ENG-1983 — Page 286

RECREATION AND THE ARTS

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are three separate divisions within the department: the Recreation and Sport Service, the Performing Arts Division and the Music Office.

Following its success the previous year, a spectacular fireworks display was mounted in celebration of the Lunar New Year Festival in February. Sponsored by Jardine Matheson and Company and organised by the Hong Kong Tourist Association, the display provided enjoyment for local people and visitors from overseas. In October, to mark its centenary year, the Urban Council mounted a magnificent fireworks display in the harbour sponsored by Seiko Time (HK) Ltd.

The Countryside

Countryside recreation is now an accepted part of the way of life for many people in Hong Kong. Country parks and woodlands on the urban fringes are used extensively by city dwellers for morning walking, shadow boxing and jogging, and by students for nature study, while more remote parks are used for hiking, picnicking, barbecuing, cycling, kite flying and camping for those seeking a relaxing change of pace. In 1983, some 7.9 million visits were made to the country parks. Although the parks are used more in the drier and cooler months with October to April accounting for 65 per cent of the total visitors, increas- ing numbers of people have been visiting the countryside during the summer in recent years. The country parks system, which covers 40 per cent of Hong Kong's total land area, is now well established with a wide range of facilities to cater for the needs of all visitors. The Director of Agriculture and Fisheries is the Country Parks Authority and, advised by the Country Parks Board, is responsible for these facilities and for the provision of manage- ment and protection services for all lands designated as country parks and special areas. Greater attention is being paid to providing advisory and educational services for this valuable recreational resource through setting up more visitor centres and information posts, and arranging guided visits and talks.

Urban Council

The Urban Council plays a major role in community life, providing a wide range of recreational and cultural facilities in the urban areas. The council's executive arm for the management and planning of the majority of its recreational facilities, including parks, playgrounds, indoor games halls, beaches and swimming pools, is the Urban Services Department's City Services Department, while its Cultural Services Department provides libraries, museums, the performing arts, films, outdoor entertainment and exhibitions of general interest. 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 district boards, other government departments and community associations.

Among the many Urban Council projects completed in 1983 were the second stage of Chater Garden, Causeway Bay Sports Ground, Ko Shan Road Park, Sau Nga Road Playground, the first stage of Sham Shui Po Park, and Junction Road Park. The facilities provided by some of these projects serve the community in general as well as residents in the respective districts.

To provide more indoor facilities, particularly in built-up areas where space is limited, new or reprovisioned Urban Council market buildings are built as multi-storey complexes with one or more floors constructed especially for recreational and cultural use. Some of these complexes will include small cultural facilities for the performing and visual arts, for example, an auditorium, a lecture and recital hall, visual arts studios and exhibition space. An indoor games hall is also included.