ENG-2006 — Page 458

386 Recreation, Sport and the Arts

Kong's Archaeological and Built Heritage'. A permanent exhibition of Hong Kong's archaeological and built heritage is expected to open by early 2008.

Two electronic database systems are being developed to store heritage information. The Heritage Virtual Tour Programme will provide a panoramic view of 60 historic buildings and sites across Hong Kong. Building of the system is expected to be completed in 2007. The Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Architectural Information System, which maintains a database of about 200 traditional Chinese villages and buildings in Hong Kong, will be launched in late 2007.

The conversion of the Old Ping Shan Police Station, a Grade III historic building into the Ping Shan Tang Clan Gallery-cum-Heritage Trail Visitors Centre is progressing well. The centre is expected to open in April 2007.

Lord Wilson Heritage Trust

The Lord Wilson Heritage Trust was established in 1992, following the enactment of an ordinance bearing the same name. It aims to promote the preservation and conversation of Hong Kong's heritage. During the year, the trust granted around $3.5 million to support 13 heritage-related activities and research projects. Since the launch of the Lord Wilson Scholarship Scheme in 2005, the trust has awarded scholarships to one research fellow and one post-graduate student to carry out research projects on local archaeology.

The two awardees started their researches in 2006 and the research fellow conducted three public lectures as required under the scheme.

Museums

Hong Kong Museum of Art

In 2006, the museum staged 15 exhibitions, comprising nine special and six permanent exhibitions, drawn from local and overseas sources. Types of art works exhibited included masterpieces from French and American museums, relics of ancient Etruscan civilization, Chinese paintings and calligraphy, Chinese antiquities, and works by contemporary artists in Hong Kong and the Mainland.

The highlight of the year was the exhibition 'Artists and Their Models Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris'. The exhibition was one of the major cultural events of the year which attracted wide press coverage and scored an attendance of over 130 000 visitors. To coincide with the 'Year of Italy in China 2006', an exhibition 'The World of the Etruscans' showcasing pre-Roman culture was presented. Twenty-seven masterpieces of Mark Rothko, one of the leading masters of Abstract Expressionism selected from the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, were featured to explore the inner being of the artist. This exhibition also illustrated the close cultural relationship with national museums in the United States.

Other highlights included 'Likeness and Unlikeness — A Selection of Works by Qi Baishi from the Liaoning Provincial Museum', a retrospective exhibition on the artistic development of this renowned 20th century Chinese painter. A new display 'Hair Dialogue' featured a recent donation of an avant-garde art piece to dialogue with a