During the year, 402 000 people attended 842 performances in the concert hall, the theatre and the recital hall. In addition, 95 exhibitions were held in the exhibition hall and the exhibition gallery.
Town Halls
The Regional Council manages six civic centres within its region.
The Tsuen Wan Town Hall, opened in 1980, was the first civic centre in the New Territories. The three-storey cultural complex houses a 1 424-seat multi-purpose auditor- ium, an exhibition gallery, a cultural activities hall, a lecture room and a conference room.
The Sha Tin and Tuen Mun Town Halls, which were opened in 1987, were modelled after the Tsuen Wan Town Hall but have more sophisticated facilities. Their spacious stages-and side stages have won praise from producers of sophisticated dance and theatrical performances. Each of these two new town halls has a dance studio and a music studio which are very popular for training. Activities held in these studios range from ballet, dance and martial arts classes to orchestra and choir rehearsals. Both town halls are conveniently located in the town centre, and are well-served by public transport.
The three smaller civic centres managed by the Regional Council are the Tai Po Civic Centre, North District Town Hall in Sheung Shui and Lut Sau Hall in Yuen Long.
During 1989, some 1 180 performances were staged at these civic centres for over 492 000 persons and 90 exhibitions were held at the exhibition galleries of the three major town halls.
Community Arts Centres
The Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre, the Urban Council's first fully-fledged community arts centre, serves as a focal point for the promotion of culture and the arts in the Kowloon East region. The centre has a 443-seat theatre, an exhibition hall, a 90-seat lecture room, two art studios, two music practice rooms and a dance practice room. The centre's theatre was booked for 242 days, featuring 189 performances before audiences of 51 700, and the exhibition hall was used for 224 days attracting 20 300 people during the year.
Completed in December 1988, the Sheung Wan Civic Centre is the second fully-fledged community centre and has a 515-seat theatre, a lecture hall, an exhibition hall, a rehearsal hall, a dance practice room, four music practice rooms and two art studios. The centre is a focal point of cultural activities for residents in the Central and the Western regions. The Urban Council's performing companies - the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre and the Hong Kong Dance Company - are housed in the centre. During the year, 73 300 people attended 349 performances in the theatre and the lecture hall. In addition, the exhibition hall was booked for 215 days and the practice facilities were used for 9 373 sessions.
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