ENG-2016 — Page 384

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Recreation, Sport, Culture and the Arts

Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund awards scholarships to outstanding talent to pursue further studies in music or dance outside the territory. Nine scholarships worth about $3.52 million were awarded in 2016.

Art Development Matching Grants Pilot Scheme

A new $300 million Art Development Matching Grants Pilot Scheme was launched in June to widen the sources of funding of arts groups and arts organisations and to encourage community support for arts and cultural development.

Culture and Arts Venues

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department manages 16 performance venues.

Hong Kong Cultural Centre

The Hong Kong Cultural Centre is the territory's premier performing arts facility, attracting leading artists from around the world. It has three main performance venues: the Concert Hall, seating 2,019 patrons; the Grand Theatre, 1,734; and the Studio Theatre, up to 496. In 2016, more than 608,000 people attended 673 performances.

Hong Kong City Hall

Hong Kong City Hall opened in 1962 as the territory's first purpose-built major civic centre. Its main facilities include a 1,434-seat concert hall, a 463-seat theatre and an exhibition hall. In 2016, about 374,000 people attended 636 events held in the concert hall and the theatre.

Yau Ma Tei Theatre

Yau Ma Tei Theatre, the only surviving pre-war cinema building in the urban area, is a dedicated venue to nurture young talent for Cantonese opera. In 2016, about 62,460 people attended 281 performances.

Regional and District Civic Centres and Theatres

The department runs 11 regional and district civic centres: the Sheung Wan and Sai Wan Ho civic centres on Hong Kong Island; Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre and Ko Shan Theatre and its New Wing in Kowloon; and the Sha Tin, Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun and North District town halls, Kwai Tsing and Yuen Long theatres, and Tai Po Civic Centre in the New Territories.

Indoor Stadia

The 12,500-seat Hong Kong Coliseum and the 3,500-seat Queen Elizabeth Stadium are the territory's premier multi-purpose indoor stadia. With flexible stage and seating configurations, the two stadia have hosted a wide array of activities, including mega sports events, pop concerts, spectacular entertainment programmes and major celebrations. In 2016, 38 and 120 events were staged in the coliseum and the stadium, attracting around 1,458,000 and 333,000 spectators respectively.

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