The new British Council building in Admiralty is the perfect place to learn about British education, life and culture, and since its January opening, it has proved extremely popular with students.
Student enrolments for English language courses in February were up 20 per cent compared with the same period last year when the council was housed in its old Wan Chai headquarters.
A total of 1,453 people joined the spacious Library and Information Centre between January and March, an increase of 11 per cent on the same period in 1996.
The newest additions are four Internet terminals, complete with bookmarks of British Web sites including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Wimbledon tennis and the Bank of England.
British Council director Tom Buchanan said: 'This enhanced resource, using information technology and the integration of our current services, reinforces our commitment to meeting the needs of the Hong Kong public for a greater range of information on every aspect of Britain.' Unique to the council's Internet terminals are bookmarks which guide users to a wealth of British Web sites in a much faster way - via a high- speed leased line. These sites include the Tate Gallery and the Design Council.
The computers also feature the British Studies Electronic Route Map which was developed by the British Council and Hong Kong University researchers. The map contains information on British history, geography and culture.