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# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
## ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English):- Ladies and Gentlemen, the meeting is called to order. Before taking the first item on the agenda, I would like to ask all members to stand in silence for one minute in remembrance of those who died in Beijing.
## MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on 9 May 1989, were confirmed.
## PAPER
The following paper was laid on the table:
(1) Report to the Urban Council by the Director of Urban Services and Secretary, Urban Council, for the month of May 1989.
## STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English):--Before I deal with the official business, I would like to publicly express, on behalf of the whole Council, our gratitude to the staff of the Urban Services Department who, over the recent weeks, have had to collect large amounts of litter generated by the various demonstrations.
I appreciate that in many cases the people involved placed their litter at or near refuse containers, but the refuse still had to be collected. Also, in some cases, particularly around Statue Square, there were large amounts of litter which required sweeping up and dealing with. By about 9 o'clock on most mornings, the area was in almost pristine condition, which speaks well of the dedication of our staff. The various processions also disrupted many of our normal refuse collection routes, and again this has meant that the staff have had to work overtime and make collections as best they can.
I would like to congratulate all concerned, from the Director down to the workman on the street, for a job well done and an example to all how a free society can accomplish a great deal with no coercion on the part of anyone.
## QUESTIONS
1. MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question (in English):— Apart from what is already being done by the Urban Council in the performing arts, the visual arts, and also in preserving Hong Kong's heritage within the Council's broad range of cultural activities, what is now being done and what more can be done by the Urban Council in the field of literary arts?
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MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN, CHAIRMAN OF THE LIBRARIES SELECT COMMITTEE, replied to the question (in Cantonese):- This question concerns the work done by the Urban Council in the field of literary arts.
The Council has, over the years, played an active role in promoting literary arts. In 1988, 1,441 events of libraries extension activities relating to the promotion of literary arts were organized by the Council. The total attendance was 1,149,269.
In addition to regular book exhibitions organized throughout the year, a variety of literary talks is presented in co-operation with local literary groups, societies, and associations in the Council libraries to promote literary appreciation. The activities include weekly Hok Hoi lectures on Chinese literature in four libraries and periodic seminars and talks on Chinese and Western literary arts in district libraries to coincide with special events. A total of 10,000 readers attended literary talks in the Council's libraries in 1988.
Special territory-wide activities, such as the annual Chinese Literary Week, are also organized to highlight the importance of literary appreciation. 7,800 people participated in talks by distinguished local and overseas scholars during the Chinese Literary Week in 1988.
The Council also organizes competitions on Creative Writing for both adults and children to cultivate interest in creative writing and develop local talents. To encourage participation, winning entries are published for sale. To date, 16 children's books and 6 adult books have been published. 6 more children's books and 2 adult books will be published this year. About 663,000 copies of library publications have been sold since 1980.
To encourage young people to acquire regular reading habits and cultivate interest in literary works, a reading programme was first launched in July 1984. The programme has since become a popular literary activity among young readers. The reading programme in 1988 included a book report competition, book talks, and workshops on reading skills for members. Since the inception of the programme, 44,000 members have read 822,600 books in five years.
To further stimulate interest in literary arts and inculcate community habits of attending literary activities on a regular basis, the Libraries Select Committee has recently agreed to expand the scope of the annual Chinese Literary Week into a year-round cycle of monthly weekend literary programmes in the Council's libraries.
A territory-wide reading week will also be organized in November 1990 to arouse interest in literary appreciation and highlight the importance of reading in the community.
Meanwhile, the Council is concurrently exploring the feasibility of presenting an Urban Council Literary Award in 1991 to give recognition to the achievements of local writers. Suitable announcements will be made when details are available.
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