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The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Paul Tang, today (October 25) visited Wan Chai to learn more about preservation and revitalisation work in the district.
Accompanied by the District Officer (Wan Chai), Miss Angela Luk, Mr Tang first visited the open-air bazaar at Tai Yuen Street and Cross Street.
Mr Tang noted that the idea to revitalise the open-air bazaar was pursued by the Old Wan Chai Revitalisation Initiatives Special Committee set up in 2008. The Committee, comprising members from the Wan Chai District Council, Development Bureau, Urban Renewal Authority and related professions, was tasked with examining revitalisation initiatives, as well as consulting and assisting relevant stakeholders.
While in the open-air bazaar, Mr Tang took the opportunity to chat with some fixed-pitch hawkers on the revitalisation measures and noted that the task to supply electricity was completed in mid-2012.
The Secretary then proceeded to the Blue House Cluster which mainly comprises three tenement buildings -- the Blue House, Yellow House and Orange House -- constructed from the 1920s to 1950s. As part of the Government's Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme, the Cluster is undergoing revitalisation for residential, cultural, educational and catering purposes and named "Viva Blue House".
During his tour of the Blue House, Mr Tang visited the Hong Kong House of Stories -- formerly known as the Wan Chai Livelihood Place -- set up by the St James' Settlement and a group of enthusiastic inhabitants to promote the history of Wan Chai.
Mr Tang learnt from one of the Cluster's tour guides that a variety of activities to raise public awareness of the cultural inheritance of Wan Chai had been organised by the Hong Kong House of Stories since it opened in March this year. These included exhibitions, tours, a community classroom and studies of history and culture.
Mr Tang also visited one of the units preserved for residential use in the Blue House, designated by the Antiques Advisory Board as a Grade 1 historic building. He said he was pleased to see that the revitalisation project helped retain the building's original lifestyle. He noted that the refurbished units provided better living conditions for tenants who had opted to stay while some units were let out to the neighbourhood to help maintain the local community network.
Mr Tang applauded the fact that the Blue House Cluster revitalisation project had succeeded in preserving vintage architectural features while also re-using the buildings for multiple purposes.
Before concluding his visit, Mr Tang met some Wan Chai District Council members for an exchange of views on various local issues.
Ends/Thursday, October 25, 2012
Issued at HKT 15:22
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