ENG-1999 — Page 442

RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS

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organised 167 extension activities with over 11 314 participants. The 56 groups of permanent exhibits, most of them interactive, in the Halls of Astronomy and Space Science attracted more than 305 000 visitors.

Conservation Section

Operating from eight purpose-equipped laboratories, the Conservation Section provided a full range of preservation and restoration services to seven Provisional Urban Council Museums. The section also rendered the necessary conservation support for the preparation of thematic exhibitions and for the management of some 80 000 items in the museums' collections. In 1999, a total of 508 items including metal and paper artefacts, easel paintings, textiles, ceramics and sculptures were given conservation treatment.

Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre

The centre provides well-equipped studios to support local artists in creating works of art such as sculpture, printmaking and ceramics. In addition, the exhibition gallery, art studios, lecture theatre and multi-purpose rooms are available for hire by the public at subsidised rates. The Visibility '99 presented in the year provided tailor- made programmes for people with disabilities.

Provisional Regional Council Museums

Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Representing a big step forward in preserving Hong Kong's past and its culture, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Sha Tin will be the SAR's largest museum when it opens to the public in the autumn of 2000. It will play an important role in helping the community to learn more about Hong Kong's heritage and the development of local arts and culture. The museum will have a gross floor area of 28 500 square metres and an exhibition area of 7 500 square metres.

Hong Kong Railway Museum

This open-air museum is in the town centre of Tai Po Market. It consists of the old Tai Po Market railway station building, a narrow-gauge steam locomotive and six historical coaches. The station building, in Chinese style, was built in 1913 and declared a monument in 1984. The museum attracted 383 765 visitors during the year.

Sam Tung Uk Museum

This museum in Tsuen Wan was originally a Hakka walled village built in 1786. The village layout resembles a checkerboard with an entrance hall, an assembly hall and an ancestral hall along the central axis. The village, a declared monument, was furnished with traditional Hakka furniture and farming implements. Three thematic exhibitions: Forest Peoples-the Hunting Culture of North China, Home Affairs and Public Art Scheme Competition were staged at the museum during the year. The museum attracted 429 209 visitors.

Sheung Yiu Folk Museum

This museum is housed in a fortified Hakka village built in the late 19th century at a scenic spot near Pak Tam Chung in the Sai Kung Country Park. It comprises eight domestic units, pig pens, an open courtyard and an entrance gate tower. The village