ENG-1975 — Page 237

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RECREATION

of 70,000 square feet, an arts library, and a planetarium. The planetarium will be the first phase to be completed. When opened in 1977–8, it will include a sky theatre for 350, lecture rooms and exhibition areas. During 1975, the Urban Council ordered a 75-foot diameter dome for the sky theatre, making it one of the world's largest planetaria.

Arts Centre

Although the Hong Kong Arts Centre does not yet have a permanent home, the organisation has made a big contribution to the territory's cultural life over the past four years. It is specially interested in promoting local artists and Eastern culture -such as Chinese opera and instrumental music, folksinging, storytelling, puppetry and other folk-arts.

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The centre organises many of the local presentations in connection with the Hong Kong Arts Festival, and it promotes both local and overseas artists throughout the year. In 1975 these presentations included: weekly lunch-time recitals in St John's Cathedral; nine workshops to generate interest in folk-art; six organ recitals; and 20 City Hall performances covering Chinese music and opera, Western music by over- seas orchestras, Spanish guitar music, storytelling, puppetry, Filipino dances and Japanese Kabuki dances.

As a result of efforts by the Arts Centre, there is now a Society for the Promotion of Chinese Opera and a Hong Kong Society for Puppet-art. During 1975 the centre also organised at least two art exhibitions a month, again with the emphasis on local work. Lectures, demonstrations and meetings are held frequently to help and encourage anyone concerned with the arts. Work on the Arts Centre building in Wan Chai is now well under way, and it is scheduled to be completed by the end of 1976.

City Museum and Art Gallery

In 1975 the Urban Council took a major step forward in the development of museum services. The City Museum and Art Gallery was divided into two new sections--the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Museum of History. Art is still on the top three floors of the high block at City Hall, but history is now on the fourth floor of Star House in Kowloon.

The new history museum covers about 8,000 square feet. It contains sections on local history, archaeology, ethnography and natural history. The museum was opened on July 18 by the Governor. It immediately attracted many visitors, the record number being more than 14,000 in one day. Most popular are the displays on local currency, models of fishing junks, and a series of feature exhibitions on local history. Attendance from opening day to the end of 1975 was 319,363, representing an average of 2,265 visitors a day,

In addition to the display areas in Star House, there is a workshop in Kowloon Park to support the activities of the history museum. The museum's collections have increased steadily-particularly the archaeology collection, through the efforts of the Hong Kong Archaeological Society.