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Of the 35,635 questionnaires distributed to new arrivals from February to December last year, 20,040 were successfully completed and returned.
Mrs Lau said the survey found that 92.3 per cent of the respondents were aged between 11 and 49 and 76.3 per cent were female.
The majority of them, 65.3 per cent, were of Guangdong Province origin while 18.2 per cent came from Fujian Province. More than 70 per cent could speak Cantonese, over 60 per cent Putonghua and about 16.5 per cent Fujianese.
"Since only a quarter of the Fujianese new arrivals could speak Cantonese, language problems are thought to be one of the major obstacles faced by them in the process of integration.
"We found that quite a sizeable number of them have settled in Eastern District (27 per cent), Kowloon City (14 per cent), Tsuen Wan (12.3 per cent), Kwun Tong (10.3 per cent), Kwai Tsing (7.1 per cent) and Central and Western District (6.2 per cent). We expect to have greater demands for Cantonese training in these districts," Mrs Lau said.
On educational attainment, over 60 per cent have completed secondary school education or above.
Almost all the respondents, 99 per cent, said they came to Hong Kong for family reunion. Most of them settled in old urban districts, including Sham Shui Po, Eastern, Kwun Tong, Yau Tsim Mong and Kowloon City.
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Sai Kung park visitor centre re-opens with facelift
The Sai Kung Country Park Visitor Centre is re-opened today (Monday) after being given a facelift with a wide range of new and attractive displays being added.
The centre was closed in January last year for a renovation programme to upgrade its facilities and exhibits.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the re-opening of the centre this afternoon, the Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr Lawrence Lee, thanked the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for its generous donation of $1 million towards the programme.