ENG-1977 — Page 248

RECREATION AND THE ARTS

Arts and the Young

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Government efforts to promote the arts have concentrated on schools with the em- phasis on musical development and training, music being the area where interest is highest and where potential is greatest.

The schools Music and Speech Festivals, which attract some 50,000 participants, have been particularly successful.

In late 1976, a review was made of how best to encourage the musical talent that clearly exists among Hong Kong youth.

The review recommended the establishment of a government instrumental training scheme designed to provide further training for young musicians; lead to the setting up of one or more youth orchestras; and provide instrumental training for selected primary school children.

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To plan for the implementation of these proposals, an Instrumental Music Unit was established within the Education Department during 1977 and a music consultant appointed.

The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club has pledged more than $10 million to set up a trust fund for music. This will greatly help develop a greater appreciation of music among young people and help to further their training.

The Hong Kong Conservatory of Music is at present a voluntary organisation, but a grant of $430,000 has been made to enable the conservatory to set itself up in the Arts Centre, where it will be able to develop to the full.

Other Art Forms

A wide range of other art forms flourish in Hong Kong. These include Cantonese, Peking and Chiu Chow operas; Soochow story-telling; Fukienese glove puppets; Cantonese stick puppets; choral and instrumental music; modern and classical dance; calligraphy; photography and film; poetry; and amateur dramatics.

Libraries

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The year 1977 was particularly noteworthy for the number of new libraries established. In the urban areas, the Urban Council established static libraries in the Western district of Hong Kong Island and in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, and a mobile library service for the Eastern district of Hong Kong Island. In addition, the council estab- lished two music listening libraries at its Yau Ma Tei and Kwun Tong libraries, and extended the Kowloon mobile library service to other districts of Kowloon without a public library service. In the New Territories, the Urban Services Department established new libraries at Tai Po, Sha Tin, Sheung Shui and Tuen Mun, as well as a 'book box service' on the island of Cheung Chau.

During the year, 87,870 new books were acquired, bringing the total book stock to 758,571. The libraries also stock 3,297 reels of microfilm, 6,245 gramophone records and cassette tapes, and subscribe to 600 newspapers and periodicals. A total of 3,430 new publications were registered under the Books Registration Ordinance.

Some 55,623 people registered as library members in 1977, bringing the total mem- bership to 666,331. The lending libraries issued 3,128,511 books, while a further 402,602 books were consulted in the reference libraries and 2,338,822 were read in the libraries.