ENG-1999 — Page 454

RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS

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round access, and together with the existing pools in Fanling, Sha Tin, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, the new pool brought the total number of heated pools in the council area to five.

Beaches and Swimming Pools

Swimming is one of Hong Kong's most popular summer pastimes. In 1999, some 12.5 million people visited the beaches and another 8.5 million swam at the 34 public swimming pools managed by the two provisional municipal councils...

The SAR has 36 gazetted bathing beaches opened for public use 11 on Hong Kong Island managed by the Provisional Urban Council and 25 in the New Territories and outlying islands managed by the Provisional Regional Council.

The two councils together managed 34 public swimming pool complexes in the urban and regional areas. A recent innovation was the provision of water play facilities at 14 of the pools managed by the Provisional Urban Council.

The Provisional Regional Council also provided facilities such as water slides and splash pools at its swimming pools in Hin Tin, Sheung Shui, Tai Po, Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun, Tin Shui Wai, Ma On Shan and Tsing Yi, and at the Shing Mun Valley Swimming Complex.

Sharks have occasionally been sighted in Hong Kong waters, and since 1996 shark prevention nets have been installed for the safety of swimmers at 32 of Hong Kong's most popular and accessible beaches.

The councils continued to encourage the formation of lifeguard clubs at their swimming venues. These clubs provide volunteer lifeguards to augment regular lifeguard services. By the end of the year, 23 lifeguard clubs were in operation throughout Hong Kong.

Ocean Park

Ocean Park, on the southern side of Hong Kong Island, covers 870 000 square metres and is one of South-East Asia's largest aquariums and Hong Kong's premier park for recreation and entertainment. Ocean Park hosted 3.12 million guests in 1998-99. More than 50 million people have visited the park since it opened in 1977.

The park's attractions include a cable car system, various world-class features such as the Atoll Reef, Wave Cove, Shark Aquarium, Bird Paradise, the Butterfly House, the 3 500-seat Ocean Theatre for marine mammal shows, an exciting array of thrill rides and Middle Kingdom which features a walk through 5 000 years of Chinese history.

In 1991, the park unveiled a plan to add new attractions, upgrade existing facilities and improve guest services. Ten new attractions have been added since 1992. One of these, the educational and entertaining Discovery of the Ancient World, opened in the summer of 1997 and brings guests to an ancient civilisation in a rain forest filled with life-sized replicas of wild animals and plants.

In 1999, the park was selected as the home of a pair of giant pandas, named An An and Jia Jia, and given to Hong Kong by the Central People's Government. The pandas live in a unique 2 000-square metre Giant Panda Habitat, which resembles their natural habitat in Sichuan province. The lowland area, where Water World was originally located, is to be redeveloped into a new theme area called 'Adventure Bay'.