XN000022-1993-11-15 — Page 10

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1993

HK ARCHITECTURE EXHIBITION OPENS IN FRANKFURT

THE LARGEST EXHIBITION EVER ASSEMBLED ON HONG KONG ARCHITECTURE WAS OFFICIALLY OPENED IN GERMANY YESTERDAY (SUNDAY), MARKING THE START OF A MAJOR HONG KONG PROMOTION IN THREE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

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THE EXHIBITION, TITLED "HONG KONG ARCHITECTURE THE AESTHETICS OF DENSITY", SHOWCASES THE TRANSFORMATION OF HONG KONG FROM A BARREN ROCK IN THE EARLY 1840'S TO ITS PRESENT-DAY "METROPOLIS" STATUS, AND ITS FUTURE DEVELOPMENT.

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THAN

THE CHIEF SECRETARY-DESIGNATE, MRS ANSON CHAN, TOLD MORE GUESTS THAT THE BUILDINGS OF HONG KONG WERE ONE OF ITS MOST ENDURING IMAGES.

THEY CREATED THE BIGGEST SINGLE IMPRESSION FOR PEOPLE WHEN THEY FIRST FLEW INTO HONG KONG BECAUSE OF THE CITY'S 'ASTOUNDINGLY CONCENTRATED URBAN ENVIRONMENT".

MRS CHAN DREW COMPARISONS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND FRANKFURT, WHERE THE EXHIBITION IS BEING HELD. HONG KONG'S 72 SQUARE KILOMETRES OF URBAN AREAS CATERED FOR ABOUT FOUR MILLION PEOPLE, WHEREAS THE METROPOLITAN AREA OF FRANKFURT COVERING SOME 248 SQUARE KILOMETRES WAS HOME AND WORKPLACE FOR ABOUT 635,000 PEOPLE.

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"IT IS SOMETIMES SAID IN JEST ABOUT HONG KONG THAT

IT IS GREAT CITY, BUT IT WILL BE EVEN BETTER WHEN IT IS FINISHED. BUT THIS THROWAWAY LINE MISSES THE POINT.

"IN FACT, THE URBAN AREAS OF HONG KONG HAVE BEEN COMPLETED TIME TIME AGAIN. THEY ARE IN A STATE OF CONTINUAL RENEWAL AND EXPANSION," MRS CHAN SAID.

AND

THE CHIEF SECRETARY-DESIGNATE SAID TALKING OF CHANGE INEVITABLY LED TO MIDNIGHT ON JUNE 30, 1997 AND THE RESUMPTION OF CHINA'S SOVEREIGNTY, HOWEVER, SHE ADDED THAT HONG KONG'S WAY OF DOING THINGS WOULD BE PRESERVED UNDER THE JOINT DECLARATION.

"ONE NATION'S FLAG WILL GO DOWN AND ANOTHER'S WILL GO UP IN 1997. BUT NOT MUCH MORE. IN HONG KONG, IT WILL BE BUSINESS AS USUAL, UNDERPINNED BY THE SAME INDEPENDENT LEGAL SYSTEM AND ADMINISTERED BY THE SAME EFFICIENT, DEDICATED AND CLEAN CIVIL SERVICE.'

THE MAYOR OF FRANKFURT, DR HANS-JUERGEN MOOG, SAID MRS CHAN'S VISIT CLEARLY INDICATED THAT GERMANY SHOULD STRENGTHEN STILL FURTHER ITS RELATIONS WITH HONG KONG.

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"THIS IS ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT FRANKFURT IS NOW TO BECOME THE SEAT OF THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK, SAID.

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THE ARCHITECTURE EXHIBITION IS BEING HELD IN THE PRESTIGIOUS GERMAN MUSEUM OF ARCHITECTURE AND INCLUDES 11 CORE PROJECTS, COMPLETE WITH BUILDING MODELS, ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS, PLANS, AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL VIEWS.

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