ENG-2004 — Page 505

Recreation, Sport and the Arts | 435

programmes, art workshops and guided tours. During the year, the museum also took an active part in various major art extension programmes such as the International Museum Day 2004, the School Culture Day, the International Arts Carnival 2004 and the 2nd Asia-Pacific Art Education Conference, with the aim to realise the educational functions and mission of the Hong Kong Museum of Art to members of the public.

The exhibitions, together with various education and extension programmes, attracted 271 398 visitors and participants during the year.

Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware

The collection of this museum comprises various kinds of tea ware and related vessels from the collection of the late Dr K S Lo and rare Chinese ceramics and seals donated by the K S Lo Foundation. Two special exhibitions were held in 2004. One illustrated over 100 items of coffee and tea vessels tailor-made by noted Hong Kong artists to associate with the theme yuanyang (Hong Kong's unique beverage with a mixture of milk, tea and coffee). Another featured refined ceramics dating from the Ming dynasty to the 20th century to illustrate the raw materials, popular decorations, production and firing techniques that are used in the production of porcelain and purple clay ware.

The museum also organised a variety of educational activities, such as demonstrations on pottery making and Chinese tea drinking, wuwo tea ceremonies, heritage trails, video shows and free guided tours. During the year, some 206 000 visitors were entertained.

Hong Kong Museum of History

The Hong Kong Story Permanent Exhibition has gained wide acclaim and attracted over two million visitors since its opening in 2001. Throughout the year, the museum continued to maintain close collaboration with museums and cultural institutions on the Mainland and presented various thematic exhibitions of diversified themes to help widen the public's cultural horizon. Special exhibitions provided a better glimpse of the imperial life of the Qing Dynasty and led visitors to explore the mysterious culture of the ancient Dian Kingdom that reached its peak of development from the Warring States period to the Western Han dynasty. In addition, an exhibition of ancient Greek coins was the result of a first-ever collaboration with a private collector. There were also a number of small-scale exhibitions, including one which marked the 7th anniversary of the reunification of Hong Kong with China and commemorated the 100th posthumous birthday of Mr Deng Xiaoping.

The museum attracted nearly 658 000 visitors during the year. An exhibition of Hong Kong history held at the National Museum of China in Beijing in April was the first time that a travelling exhibition was presented by the museum to its mainland counterpart. Recording a high attendance of over 100 000 within three months, the exhibition successfully enhanced cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the people in the Mainland and Hong Kong.