Untitled Document

Renewal projects

SAR's historical legacy fading

By Gillian Cheng, Sally Yip & Christine Yu

Wu Kwok Wai Gillian Cheng

Murray House was relocated to Stanley with pillars from old pawnshops Yau Ma Tei Police Station, buily in 1870, is a declared monument.

The Urban Renewal Authority in January announced the implementation of three redevelopment projects.
They will be carried out in Tai Kok Tsui, Sham Shui Po and Wan Chai. Inevitably, some historical monuments will be demolished.
Experts urge that such monuments be preserved. Nevertheless, residents believe that demolition will make room for redevelopment. The whole issue is further complicated by vague laws.
Nowadays these historical monuments reflect not only history, but also social conflict.

According to the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, the Antiquities and Monuments Office
may declare any place, building, or site to be a monument by its historical, archaeological or palaeontological significance.

To fulfill its duty, the office relies on a system to judge the priority of the places or buildings which need to be protected.

Under the system, all sites are categorized into three grades.

The places or buildings listed at Grade 1 are the most prominent ones. They will be protected at first priority. Places or buildings listed at Grade 2 are less prominent, but are still important. Places or buildings listed at Grade 3 may not be necessarily declared as monuments, but they are defined as historically significant. There is no crucial need to protect the places and buildings categorized at Grade 3.

Yet, the system is used only by the office and has no legal basis. In other words, the criteria for determining historical significance are not included in the law.

Mr. Chiu Siu Tsan, executive secretary of the Antiquities and Monuments Office, admitted that the declaration of historic buildings as monuments is a subjective decision.

"It is difficult to set up a formula to decide which places or buildings should be preserved. All we can do is just assigning some professionals to do the job.

"We will try to employ objective factors like the age of the building, its relation to local history and its style, when making the decision," said Mr. Chiu.

Mr. Jeffrey Cody, associate professor in the Department of Architecture at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, illustrated the difficulty in making decisions.

"It is difficult to determine the importance of any buildings,"he said.

"A place may be architecturally significant, but not historically significant. It is difficult to judge whether it should be preserved or not. And it is hard for different parties to arrive at a consensus," he explained.

The ordinance also does not state clearly how the monuments should be preserved.

Prof. Cody said, "The ordinance is not designed to deal with districts, neighbourhoods, or groups of buildings."

He said groups of buildings are valuable as groups; however, each building may be insignificant when considered individually.

Mr. Chiu agreed. "We are caught in dilemma. The public and experts regard old buildings as heritages. They often support us to protect these monuments.

"Yet, the property conglomerates think differently. They believe that old buildings should be pulled down to make room for new ones.

"Their ultimate aim is to generate revenue by selling the modern properties,"he explained.

He added, "Even if the conglomerates promise to retain the monuments, they may change the functions."

As an example, he cited Western Market in Sheung Wan, one of the oldest local markets.

"It has been transformed into a shopping mall. Now, the products there, such as the drawings and the clothes, are like those sold there in the past. But its historical value has diminished since the renovation.

"Its history and originality will be unknown to the next generation," said he.

"Some conglomerates even try to change the building's interiors into bars and restaurants," he continued.

"The proportion of the original parts to be retained should be seriously considered. To decde the use of retained places, benefits to both the property conglomerates and the public must be considered," said he.

Mr. Chiu believes that many people have misunderstood that the preservation of monuments is a waste of money.

"A historical building is preferably preserved if it is in a place where it can be incorporated with its environment. Relocation may be a solution," he said.

Mr. Tang Siu Tong, a physician and a member of the Antiquities Advisory Board, agrees.

"With rapid urban development in recent decades, lots of districts look different from the way they did in the past.

"Buildings built in the '60s or '70s may seem out of place with newly developed surroundings,” said he.

He cited the case of Murray House, one of the two oldest colonial buildings in Hong Kong.

It was originally located in Central, but was moved to Ma Hang Village in Stanley.

"If it had stayed in Central, it would look odd because the district has been renewed.

"In this case, it was better for it to be relocated to Stanley, where the environment is more spacious and peaceful."

Mr. Chiu attributed the current inadequate monument preservation policies to an absence of a compensation system.

"Without monetary rewards, the property owners will be less willing to retain old properties.

"The current system aims at persuading people not to demolish historical properties passed down from their ancestors," he said.

Lack of public awareness is another problem.

Mr. Tang says the citizens of Hong Kong concentrate too much on economic development, therefore neglecting the importance of retaining the monuments

"There is a need to raise public consciousness about historical monuments' preservation.

"To enhance students' understanding of local archaeological excavations, our office has been organizing various workshops and exhibitions.

"We hope the Education Department will show greater initiative. They could organize educational trips to visit archaeological sites.

He also called for more promotions of monuments.

"For example, opening special bus lines going through historical sites or monuments would provide more convenient transportation, which would attract more visitors."

Dr. Ting Kwok Fai is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He believes that local people, in general, have little awareness of monument protection, and prefer redevelopment of old districts.

Dr. Ting explains the phenomenon this way: "First, Hong Kong citizens are busy and they only think of earning money most of the time.

"Secondly, the mobility of people is so high that they seldom have deep-rooted feelings for the place they live or work.

"Thirdly, most people have limited knowledge about the history of old buildings. Therefore, they don't recognize the buildings' cultural values and historical importance. Thus, they do not have the initiative to protect them.

"Finally, the removal of old things and creation of new ones is an element of Chinese culture. This tradition can be seen in the rituals of the Lunar New Year. Everything should be replaced with new and fresh things. Similarly, they like to have old infrastructure replaced by new infrastructure."
Prof. Cody disagreed, however.

"We cannot say the people of Hong Kong do not care about historical things at all.

"In 1997, the government planned to build a road near Kowloon City and needed to destroy a rock that had already been there since the Song Dynasty.

"When people voiced their concern and opposition about the demolition, the government moved the rock to Kowloon Walled City Park," explains he.

He places some blame on the government. "It is difficult for Hong Kong citizens to participate in the government's planning. A few years ago, the government planned to remove a temple. Some people protested and tried to retrieve their right to protect it.

"Yet, the government was determined and refused to change its plan. Protests were discouraged and stopped immediately.

"The majority of people, therefore, believed the government would not listen to their opinions, and they gave up. As a result, local citizens are discouraged from taking part in the decision-making process."

Yet, Prof. Cody says that the situation can improve. With more workshops and consultation briefings, shop owners, developers and architects can express their opinions on the government’s renewal plans.

"Recently, the Kong Hong Institute of Architecture organized a workshop for Western District. It was a good way for everybody to express their ideas and, more importantly, to let the government know.

"The public is becoming more involved in the consultation and planning. This is a good way out," he concluded.

Next

Wu Kwok Wai	Gillian Cheng

Murray House was relocated to Stanley with pillars from old pawnshops	Yau Ma Tei Police Station, buily in 1870, is a declared monument.
The Urban Renewal Authority in January announced the implementation of three redevelopment projects. They will be carried out in Tai Kok Tsui, Sham Shui Po and Wan Chai. Inevitably, some historical monuments will be demolished. Experts urge that such monuments be preserved. Nevertheless, residents believe that demolition will make room for redevelopment. The whole issue is further complicated by vague laws. Nowadays these historical monuments reflect not only history, but also social conflict. According to the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, the Antiquities and Monuments Office may declare any place, building, or site to be a monument by its historical, archaeological or palaeontological significance. To fulfill its duty, the office relies on a system to judge the priority of the places or buildings which need to be protected. Under the system, all sites are categorized into three grades. The places or buildings listed at Grade 1 are the most prominent ones. They will be protected at first priority. Places or buildings listed at Grade 2 are less prominent, but are still important. Places or buildings listed at Grade 3 may not be necessarily declared as monuments, but they are defined as historically significant. There is no crucial need to protect the places and buildings categorized at Grade 3. Yet, the system is used only by the office and has no legal basis. In other words, the criteria for determining historical significance are not included in the law. Mr. Chiu Siu Tsan, executive secretary of the Antiquities and Monuments Office, admitted that the declaration of historic buildings as monuments is a subjective decision. "It is difficult to set up a formula to decide which places or buildings should be preserved. All we can do is just assigning some professionals to do the job. "We will try to employ objective factors like the age of the building, its relation to local history and its style, when making the decision," said Mr. Chiu. Mr. Jeffrey Cody, associate professor in the Department of Architecture at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, illustrated the difficulty in making decisions. "It is difficult to determine the importance of any buildings,"he said. "A place may be architecturally significant, but not historically significant. It is difficult to judge whether it should be preserved or not. And it is hard for different parties to arrive at a consensus," he explained. The ordinance also does not state clearly how the monuments should be preserved. Prof. Cody said, "The ordinance is not designed to deal with districts, neighbourhoods, or groups of buildings." He said groups of buildings are valuable as groups; however, each building may be insignificant when considered individually. Mr. Chiu agreed. "We are caught in dilemma. The public and experts regard old buildings as heritages. They often support us to protect these monuments. "Yet, the property conglomerates think differently. They believe that old buildings should be pulled down to make room for new ones. "Their ultimate aim is to generate revenue by selling the modern properties,"he explained. He added, "Even if the conglomerates promise to retain the monuments, they may change the functions." As an example, he cited Western Market in Sheung Wan, one of the oldest local markets. "It has been transformed into a shopping mall. Now, the products there, such as the drawings and the clothes, are like those sold there in the past. But its historical value has diminished since the renovation. "Its history and originality will be unknown to the next generation," said he. "Some conglomerates even try to change the building's interiors into bars and restaurants," he continued. "The proportion of the original parts to be retained should be seriously considered. To decde the use of retained places, benefits to both the property conglomerates and the public must be considered," said he. Mr. Chiu believes that many people have misunderstood that the preservation of monuments is a waste of money. "A historical building is preferably preserved if it is in a place where it can be incorporated with its environment. Relocation may be a solution," he said. Mr. Tang Siu Tong, a physician and a member of the Antiquities Advisory Board, agrees. "With rapid urban development in recent decades, lots of districts look different from the way they did in the past. "Buildings built in the '60s or '70s may seem out of place with newly developed surroundings,” said he. He cited the case of Murray House, one of the two oldest colonial buildings in Hong Kong. It was originally located in Central, but was moved to Ma Hang Village in Stanley. "If it had stayed in Central, it would look odd because the district has been renewed. "In this case, it was better for it to be relocated to Stanley, where the environment is more spacious and peaceful." Mr. Chiu attributed the current inadequate monument preservation policies to an absence of a compensation system. "Without monetary rewards, the property owners will be less willing to retain old properties. "The current system aims at persuading people not to demolish historical properties passed down from their ancestors," he said. Lack of public awareness is another problem. Mr. Tang says the citizens of Hong Kong concentrate too much on economic development, therefore neglecting the importance of retaining the monuments "There is a need to raise public consciousness about historical monuments' preservation. "To enhance students' understanding of local archaeological excavations, our office has been organizing various workshops and exhibitions. "We hope the Education Department will show greater initiative. They could organize educational trips to visit archaeological sites. He also called for more promotions of monuments. "For example, opening special bus lines going through historical sites or monuments would provide more convenient transportation, which would attract more visitors." Dr. Ting Kwok Fai is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He believes that local people, in general, have little awareness of monument protection, and prefer redevelopment of old districts. Dr. Ting explains the phenomenon this way: "First, Hong Kong citizens are busy and they only think of earning money most of the time. "Secondly, the mobility of people is so high that they seldom have deep-rooted feelings for the place they live or work. "Thirdly, most people have limited knowledge about the history of old buildings. Therefore, they don't recognize the buildings' cultural values and historical importance. Thus, they do not have the initiative to protect them. "Finally, the removal of old things and creation of new ones is an element of Chinese culture. This tradition can be seen in the rituals of the Lunar New Year. Everything should be replaced with new and fresh things. Similarly, they like to have old infrastructure replaced by new infrastructure." Prof. Cody disagreed, however. "We cannot say the people of Hong Kong do not care about historical things at all. "In 1997, the government planned to build a road near Kowloon City and needed to destroy a rock that had already been there since the Song Dynasty. "When people voiced their concern and opposition about the demolition, the government moved the rock to Kowloon Walled City Park," explains he. He places some blame on the government. "It is difficult for Hong Kong citizens to participate in the government's planning. A few years ago, the government planned to remove a temple. Some people protested and tried to retrieve their right to protect it. "Yet, the government was determined and refused to change its plan. Protests were discouraged and stopped immediately. "The majority of people, therefore, believed the government would not listen to their opinions, and they gave up. As a result, local citizens are discouraged from taking part in the decision-making process." Yet, Prof. Cody says that the situation can improve. With more workshops and consultation briefings, shop owners, developers and architects can express their opinions on the government’s renewal plans. "Recently, the Kong Hong Institute of Architecture organized a workshop for Western District. It was a good way for everybody to express their ideas and, more importantly, to let the government know. "The public is becoming more involved in the consultation and planning. This is a good way out," he concluded.