ENG-1999 — Page 436

RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS

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During the year, a major exhibition Warring States Treasures from the Hebei Provincial Museum featured 102 items of cultural relics from the State of Zhongshan, Hebei Province, out of which over 20 per cent were Class I cultural relics. Another major presentation was the Hong Kong Visual Arts Festival '99, which included three exhibitions, one arts fair and a series of educational activities, providing opportunities for local artists to display their works in a festive atmosphere. The exhibitions Urban Council Fine Arts Award Winners, The Pure Mind - Jao Tsung-I, Calligraphy and Seal Carving by Hong Kong Artists and Hong Kong Arts: City Rhythm provided other occasions to show the art development of Hong Kong.

Besides local art exhibitions, the Masterpieces - The Origins of Modern Art in France (1880-1939) introduced the various major modern art trends and great French masters to the public, while the Cobra Movement 50 Years illustrated European art in the post-war period.

The museum collection exhibitions together with the above special exhibitions and educational activities attracted 321 640 visitors and participants in 1999,

Hong Kong Museum of History

The Hong Kong Museum of History moved to its new premises at Chatham Road in July 1998, and will come into full service when a permanent exhibition on the history of Hong Kong opens in early 2001.

A varied and diverse programme of thematic exhibitions was staged throughout the year. From February 18 to August 8, the City of Victoria: Historical Photographs of Hong Kong drew 75 267 visitors. To mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, a major exhibition entitled Rise of Modern China: A Century of Self-Determination was jointly presented with the National Museum of Modern Chinese History from September 16 to November 22. About 180 exhibits and some 200 historical photographs were on display, many of which were shown in Hong Kong for the first time. It attracted more than 100 034 visitors. To complement the exhibition, an extensive education and extension programme, including a public lecture series, seminars and briefing sessions for school teachers and competitions, was launched. In December, the museum presented two thematic exhibitions: the Johann Strauss Centenary and The Urban Council — Its Past, Present and Future, with the latter being staged at the Hong Kong City Hall.

The museum organised a wide range of educational activities such as lectures, workshops, field visits to local historic and nature sites, as well as a series of orientation programmes for students of the Hong Kong Institute of Education, all of which were well attended. The museum's loan services such as travelling exhibitions, videos and slide packs were much sought after by schools and other organisations. An inter-school competitive study project on the food culture of Hong Kong was jointly organised with the Education Department.

In 1999, the museum attracted a total of 229 343 visitors.

Other Museums of History

The Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum, with its thematic display on the Costume of the Han Dynasty, drew more than 79 515 visitors during the year. The Law Uk Folk Museum attracted more than 31 502 visitors with its permanent display of rural