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After a thorough conservation work of more than two years, the King Law Ka Shuk at Tai Po Tau Tsuen is restored into the architectural style of Qing Dynasty and the Rehabilitation Ceremony was held today (February 12). An exhibition on the King Law Ka Shuk's history and its restoration work is currently being held at the ancestral hall of King Law Ka Shuk for visitors' viewing.

Situated at Tai Po Tau Tsuen, Tai Po, King Law Ka Shuk is the ancestral hall and study hall of the Tang clan in Tai Po Tau. The exact year of construction of the ancestral hall cannot be ascertained. However, according to the villagers, it was built by Tang Yuen-wang, a thirteenth generation in the Qing Dynasty to commemorate his tenth generation ancestor Tang King-law who was respected as the first generation ancestor of Lau Kwong Tong of the Tang clan in Tai Po Tau.

King Law Ka Shuk was declared as a monument on August 21, 1998. Its full restoration, commenced in the late 1998 and completed in January 2001, was funded by the Hong Kong Special Administration Region Government and monitored by the Antiquities and Monuments Office(AMO) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Architectural Services Department as well.

Apart from being an ancestral hall, King Law Ka Shuk was also used as a study hall at the beginning, giving instruction in Bok Bok Chai (the Chinese traditional teaching method). There was a maximum of forty students at one time. The left side cockloft once provided accommodation for the teachers and some single students. For some time, it was used as the premises of Kai Chi School which was subsequently relocated in 1953. Since then, the study hall served solely as an ancestral hall and a venue for holding clan meetings and traditional festive functions.

King Law Ka Shuk is a traditional three-hall two-courtyard building. It was built in a functional design with elegant ornamental features. Above the main entrance is a slab with mouldings of Chinese characters denoting King Law Ka Shuk. The characters were written by a renowned calligraphist Tang Yi-nga (1884-1954). Its roof ridges and wall friezes are mainly patterned with geometric motifs whereas the internal eave boards are decorated with mouldings of leafy and floral patterns. The study hall is fronted by two drum terraces each having two granite columns supporting the roof.

Before commencement of the restoration of King Law Ka Shuk, the AMO commissioned Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology to conduct a detailed cartographic survey of the building, and to advise on the restoration. After a thorough study and discussion with the villagers, the AMO decided to restore the King Law Ka Shuk into Qing Dynasty's architectural style by removing inappropriate modern building materials, and to carry out improvement works, such as provision of lighting and power supply to facilitate night time functions, to improve kitchen facilities and to re-lay the front courtyard.

Although the restoration aimed to restore the ancestral hall into the architectural style of Qing Dynasty, some of the outstanding features added in 1930's were retained for reminiscence. Take the altar placed in the main chamber of the study hall for example. This beautifully carved six-level altar was specially made in Guangzhou in 1932 to place the soul tablets of the ancestors from Yuen-leung to King-law. The AMO commissioned an experienced conservator, Mr John Hurd, from the United Kingdom to restore the altar and other relics. Apart from thorough cleaning, he and his team fully repaired, restored and re-gilded the altar, to bring back its original splendor.

Apart from repairing the defects, removing the inappropriate modern building materials with care was another important aspect of the restoration. For instance, the Shanghai plaster on the drum platform was replaced by granite, while the original red sandstone was retained; the concrete "Ha-gong" beam and eave board at the main facade were replaced by traditional wooden beams and eave boards; the iron windows on the facade were removed and blocked with green bricks; and the concrete flat roofs of the two side rooms of the open courtyard were replaced with traditional Chinese pitched roofs. The AMO also accepted the advice of Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology to remove the cocklofts in the side rooms of the middle hall which were added recently, and to reinstall a pair of new doors and floral pattern at the "dong-chung"(the first screen door after the main entrance).

During the restoration, the representatives of villagers participated in the weekly meetings of the restoration team and to inspect progress of the project, and to provide valuable opinions and views. And among all the rituals of restoration of traditional Chinese buildings, beam raising is the most significant one. The beam raising ceremony took place on June 3, 1999 in which all the senior members of the clan participated.

The officiating guests of the Rehabilitation Ceremony were Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lam Woon-kwong; Chairman of Heung Yee Kuk, New Territories, Mr Lau Wong Fat; Chairman of the Antiquities Advisory Board, Professor David Lung; Director of Architectural Services, Mr Pau Siu-hung; Chairman of Tai Po District Council, Mr Cheung Hok-ming; Deputy Commissioner of Police(Operations), Hong Kong Police Force, Mr Y K Lau; Assistant Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Department(Heritage and Museums), Mr Tony Ma Kai-loon; District Officer(Tai Po), Mr Lui Kin-fun; Chief Land Executive, Mr K W Woo, and Chief Superintendent, District Commander, Tai Po, Mr H K To.

End/Monday, February 12, 2001

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