The author explains the act of preserving Hong Kong’s cultural identity and building on it through architecture in this reading. The idea of the disappearance of cultural identity is brought up throughout the article. An example includes the Flagship house, both pieces of Hong Kong history from its colonial days, having its identity stripped away in order to be more appealing to the modern citizen.
I find it interesting that the author himself has also been critical of the idea of preserving cultural identity through architecture, Kowloon Walled city as an example, people may be blinded by the act of preserving a part of Hong Kong history in which they ignore the flaws that plagued the city. While preserving cultural identity is important for Hong Kong, it brings the question of how to renovate the historical architecture, improve upon its flaws, and maintain its cultural identity at the same time?
Appreciate your reflection on how preservation dominated over other social problems of the city. If tearing down the Walled City is inevitable, what are possible ways to remediate the loss of such a unique enclave? How many forms does preservation have?