1 Why being rare was not enough for King Yin Lei
Una So, The Standard 2 October 2007

The 70-year-old King Yin Lei was highly regarded and was called a rare surviving Chinese Renaissance-style mansion with enough historical value to be declared a monument, according to an assessment by the Antiquities and Monuments Office late last year.

But nothing was done until demolition work by the owner stunned the public last month.

Critics have called for more transparency in decision-making and the setting up of a mechanism for heritage conservation in the long run.

"It's the AMO's professional assessment that the building is of sufficient historical significance that may warrant its declaration as a monument under the [antiquities] ordinance," AMO staff said after a brief visit to the site at 45 Stubbs Road on December 15 last year.

The mansion was hurriedly declared a proposed monument on September 15 this year after the start of demolition.

In the brief to the Legislative Council, the Development Bureau described King Yin Lei as a "rare surviving example" of a Chinese Renaissance-style mansion from the colonial period, and the first prominent Chinese residence in The Peak area which had traditionally been occupied by foreigners.

The house was first owned by Li Po- chun, a notable merchant and social leader, then sold in 1977 to the Yow family who ran a dried fruit business.

With fewer than 10 Chinese Renaissance-style buildings in Hong Kong, King Yin Lei's rich architecture was called a "nice blend of outstanding Chinese and Western influence."

But, strangely, no further step was taken to declare the site a monument.

Albert Lai Kwong-tak, chairman of the Hong Kong People's Council for Sustainable Development, said the case has revealed a vast gap between the high heritage value assigned by AMO's experts, and the eventual cold official response, which was also seen in the case of Queen's Pier.

"This is a dereliction of duty by top officials, which promotes a climate of fear among the staff," Lai said, adding the gap must be bridged by allowing more professional independence within the government, with more transparency in decision making.

Philip Liao Yi-kang, the architect of King Yin Lei's former owner Stephen Yow Mok-shing, said a clear mechanism must be in place to protect heritage buildings on private land.

Liao said many questions have to be addressed, among them: Should heritage assessment be based on age or special features? How much money is the government willing to pay? Is the AMO always the best judge?

He said development on the site is possible, but must come with stringent constraints and with enough incentives to protect the owner's interests.

Liao, who also restored the Bethany Church in Pok Fu Lam, said the best scenario for King Yin Lei is for there to be public access to the mansion so everyone can enjoy it.

2 Park plan for Tai O is wrong
Letter to the Editor, SCMP 2 October 2007

A scant two weeks after the government put a stop to the privately-engineered destruction of an urban heritage site, the Civil Engineering and Development Department has proposed a culturally destructive plan that intends to erase local heritage at Tai O. The department wishes to build another standardised park totally unconnected to the local landscape, under the guise of "A Facelift for Tai O".

Another "consultation" has been quietly launched (the information is not on the department's website) and lasts for only one month, of which two weeks are left. Tai O is historic and an important part of Hong Kong's cultural heritage. Why does the government so love to erase local history under concrete? On Lamma, they built a waste disposal site with huge concrete walls on the waterfront opposite the restaurants. On Tai O, apart from wanting a concrete box on pillars ("stilts"), to be called a museum, they even want a helipad. So much for rural quiet.

Complete insensitivity to anything natural and an irrational belief that man-made nature, in the middle of the countryside, is better than the real thing. Yet they tear up smaller district parks in the middle of the city. Might I ask your readers to write to the department to put a stop to this vandalism.

They want responses through the consulting engineers, taio@meinhardt.com.hk which says a lot about their priorities.

Paul Serfaty, Mid-Levels