This article details the history and status of Heritage conservation in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

, as well as the role of various stakeholders. An indication of the size of the built heritage in Hong Kong is given by a territory-wide survey conducted by the

Antiquities and Monuments Office The Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) was established in 1976 under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance to protect and preserve Hong Kong's historic monuments. Housed in the Former Kowloon British School, the AMO is responsible for iden ...

(AMO) between 1996 and 2000, which recorded some 8,800 buildings. The preservation of

Intangible Cultural Heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. Int ...

is also an emerging theme.

Government agencies and legislation

In alphabetical order: *

Antiquities Advisory Board The Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) is a statutory body of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with the responsibility of advising the Antiquities Authority on any matters relating to antiquities and monuments. The AAB was establish ...

(AAB) *

Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance The Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, in Hong Kong Law (Cap. 53), was enacted in 1976 to preserve the objects of historical, archaeological and palaeontological interest and for matters ancillary thereto or connected therewith. It is admini ...

Commissioner for Heritage's Office A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

(CHO), set up on 25 April 2008 under the

Development Bureau The Development Bureau (DEVB; ) is an agency of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for urban planning and renewal, land administration, infrastructure development, building safety, landscape, greening & tree development, water supplies, ...

Hong Kong Government's Central Conservation Section Hong may refer to: Places *Høng, a town in Denmark *Hong Kong, a city and a special administrative region in China *Hong, Nigeria *Hong River in China and Vietnam *Lake Hong in China Surnames *Hong (Chinese name) *Hong (Korean name) Organiz ...

Urban Renewal Authority The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) is a quasi-governmental, profit-making statutory body in Hong Kong responsible for accelerating urban redevelopment. History The authority's predecessor, the Land Development Corporation (土地發展� ...

Historic buildings

As of 20 May 2016, there were 114 declared monuments in Hong Kong, and as of February 2013, there were 917 graded historic buildings (153 Grade I, 322 Grade II, 442 Grade III), of which 203 were owned by the Government and 714 by private bodies.Report No. 60 of the Director of Audit
Chapter 1: "Conservation of monuments and historic buildings"
28 March 2013.

Grading system

Grades for historic buildings are defined as follows: *

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

: "Buildings of outstanding merit, which every effort should be made to preserve if possible." *

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

: "Buildings of special merit; efforts should be made to selectively preserve." * Grade III: "Buildings of some merit; preservation in some form would be desirable and alternative means could be considered if preservation is not practicable."

Surveys and assessment

A territory-wide survey on historic buildings conducted by the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) between 1996 and 2000 recorded some 8,800 buildings. A more detailed survey conducted between 2002-2004 focused on 1,444 buildings.Press Release: "Completion of the assessment of 1,444 historic buildings announced". March 19, 2009
/ref> In March 2005, a seven-member Expert Panel comprising historians and members of the

Hong Kong Institute of Architects Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA, ) is a professional body for architects in Hong Kong with approximately 1500 full members, 300 associates members and graduate members.

Hong Kong Institute of Planners The Hong Kong Institute of Planners (HKIP, ) is a professional body for town planners in Hong Kong. It officially began operation in 1978. It became a statutory body in 1991 when the Legislative Council enacted the Hong Kong Institute of Plann ...

and Hong Kong Institute of Engineers was formed by the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) to assess the heritage value of these buildings. The assessment was completed on 19 March 2009. As part of this work, the AMO proposed changes in the grading of historic buildings: 212 buildings to be Grade I, 366 to be Grade II, and 576 to be Grade III, and no grading for the remaining 290 ones. Current grades may be increased, decreased or removed.

Conservation initiatives

Conservation initiatives include: * Heritage Impact Assessment Mechanism for Capital Works Projects *

Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme The Revitalising Historic Buildings through Partnership Scheme () is an initiative launched by the Hong Kong Government, part of a broader policy of heritage conservation in Hong Kong. In order to preserve and put historic buildings into good use ...

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

Adaptive reuse Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for. It is also known as recycling and conversion. Adaptive reuse is an effective strategy for optimizing the o ...

* Relocation: complete (

Murray House Murray House is a Victorian-era building in Stanley, Hong Kong. Built in the present-day business district of Central in 1846 as officers' quarters of the Murray Barracks, the building was moved to the south of Hong Kong Island during the 2 ...

) or partial (

Blake Pier at Stanley Blake Pier at Stanley ( Chinese: 赤柱卜公碼頭) is a public pier in Stanley, Hong Kong. The name originally referred to Blake Pier, Central, a ferry pier in Central, Hong Kong. The pier was named after Sir Henry Arthur Blake, the twelft ...

)

Issues

Demolitions

The demolition of several historic buildings has led to public protest in recent years. This included the

Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier, often referred to as the "Star Ferry" Pier, was a pier in Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong, serving the Star Ferry. The pier, with its clock tower, was a prominent waterfront landmark. Built in 1957 at the heigh ...

(demolition completed in early 2007) and

Queen's Pier Queen's Pier, named after Queen Victoria, was a public pier in front of City Hall in Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong. For three generations it served not only as a public pier in day-to-day use but also as a major ceremonial arrival and d ...

, demolished in February 2008.

Other issues

Other issues include: * Ownership of historic buildings and private owners' rights * Funding of Heritage conservation programs

Intangible cultural heritage

The preservation of

is an emerging theme in Hong Kong, with The Intangible Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee having held its first meeting on July 9, 2008. A territory-wide survey was carried out in 2011.

Related museums

HK KlnPark HongKongHeritageDiscoveryCentre

Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre The Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre is located in the Kowloon Park, Haiphong Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The Centre occupies the historic Blocks S61 and S62 of the former Whitfield Barracks at the Kowloon Park. History ...

, in

Kowloon Park Kowloon Park is a large public park in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It has an area of and is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.Leisure and Cultural Services DepartmentKowloon Park: Historical Background History T ...

. Opened in October 2005, it is now managed by the

Hong Kong Heritage Museum Hong Kong Heritage Museum is a museum of history, art and culture in Sha Tin, Hong Kong, located beside the Shing Mun River. The museum opened on 16 December 2000. It is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong ...

(

Sha Tin Sha Tin, also spelt Shatin, is a neighbourhood along Shing Mun River in the eastern New Territories, Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Sha Tin District. Sha Tin is one of the neighbourhoods of the Sha Tin New Town project. The ne ...

), managed by the

Leisure and Cultural Services Department The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), is a department in the Government of Hong Kong. It reports to the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau, headed by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism. It provides leisure and cultural ...

(LCSD) *

Hong Kong Museum of History The Hong Kong Museum of History is a museum that preserves Hong Kong's historical and cultural heritage. It is located next to the Hong Kong Science Museum, in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The collections of the museum encompass ...

(

Tsim Sha Tsui Tsim Sha Tsui, often abbreviated as TST, is an list of areas of Hong Kong, urban area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hu ...

) (LCSD) *

Hong Kong Public Records Building Government Records Service (GRS) is the central records management service agency of the Hong Kong Government. It aims to be the most insightful, resourceful and leading public archives in Hong Kong. The department is subordinate to the Admin ...

is an archival facility for the preservation of records of the Hong Kong Government. It is run by

Government Records Service Government Records Service (GRS) is the central records management service agency of the Hong Kong Government. It aims to be the most insightful, resourceful and leading public archives in Hong Kong. The department is subordinate to the Admini ...

and located in Kwun Tong near Tsui Ping Estate. Several other museums are dedicated to heritage and history. Most of them are hosted in historic buildings thematically connected with the displays.

Heritage Trails Heritage trails are walking trails and driving routes in urban and rural settings that are identified by signage and guidebooks as relating to cultural heritage. The heritage might be built architecture, or it can be a cultural heritage narrative ...

have been opened to facilitate the visit of historic buildings.

References

External links

Geographical Information System of Heritage

LegCo Papers on Heritage Conservation

Civic Exchange. ''Saving Hong Kong's Cultural Heritage'', by Cecilia Chu and Kylie Uebegang. February 2002
{{Hong Kong topics