Abstract
This paper provides a deeper understanding of Hong Kong’s built heritage conservation policies as they have been developed during the city’s colonial and post-colonial periods, especially the political and social factors that have prompted and influenced their development and evolution. Initial observations and thoughts are derived from the authors’ extensive conservation involvement with UNESCO and local and overseas governments as well as their experience with some of Hong Kong’s key statutory boards and government committees that deal with built heritage conservation. Through their first-hand experience, coupled with extensive research, the authors argue that conservation policies in Hong Kong have not been created with a local vision, but instead have been catalysed by external factors, in particular, those relating to economics and politics. The paper concludes with a recommendation that Hong Kong should focus on social considerations in reshaping future conservation policy, as articulated in UNESCO’s Historic Urban Landscape approach.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
The only updating to the Ordinance is a change of colonial terminologies to post-colonial ones in 1997 (updating terms, such as “Colony” to “Special Administrative Region” and “Crown Land” to “Government Land”), when Hong Kong ceased to be a British colony and became a Special Administrative Region of China.
The territory of Hong Kong comprises three key areas: Hong Kong Island (ceded to Britain in 1841), Kowloon Peninsula (ceded in 1860) and the New Territories (leased from the Qing Government for 99 years from 1898), the last of which makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong’s territory. The expiry of the leased New Territories in 1997 was the issue that led to the joint agreement between the governments of China and Britain to return Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
The HK$ 1 billion funding was meant for the first batch of buildings at the launch of the Revitalisation Scheme in 2008. By 2015, the scheme had expanded to four batches of buildings, receiving cumulative funding of HK$ 5.5 billion. On 24 November 2016, the Development Bureau of the HKSAR Government announced the fifth batch of buildings for the Revitalisation Scheme (see: https://www.devb.gov.hk/en/publications_and_press_releases/press/index_id_9318.html).
One of the authors of this paper, Lee, is among the collective recipients of this award.
References
Antiquities Advisory Board. (2014). Report on the policy review on conservation of built heritage. Antiquities Advisory Board, December. Online archival document, accessed 12 August, 2015. http://www.builtheritagereview.hk/common/docs/AAB_Report_e.pdf.
Antiquities and Monuments Office. (2004a). About us—Introduction. AMO website, n.d. Online information, accessed 8 August, 2015. http://www.amo.gov.hk/en/about.php.
Antiquities and Monuments Office. (2004b). Declared monuments in Hong Kong. AMO website, n.d. Online information, accessed 8 August, 2015. http://www.amo.gov.hk/en/monuments.php.
Antiquities and Monuments Office. (2008). Memorandum for Members of the Antiquities Advisory Board. Board paper, 25 September, 2008. Online information, accessed 18 November, 2017. http://www.aab.gov.hk/form/AAB135-70-eng.pdf.
Barber, L. (2009). Locating postcolonial heritage in Hong Kong: The star ferry pier as a site of politics, memory and encounter. Unpublished article, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, March. Online archival document, accessed 12 August, 2015. http://www.iar.ubc.ca/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=QXsgNKRDBds%3D&tabid=101.
Barber, E. (2014). 79 Days that Shook Hong Kong. Time, 15 December. Online archival article, accessed 12 August, 2015. http://time.com/3632739/hong-kong-umbrella-revolution-photos/.
Bard, S. (1988). In search of the past: A guide to the antiquities of Hong Kong. Hong Kong: The Urban Council.
Chai, K. (2009). Central star ferry pier: Policy, politics and protest in the making of heritage in Hong Kong. MSc(Conservation) dissertation, The University of Hong Kong. Online archival dissertation, accessed 12 August, 2015. http://hub.hku.hk/handle/10722/152558.
Cheng, A. (2015). Time to rethink urban renewal strategy to put the people before developers. Op-ed column article, South China Morning Post, April 23, 2015. Online archival article, accessed August 12. http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1774459/time-rethink-urban-renewal-strategy-put-people-developers.
Council for Sustainable Development. (2009). What are the characteristics of our built environment (section 4.2). In Building design to foster a quality and sustainable environment, Council for Sustainable Development (Hong Kong), 14 September. Online archival document, accessed August 12, 2015. http://www.susdev.org.hk/susdevorg/archive2009/en/irdoc/irdoc_4.html.
DiStefano, L. D., Yin, L. H., & Cummer, K. (2011). Hong Kong style urban conservation. In Published in the Proceedings of the ICOMOS 17th General Assembly and Scientific Symposium, 29–37, Paris, 27 November to 2 December.
Financial Secretary. (2015). Capital works reserve fund (payments). In The 2015–16 Budget, delivered by the Financial Secretary of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, 25 February. Online archival document, accessed August 12, 2015. http://www.budget.gov.hk/2015/eng/pdf/cwrf-08.pdf.
Fong, B. C. H. (2013). State-society conflicts under Hong Kong’s hybrid regime: Governing coalition building and civil society challenges. Asian Survey, 53(5), 854–882. Online archival publication, accessed August 12, 2015. https://www.ied.edu.hk/flass/fas_upload/userfiles/pdf/State-Society%20Conflicts%20under%20Hong%20Kongs%20Hybrid%20Regime%20Governing%20Coalition%20Building%20and%20Civil%20Society%20Challenges.pdf.
Henderson, J. C. (2008). Conserving Hong Kong’s heritage: The case of queen’s Pier. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 14(6), 540–554.
Hong Kong Government. (1955). Hong Kong Annual Report 1954. Hong Kong: Government Printer.
Hong Kong Legislative Council. (1979). The legislative council debates official report. In the session of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong which opened on 10 October 1979 at the Legislative Council Chamber. Online archival document, accessed November 1, 2017. http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr79-80/english/lc_sitg/hansard/h791010.pdf.
Huang, S.-M. (2009). A Sustainable City renewed by ‘People’-Centered Approach? Resistance and Identity in Lee Tung Street Renewal Project in Hong Kong. In Paper presented at the 6th Annual Graduate Student Conference, organized by the Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia, 19–21 March. Online archival publication, accessed August 2015. http://www.iar.ubc.ca/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=teMnbC2Pxd8%3D&tabid=101.
Kowalski, A. (2011). When cultural capitalization became global practice: The 1972 world heritage convention. In N. Bandelj (Eds.), The cultural wealth of nations (pp. 73–89). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Ku, A. S. (2012). Remaking places and fashioning an opposition discourse: Struggle over the star Ferry Pier and the Queen’s Pier in Hong Kong. Environment and Planning – Part D: Society and Space, 30, 5–12.
Lam, N. M. K. (2003). Public opinion and economic intervention in Hong Kong: An emerging dilemma. In R. Ash et al. (Eds.), Hong Kong in transition: One country, two systems (pp. 34–48). New York: RoutledgeCurzon.
Legislative Council, HKSAR (2009). Background brief on revitalising historic buildings through partnership scheme. LC Paper No. CB(1)816/08-09(04), 24 February. Online archival document, accessed August 12, 2015. http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr08-09/english/panels/dev/papers/dev0224cb1-816-4-e.pdf.
Leung, A. & Wu, H. (2007). Conservationists’ Last Battle Cry: ‘There will be an End for Queen’s Pier, but the End is not Today. South China Morning Post, 2 August 2007. Online archival article, accessed August 10, 2015. http://www.scmp.com/article/602673/conservationists-last-battle-cry-there-will-be-end-queens-pier-end-not-today.
Lu, T. L.-D. (2009). Heritage conservation in post-colonial Hong Kong. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 15(2–3), 258–272.
Office of the Chief Executive. (1997). Chief executive’s policy address. Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, October 8, 1997. Online archival document, accessed August 12, 2015. http://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/pa97/english/patext.htm.
Office of the Chief Executive (1999). Chief Executive’s Policy Address 1999. Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, 6 October 1999. Online archival document, accessed August 12, 2015. http://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/pa99/english/speech.htm.
Office of the Chief Executive. (2007). 2007–08 Policy Address. Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, 10 October 2007. Online archival document, accessed August 12, 2015. http://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/07-08/eng/policy.html.
Office of the Chief Executive. (2013). The 2013 policy address. Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, January 16, 2013. Online archival document, accessed August 12, 2015. http://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/2013/eng/pdf/PA2013.pdf.
Office of the Chief Executive (2015). 2015 Policy address. Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, January 14, 2015. Online archival document, accessed August 12, 2015. http://www.policyaddress.gov.hk/2015/eng/index.html.
Parker, M. (1967). Reports: Hong Kong. The Atlantic Monthly. Online archival article, accessed August 12, 2015. http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/67nov/hk1167.htm.
UNESCO. (1980). Victory in Nubia: UNESCO and the world community in the greatest archaeological rescue campaign of all time. The UNESCO Courier, February–March 1980, 5–19. Online archival publication, accessed August 12, 2015. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0007/000747/074755eo.pdf.
UNESCO. (1992a). The world heritage convention—Brief History. UNESCO World Heritage Center, n.d. Online information, accessed August 8, 2015. http://whc.unesco.org/en/convention/.
UNESCO. (1992b). Monuments of Nubia—International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia. UNESCO World Heritage Center, n.d. Online information, accessed August 8, 2015. http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/172/.
UNESCO. (1992c). Nubian monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae. UNESCO World Heritage Center, n.d. Online information, accessed August 8, 2015. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/88.
UNESCO. (2011). Proposals Concerning the Desirability of a Standard-Setting Instrument on Historic Urban Landscapes. In Thirty-sixth session of the general conference, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, 18 August. Online archival document, accessed May 18, 2017. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002110/211094e.pdf.
UNESCO. (2013). New Life for Historic Cities: The Historic Urban Landscape Approach Explained. UNESCO Paris. Online publication, accessed 28 December 2016. URL: http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/727/.
UNESCO. (2016). The HUL guidebook: Managing heritage in dynamic and constantly changing urban environments—A practical guide to UNESCO’s recommendation on the historic urban landscape. UNESCO Paris with World Heritage Convention and WHITRAP, 2016. Online publication, accessed December 28, 2016. http://historicurbanlandscape.com/themes/196/userfiles/download/2016/6/7/wirey5prpznidqx.pdf.
UNESCO. (2017). 2017 Heritage awards: Conservation of working class housing in Hong Kong receives top honor. UNESCO Bangkok, November 1, 2017. Online announcement, accessed November 1, 2017. http://bangkok.unesco.org/content/2017-heritage-awards-conservation-working-class-housing-hong-kong-receives-top-honor.
Wang, Z. (2008). Understanding transition in china: domestic tensions, institutional adjustment and international forces. In Paper presented at the Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance China Conference, Beijing, 8–12 December 2008. Online archival document, accessed August 10, 2015. https://www.princeton.edu/~pcglobal/conferences/beijing08/.
Wong, S. H. (2015). Real estate elite, economic development and political conflicts in postcolonial Hong Kong. The China Review, 15(1):1–38. Online archival publication, accessed 12 August 2015. URL: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/275856601_Real_Estate_Elite_Economic_Development_and_Political_Conflicts_in_Postcolonial_Hong_Kong.
Yuen, M. (2000). Relocation of manufacturing activities across the border: A study of its impact on the economy of Hong Kong. MPA Diss., The University of Hong Kong. Online archival dissertation, accessed August 10, 2015. http://hub.hku.hk/bitstream/10722/25855/1/FullText.pdf?accept=1.
Yung, Esther H. K., & Chan, Edwin H. W. (2011). Problem issues of public participation in built heritage conservation: Two controversial cases in Hong Kong. Habitat International, 35, 457–466.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lee, H.Y., Cummer, K. & DiStefano, L.D. From crisis to conservation: a critical review of the intertwined economic and political factors driving built heritage conservation policy in Hong Kong and a possible way forward. J Hous and the Built Environ 33, 539–553 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-018-9611-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-018-9611-8