RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS
During the year, a major exhibition National Treasures Gems of China's Cultural Relics was jointly presented with the State Bureau of Cultural Relics, displaying the finest Chinese treasures from over 30 Mainland museums. Other events included the 20th Century Icelandic Painting, a joint presentation with the Consulate General of Iceland, Hong Kong; Beyond Image A Retrospective of Olivier Debre, a joint presentation with the Consulate General of France, Hong Kong; Roy Liechtenstein — Landscapes in Chinese Style, supported by the Consulate General of the United States of America in Hong Kong; Embodied Logos 14 Women Artists From Germany, a joint presentation with the Goethe Institut Hong Kong; Contemporary Portuguese Architecture: Sea, Stone and Space, a joint presentation with the Consulate General of Portugal in Hong Kong; and Egyptian Treasures from the British Museum.
In addition to the bulk of Western art exhibitions, the museum presented the Art of Xie Zhilui and Chen Peiqiu, an exhibition of Chinese painting and calligraphy from local collectors and the Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial 1998, a major open art competition for local artists. New CD-ROM acoustic guide services for major exhibitions were available to visitors. The five permanent exhibitions together with the changing exhibitions and educational extension services attracted 517 000 visitors in 1998.
Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware
The Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware presented Selected Works of Yixing Purple Clay Wares from the K.S. Lo Collection; Passion for Tea and Tea Vessels; Chinese Ceramics and Seals Donated by the K. S. Lo Foundation; Chinese Tea Drinking and Tea Wares by Hong Kong Potters, an open competition for local potters.
Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre
The Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre continued to support local artists by providing studio equipment and facilities for ceramics, sculpture and print-making. The exhibition gallery, art studios, lecture theatre and seminar rooms are for hire to the public at subsidised rates. In the year, the centre jointly presented the VisAbility 97 Programme for the Disabled with The Arts for the Disabled Association Hong Kong and various thematic programmes on sculpture and print-making jointly organised with major local societies.
Hong Kong Science Museum
During the year, the Hong Kong Science Museum organised more than 370 programmes for visitors of all ages.
To celebrate the official opening of the new Hong Kong International Airport and pay tribute to the internationally acclaimed French architecture, the Consulate General of France and the Provisional Urban Council jointly presented an exhibition. entitled From the Building to the City France and Hong Kong Experiences in the museum in May. Models of the new Hong Kong International Airport and the new Stadium of France (Stade de France) were two major attractions in the exhibition. The exhibition, which attracted more than 20 000 visitors, was a successful joint project sharing the experience of local and French architects.
To arouse public awareness of safety and health at work and to educate the public on workplace hazards and their prevention, the Occupational Safety and Health
349