Hong Kong Welcomes New year with Carnivals, Fireworks

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, January 01, 2003

Hong Kong Welcomes New year with Carnivals, Fireworks

Tens of thousands of people of Hong Kong gathered at the New Year's Eve Countdown Carnivals Tuesday night, welcoming the start of the new year in an aura of jubilation.

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Tens of thousands of people of Hong Kong gathered at the New Year's Eve Countdown Carnivals Tuesday night, welcoming the start of the new year in an aura of jubilation.

Victoria Park, Times Square, Culture Center and Tamar Site were the main rendezvous of the countdown carnivals.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region organized the New Year's Eve Countdown Carnival at Victoria Park.

The carnival, which ran until O0:30 on New Year's Day, was showcasing a spectrum of fun-packed programs including physical theater, music, dances, magic show, roving entertainment as well as a nine-meter countdown tower to celebrate the coming of the new year.

Renowned Australian physical theater company "Strange Fruit" brought the latest physical production "The Spheres" in which the universal themes of life --- creation, exultation and liberation --are magnificently explored.

Another Australian performing group "Slack Taxi" greeted the audiences with funny roving characters.

An exquisitely designed nine-meter high countdown tower, the "Radiance Shooter" opened the brilliant door of 2003 and Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping and representatives of 18 District Boards greeted the New Year at the countdown with the audiences.

Another countdown event, with a theme of "Life is beautiful," was being held at Hong Kong's downtown Times Square to say farewell to 2002.

Organized jointly by Times Square and Radio & Television Hong Kong (RTHK), a group of popular local singers and other young talents presented performance at Times Square's open piazza to nearly 7,000, who had gathered there a few hours before the performance began for a better view.

Some 15 apples hanging outside Times Square were lit up one by one leading up to midnight. A massive volume of confetti was released from the sky at 12:00 sharp.

According to Germaine Lui, Promotions and Advertising Manager of Times Square Estates Limited, this was the tenth consecutive year that Times Square has organized the "Times Square Apple Countdown" on Dec. 31, which was first initiated in 1993 when the shopping mall opened.

Lui noted that the idea of "Times Square Apple Countdown" in Hong Kong is inspired by the annual Mega countdown celebration initiated by Times Square, New York in 1907.

A fireworks display at the Victoria Harbor drew large number of viewers on both sides.

The fireworks display, showed in 6 segments and accompanied by amazing western music, took people's joy and happiness to a new height.

At the site in front of the Culture Center gathered over 80,000 people attending the celebrations. The marvelous performance and fireworks display brought joy and happiness to all ages.

Besides carnivals, some 2,800 people aged from 5 to 70 chose their own way of welcoming 2003 -- 12-hour long-distance running for the good of their health as well as the welfare of many others.

Students, company employees, sportsmen, and public servants joined in the running at the Hong Kong Sports Institute in Sha Tinat noon. The money raised during this activity will be directed to charity purposes.

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