RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS
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locations along main access leading to hostels, the repainting of interior walls at Ma Wui Hall and the replacement of all dormitory beds at The S. G. Davis Hostel.
A shuttle bus service has been introduced at Ma Wui Hall running to Shun Tak Centre in Sheung Wan. The new service provides convenient transport and has proved to be welcome by hostel guests.
Urban Council Parks
Kowloon Park and The Urban Council currently manages two large modern parks Hong Kong Park. Kowloon Park's attractions include a sports complex with an Olympic pool, indoor and outdoor leisure pools and an air-conditioned indoor games hall. The park also contains a history museum, an aviary, a bird lake, a sculpture walkway, a creative playground and a garden piazza for staging cultural and entertainment activities.
Hong Kong Park was 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 environmental and wildlife resources.
Kowloon Walled City Park
The Kowloon Walled City Park, funded and constructed by the government on the former Kowloon Walled City site, was completed in September 1995. The park provides a Chinese-style landscaped garden with the restored Yamen building as a focal point. Relics of the Walled City, including two cannons, five stone inscriptions and tablets are displayed in the park, which was handed over to the Urban Council for management and opened to the public on December 22, 1995. About 389 000 people visited it in 1996.
Zoological and Botanical Gardens
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens occupy a 5.35-hectare site overlooking Government House, and form the oldest public gardens in the territory. They were established 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, is the home for mammal and reptile exhibits. 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 a successful breeding centre. Its bird collection is one of the most comprehensive in Asia, with about 880 birds of 300 species. More than 100 of these species have reared young. Although less comprehensive, the mammal collection is varied, including such diverse creatures as the echidna, an egg-laying mammal, and the jaguar, the world's third-largest cat.
More than 750 species of trees, shrubs, creepers and foliage plants are featured. The medicinal plant collection, established in 1987, and a new greenhouse built in 1993 have generated much interest. They contain some 500 species of herbs, orchids, ferns, cacti, succulents and other indoor plants. During the year, a new jaguar enclosure