ENG-1980 — Page 268

RECREATION AND THE ARTS

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exceptional entertainment venue in which knowledge of the universe, space exploration and related sciences are presented through sky shows, exhibitions, lectures in astronomy and telescopic observations.

The museum houses a 300-seat space theatre, a general exhibition hall, a solar hall and a 200-seat lecture hall. Eight sky shows are presented every day in the space theatre by means of a Zeiss star projector and an Omnimax projection system capable of projecting 9,000 stars in various configurations and surrounding the audience with a panorama of ultra-sharp definition. This combined system is only the fifth of its kind in the world and the first to be installed outside the United States.

The main exhibition hall on the ground floor features man's achievements in astronomy and space exploration. On the first floor, the 400-square-metre solar hall, scheduled to open in early 1981, will provide information on the structure and activities of the sun and its relationship with the earth. Visitors will be able to see images of the sun showing sunspots, prominences, faculae and other phenomena, on-a screen or through a solar telescope installed on the roof. During 1980, the Space Museum was visited by 341,950 people.

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A site to the east of the Space Museum in Salisbury Road, Kowloon, has been selected for the construction of an observatory to further boost public interest in astronomy.

Museum of Science and Technology

The Hong Kong Museum of Science and Technology project took a major step forward in early 1980 when it was included as an item in the Public Works Programme. The government has reserved a site for this project to the east of Chatham Road in Kowloon. When completed, the Museum of Science and Technology will have a total floor area of 17,000 square metres, of which at least half will be used as exhibition space. It is intended that the museum will emphasise visitor involvement and audience participation rather than become solely a depository of passive exhibits.

City Hall

Opened in 1962, the City Hall occupies about 11,000 square metres of land in Hong Kong's Central District and consists of two separate blocks connected by a public garden. The low block houses a 1,500-seat concert hall, a 470-seat theatre, an exhibition hall and a restaurant. The high block contains an 'exhibition gallery, a 116-seat recital hall, lecture and conference rooms, the Hong Kong Museum of Art and public libraries operated by the Urban Council. The headquarters of the Cultural Services Department is also located there.

The City Hall is administered by the Urban Council. Its facilities are available for hire by the public and it is used by the council for various functions and performances. With increasing public interest in cultural activities, the City Hall continues to be the hub of cultural life in Hong Kong. During the year, about 641,453 people attended 1,129 performances in the concert hall, the theatre and the recital hall, and 153 exhibitions were held at the exhibition hall and exhibition gallery.

Among the performances, the Urban Council presented 74 overseas artistes and groups, some of whom appeared with the assistance of various cultural organisations, such as the United States International Communication Agency, the British Council, the Goethe Institute and the Alliance Francaise. The Urban Council also received generous help from various consulates.