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Special arrangements are being made to permanently display the gifts presented by the nation's 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on its establishment last year.

A government spokesman said arrangements have been made for the permanent display of these gifts of embroidery, ceramics, lacquer work, tapestry and stone sculpture at major public facilities, such as the new airport and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), as well as government offices buildings and museums.

"All of them are gems of superb craftsmanship, representing the best of contemporary Chinese art. They are also enormous with some weighing over 2,000 kilograms. A number of factors are taken into consideration in allocating these unique gifts, including security, public exposure and the proposed venue's size and floor loading.

"The HKCEC and the VIP lounge of the new airport will each eventually have seven and four gifts for permanent display respectively, making them the largest concentrations of these exquisite and meaningful presents. They should help create a positive visual impact for visitors to Hong Kong.

"Another major recipient is the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Sha Tin, which will have six pieces on permanent display when it is completed in 2000. Special provisions have been made in the design of the Museum to accommodate these one of a kind custom-made presents," the spokesman added.

To commemorate the first anniversary of the reunification of Hong Kong with China, some of the items will be on display at the Exhibition Gallery of the Sha Tin Town Hall from June 13 to 21. After the exhibition, the gifts will either return to their permanent display sites or the Government Supplies Department warehouse for temporary safekeeping until proper arrangements have been completed to house them.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Museum of History in Tsim Sha Tsui will exhibit two of the gifts from late June to end of July.

End/Friday, June 12,1998

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