RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS
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To provide outdoor leisure opportunities for its hostellers, the association not only hosted more than 80 activity programmes at weekends during 1994 but also supplied accommodation at sites like Tai Mei Tuk, which is a centre for many independent activities such as watersports, cycling and hiking in the country parks.
Members of the association also have access to more than 5 000 hostels in over 60 countries.
Urban Council Parks
The Urban Council currently manages two large modern parks Kong Park.
Kowloon Park and Hong
Kowloon Park features many special attractions including a sports complex with an ultra- modern Olympic pool, indoor and outdoor leisure pools and an air-conditioned indoor games hall. The park also contains a history museum, an aviary, a popular bird lake, a sculpture walk, a creative playground and a garden piazza for staging cultural and entertainment activities.
Hong Kong Park was constructed as a joint venture between the Urban Council and the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club. The latter donated $170 million towards the total construction cost of $398 million. Its facilities include a walk-in aviary, a conservatory, an indoor games hall, a squash centre, a teaware museum and a visual arts centre. Educational activities are organised in the park for school children, with an emphasis on conserving the - natural environment and wildlife resources.
Kowloon Walled City Park
Construction of the Kowloon Walled City Park started in June 1994 and is scheduled for completion in late 1995. The $59 million project is funded by the government. Upon completion, the park will provide a Chinese-style landscaped garden with the restored yamen building as a focal point. Relics of the Walled City, including two cannons and five stone inscriptions, will be displayed in the park. On completion, the park will be managed by the Urban Council.
Zoological and Botanical Gardens
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Situated on a 5.35-hectare site overlooking Government House, the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens form the oldest and one of the most popular public gardens in the territory.
The gardens were constructed between 1861 and 1871, divided by Albany Road. The old garden, on the east side of the road, houses an extensive bird collection while the newer garden, opened in 1871, houses a small collection of mammals. The botanical section is mainly located in the old garden.
The gardens house 19 endangered species of mammals, birds and reptiles. Despite its urban environment, it is an exceptionally successful breeding centre. Its bird collection is one of the most comprehensive in Asia, with over 1 000 birds of 300 species. More than 100 of these species have successfully reared young. Though less comprehensive, the mammal collection includes the echidna, an egg-laying mammal; and the jaguar, the world's third largest cat.