ENG-1980 — Page 263

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RECREATION AND THE ARTS

The Director of Agriculture and Fisheries is the Country Parks Authority and is respon- sible for their management. Facilities provided in the parks include picnic sites with tables and benches, litter bins, children's play equipment, and fireplaces for barbecues. In the more remote areas, a campsite programme has been carried out to provide simple facilities for hikers. The newly-established 100-kilometre MacLehose Trail which traverses the New Territories from Sai Kung in the east to Tuen Mun in the west, entirely through country parks - proved to be extremely popular. In other areas, rural footpaths are being improved and waymarked, and there are nature trails with guidebooks available for people who are interested in the local flora and fauna.

A pilot Country Park Ranger service was introduced in 1980 to advise and guide visitors in the use and care of countryside recreational facilities, to protect the plants and wildlife, and to carry out the countryside educational programme.

Urban Council

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The Urban Council plays an important role in community life, providing a wide range of recreational and cultural facilities in the urban areas of Hong Kong. The council's executive arm on recreation and the arts is the Cultural Services Department of the Urban Services Department. In the urban areas, this work is done under the guidance of the Urban Council, while in the New Territories, the Cultural Services Department works closely with the district advisory boards, government departments and community organisations.

The Urban Council is responsible for managing parks, playgrounds and swimming pools in the urban area, and beaches; it also organises sports and entertainments in urban Hong Kong. Among the many projects going ahead are the provision of boating facilities at Wong Nai Chung Reservoir park, the Ko Shan Road Park in To Kwa Wan, and addi- tional grass and artificial turf football pitches. The Kowloon Park aviary - the first of its kind in Hong Kong - and the Hong Kong Tennis Centre at Wong Nai Chung Gap, were opened for public use in 1980.

With the opening of the Queen Elizabeth Stadium at Morrison Hill on Hong Kong Island, on August 27, 1980, indoor facilities of international standards became available for basketball, badminton, volleyball, table tennis, gymnastics, boxing, fencing, judo and cultural activities.

The $50 million stadium, a multi-purpose indoor sports and entertainment complex, is one of the finest in Asia and the first of its kind in Hong Kong. It is fully air-conditioned and can seat 3,500 people around its main arena. Major events held there in 1980 included the First World Cup Table Tennis Championship, the Asian Women's Basketball Cham- pionship, the International Invitational Volleyball Championship, the Asian Badminton Championship, and performances by the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet.

The even larger and more sophisticated indoor stadium being constructed by the gov- ernment at Hung Hom, is scheduled to open in 1982. Situated on the podium of the Kowloon-Canton Railway terminus, the Hung Hom Stadium will be able to accommodate about 12,500 spectators. In addition, 10 multi-purpose indoor games halls are planned to supplement the five existing ones at Kai Tak East, Cheung Sha Wan, Morse Park, Boundary Street and Aberdeen.

To provide even more indoor facilities, particularly in built-up areas where space is limited, new or reprovisioned market buildings will in future be multi-storeyed, with one or two floors constructed especially for recreational and cultural use. In 1980, 12 multi- purpose market buildings were being planned along these lines.