HONG KONG 2004 - Recreation, Sport and the Arts

The Hong Kong Museum of Art focuses on local and Chinese art collections, including Chinese paintings and calligraphy works, Chinese antiquities, historical pictures and contemporary Hong Kong art. To enhance the public's interest and knowledge in the arts of the world, the museum presented a variety of thematic exhibitions, covering ancient and modern works as well as Chinese and Western themes.

In 2004, the museum staged 14 exhibitions, comprising 10 special and four permanent exhibitions. Four special exhibitions were presented with renowned Chinese and overseas museums or artists, displaying significant works which reflected new directions in artistic creation.

A digital art exhibition jointly presented with the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong, combined real and virtual scenographies using new digital technologies. Another multi-media art exhibition was jointly organised with the Centre of Visual Culture of the China Academy of Art and the Shenzhen Fine Art Institute. It presented the results of an Asian cultural research study conducted by Chinese new media artists and researchers, which provided a new visual interpretation of cultures in Asia.

Other special exhibitions were also presented to celebrate the works of veteran Hong Kong masters. Two other exhibitions displayed the museum's precious collection of historical pictures, which depicted the scenery and life styles of the people in Hong Kong, Macao and other trading ports on the China coast over the past three centuries.

To enhance the public's knowledge of the museum's collection, permanent exhibitions are updated with new exhibits from time to time. The Chinese Antiquities Gallery presented a new exhibition while new Chinese paintings and calligraphy section displayed the works by Guangdong artists with four seasons as a special theme, featuring landscapes as well as flower-and-bird paintings on the unique Chinese format of sets of four hanging scrolls.

To stimulate the public's interest in art, the museum also organised a wide range of education and extension programmes, including video shows, art lectures, family 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.

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.

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.

To promote public awareness and understanding of the history and culture of Hong Kong and to strengthen close cooperation and interaction with the community, particularly the education and cultural sectors, the museum regularly organised diversified educational activities and extension programmes, including lectures, workshops and symposium. The lecture series on 100-year of Architecture in Hong Kong and Modern Chinese History presented with the Hong Kong Institute of Architects and the Modern Chinese History Society of Hong Kong respectively received overwhelming response from the public, particularly teachers and students. The museum also conducted a joint research project in collaboration with the Music Department of the University of Hong Kong on Nanyin music and produced a DVD entitled A Blind Singer's Story: Dou Wun, Fifty Years of Life and Work in Hong Kong, which was of high collection value for lovers of Nanyin music and local history.

The Hong Kong Museum of History also manages three branch museums — the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence in Shau Kei Wan, the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum in Sham Shui Po and the Law Uk Folk Museum in Chai Wan. They attracted, some 182 000, 44 000 and 37 000 visitors respectively.

Converted from the old Lei Yue Mun Fort in Shau Kei Wan, the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence occupies about 34 000 square metres. It comprises three main areas: Reception Building, Redoubt and Historical Trail. The permanent exhibition 600 Years of Hong Kong's Coastal Defence depicts Hong Kong's history of coastal defence from the Ming and Qing dynasties, the British period, Japanese invasion to the period after Hong Kong's reunification with China. Visitors may also explore the military relics in the Redoubt and on the Historical Trail, such as the gun batteries, torpedo station, caponiers and magazines.

Four thematic exhibitions were held during the year. Moreover, the museum organised a wide variety of educational activities, such as guided tours to the galleries and the Historical Trail, lectures on specific topics, family workshops, demonstrations, drill and military music performances, and field trips to arouse public interest in the history of Hong Kong's coastal defence.

'Design Infinity' was the theme of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum's programmes in 2004-05. A series of exhibitions and educational activities was organised in 2004, including thematic exhibitions featuring the transformation of Hong Kong banknote design; some 500 outstanding contemporary publications from the Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan; about 450 excellent posters from 29 different countries or regions in the world; and a visual platform to show Hong Kong spirit by using red-white-blue fabric. Other than the exhibition series on design, six special exhibitions on various themes of heritage were also launched in 2004.

A total of 1 257 educational and extension activities such as seminars, lectures, field trips, performances, demonstrations, art camps, workshops and competitions were organised for the public. The MuseKids scheme was launched in 2003 to provide children from kindergarten level through to Primary 6 with opportunities to explore the history, art and culture of Hong Kong. By the end of 2004, 6 100 children have joined the scheme.

The museum's exhibition programmes, together with its educational and extension activities, attracted some 632 000 visitors and participants.

The Heritage Museum also manages three branch museums — Sam Tung Uk Museum, Hong Kong Railway Museum and Sheung Yiu Folk Museum. The Sam Tung Uk Museum in Tsuen Wan was originally a Hakka walled village built in 1786. It was declared a monument in 1981 and was later converted into a museum for public viewing. Located in Tai Po, the Railway Museum consists of the old Tai Po Market Railway Station building, two historical locomotives and various coaches used in the old days. The station building, in Chinese style, was built in 1913 and declared a monument in 1984. The Sheung Yiu Folk Museum is situated in the Sai Kung Country Park and is housed in a Hakka village built in the late 19th century. It comprises eight domestic units, pig pens, an open courtyard and an entrance gate-tower. The village and a nearby lime kiln were gazetted as monuments in 1981.

In 2004, the Sam Tung Uk Museum, Hong Kong Railway Museum and Sheung Yiu Folk Museum attracted about 248 000, 388 500 and 63 000 visitors respectively.

To follow the successful Exhibition on China's First Manned Space Mission, a small exhibition entitled China's First Manned Space Mission Exhibition II - Gifts for Hong Kong was presented from December 24, 2003 to March 21, 2004 to showcase presents from the delegation led by the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the China Manned Space Engineering Headquarters, including the working and training suit donated by the astronaut, Mr Yang Liwei, two large satellite images covering the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the delta area of the Pearl River. Along with these items, the exhibition also featured memorabilia produced for the aerospace exhibitions held in the museum in 2000 and 2003. A total attendance of some 88 500 was registered.

Produced by the Chabot Space and Science Centre in Oakland, California, United States, a Planetary Landscapes exhibition, involving 11 pieces of interactive kinetic sculptures, was a unique blend of art and science designed to inspire observation, exploration and inquiry. The sculptures and photographs beckoned visitors to investigate natural phenomena and the interplay between chaos and order that continues to shape the planetary landscape of the Solar System. From January 2 to May 2, this exhibition attracted about 78 300 visitors.

Since their 2001 premiere in the Ancient Chinese Astronomy exhibition at the Hong Kong Science Museum, the elegant artefacts of ancient Chinese astronomy were on display in the Dragon Skies exhibition staged at the Chabot Space & Science Centre in the United States. Exhibited along with these exquisite and precious historical relics were scale models of the Armillary Sphere, the Ecliptic Armillary Sphere and the Celestial Globe, and computer interactive exhibits produced by the Hong Kong Science Museum. The exhibition was a result of the exchange programme between the Science Museum and the Chabot Space & Science Centre that aimed at bringing quality exhibitions to their audience through effective sharing of resources. Under this programme, the Planetary Landscapes exhibition was brought to Hong Kong in early 2004. In addition to Chabot, the Dragon Skies exhibition will also tour several museums in the States till April 2007.

Flowers in the Mirrors was staged at the Palais de la Découverte, Paris, France for almost six months from September 13 as one of the exchange programmes of the France-China Cultural Years. Featuring about 60 intriguing exhibits, the exhibition not only invited the international visitors to explore the wonderful world of mirrors and their related science, but also introduced famous Chinese literature to them.

Studies on human specimens for medical research were difficult in the early days, as the bodies would decay soon after death. It was not until 1978, when a breakthrough technique known as plastination was invented that long-term preservation of body parts became possible. Plastination has the benefits of preserving organs in their natural shape for an indefinite period. Plastination has made a valuable contribution to the learning and teaching of anatomy. This preservation technique was witnessed in the body parts exhibition from August 20 to December 5, which featured over 100 plastinated human parts.

With aims of introducing scientific research projects of local universities and disseminating knowledge of frontier technology, the Science News Corner staged four thematic exhibitions in 2004. The exhibitions, jointly developed by academics and museum professionals, were the result of successful collaboration between universities and the museum in popularising science. To keep citizens abreast of scientific advancement and technological breakthrough, new exhibitions will be launched regularly in the gallery.

On June 20, the museum organised two special activities to celebrate Father's Day — Search Out Exhibits and Origami Workshop — which attracted 250 parents and children. In early August, a new attraction for family visitors, the Summer Science Week was launched with 80 activities of various kinds including booth games, exhibitions, guided tours, experiment classes, workshops, family activities, demonstrations and popular science lectures. Bringing out a key message of 'learning science is fun', the nine-day Science Week attracted 13 000 participants.

Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Science Museum, the Hong Kong Central Library, the China Association for Science & Technology and Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Centre, the Distinguished Chinese Scientist Lecture Series were delivered by five renowned scientists from the Mainland and Hong Kong on October 16 and 17. They shared with the audience their experience and stories of discovery behind their research, enabling people to get to know the great achievements of the Chinese scientists in frontier research. The two-day event recorded 1 200 participants. The museum also joined hands with the Education and Manpower Bureau to arrange a Meeting with Scientists for a group of 50 secondary school students.

From December 1 to 4, the museum hosted an international conference — Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres Conference 2004 — the fifth in its series with 'science centres: nurturing creativity' as its theme. During the four-day event, over a hundred delegates from more than 20 countries and economic regions participated in various conference sessions and visits. The conference helped establish and strengthen collaborations between science centres in the Asia Pacific region.

Over the year, the museum continuously worked with academic institutions and professional bodies on a number of special projects to promote science. In 2004, the museum's exhibitions and extension activities attracted more than 853 000 visitors and participants.

The Hong Kong Space Museum is dedicated to promoting astronomy and space science to the public. During the year, the museum strengthened its astronomical observation activities. It was opened to the public on June 8 to allow about 3 000 people to observe the planet Venus passing the Sun's disc through the Solar Telescope and other equipment. The Space Museum broadcast this rare astronomical event with the Hong Kong Observatory through the Internet.

A Sidewalk Astronomy was held with astronomical societies in May at the podium of the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Some 40 telescopes were set up for viewing the comet (C/2001Q4) by over 350 passers-by.

In August, Dr Stanley Ho donated $20 million to the Government under the Facility and Programme Donations Scheme of HAB for sponsoring the promotion of arts and culture, recreation and sports and community building in Hong Kong. The Space Theatre of the Hong Kong Space Museum has been officially named the Stanley Ho Space Theatre for a period of 15 years as an appreciation. On December 28, the Stanley Ho Space Theatre Naming Ceremony was held in the Space Museum and officiated by Dr Stanley Ho and Dr Patrick Ho, the Secretary for Home Affairs.

During the year, the museum published the Astrocalendar 2005 and launched two sky shows, four Omnimax films and five school shows, attracting some 380 000 viewers. The museum also organised 190 extension activities that had over 27 000 participants. Eight temporary special exhibitions together with the permanent exhibits in the Hall of Astronomy and Hall of Space Science attracted more than 380 000 visitors.

The Hong Kong Film Archive's key functions are to acquire, preserve, catalogue and document Hong Kong films and related materials. With a gross floor area of 7 200 square metres, its major facilities include a cinema, an exhibition hall, a resource centre and a number of temperature-controlled collection stores. It has already catalogued around 630 000 items of films and film-related materials, mainly through donations and deposits. Major acquisitions include donations of around 200 films from Cathay Organisations from Singapore and around 600 Shaw Bros films from Celestial Pictures Ltd.

During the year, nine thematic exhibitions were organised and more than 430 screenings were held at the Hong Kong Film Archive. To complement the exhibitions and screening activities, the Film Archive also held a number of joint projects with local educational and cultural institutions in the organisation of seminars and workshops for film students, researchers and general public. To research on the Hong Kong cinema, the Film Archive also conducted oral history interviews with film veterans and published a number of film-related publications.

The Film Archive also participated in collaboration and exchanges with other film bodies and overseas archives in fostering public's appreciation of cinematic arts. Its resource centre, equipped with computers, independent video booths and a rich collection of film-related reading materials, was well patronised by the public.

In 2004, the Film Archive attracted more than 203 000 visitors.

The Art Promotion Office aims to promote local visual arts through wide-ranging activities focusing on public and community art. The office places importance on undertaking projects with different partners, which helps to further enhance art appreciation and participation among the public.

The Public Art Scheme 2003/04 was launched in late 2003 with two artwork proposals being selected and will be installed in the new Ma On Shan Public Library and the piazza of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The New Face of Heritage — Installation of Public Artworks at Yat Tung Estate, Tung Chung, Stage II was jointly organised with the Housing Department with ten artwork proposals being selected and will be installed in the estate in mid 2005. Together with the 16 artworks of Stage I, they will form an Artwalk for the estate. The office also jointly organised the Camera Yuen Long: Art-in-Subways Project with the Highways Department and 72 photos by local photographers were selected through an open competition. The photos will be further produced into pictorial tiles on the walls of six subways in Yuen Long with an aim to feature the district's highlights and to enhance the public's interest in art.

The Art Promotion Office is also responsible for the management of the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre. Nine art studios, a lecture theatre, an exhibition hall and a multi-purpose room were open for public hiring at subsidised rates. The centre focuses on providing professional hiring facilities and training in the visual arts and promoting them. The third Art Specialist Course, which covered five disciplines — ceramics, printmaking, painting, sculpture and ink painting — was specially designed for general art lovers who wish to pursue structured professional art training. The course lasted nine months and a graduation exhibition will be held in early 2005 to celebrate the graduation of 53 participants by displaying artworks they created during the course. A Prelude to the Olympics 2004: Exhibition of the Sport and Art Contest was held to celebrate the 28th Olympic Games in Athens.

The Central Conservation Section continued to play an active role in the conservation of local heritage objects and cultural property across the territory. During the year, the section devised, implemented and evaluated conservation treatments to cultural objects including paintings, historical documents, prints and photographs, textiles, metals, ceramics, organic materials and archaeological finds.

Among the other conservation projects, the methodological research and overhauling work for the preservation of the historic Fireboat Alexander Grantham has been accorded remarkable attention of the section. With the collaboration and input from specialists of various disciplines, the section is working towards lifting the 500-tonne fireboat onto land when the site formation works is completed in the year to come.

Currently in its third year of staging, the cultural display project organised by the section at the Hong Kong International Airport has met with resounding success. The latest phase of the display, launched in late 2004, featured a selection of the distinctive works by 16 Hong Kong ceramicists. Spread in a passage way of the Departures Hall, the display entitled as Glamour of Earth — Contemporary Hong Kong Ceramics enabled overseas tourists and local air passengers alike to sense the creativity and artistic identity of Hong Kong where Chinese and Western cultures meet.

With the help of the conservation volunteers recruited through the Cultural Services Volunteer Scheme, the section presented 40 workshops and guided tours for the 2004 International Museum Day and the year-round School Culture Day. Together with other lectures, behind-the-scene laboratory visits as well as educational and extension activities organised throughout the year, the section received over 1 100 visitors including students, teachers, curators, collectors, overseas delegates and the general public.

To foster professional exchanges in conservation science and technology, the section was represented at a number of international and national conservation conferences and sustained its internship scheme for application by local and overseas conservators. In this regard, two conservation papers were presented at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the American Institute of Conservation held in Portland, United States, and the 8th National Conference on archaeology and conservation held in Guangzhou, respectively; and two interns from the US and Macao were accepted for short-term placement with the section in 2004.