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The Secretary for the Civil Service, Miss Denise Yue, this afternoon (January 28) visited Wan Chai District to see the hustle and bustle of the vibrant district.
Accompanied by the District Officer (Wan Chai), Miss Angela Luk, Miss Yue first visited Queen's College, the oldest government school with a history of more than 140 years in the territory. She chatted with the principals and student representatives on the school's initiatives to enrich students' school life. While touring the campus with the student representatives, she also took a closer look at the school's various facilities.
She then proceeded to the "Blue House", where the Wan Chai Livelihood Place is located. This is Hong Kong's first livelihood museum set up by the St James' Settlement and a group of enthusiastic inhabitants in 2007 to preserve and publicise the cultural inheritance of Wan Chai.
During the visit, Miss Yue expressed interest in an exhibition, "The Magic Box", which displayed television sets and exhibits on local TV programmes produced over the years. The exhibition revealed how television had integrated into the lives of Hong Kong people of different generations.
Miss Yue said she was also impressed by the enthusiasm of the organisers and their efforts to preserve the district's culture. She was pleased to learn that the museum had built a sense of belonging and cultural identification among residents. The place has been well received by members of the public since its opening and attracted around 2,000 visitors a month.
Miss Yue's next stop was the Counselling and Integrated Employment Service Centre operated by the Methodist Centre. She was briefed on the wide-ranging vocational training programmes and the free employment referral service offered to young people and job seekers. Miss Yue also took the opportunity to visit some of the training classes in progress, including the classes on hotel reception and customer service and hair and beauty specialist.
Before concluding her visit, Miss Yue met some Wan Chai District Council members for an exchange of views on various district issues.
Ends/Thursday, January 28, 2010
Issued at HKT 18:49
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