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(2) Hong Kong being one of the most prosperous cities in Asia and is shaping to become the financial and economic centre of this part of Asia has a very humble group of buildings for the City Hall. I was very impressed by the Tokyo City Hall when we visited it year before last and the Beijing municipal office where the Mayor of Beijing received our delegation last October had a reception room the size of our main Council Chamber. Our City Hall compares to those mentioned above is like a bunch of out buildings and our chambers a mere annex. We do not even have a reception room to properly receive our visiting dignitaries. Not to mention the inconspicuous entrance we have on the ground floor. It is probably a visionary design to cater for the age of democracy where protest marches are the order of the day because they will never find the entrance to hand in their petition.
I inherited the Chairmanship of the Working Group on the Redevelopment of the City Hall when the issue was flogged to death by strangulation from various quarters. In the last few months, although it may appear I have neglected my duties, in fact, I have been quietly talking to a number of people to find a way of giving this project a kiss of life. To cut a long story short I shall be proposing to the Committee and then to Council to launch a design competition for our New City Hall on the site of the Central Market. My apologies again to the lady behind the glass. When I wrote the next sentence, I anticipate Brook BERNACCHI being here. I am sure if he was here, he would do exactly what I said he is going to do. Before the Chairman of the Finance Select Committee starts to shake his head, I propose that if we are short of funds, we should ask the people of Hong Kong to participate in the building of the most symbolic monument of our community by donation. If the Buddhist community in Hong Kong can manage to fund the building of the Tien Tan Buddha surely the people of Hong Kong can make the effort to fund the building of a proper City Hall, a symbol of the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong.
(3) The Government has launched a major effort to improve our environment and Urban Council should echo this effort by making sure that all our building projects are designed in an environmental friendly manner. We should instruct our architects to provide wherever possible and feasible, design features incorporating the latest provisions for environmental friendly building in the design of community centres, libraries, sports complexes, toilets and refuse collection centres etc. The Urban Council of this dynamic city should not only be seen as a leader in the drive for a better environment but also as a provider of green architecture as part of our effort to ‘enrich city life'.
(4) Lastly on the cultural scene. Since the days of the 'cultural desert', we have been concentrating on providing all cultural venues with all kinds of popular as well as elitist performances of various types. We can safely say that our efforts have been excellent in these areas to a point where I feel it is probably getting to be a little too rich'. These performances no doubt are enjoyed but only by the thousands at each performance. When I was standing on the stage at Victoria Park on New Year's Eve amongst the young singers and three other fellow councillors with our Chairman dancing vigorously with Maria CODERO during the Countdown 94 extravaganza, a thought just dawned on me. This is the kind of popular cultural activity which the Council should now do more of. It benefits a much wider population (the participants at the park were estimated around 42,000) and with television broadcast it reached a much wider public as well.
With the completion of the New Hong Kong Stadium the Urban Council can stage similar events throughout the year. The themes can include, firstly, a 'Green and Clean' carnival where green and clean living can be promoted with stalls exhibiting solar energy products, instant window flower boxes, re-use paper makers etc. with famous pop stars singing the clean Hong Kong campaign song to remind us of the numbers of years we have been at it. Secondly a 'health and sports' Festival where personal health, public hygiene and sports activities can be presented in one combined effort and thirdly a popular cultural show where different stalls will put on a variety of popular entertainment like a market place displaying a mini version of our entire annual performance programme of the Cultural Centre.
Well I think I have made enough suggestion to start some heads scratching but before someone gets too worked up over the magnitude of the work involved, rest assured, that from my experience I shall be very happy if thirty percent of my suggestions are realized at the end.
Mr. Chairman, with these words, I support the motion. Thank you.
PROFESSOR LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in English):--I have been labelled the younger generation. The price to pay is to dye my hair and to stay in my seat. Mr. Chairman, as usual, I will stick to the area of my major responsibility, namely public health and hygiene.
Public health and hygiene problems come up from time to time in any busy modern city. Environmental hygiene can never be ideal among concrete jungles. Likewise, food hygiene is difficult to be maintained on ideal standards in a city depending on imported food. Indeed in the past year, big issues on environmental hygiene problems came up: food premises illegally expanding their territories causing obstruction, littering, greasing and unnecessary dangers to pedestrians; primitive pig roasting factories in urban areas; uncontrolled littering, dogs' faeces, medical wastes, etc. On the food hygiene aspect, panicky news appeared with fresh outbreaks of pesticide contaminated vegetables; pork sold in market stalls were reported to be contaminated with harmful bacteria and seafood kept in aquaria was assumed to be dirty and unsafe, etc.
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(2) Hong Kong being one of the most prosperous cities in Asia and is shaping to become the financial and economic centre of this pat of Asia has a very humble group of buildings for the City Hall. I was very impressed by the Tokyo City Hall when we visited it year before last and the Beijing municipal office where the Mayor of Beijing received our delegation last October had a reception room the size of our main Council Chamber. Our City Hall compares to those mentioned above is like a bunch of out buildings and our chambers a mere annex. We do not even have a reception room to properly receive our visiting dignitaries. Not to mention the inconspicuous entrance we have on the ground floor. It is probably a visionary design to cater for the age of democracy where protest marches are the order of the day because they will never find the entrance to hand in their partition.
I inherited the Chairmanship of the Working Group on the Redevelopment of the City Hall when the issue was flogged to death by strangulation from various quarters. In the last few months, although it may appear I have neglected my duties, in fact, I have been quietly talking to a number of people to find a way of giving this project a kiss of life. To cut a long story short I shall be proposing to the Committee and then to Council to launch a design competition for our New City Hall on the site of the Central Market. My apologies again to the lady behind the glass. When I wrote the next sentence, I anticipate Brook BERNACCHI being here. I am sure if he was here, he would do exactly what I said he is going to do. Before the Chairman of the Finance Select Committee starts to shake his head, I propose that if we are short of funds, we should ask the people of Hong Kong to participate in the building of the most symbolic monument of our community by donation. If the Buddhist community in Hong Kong can manage to fund the building of the Tien Tan Buddha surely the people of Hong Kong can make the effort to fund the building of a proper City Hall, a symbol of the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong.
(3) The Government has launched a major effort to improve our environment and Urban Council should echo this effort by making sure that all our building projects are designed in an environmental friendly manner. We should instruct our architects to provide wherever possible and feasible, design features incorporating the latest provisions for environmental friendly building in the design of community centres, libraries, sports complexes, toilets and refuse collection centres etc. The Urban Council of this dynamic city should not only be seen as a leader in the drive for a better environment but also as a provider of green architecture as part of our effort to ‘enrich city life'.
(4) Lastly on the cultural scene. Since the days of the 'cultural desert', we have been concentrating on providing all cultural venues with all kinds of popular as well as elitist performances of various types. We can safely say that our efforts have been excellent in these areas to a point where I feel it is probably getting to be a little too rich'. These performances no
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doubt are enjoyed but only by the thousands at each performance. When I was standing on the stage at Victoria Park on New Year's Eve amongst the young singers and three other fellow councillors with our Chairman dancing vigorously with Maria CODERO during the Countdown 94 extravaganza, a thought just dawned on me. This is the kind of popular cultural activity which the Council should now do more of. It benefits a much wider population (the participants at the park were estimated around 42 000) and with television broadcast it reached a much wider public as well.
With the completion of the New Hong Kong Stadium the Urban Council can stage similar events throughout the year. The themes can include, firstly, a 'Green and Clean' carnival where green and clean living can be promoted with stalls exhibiting solar energy products, instant window flower boxes, re-use papar makers etc. with famous pop stars singing the clean Hong Kong campaign song to remind us of the numbers of years we have been at it. Secondly a 'health and sports' Festival where personal health, public hygiene and sports activities can be presented in one combined effort and thirdly a popular cultural show where different stalls will put on a variety of popular entertainment like a market place displaying a mini version of our entire annual performance programme of the Cultural Centre.
Well I think I have made enough suggestion to start some heads scratching but before someone gets too worked up over the magnitude of the work involved, rest assured, that from my experience I shall be very happy if thirty percent of my suggestions are realized at the end.
Mr. Chairman, with these words, I support the motion. Thank you.
PROFESSOR LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in English):--I have been labelled the younger generation. The price to pay is to dye my hair and to stay in my seat. Mr. Chairman, as usual, I will stick to the area of my major responsibility, namely public health and hygiene.
Public health and hygiene problems come up from time to time in any busy modern city. Environmental hygiene can never be ideal among concrete jungles. Likewise, food hygiene is difficult to be maintained on ideal standards in a city depending on imported food. Indeed in the past year, big issues on evironmental hygiene problems came up: food premises illegally expanding their territories causing obstruction, littering, greasing and unnecessary dangers to pedestrians; primitive pig roasting factories in urban areas; uncontrolled littering, dogs' passings, medical wastes, etc. On the food hygiene aspect, panicky news appeared with fresh outbreaks of pesticide contaminated vegetables; pork sold in market stalls were reported to be contaminated with harmful bacteria and seafood kept in aquaria was assumed to be dirty and unsafe, etc.
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