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# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
## Culture and Entertainment
The Council continues to present a rich diversity of high quality cultural programmes to the people of Hong Kong. It also organises various activities for the promotion of promising individuals. In July 1996, a pioneering Artist-in-Residence Scheme was introduced to strengthen support for the development of local arts groups and to enhance arts education at the grass root level. Besides financial assistance, the arts groups were allowed to use the Council's community Arts Centres as their home base for 3-6 months for the development of creative works and educational programmes.
Regarding capital works projects, renovation of the Ko Shan Theatre, at a cost of $78 million, started in late 1994. This semi-open air venue was converted into an air-conditioned 1000-seat auditorium, with redesigned lighting and sound system and advanced stage equipment. Re-opened in October 1996, the refurbished Theatre has become a valuable key centre for staging Chinese opera performances. Another significant project is the Hong Kong Film Archive in Sai Wan Ho, a $197.2 million development scheduled for completion in mid 1999. Site formation works for the archive building started in July 1996 and construction works would commence in mid 1997. Meanwhile, the Film Archive has continued its ongoing activities on films acquisition, conservation treatment of old films, researches etc.
## Museums
Two measures were introduced to encourage more members of the public to visit our museums, i.e. free admission on Wednesdays with effect from 1 July 1996, and waiver of admission charges for advance group bookings by schools and non-profit-making organisations with effect from 1 September 1996.
On the construction of the Museum of History, piling work was completed in March 1996 and the superstructure is scheduled for completion in November 1997. The designer is working on the detailed design of exhibits and the new Museum is expected to be commissioned in early 1999. Upon commissioning of the new Museum, the existing Museum site in Kowloon Park will be used to set up a Hong Kong Museum of Contemporary Art. Subject to approval for $188.2 million from the Legislative Council in early 1997, construction work for the Lei Yue Mun Museum is scheduled to begin in mid-1997 for completion in 1999.
## Libraries
The Hong Kong Central Library, a 12-storey building with a gross area of over 33,000 m2 for holding 2 million items of library materials, is scheduled for completion by end-1999 and commissioning by early 2000. At an estimated building cost of $557 million, design of the Library has incorporated some innovative ideas developed by the Councillors who took part in the Annual Overseas Visit to North America last year as well as the views of experts and citizens collected in a public consultation exercise.
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