In the chapter of Building on Disappearance: Hong Kong Architecture and Colonial Space, the author discusses the different types of Hong Kong architecture and the disappearance of history caused by improper preservation. For Hong Kong architecture, the author divides it into three categories, with the Merely Local being the salient one. It refers to those underwent incomplete preservation. As the example mentioned by the author, Flagstaff House, which now was preserved into a Chinese teaware museum. It is called Merely Local because the preservation was trying to shift people’s focus from the solemn weight of history to promoting Chinese traditional culture. As other Merely Local places in Hong Kong, this kind of preservation is trying to separate the later generations with the true history of the building which is also the Hong Kong history. We can see the same problem in most of the examples of “successful” conservation. The authority is trying to keep only the architectural configuration, combining it into a new-built space. Consider the representation of Hong Kong as an East-West city, it seems that this kind of preservation could be accord with Hong Kong’s image. However, the author pointed out that Hong Kong’s spatial histories are disappearing as it is ignored and erased in the constantly building and rebuilding process.
Name: Shun Ying, Zhuang
UID: 3035702827
An excellent reflection on Abbas’ critical commentary, thoughtful and well-written good job!