ENG-1995 — Page 418

RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS

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and World Professional Ballroom and Latin American Dance performances, the Asian Junior Badminton Invitation Tournament and the table tennis Women's World Cup.

Computerised Ticketing

The Urban Council operates URBTIX (Urban Ticketing System), a computerised system providing a full range of ticketing services primarily in support of cultural and entertainment events through its network of 23 outlets. URBTIX services include counter bookings, reservation by telephone and credit card phone orders from registered patrons. The URBTIX computers were upgraded in January 1995 to facilitate the handling of more events as well as faster issuance of tickets and 4.6 million tickets were sold through the system during the year.

Regional Council Venues

The Regional Council manages three major civic centres in Sha Tin, Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun and three smaller ones in Yuen Long, Tai Po and Sheung Shui. Two new theatres in Kwai Tsing and Yuen Long are under construction and are scheduled for completion in 1997/98.

Urban Council Museums

Hong Kong Museum of Art

The Hong Kong Museum of Art received 140 807 visitors and 309 school parties in 1995. The permanent galleries of contemporary Hong Kong art, historical pictures, Chinese antiquities and Chinese fine art continued to display selected works from the museum collection on a rotation basis. A Selection of Chinese Painting on Albums from the Xubaizhai Collection was presented in the Xubaizhai gallery as a special feature. The special exhibition gallery continued to be a venue for local and overseas exhibitions of Chinese and Western art.

The year's major events included Xubaizhai International Symposium: Perspectives of Twentieth Century Chinese Painting, which was accompanied by three exhibitions: Twentieth Century Chinese Painting: Tradition and Innovation, Homage to Tradition: Huang Binhong (1865–1955), and Vision and Revision: Wu Guanzhong (1919–); the Balthus exhibition and the Bernar Venet: Indeterminate Lines Sculptures exhibition, two joint presentations with the Consulate General of France; Heavens' Embroidered Cloths One Thousand Years of Chinese Textiles, a joint presentation with the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong; Miro: Spirit of Orient, a joint presentation with the Miro Foundation of Spain; Urban Council Fine Art Award Winners Exhibition; A Retrospective of Yang Shanshen; Hong Kong Painting, an overseas exhibition jointly presented with Government Information Services and Fukuoka Art Museum. Special acoustic guide services on the exhibits of the exhibitions accompanying the Xubaizhai International Symposium were available to visitors.

Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware

The Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware presented Chinese Tea Drinking; Selected Works of Chinese Tea Ware from the K.S. Lo Collection. The K.S. Lo Gallery, New Wing of the Museum of Tea Ware, which houses a wider selection from the collection, was opened in December 1995.