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RECREATION AND THE ARTS

The centre consists of a 443-seat theatre, an exhibition hall, a lecture room, a dance practice room, two music practice rooms and two art studios. It is the first fully-fledged community arts centre built by the Urban Council and serves as a focal point of cultural activities for residents in the vicinity and in neighbouring districts.

A similar centre in the Urban Council Sheung Wan Complex is expected to be ready next year, while another one, in the Urban Council Sai Wan Ho Complex, is being planned.

Three small civic centres are being managed by the Regional Council besides the three major town halls. These include the Lut Sau Hall at Yuen Long, North District Town Hall at Sheung Shui, and Tai Po Civic Centre. Each has an auditorium for about 800 people and a rehearsal room or dance studio.

Ko Shan Theatre

The Ko Shan Theatre is a purpose-built 'theatre-in-the-park' with 3 000 seats, 2000 of which are in the open air. Equipped with sophisticated lighting, sound and pro- jection systems, the theatre provides a good venue for entertainment, cultural and community events.

During the year, some 135 750 people attended 217 performances in the theatre.

Indoor Stadia (Hong Kong Coliseum and Queen Elizabeth Stadium)

The Hong Kong Coliseum and the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, which are under the management of the Urban Council, are both equipped with the latest electronic scoring, sound and lighting systems, and a wide range of sports and stage facilities.

During the year, the 12 500-seat arena of the Hong Kong Coliseum was the venue for a wide variety of concerts by local and overseas artists, family entertainment ice-shows, trade fairs and exhibitions, and sports events. Altogether 1 390 914 people attended 186 shows and events at the Coliseum.

The more compact Queen Elizabeth Stadium was also a very busy venue for various activities. In addition to a 3 500-seat arena where medium-sized spectator events are staged, the stadium provides other facilities, including three committee rooms, three gymnasia, three squash courts, two table-tennis play areas and a multi-purpose hall suitable for indoor sports. Some 445 029 people attended events and activities at the stadium, which also houses the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong and 23 affiliated sports bodies.

Hong Kong Arts Centre

As a popular community centre for cultural activities easily accessible to the public, the Arts Centre continued to present a wide range of events, including drama, music, dance, film and the visual arts. These events, with their emphasis on promising local artists, enjoyed much public support. The three auditoria at the Arts Centre, including the Shouson Theatre, Recital Hall and Studio Theatre were used for 983 performances and its arts galleries hosted about 60 exhibitions during the year. The arts and crafts studios, music practice rooms and other areas were used for organising around 530 arts- related classes.

Main events held during the year included a ‘Children's Festival', 'Film Festivals', and a series of popular drama. Exhibitions organised included 'Ceramics by Peter Ting', photographic collections by Hiroji Kubota and Fay Godwin, master works of contem- porary Chinese painters featuring 'Wu Guanzhong - A Retrospective' and 'A State of Transition - Contemporary Paintings from Shanghai'. A special event 'Ten Years of Hong