Shan Yiyi 3036267886
Zhang Lingge 303310967
Video link:
https://youtu.be/xQEHGwX3MHc?feature=shared
This expedition started from Shanghai Street and finally came to Langhao place, witnessing the transformation from early Hong Kong society to the modern prosperous metropolis. During the investigation, we saw many slightly older buildings and were sure that they would disappear in ten years.
Q1. What is the space/place/artefact/building that is vanishing?
The building we chose to explain which will disappear within ten years is an old-fashioned Tang building located in Argyle Street. The institutions inside the building include the Construction Pharmaceutical Trade Union and the hometown association, which have now been abandoned. Several shops on the ground floor are still open, and the middle part also serves as a residential building. You can see the traces of people living in it.
Q2. Why is it vanishing? How do we know that it will no longer exist in the near future?
Because its overall appearance is very old, in sharp contrast to the new building with a large screen in the surrounding area. Many rooms in the middle have been idle, damaged, and uninhabited, and the wall is seriously damaged and has potential safety hazards. The surrounding area is full of new buildings, so it is speculated that this place should be in the process of complete renovation, and the building should disappear and be replaced by new buildings in ten years. The new building can better integrate the atmosphere of this bustling commercial street and better serve people who come shopping.
Q3. What do we know about its past and present? i.e. What purpose/s does it serve?
After our visit to the building, we guess that this building used to be a very lively place. There were trade unions and hometown associations. Everyone got together to work, chat, and share the interesting stories of recent life. They 、 can also play mahjong and drink tea together. The residents living here may be the staff of an institution in the building or the owner of the shop downstairs. People from different professions gather here to share their lives due to their geographical proximity.
Q4. Who are and/or will be affected when it no longer exists? What are their feelings and attitudes toward this?
The shopkeepers on the ground floor will be affected, and they have to look for other stores to continue their business. And this is very likely to increase their rental cost. Stores in busy areas like this must pay more expensive rent than now, because although the current store has an excellent geographical location, the rent may be slightly cheaper due to the age of the building. This will also cost them time because they need to take time to find a new store, spend a lot of effort to move, and take time to adapt to a new environment. In the face of the disappearance of this old building, they may have discomfort and nostalgia, because, after all, this is the place where they have lived for many years, witnessing the growth and transformation of their generations. But I believe that it will be more of a vision of a new environment, a yearning for a new life, and a relief for the rapid development of the city they live in.
Q5. What is being done about its impending disappearance?
There are many protective ropes and brackets outside, not only to prevent the safety hazards caused by the fall of the wall skin but also to prepare for the demolition of the old building in the future.
Behind them are some buildings that we also think will disappear within a decade. Their common feature is that they are slightly old and most of them have been set up outside with protective nets to be dismantled.
These are the videos we recorded on the way to our inspection. Follow our footsteps. You can see that there are many buildings on both sides of the road. They have the characteristics of the city of Hong Kong, carry a strong Hong Kong flavor, and take us to experience the customs of old Hong Kong.
Standing at the intersection and watching the traffic passing by, we can feel the fast pace and efficiency of the city of Hong Kong.
Here we have come to the end of our investigation, and we can clearly see the change of architectural style. Many high-rise buildings come into view. In front of us are international metropolises, which will also replace the new landmarks of the old buildings we mentioned earlier.