Hong Kong Cultural Centre at 30: still the main attraction, warts and all
- Only five programmes in jubilee calendar of events cancelled because of protests
- Complaints linger over acoustics and design, but no plans yet for major facelift
Renowned percussionist Yim Hok-man remembers the opening of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on November 8, 1989, as if it were yesterday.
“I spent half a month’s salary to tailor-make a suit,” recalls Yim, 73, associate director of the Orchestral Academy under the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra.
“The concert was preceded by dinner in the foyer, where at least 50 tables were set up. I will never forget the sight of the servers, holding their trays high up on one side, walking down the two stairways. It was a majestic spectacle.”
“When the royal couple walked past me,” he says, “I could really see with my own eyes the beauty of Princess Diana.”
Since its grand opening, the Cultural Centre has been Hong Kong’s main venue for top performing arts events and appearances by big-name stars, international and local. Under one roof, it houses a 2,020-seat concert hall, a 1,734-seat grand theatre, a 496-seat multi-purpose studio theatre and numerous rehearsal rooms.
