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The following is issued on behalf of the Provisional Regional Council:

With the approach of the festivity of the first reunion anniversary, the public will be able to see for themselves the Provisional Regional Council (Pro RC)'s exhibition entitled -- "More than Gifts - Gifts from the Mainland to Commemorate Hong Kong's Return to China" -- and feel the passion at the Sha Tin Town Hall (STTH).

Sixteen official gifts, of enormous sizes and superb craftsmanship, are half of the collection presented by the Central People's Government, 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region last year.

Speaking at the exhibition's opening ceremony today (Saturday), the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr David Lan, said the "More than Gifts" exhibition was an early bird and was one of the series of excellent programmes to be organised by the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to celebrate the anniversary.

He also paid tribute to the Council for organising the meaningful exhibition and provided opportunities for the public to view these precious items and to feel the passion and blessing from the Mainland.

Also officiating at the exhibition, the Chairman of the Pro RC, Mr Lau Wong-fat, said that all of the gifts were gems of contemporary Chinese art and conveyed the blessings and wishes from the provinces and municipalities.

These items will be on display at the Exhibition Gallery and the Foyer of STTH at 1 Yuen Wo Road near the KCR Sha Tin Station from this afternoon to June 21. The exhibition at the Foyer will last until July 15. The exhibition is open to the public from 10 am to 8 pm daily and admission is free.

Since the gifts in the full collection are monumental, with some of them weighing over 2,000 kilograms, the town hall can only accommodate 16 items in conformity with the height and load restrictions of the venue. The rest are presented through photographs.

The gifts on display comprise cloisonn vases from Beijing, vase with striped and peacock design from Yunnan Province, porcelain vases with Jun-style glaze from Henan Province, Tao River ink-slab with nine-dragon design from Gansu Province, ink-slab carved from Songhua rock from Jilin Province, tapestry from Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, inside-painted rock crystal sphere embraced by filigree dragons from Hebei Province.

There are also different kinds of carvings, such as gilt bronze cranes from Hubei Province, rock carving from Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, sculpture of three waist-drum dancers from Shaanxi Province, shell carving from Hainan Province, redwood circular screen with brass panel from Sichuan Province, rock crystal carving from Shanghai and sculpture of galloping horse from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

In addition to the gifts exhibition, the Council will present a large-scale sports and games carnival in Sha Tin, and its indoor recreation centres, sports grounds and swimming pools will be open to the public free of charge on July 1 to share the joy of the first anniversary of the reunion with the public.

End/Saturday, June 13, 1998

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