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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
With the anticipated opening of the Arts Centre in the first half of 1977, it should now be possible for the Urban Council to take the initiative in the establishment of a Conservatory of Music subvented by public funds, in which the Arts Centre, the Universities and the Hong Kong Philharmonic will have coordinated roles to play.
There is a tremendous wealth of musical talent in Hong Kong among our young people that is like a "gold mine" of human artistic resources awaiting to be tapped. There may well be young artists in our midst who have the potential of a Toscanini, a Melba, a Rubenstein or a Kreisler, if only they are discovered and trained from an early age.
Work on the Cultural Complex is proceeding apace, with an estimated completion date of 1982. No longer referred to as a cultural desert, Hong Kong is now showing many signs of acquiring a cultural dynamism all of its own. The establishment of the Urban Council Art Awards presentation has spurred many local artists towards greater creativity. It is perhaps time that we expand the scope of the awards to include poetry in both the Chinese and English languages, providing the themes are related to Hong Kong and her people.
As Chairman of the Museums Select Committee, I would like to thank all members of the staff having to do with the Museum of Art, the Museum of History and the Branch Museum at Lei Cheng Uk, for their efforts in maintaining a high standard of responsibility and performance. As the work-load becomes heavier and expansion plans take on more formidable shape, the need for experienced and properly trained personnel will be all the more apparent. A long-term staff development plan is therefore a matter of vital necessity.
The Museum of Art and the Museum of History are fortunate to have the support and expert advice of a range of specialized panels, comprising knowledgeable citizens who give of their time and effort to expand the museum collections. The Urban Council is indeed grateful to these citizens for their contribution in the advancement of culture in Hong Kong.
A new item in the Statement of Aims for 1977-78 is the carrying out of a feasibility study for a new Museum of Science and Technology or Science Centre, to use a more modern term. As a society that is becoming increasingly industrialized, Hong Kong has to keep fully abreast of scientific and technological changes in other parts of the world.
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In our education system, there is a trend towards introducing more science and technological content in the secondary school curriculum. It is hoped that more schools will adopt the new Junior Secondary Science Curriculum which incorporates the fundamentals of Biology, Physics and Chemistry and provides the students with a sound basis for doing science and technology at higher levels.
A Science Museum, or Museum of Science and Technology, could be regarded as an educational complement to the more formal approaches to education in the secondary, technical and vocational schools. It would not only give the school and adult population a greater understanding of science and technology, but would also dispel the outmoded view that blue collar jobs are less important socially than white collar jobs.
Should a Science Centre be established in Hong Kong, I feel sure that the business and industrial community will not fail to give the Centre generous support both in activities and programmes as well as in financial contributions.
I hope therefore that a feasibility study can be made at an early date on the establishment of the Science Centre, having in mind to start off with a minimum space of 10,000 to 20,000 sq. ft. in an accessible part of the most densely populated part of Hong Kong, which is urban Kowloon.
With the expansion of museum services by the Urban Council for Hong Kong residents in the urban areas, it is only natural that New Territories residents should expect Government to provide the same level of cultural services in the existing towns and in the new towns in the New Territories, not to mention other places such as Cheung Chau. Apart from library services which are being planned for the New Territories, it is hoped that museum services will also be provided. A survey should be made of the exhibition space available in New Territories towns so that a programme of rotating art and history museum exhibitions can be implemented.
Partly due to the efforts of the Museums of Art and History, there is an increasing desire to seek and to create a cultural identity in Hong Kong. The rock carvings which were recently discovered on inaccessible rock faces on a number of small islands around Hong Kong seem to indicate that there were people living in Hong Kong during the bronze age, which was about 3,000 years ago. The support given by the Urban Council to those engaged in discovering the history of Hong Kong through archaeological diggings will be highly rewarding and a matter of cultural benefit to the people of Hong Kong.