ENG-2018 — Page 385

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Recreation, Sport, Culture and the Arts

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.

Yau Ma Tei Theatre

Yau Ma Tei Theatre, the only surviving pre-war cinema building in the urban area, is dedicated to nurturing young talent for Cantonese opera. The Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong presented works by playwrights Tsui Tsz-long and Poon Cheuk, including The Princess in Distress and War and Never-ending Love, under the Cantonese Opera Young Talent Showcase in 2018.

Regional and District Civic Centres and Theatres

The LCSD 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 host mega sports events, pop concerts, major celebrations and other activities. During the year, 36 and 122 events were held at the coliseum and the stadium respectively.

Venue Partnership Scheme

This scheme fosters partnerships between the department's performance venues and performing arts groups. It aims to enhance the image and character of individual venues and their partners, expand the audience base, optimise usage of venue facilities, develop marketing strategies and encourage community involvement in the arts. The venue partners organised 725 stage performances in conjunction with 1,163 educational, promotional and audience- building activities in 2018.

Urban Ticketing System

The Urban Ticketing System is one of the most widely used computerised ticketing systems locally. It provides ticketing services over the counter at more than 30 outlets, and via the internet, telephone and a mobile application. In 2018, the system issued 4.16 million tickets with proceeds of more than $1.25 billion.

Culture and Arts Organisations

Hong Kong Arts Development Council

The Hong Kong Arts Development Council operates grant schemes and plans, promotes, funds and supports the overall development of the arts. It is a beneficiary of the bureau's Art Development Matching Grants Scheme and implements its own matching fund scheme to help small and medium-sized arts organisations.

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