те
布政司署
港下亞
畢道
CONFIDENTIAL
*** OUR REF.: SCR 18/5701/56
來函檔號 YOUR REF.:
J Thompson Esq MBE
Hong Kong & General Department
F CO
Dear John,
JSKS
CHINESE PERFORMING ARTS COMPANY IN HONG KONG
109
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
31 August, 1978
Hkk.cool!
7. 5.
No la
REGISTRY
1
Actyn Tekan
You will have seen from reports in the South China Morning Post that the Performing Arts Company of the People's Republic of China paid a much publicised and successful visit to Hong Kong following its tour in the US. The group arrived here on 10 August in two CAAC Boeing 707s which stopped for a night in Shanghai on their way back from the US before coming here. The Company put on 17 performances at the Sunbeam Theatre, all of which were very quickly sold out. They left (for Macau) on 26 August.
2.
Before the Company arrived, NCNA approached us with an invitation for the Governor to attend a performance. At the same time the local organisers applied to give a concert at the City Hall. We decided that this was a suitable occasion on which to allow a group from China to mount a major cultural event at the City Hall for the first time since before the Cultural Revolution. However, we noticed that the songs performed in the US included a number in praise of Mao, Chou and Hua and felt, on balance, that it would be worth indicating that the City Hall programme should not be heavily loaded with such items. We had one or two difficult meetings with NCNA on this point but they eventually gave a pretty clear undertaking that they would choose the programme with care. We then told NCNA that (as the Governor was not due back until 18 August) the Acting Governor would be happy to attend a City Hall concert on 17 August, rather than the first night at the Sunbeam Theatre. They were content with this and, in the event, the City Hall concerts contained only instrumental pieces. NCNA subsequently enquired whether the Governor would be interested in attending a later performance at the Sunbeam, but were quite content when the invitation was declined because of prior commitments.
The Company's performances were given enthusiastic and somewhat uncritical write-ups in most papers here (both
3.
/contd.....
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.