What is Hong Kong? This question to myself stayed in my head for the whole afternoon after I finished the reading ‘Building on Disappearance’ written by Ackar Abbas. In this reading the author investigated into the phenomenon of Hong Kong this city’s disappearance. The author challenges the idea of preservation, claiming that the act of preserving architecture is exactly what causes the disappearance of the city itself. Abbas claimed that the historic values didn’t survive through the preservation process. Either the architecture became a decoration to new buildings like the case of the clock tower in Tsim Sha Tsui, or the architecture is demolished and remade as if it’s a movie set just like the Repulse Bay Hotel. Ironically, the Repulse Bay project actually received quite a number of prestigious architectural awards. To me, I believe this exactly reflects the core values of the modern Hong Kong society. As well mentioned in the reading, “Hong Kong people are by nature hardworking, that they have a high tolerance for crowded living conditions by genetic design, that they will do anything for money.” No matter it’s at the time of 1997 or twenty-two years later, the core value of many Hong Kong people are still money driven. What society cares is still whether the thing is profitable. This is why I find the author’s thought very relatable. Take the former Marine Police Headquarters Compound as an example. It was re-developed into a hotel and retail compound in 2009. Although the main building and signal tower is retained, the landscape and purpose it serves is greatly changed. It is now a high-end retail hotspot. To me, it is a typical failure product of preservation. The public could no longer experience the historic values of the building except the outlook. Quoting a saying from Abbas, it’s just like those buildings which we could see in theme parks.
What is Hong Kong? What is the historic value of Hong Kong? What is the historic value in Hong Kong architecture? Finished reading, I believe historic value of architecture is the common memories embodied in it. Hong Kong is very much different from other international cities like New York or Tokyo. Hong Kong has always developed its uniqueness based on other cultures. And because of this complexity, people could hardly point out what exactly is a Hong Kong style. However, I believe such an unique historical background has also given birth to all the memories Hong Kong people shared throughout the years. And it is exactly these memories that ties our society together, and what makes this city Hong Kong. Therefore, the value of preservation should be retaining the memories embodied in the architecture so that after the preservation process, people can still be reminded of and experience these values of the past. I think in recent years, more people are aware of the true meaning behind preservation. The Lee Tung Street renewal project is a good example. After renewal, the original “wedding-card street” has become a normal tourist hotspot, full of coffee shops and luxurious retail stores. Many people criticized the project as simply a land development project rather than preserving the culture and memories of the street. To me, although the project is such a failure, it is quite successful in being an alarm, wakening more Hong Kong people about what is preservation, as well as what is Hong Kong. Improvements in preservation projects can be seen in recent years after more people are more educated about the importance of preservation. Tai Kwun is one of them, PMQ is another. Seeing these more successful examples, I believe the road of preservation in Hong Kong is moving on a right track.
By Charlie Chik Chun Hei (UID:3035581247)
Great understanding of the reading in your own context. You have raised some good examples of preservation in Hong Kong, but we also have to be conscious to all sides of the argument raised. Despite the not so successful examples, I think it is very important to identify the problems and learn from the mistakes, in order to develop a better form of preservation in Hong Kong.