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1. Rattled by cultural confusion

2. Developers want to build Tamar complex on huge podium

3. Tamar project labelled HK's White House

1. Rattled by cultural confusion
The Standard, 15 May 2006

The debate over the proposed West Kowloon cultural district boiled over in February and the government finally yielded to public opinion and pressure from legislators.

Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan stood in the main chamber of the Legislative Council and announced the abandonment of the invitation for proposals.

Under his leadership, he said, a consultative committee would decide the way forward. This set the stage for the West Kowloon project to start from scratch.

But while legislative councillors applauded the government for backing down, they continued to grill the administration on Hong Kong 's cultural policy: what and where is it?

At Hui's side, Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping failed to come up with a coherent answer that morning, but six weeks later, Ho returned to Legco. In his hand was a new document titled, conveniently, Hong Kong 's Cultural Policy.

The government hoped that this would satisfy critics who argued it was putting the cart before the horse in its approach to West Kowloon . Why create "cultural hardware" when "cultural software" is unclear, they asked.

Despite having a concrete cultural policy that government officials can now refer to when asked, its content has not impressed anyone.

Rather, the cultural policy has been described by critics, as "outdated" and "dangerous."

Stephen Chan Ching-kiu, the director of Lingnan University 's master of cultural studies program, said the policy is not wrong but outdated.

He zeroed in on the policy's first page which broke down culture into three categories: everyday life culture, high culture and spiritual culture.

At the bottom, the paper said, "the government can and should exercise influence through its policy primarily on high culture."

High culture, the top-down flow of culture that started with royalty dictating arts and culture, is not conducive to modern Hong Kong , he said.

"High art in that sense is a very traditional sense. So right now if we can accept some expensive Picasso and put it in IFC, it would be a display of power and wealth," he said.

"[But] we also have to imagine that communities should have the right and opportunity to bring their everyday life, their everyday talents, into their neighborhood and whatever is considered to be the pools of cultural creativity."

A spokeswoman for the Home Affairs Department, said the policy was in line with the "core values of Hong Kong as a free, diversified and open society."

She said the document is a descriptive policy rather than a prescriptive one to ensure artistic freedom of expression.

"As a facilitator, the government will neither impose an official definition on culture and the arts, nor influence the specific operation of artistic creation or contents of creativity. Instead, we are committed to upholding the freedom of cultural and artistic creation and expression, as well as providing an environment that keenly supports the development of culture and the arts.

"To ensure the diversified and balanced development of culture and the arts in Hong Kong , the government provides support to both high culture art forms and avant garde art forms."

Chan is quick to point out the government's claim to having a descriptive policy conflicts with its line about exercising influence through high culture. But according to one local artist, the mere existence of a cultural policy is "dangerous."

Multimedia artist Jeffrey du Vallier d'Aragon Aranita said any cultural policy can threaten the freedom of an artist, even ones which claim to be "descriptive not prescriptive."

Aranita works around the world but regards Hong Kong as his base, and is the deputy museum director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Beijing .

Unlike Chan who wants a more specific cultural policy, Aranita said any government policy could interfere with artistic expression exactly what the government said it is trying to prevent.

"I think artists should starve and die," he joked. "[To clarify], if there's something that can be done to help the career of artists, it is that people should simply buy the work of art that speaks to them."

Even as an artist, Aranita does not believe government subsidies for working or aspiring artists are a good idea. Instead, he believes in nonfinancial aid to nurture local artists and help them with production.

"Take the resources you already have. Artists need carpentry services; they need welding; they need storage space. Facilitate that. The government should create some sort of body to enable that," Aranita said.

Given high real estate prices and professional crafting services, the government can and should help local artists with the means to realize, store, sell and ship museum quality work, he said.

"These artists should of course pay compensation for the use of these services and facilities if they make any money," Aranita said. "This kind of thing can be set up immediately."

Both Aranita and Chan agree that local arts education must be strengthened. To satisfy the demand for West Kowloon , there must be better appreciation of the arts and culture from a young age. In short, give the people the tools to appreciate the arts here in Hong Kong .

That will be the start of a healthier society.

"Art needs an audience and the artist who doesn't understand this, or is not in a position to receive feedback through exhibition reviews and sales, can't really develop fully," Aranita said. "Whether good or bad reviews, or making sales or not, however, artists must struggle on their own to clarify and to refine their own artistic points of view.

We become all the richer as a society - or, perhaps I should say, as a species - when this occurs."

2. Developers want to build Tamar complex on huge podium
CHLOE LAI , SCMP 15 May 2006

The proposed government headquarters at Tamar may be built on top of a huge two-storey podium, with a highway running underneath.

An Administration Wing spokeswoman confirmed that authorities were exploring the podium idea. She said part of the headquarters had to be elevated anyway, to allow a proposed road from Central to Wan Chai to pass through.

The idea could mean a civic square and other open space the government promised at the site may be on top of the podium, which could be up to 4.2 hectares in size.

The government is now holding a prequalification tendering exercise for the Tamar development. The guideline documents do not specify a podium, only that a road linking Central and Wan Chai needs to run beneath the government headquarters.

Four consortiums have put forward plans for the development - all feature a podium, according to sources who have seen the developers' design models.

The sources said the podium would be about six to eight metres high, with car parks and communal facilities also below it.

A 50- to 60-metre-wide pedestrian deck would connect the podium and the waterfront promenade.

The spokeswoman said the podium was "an option we're looking at" but that "we are also open to suggestions".

Architects and planners were alarmed by the design and urged the government to exhibit the proposals for public inspection.

Vincent Ng Wing-shun, vice-president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, said: "It means you won't be able to see the sea from ground level, the view will be blocked."

He was particularly upset that the government had distorted the definition of open space.

"Open space in town planning means it is on ground level instead of on the roof-top. So, if the government wants to build some structures at the site, it should have honestly zoned the site as for government, institution or community use, rather than calling it an open space."

Hong Kong Institute of Planners vice-president Pong Yuen-yee said: "It is a very typical Hong Kong way of design, which discourages people from walking at ground level."

The government stressed the podium would not be very high but it was needed to make room for a major road. "When the road reaches Tamar, it will submerge, so a deck would be needed to cover the road," the spokeswoman said.

She said the proposed podium would be similar to the one at Exchange Square , and the road underneath like the one between Exchange Square and World Wide House.

The sources also said all four proposals included a 160-metre high-rise, the maximum height the government permits for the tower that will house principal officials.

"There will be four towers, two low ones and two tall ones. The tallest will reach 160 metres. It means the government high-rise will be the tallest building along the waterfront of the Central extension area," a source said.

he government set the height limit for buildings at the Tamar site at between 130 and 160 metres, to ensure there is a building-free zone of at least 20 per cent below the?idgeline of The Peak.

3. Tamar project labelled HK's White House
QUINTON CHAN , SCMP 15 May 2006

Legislators have described the proposed government headquarters at Tamar as " Hong Kong 's White House", after the project's tender document reveals that there will be dozens of function halls, dining rooms and conference rooms for receptions, banquets and meetings.

The Democratic Party says the excessive luxury would be a factor in deciding whether to approve funding for the project.

The meeting facilities will be able to hold at least 2,500 people, and the government said 3,270 staff would be employed at the headquarters.

An Administration Wing spokeswoman stressed the facilities were "designed for operational needs".

The function halls and conference rooms were needed to receive overseas delegations and as venues for meetings of government consultative bodies, she said.

According to the government prequalification document for tenderers, the headquarters will have a low block to house the chief executive and the Executive Council, and a high block to house other bureaus and departments.

The Chief Executive's Office block should be "located in a prominent position on the project site to reflect its important role in the governance of the HKSAR", the document says.

"[The] scale of the building, architectural form and expression, spatial proportion ... should reflect the leadership position of the chief executive and the Executive Council in the HKSAR government.

"The exterior landscape design should also reflect the dignified image of the block."

The Chief Executive's Office, which will be expanded from 1,160 to 1,580 square metres, will have a drawing room for 24 VIPs, a conference room and two small meeting rooms.

The Executive Council and its secretariat will have a chamber and ante-chamber, attendees' waiting room, a briefing room and members' reading room.

In the same block there will be a function hall that will be able to hold up to 150 guests for a banquet or 800 people for a cocktail reception. The high block will house a conference hall with a capacity to hold up to 1,000 people standing or 480 people seated, two press rooms and eight conference rooms. These facilities, covering 8,510 square metres, are more than twice the size of those in the current headquarters.

There is no dining room and only a conference hall for about 200 people in the existing headquarters in Central.

The meeting facilities in the new headquarters exclude those to be put in place for different departments housed in the complex.

Democratic Party chairman Lee Wing-tat is critical of the plan, saying the new headquarters will be too luxurious. "This is Hong Kong 's White House. Why do we need so many meeting rooms for a council which meets only once a week? Why do they [Exco members] need an ante-chamber? They only meet for a few hours every Tuesday morning."

Mr Lee said the party had not decided whether to vote for the government request for $5.1 billion for the project, saying the revelations would affect its decision.

Civic Party lawmaker Alan Leong Kah-kit questioned the need for two function halls and dining rooms there.

"There are too many meeting rooms there. That explains why the new headquarters is so expensive," he said. "Why do we need two big function halls and dining rooms? So what will be the use of Government House, which is now used for banquets?" Mr Leong also said the headquarters was "disproportionately expensive and luxurious" when the government was talking about cuts in welfare and health care.

The document was issued in December by the Architectural Services Department for contractors to submit their designs. Four submissions were received and they are being examined by a special selection board.

The government is planning to apply for funds for the project from the Legislative Council's Public Works Committee on May 29 and the Finance Committee on June 23.