1 North Kowloon Magistracy eyed as possible opera centre. Artists association unveils plan for Cantonese opera centre
Vivienne Chow, SCMP 6 January 2009

A key Cantonese opera society has unveiled a plan to convert a historic building into a training centre and museum dedicated to the local art.

But some opera veterans said the proposed centre would never be able to replace the Sunbeam Theatre, if the renowned North Point venue were to shut down next month after the Lunar New Year holiday. The theatre is at the centre of a rent debate.

The Chinese Artists Association said it had submitted an application to turn the North Kowloon Magistracy into a cultural centre for Cantonese opera under the Development Bureau's Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme.

The building was among the seven historic structures listed in the first phase of the scheme.

The association's chairwoman, Lisa Wang Ming-chuen, said the group's application was among the final three of the 21 submitted for the North Kowloon Magistracy. The results will be announced next month.

She said meetings had been held with the vetting committee, which was most concerned about how the proposed centre would be operated and managed. She declined to speculate on the likelihood that the association's application would be accepted, but she said it was necessary that immediate steps be taken to preserve Cantonese opera.

"Hong Kong has a more original form of Cantonese opera than what is practised on the mainland. Its development is different and incomplete because of the Cultural Revolution," Ms Wang said.

The North Kowloon Magistracy would be the ideal venue for an opera centre as Sham Shui Po was slated to become a new cultural hub, she said.

The proposed centre would have six floors and include a traditional tea house where Cantonese opera songs would be performed, a museum, an archive of Cantonese opera materials, rehearsal studios, and offices.

The top floor of the building would be transformed into a dormitory available for visiting Cantonese opera troupes or tourists. Parts of the historic building, including two former holding cells and one of the four court rooms, would be preserved.

Ms Wang said the government would provide HK$150 million to pay for renovations and HK$5 million for the first three years of operation.

"But we will still have to raise at least another HK$15 million in order to cover all the costs," she said.

Admission fees for the museum, expected to be HK$30 for adults, and rent from the dormitory, which would be HK$500 to HK$600 a night for a room for two people, would be the main sources of income, she said.

But association vice-chairman Yuen Siu-fai said the centre would not be able to replace the Sunbeam Theatre because of its history and location. He said the landlord was less concerned about raising the rent than the apparent lack of a plan for development of Cantonese opera.

The Home Affairs Bureau said Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing had met with the landlord and the operator of the Sunbeam Theatre last month and that the bureau hoped negotiations for a lease extension could be continued.

The lease is up at the end of this month but the landlord agreed to extend it until after the Lunar New Year. The bureau said it could consider adopting a different funding plan.

 

2 HA will continue to implement its public housing programme
Hong Kong Government, 6 January 2009

The following is issued on behalf of the Housing Authority:

The Chairman of the Finance Committee (FC) of the Housing Authority (HA), Mr. Wong Yuen-fai, said that the HA is committed to the policy objectives of maintaining the average waiting time for public rental housing applicants at about 3 years and improving its housing estates with a view to enhancing the quality of living of its tenants, notwithstanding the economic slowdown.

 “To meet this target, in the five years between 2008/09 and 2012/13, the HA plans to incur construction expenditure of $8.6 billion per year on average to produce adequate public rental housing flats, representing an annual production of about 15,000 flats on average,” Mr. Wong said today (January 6) after the FC meeting.

The FC today endorsed the 2008/09 revised budget, the 2009/10 proposed budget and noted the financial forecasts for 2010/11 to 2012/13.

With a projected funds balance of $46.7 billion in 2013, the HA will have sufficient financial resources to implement its public housing programme in the forecast period.

Because of adjustment of the financial market, the HA’s overall consolidated result is expected to register a loss of about $220 million in 2008/09. The HA has been able to mitigate the risks largely because of the conservative and diversified investment strategy. Assuming that the financial market will stabilize, it is forecast that the HA’s overall consolidated result will return to surplus in the coming years.

The HA will ensure cost effective use of its resources in meeting its policy objectives.

The budget will be submitted to the HA on January 22 for approval.