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Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Hok-ming and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, in the Legislative Council today (March 12):
Question:
Some people in the New Territories have relayed to me that New Territories villages, with their long history, are a rich source of historical buildings of heritage value and traditional folk culture (e.g. Qilin dance, Hakka folk songs, marriage ceremonies and Shengong opera, etc.), which are valuable tangible and intangible cultural heritage. They have also pointed out that although the Government has established three thematic museums focusing on the presentation of traditional New Territories culture, intangible culture cannot be preserved simply by exhibiting the hardware, as it has to be inherited and passed on from one generation to another. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether currently there is any policy on the conservation of historical buildings in villages, if there is, of the details, and the respective expenditures incurred in the past three years on conserving historical buildings in villages and in urban areas; if there is no relevant policy, whether it will study the formulation of such a policy; and
(b) whether it will consider injecting appropriate resources into the conservation of the intangible culture of villages, and cooperating with Heung Yee Kuk and various Rural Committees in the New Territories in formulating measures for assisting in preserving the intangible culture of villages?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The Government is committed to preserving built heritage in Hong Kong, including those historic buildings in villages in the New Territories. The Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) is responsible for the recording, research and conservation in this regard. Out of the historic buildings declared as monuments under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, 36 are located in the New Territories. They are properly maintained and open to the public. Moreover, the Government has established two heritage trials respectively in Ping Shan and Lung Yeuk Tau to introduce the historic buildings of the areas in a systematic way. The Government has also converted the old Ping Shan Police Station into the Ping Shan Tang Clan Gallery cum Heritage Trail Visitors Centre to showcase the history of the Tang Clan and points of interest along the Heritage Trail there. The annual operating expenditure of the Visitors Centre is about $3 million.
The expenditure of the AMO in restoration and maintenance of historic buildings over the past three years is shown in Annex.
Furthermore, the Government will expand the coverage of the financial assistance scheme for repairs and restoration from the current coverage of privately-owned declared monuments or deemed monuments to privately-owned graded historic buildings.
(b) The Secretary for Home Affairs is responsible for the policy on intangible cultural heritage. The Home Affairs Bureau attaches great importance to the preservation of intangible cultural heritage including in the New Territories. Public museums under the LCSD such as the Hong Kong Museum of History and the Hong Kong Heritage Museum are dedicated to the documentation of the traditional rituals and customs of local villages as well as collection and exhibition of New Territories relics. With the enforcement of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (the Convention) in April 2006, an Intangible Heritage Unit was set up under the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in the same year to undertake the necessary work in compliance with the Convention. The Government is now planning to commission a territory-wide survey on the intangible cultural heritage of Hong Kong with a view to compiling a comprehensive inventory. A task force comprising local experts and representatives from the community will be set up to advise the Government on the territory-wide survey. We will maintain liaison with the Heung Yee Kuk and rural committees to facilitate the conduct of the survey. Upon drawing up the inventory, the Government will examine the overall policy related to intangible cultural heritage and consider allocating resources to enhance the safeguarding, education, inheritance and promotion of intangible cultural heritage in Hong Kong including that in the rural areas.
Established in December 1992, the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust aims to preserve and conserve the human heritage of Hong Kong by organising activities and providing funding support to assist organisations and individuals to undertake heritage-related activities and research projects. The Trust invites applications for grants annually, and the majority of the funding applications are submitted by individuals, non-governmental organisations and tertiary institutes. The projects approved can be mainly divided into three categories - education and publicity; restoration and conservation; and research and study. Grants amounting to $3.52 million and $2.03 million have been awarded for 13 and 15 applications respectively in 2006 and 2007.
Ends/Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Issued at HKT 15:35
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