The reading focused on the disappearances of history and pointed out the absence of strong local identities. Preservation of old architectures is a way to retain the culture and history visually. However, the disappearance of history still happened in the wrong way of preservation. For example, the clock tower in Tsim Tsa Tsui is just a decoration without keeping the history of it. We must consider which buildings should we keep and how to preserve them. Instead of preserving some old private buildings, we have to preserve those with collective memories and have an influence on the territory. Moreover, it is challenging to preserve both the building and the history while maintaining human activities in it. “New wine in an old bottle” is an idea often used to preserve buildings but changing the function to introduce new human activities in it such as PMQ and former Central Police Station Compound.
Chow Wai Yin / 3035695426
A thoughtful reflection on the idea of preservation. Appreciate your final quote and the local examples of PMQ and Tai Kwun compound (as it is currently known as).