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For 40 years, ever since its inauguration on March 2, 1962, the Hong Kong City Hall (HKCH) has been instrumental in bridging the arts of the East and the West and developing a cultural life in Hong Kong. It is also a cradle for public libraries and museums in post-war Hong Kong. On the occasion of its 40th anniversary, members of the public can revisit the past of HKCH through the "Growing with Time - The Hong Kong City Hall Retrospective Exhibition"

The exhibition will be held between March 7 and 24 from 10am to 8pm daily at the Exhibition Hall, 1/F, Low Block, HKCH. Admission is free.

Through the display of photographs, interactive installation, book collections, art works, costumes and stage models, visitors can have a glimpse of the achievements of HKCH in the promotion of performing arts and art works collection as well as the provision of library services over the past four decades.

1869 saw the birth of the first City Hall in Hong Kong. It was built on a landlot granted by the government and its construction was funded by monies from public donations, fundraising drama productions and issuance of shares. The venue continued to operate until it was demolished in 1947.

As the economic situation gradually recovered after the ravages of the Second World War, the government started to plan for a new city hall. The complex was to include a main building, a concert hall, a theatre, a high block and a memorial garden. It was inaugurated on March 2, 1962 by the Governor, Sir Robert Black.

In the past few decades, more than 10,000 arts troupes, local as well as overseas, have performed in Hong Kong City Hall. Many landmark cultural events like the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Festival of Asian Arts and Hong Kong International Film Festival made their debut here. Many world famous arts troupes and artists have been invited to appear here, thus providing the people of Hong Kong the opportunity to come into contact with the huge diversity of performing arts in other parts of the world.

Hong Kong City Hall is also the ideal venue for important ceremonies and celebrations. Several former governors had sworn in here; and many dignitaries from all parts of the world, including members of the British royal family, had paid their visit to the City Hall. It stands undisputed as an icon and a milestone in the history of Hong Kong.

The City Hall High Block also housed the first public library and art museum. The City Hall Public Library, the first of its kind in Hong Kong, was officially open on March 5, 1962. In these forty years, while Hong Kong was evolving into a metropolitan city, the City Hall Public Library was also making headway in tandem with it.

Apart from the growing library stock from 20,000 in 1962 to more than 370,000 in the 90s, its facilities and services were also constantly upgraded. 1976 saw the setting up of a music library while the whole library was fully computerised in 1994. Besides, it has organised a diversity of value-added services to promote reading habit, to facilitate cultural exchange, and to attract more users. These services include book exhibitions, literary talks, reading programmes and all kinds of competitions.

To meet increasing needs, the City Hall Public Library will be renovated this year and the Reference Library will become a specialised reference library, focusing on providing business and industrial information.

The inauguration of the Hong Kong City in 1962 also gave birth to the modern museum service in Hong Kong. A newly designed museum known as the "City Hall Art Gallery" was located at the 10th and 11th floors of the City Hall High Block and was later renamed "Hong Kong Art & Museum Gallery" in 1969.

In addition to providing the public with valuable chance to appreciate the beauty of rare treasures and historical artifacts, the Museum also put in consistent efforts to promote local art.

After years of collection and acquisition, the Hong Kong Art & Museum Gallery built up representative collections in the areas of historical paintings, Chinese paintings and calligraphy, Hong Kong early coinage, stamps, historical photographs, works by Hong Kong artists and folk handicrafts in neighbouring regions.

As a result of its expanding collections and increasing number of exhibitions, the Hong Kong Art & Museum Gallery became the Hong Kong Museum (later renamed the Hong Kong Museum of History) and Hong Kong Museum of Art in 1975 after a restructuring. They moved out from City Hall in 1975 and 1991 respectively.

The Hong Kong City Hall has always been dedicated to the promotion of arts activities as a showcase of eastern and western cultures. For the Hong Kong people, the significance of Hong Kong City Hall goes beyond arts and culture. Its typical Bauhaus architecture has become a landmark that sits on the waterfront of the Central District. While the shrine at the Memorial Garden houses records of wartime sufferings, the marriage registry, which was open in the same year as the City Hall, bears witness to the forming of hundreds of thousand families as couples took their marriage vows. Visiting the City Hall still remains a popular holiday activity for the citizens of Hong Kong today.

End/Thursday, March 7, 2002

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