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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1981
CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION ON HONG KONG HI TOPY
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VILLAGERS AND RURAL LEADERS WHO HAD HELPED IN COLLECTING MATERIAL FOR A LOCAL HISTORY EXHIBITION WERE PRAISED TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE SECRETARY FOR CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES ADMINSTRATION, MR DAVID AKERS-JONES,
MR AKERS-JONES WAS OPENING THE EXHIBITION AND A THREE-DAY CONFERE' CE ENTITLED +HONG KONG HISTORY AND SOCIETY IN CHANGE+ AT THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY.
THE EXHIBITION, HE SAID, WOULD GIVE VISITORS AND SCHOLARS ALIKE AN INDICATION OF THE SOURCE MATERIALS FOR HONG KONG'S HISTORY.
+1 PARTICULARLY WISH TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE HAND-WRITTEN MATERIAL.
+ IN MOST CASES THIS HAS BEEN COLLECTED IN THE LOCAL VILLAGES, THROUGH THE KEEN INTEREST AND SUPPORT OF RURAL LEADERS, BY A GROUP OF STAFF AND STUDENTS OF THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY.
+ THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS MATERIAL IS BEYOND QUESTION, ESPECIALLY AS IT SUPPLIES MATERIALS ON LOCAL HISTORY WHICH CANNOT BE FOUND IN ANY PUBLISHED BOOK.
+ I TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK THOSE VILLAGE PEOPLE WHO HAVE GENEROUSLY ALLOWED THESE RECORDS TO BE COPIED AND TO URGE OTHERS TO LEND SIMILAR SUPPORT TO THE WORK OF COLLECTING WHEN IT REACHES OTHER DISTRICTS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES,+ MR AKERS-JONES SAID.
HE SAID THE EXHIBITION AND CONFERENCE WERE TIMELY AND THEIR GOALS WERE OF DIRECT INTEREST TO ALL, ESPECIALLY TO THE MANY PERSONS IN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE COMMUNITY WHO WERE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND A COMPLEX AND SOPHISTICATED SOCIETY.
+I URGE THE PUBLIC TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE COLLECTING OF MATERIAL OF SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE, + HE CONCLUDED.
TSUEN WAN TOWN MANAGER, DR JAMES HAYES, SPEAKING FOR THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE, SAID HE THOUGHT THE REASON FOR INCREASED INTEREST IN LOCAL HISTORY WAS BECAUSE HONG KONG MEANT MORE THAN IT DID BEFORE TO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE.
+HONG KONG IS NOW VALUABLE FOR ITS OWN SAKE AND THERE IS, AGAIN, A WORLD-WIDE INTEREST IN CHINA AND ALL THINGS CHINESE,+ HE SAID.
IN THESE CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES MANY PEOPLE WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PLACE.
THOSE WHO LIVED HERE WANTED TO UNDERSTAND IT BETTER AND PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE HAD BECOME FASCINATED BY IT, HE SAID.
ON DISPLAY AT THE EXHIBITION ARE PHOTOGRAPHS, DOCUMENTO, BOOKS, MAPS AND PAMPHLETS SHOWING THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF HON. KONG BEFORE AND AFTER 1841.
/THEED INCLUDE