ENG-1991 — Page 398

RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS

The medicinal plant collection, established in 1987, has generated much interest. To up-date the display facilities, the existing Glass House and Shade House built some 40 years ago will be redeveloped early in 1992. The botanical collection is expected to benefit appreciably upon completion of the new facilities in 1992.

In recent years, the educational role of the gardens has been further developed, with numerous school and club visits.

Regional Council Parks

Over 382 parks and gardens of various sizes, including four town parks, are managed by the Regional Council.

The Tuen Mun Town Park is the largest park in the New Territories. Occupying an area of 12.5 hectares, the park has an ornamental lake for rowing and a 160-metre water cascade, the largest of its kind in Hong Kong. Other main features include an open-air performance arena, children's playground and skating rink.

The North District Central Park covers 9.6 hectares and is provided with a sports hall, amphitheatre, artificial lake and children's playground.

The 8.5 hectare Sha Tin Central Park, with its Chinese garden features and adventure playground, is the most popular park.

The Yuen Long Town Park, officially opened in October, has an area of 7.5 hectares. It has a number of special features, the most prominent being a seven-level pagoda with a built-in aviary which houses some 200 birds of 40 species. The park also has the first gate-ball pitch in the Regional Council area.

Country Parks

Despite Hong Kong's largely urban environment, opportunities for outdoor recreation are not lacking in the territory. No place is far from green countryside and there are 21 country parks covering over 40 per cent of the total land area. Over nine million visits were made to these parks during 1991. They are most popular during the cool, dry months of October to April.

The Director of Agriculture and Fisheries is the Country Parks Authority. With the advice of the Country Parks Board and its various committees, he is responsible for the management of lands and provision of the facilities within country parks. These facilities include picnic and barbecue areas, walking trails, rain shelters, toilets, information posts and visitor centres. A new nature education centre was opened at Tsiu Hang in June, extending the educational and recreational aspects of the country parks.

Horticulture and Landscape Services

Urban Council

In addition to providing active recreational facilities, the Urban Council is heavily committed to landscaping to enhance the quality of the urban environment. It provides a full range of urban landscaping services including design, plant production, planning, planting, maintenance and conservation, all undertaken by its own staff. It has a key role to play in the preservation of trees in the urban areas and also in the extension of planted areas along the highways. All new projects undertaken by the council are expected to have a landscape element, where possible.

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