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Fung shui fears force rethink on bridge
1. Fung shui fears force rethink on bridge
A plan to build a cross-border bridge linking the New Territories to the mainland
is facing such fierce opposition from villagers that highways department officials
have promised a review. The villagers fear the project will lead to bad fung shui
and disrupt ancestral graves. The Deep Bay bridge project, which would link Pak
Nai, in Yuen Long, with Shekou, has met opposition since the Highways Department
proposed building a 400-metre section of tunnel under a burial ground at Yuen
Tau Shan, near Ha Tsuen. The Ha Tsuen Rural Committee says there are more than
200 graves at Yuen Tau Shan, most of which belong to the Tang clan. Committee
vice-chairman Tang Chik-kit said villagers supported the project in principle
but had concerns. "Yuen Tau Shan is the source of our dragon. All the blessings
come from there. Drilling a tunnel into the important hill [southwest of Ha Tsuen
and home to 8,000 people] would beat the dragon at source," said Mr Tang, who
is also the village head. He said the area was one of Hong Kong's best burial
grounds. "It possesses all the essential elements of fortune in fung shui. The
burial ground blesses us all every day," Mr Tang said. If the burial ground was
affected, it also would pose problems to the elderly living nearby who feared
they would not have graves close to where they lived. Mr Tang warned that if the
Government proceeded with the tunnel, villagers would protect the area at all
costs. Fung Shui master Kwong Wai-hung said the tunnel was the worst option as
it would directly disrupt fung shui, bringing immediate misfortune and long-term
bad luck to villagers. The Highways Department's chief engineer, Lee Tai-kwan,
said the department originally proposed the section to run on a road or viaduct
along the foothills. But such a design would pose air and noise pollution problems.
"The vigorous opposition has been quite unexpected. We will go back and review
the alignment again," he said. In July, Deep Bay bridge was approved after the
fourth meeting of the Hong Kong-Guangdong Co-operation Joint Committee said the
project would improve cross-border infrastructure. The 5.1km project, costing
about $4.8 billion, will be completed in 2005. Hong Kong will pay $2.8 billion
to build the 3.2km section within its borders. [Source:
SCMP, 5 October 2001] |  |
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