Government Participation in the Exhibition in 1967

The 1st Exhibition was originally a small scale one for Chinese products. As more exhibitors participated and the scale of the exhibition expanded, the Government paid more attention to the exhibitions. Sir Geoffry Northcote was the first Governor visiting the exhibitions. He and other government officials attended the opening ceremony of the 3rd Exhibition of Chinese Products (1940), as witnesses to the achievements of Hong Kong’s manufacturing industries. Until the exhibition was suspended in 1974, the Governors of Hong Kong had been present in the opening ceremony of every Exhibition, a gesture to show their support for local industries.

Besides yearly visits by the Hong Kong Governors and government officials, some Government departments had set up booths at the exhibitions to publicize government initiatives in the public sectors. For example, the Labour Department has set up a booth at the 17th Exhibition of Hong Kong Products to promote the awareness of industrial safety. The Government Public Enquiry Service also set up a mobile office at the 23th Exhibition of Hong Kong Products (1961-1962) to offer service to the public.

After the 1967 riots, the Government took a more active step in the exhibition and for the first time it set up a government pavilion at the 25th Exhibition for promoting government policies and social welfare provisions. Meanwhile, local organizations such as the Hong Kong & Kowloon Joint Kai Fong Research Council” had setup exhibition pavilion at the exhibitions and held recreational activities for the young people. Since the exhibition was held during the time of 1967 riots, the leftist press had severely criticized the exhibition. They said that the government exhibition pavilion re-packaged colonial rule into benevolent governance, in order to misguide the public. The police also believed the exhibition could become a target of assault for rioters and therefore imposed more severe security measures at the venue.

Since the 25th Exhibition (1967-1968), the Government set up a government booth at the exhibition to publicize information about government provisions for social welfare, industrial education, medical services, the Clean Hong Kong Campaign, traffic safety, and checking bank notes. The Urban Council and Urban Services Department had also set up exhibitions to promote the awarenss of health care and hygiene in the public. The Social Welfare Department ran a nursery at the venue to provide care to the children under the age of 5, so that their parents could enjoy the exhibition. The exhibitions had gradually developed into an information platform for the government to disseminate government information to the public.