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The LCSD's Antiquities and Monuments Office continued to preserve Hong
Kong's heritage and promote public awareness of it through exhibitions,
guided tours, publications and community involvement projects.
The Antiquities Advisory Board comprises 21 appointed
members. It advises the Government on sites and structures that merit
protection by declaring them as monuments and on other matters related
to antiquities and monuments.
In 2003, the Antiquities and Monuments Office continued
to undertake restoration and repair works at various historical buildings,
including the Hau Mei Fung Ancestral Hall in Sheung Shui, the Tin Hau
Temple in Causeway Bay, the Old House at Wong Uk Village in Sha Tin, the
Pak Mong Watchtower and its Gate House on Lantau Island, and the Lawson's
Bunker and Former West Brigade Headquarters in Wong Nai Chung Gap.
To encourage and assist owners of private historical
buildings to participate in conservation works, the office provided technical
advice and support to such owners in their maintenance and restoration
projects. In a restoration project concerning the Liu Ying Lung Study
Hall in Sheung Shui, a technical team from the Guangdong Provincial Institute
of Cultural Relics and Archaeology was invited with the assistance of
the office to conduct a cartographic survey of the historical building,
and give advice on the conservation plan.
In its endeavours to preserve cultural heritage in
the face of impending development projects, the office conducted Environment
Impact Assessment (EIA) and various conservation studies. Examples were
the heritage impact assessment study concerning the Extension of the North
Point Low Level Salt Water Supply System, and the consultancy study on
the feasibility of protecting the Tat Tak Communal Hall in Ping Shan,
Yuen Long from the threat of serious flooding, and on the conservation
plan for the hall. Other heritage conservation studies included a feasibility
study on the preservation of Old Cable House in Telegraph Bay in Southern
District, feasibility study on the preservation of Lee Tat Bridge and
realignment of a new bridge in Shui Tsan Tin Tsuen in Pat Heung, Yuen
Long, and a conservation assessment of the built heritage of Tung Ping
Chau.
The office continued to contribute to the EIA for
development projects, and monitored field investigations and implementation
of mitigation measures under the Heritage Impact Assessment. For example,
terrestrial and marine archaeological investigations and studies were
conducted for the Shatin to Central Rail Link and the South-East Kowloon
Development plan.
To save the archaeological heritage from destruction
by development projects at the former Tai Hom Village in Kowloon and Telegraph
Bay on Hong Kong Island, rescue excavations were launched in October 2002
and May 2003, respectively. Ceramic vessels of the Song and Ming dynasties
were retrieved from the village and a kiln structure dating to the Tang
dynasty was discovered at the bay.
Rescue excavations were carried out at Ngau Hom Shek,
Tsing Chuen Wai and Lam Tei to facilitate implementation of the approved
EIA reports and relevant conditions in the Environmental Permits concerning
two major road projects, the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor and the
Deep Bay Link. Archaeological investigations and rescue excavations were
also arranged before works began on village house developments in areas
such as Tuen Mun and Sha Tau Kok, and road improvement projects at Chi
Ma Wan Road on Lantau Island and at Tuen Mun Road.
The Lord Wilson Heritage Trust was established in 1992, following the
enactment of an ordinance bearing the same name. It aims to promote the
preservation and conservation of Hong Kong's heritage.
During the year, apart from sponsoring $1.85 million
for eight heritage-related activities and research projects, the trust
granted $160,290 to the Summer Youth Programme Committee for organising
heritage-related activities in local districts. Participation in these
activities helps young people to develop an interest in preserving Hong
Kong's heritage. |
