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This year is the Year of the Dragon, and anything relating to dragons has become a talking point. Of the 18 districts in Hong Kong, it is Kowloon City that has a link with dragons, as the "Lung" in the district's Chinese name, "Kau Lung Shing", means "dragon".
Over a history spanning more than 700 years, Kowloon City has taken on a new look time after time. People interested in learning more about the historical significance of the district can now read the book "Tracing the Transformation of Kowloon City (Second Edition)" online.
The dragon is not only an auspicious creature; it was also the symbol of emperors in ancient China. In addition, "Kau Lung" is the Chinese name of a mythical beast capable of harnessing floods. Aspects like these point to the uniqueness of the name of Kowloon City.
The Chinese-language book reviews the development of the film and broadcast industries in the area and includes the oral history of people living or working in the district. In the book, people who lived in the Kowloon Walled City share their memories of the old days and a kaifong welfare association volunteer recounts how he took it upon himself to draw a map of the Kowloon Walled City. Readers of the book can get a glimpse of Kowloon City at different periods of time.
Kowloon City is also a popular place for shopping and food, and many of its shops started operation over half a century ago. The book records the changes witnessed by the shop owner of a soya delicacies shop which has long been a household name in this community and the cake-making motto passed on by a Chiu Chow cake shop from generation to generation. Others who share their reminiscences in the book include a pastor who grew up in the area, the chairman of a local Yu Lan association and a man fond of telling old stories in today's Kowloon Walled City Park.
The section on the development of the TV and film industries has been added to this new edition of the book. Mr Chow Chung and Mr Yu Lun, former and incumbent chairmen of the South China Film Industry Workers Union, recall the days when superstars from the show business gathered in the area. The book also sets the future development of Kai Tak against its historical background.
The first edition of "Tracing the Transformation of Kowloon City" was well received by schools, local organisations and general readers after its launch in February last year. The Kowloon City District Council therefore worked with the Kowloon City District Office to launch this second edition with enriched contents, and produced an e-book version (issuu.com/seenetwork/docs/kln_02/1).
People may get a hard copy of the second edition of the book, while stocks last on a first-come, first-served basis, by visiting the Kowloon City Public Enquiry Service Centre (address: Room 1707, 17/F, One Harbourfront, 18-22 Tak Fung Street, Hung Hom, Kowloon) during office hours. For enquiries, please contact the Kowloon City District Office at 2621 3401.
Ends/Monday, January 23, 2012
Issued at HKT 14:01
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