Date: 19 June 2023
Time: 6:30 - 8:00 PM
CPD Hours: 1.5
Language: Cantonese
Zoom Registration Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TheTLt5ZRfOo1agr4dWUJQ
Speaker / 講者
Ar Edward LEUNG
Former Chair HKIA Heritage & Conservation Committee
Synopsis
When the British government worked towards expanding the City of Victoria in 1898, Governor Sir Henry Arthur Blake promised the Chinese villagers that their “customs will not be interfered with…. ancestral halls and temples for worshipping will remain”. More than a century later, the metropolis of Hong Kong has transformed far beyond the initial imagination. Have these old Chinese settlements and buildings really been un-interfered with? Even if these relics were physically kept, has social development evolved so substantially that the customs to be preserved are no longer relevant, and thus the heritage is discontinued? This study looks at the traditional Chinese villages in the Kowloon Peninsula and in the first new town, Tsuen Wan, where the most dramatic urbanization are evident.
Following a brief appreciation of the background, this presentation will focus on architectural characteristics that may help us to rediscover traditional living patterns and cultural identities of the local dwellers and users. The task is to shed light on new possible approaches to the imminent comprehensive redevelopment of these districts bearing traces of valuable history of Hong Kong. This is not the end of a historic episode. Rather, this is the beginnings of concerted efforts towards better understanding the architectural values of historic settlements, towards more heritage sensitive urban planning ahead, for the enrichment of our city.
梁以華建築師
香港建築師學會古蹟及文物保育委員會前主席
概要
英國政府在1898 年致力擴展維多利亞城的時候，港督卜力向華人村民承諾，他們的「習俗不會受到干擾…… 祠堂和祭祀用途之廟宇將于以保留」。一個多世紀後，香港這個大都會的轉變早已超越了當初的設想。這些古老的華人聚落和建設真的未受干擾嗎？即使這些文物實體被保存，其社會發展是否早經翻天覆地的變化，以至於本應保留的風俗不再適用而至歷史失傳？本研究著眼於九龍半島和第一座新市鎮荃灣在城市化進程中經歷最劇烈變化的華人傳統村落。除了開始的簡要介紹背景外，本次報告將會重點介紹建築特色，以協助我們了解當地居民及用家的傳統生活方式和文化身份，其目標在於，在這些尚存寶貴歷史痕跡的地區即將面臨重建策劃之刻，為我們的重新思考提供啟示。當下並非歷史事件的終結，反而是我們展開協同努力之時，讓我們對這些歷史聚落的建築價值有更好理解，邁向更加具備遺產觸覺的未來都市規劃，使我們的城市更加豐滿。
