RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS
furniture and farming implements, as well as the thematic exhibition entitled The Art of Traditional String Puppetry of Hong Kong.
The construction of the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence was completed in June, and its opening was scheduled to be held in May 2000.
Hong Kong Science Museum
Dealing with the many facets of electricity and depicting the phenomena of magnetism, a new Electricity and Magnetism Gallery was opened within the museum in October. With 27 electricity exhibits developed by the La Cite' des Sciences et de L'Industrie of France, the gallery is an ideal place for people of all ages to visit, in particular children and parents.
In December, a major exhibition on Chinese dinosaur fossils was presented with the support of three Mainland museums. The exhibition featured 14 genuine dinosaur fossils found only in China, the most eye-catching being the 25-metre long mamenchisaurus. The fossils of the prehistoric creatures were reconstructed in their natural stance and embellished in dioramas depicting the Jurassic landscape. Over 30 invaluable animal and plant fossils unique to China were also displayed. These included petrified plants, fish and reptile fossils, as well as dinosaur skulls, bones, teeth, eggs and footprints.
As the use of the Internet in communication and education is increasing, the museum organised the Science Homepage Design Competition to further promote its use among the general public. CD-ROMs incorporating all winning home pages were produced and distributed to schools.
During the year, 128 520 students from 1 238 schools visited the museum. In June, the six-day Popular Science Talks for General Studies Teachers, jointly organised with the Education Department and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, attracted more than 400 participants.
An international video conference project, developed in collaboration with several Asian museums, was repeated in July for two months to enable museum visitors to communicate face-to-face through the computer network with visitors in overseas
museums.
In 1999, the museum's exhibitions and extension activities attracted 518 000 visitors and participants.
Hong Kong Space Museum
In April, an asteroid numbered 3 297 was named after Hong Kong. The naming ceremony, jointly organised by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China Association (HK) for Science and Society and the Provisional Urban Council, was held in the Space Museum.
During the year, the museum launched two Sky Shows, The Legend of Neutron Stars and Spacetime Travel. Three Omnimax films, Mysteries of Egypt, Everest and Wild Fire, and five school shows, The Friendly Sky, The New Solar System, Sun, Moon and Stars, Cosmic Voyage and The Greatest Places were also staged. They attracted more than 422 000 people.
An observation of a partial Lunar Eclipse was arranged in July on the podium of the Museum of Art and drew 368 spectators. During the year, the Space Museum
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