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Ensuring conservation balance

September 22, 2014

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Chief Secretary Carrie Lam

Conservation has always been a subject very close to my heart. Conservation is a bridge between the past and the present and a discipline where art and science converge.

 

Similar to other international metropolises, Hong Kong is facing enormous pressure brought about by continuous economic development. Whilst we truly believe that sustainable urban development and conservation of our cultural heritage are not mutually exclusive, striking a right balance between them presents a never-ending challenge. There is escalating aspiration to conserve our cultural legacy and build a sense of cultural identity. Indeed, the Government and the community have a shared vision to treasure the precious value of our historic past. Hong Kong's history is a vivid testimony to an important part of the history of the entire human civilization, and we are honoured to contribute to the worldwide conservation efforts. Over 100 monuments in Hong Kong have been declared to enjoy permanent statutory protection, while more than 1,000 other historic buildings are under specialist monitoring. An increasing number of these historic buildings have been successfully preserved through the concerted efforts of the Government and the private sector.

 

Apart from preservation, Hong Kong has been investing heavily in upgrading our museums to strengthen their roles as the repositories of knowledge and heritage as well as the platforms through which our community can appreciate and treasure our heritage. We have also been pressing ahead with various heritage revitalisation projects, despite the complications on private property rights, rising budgetary considerations, diverse and sometimes conflicting interests of stakeholders and the general public. As part of our recent initiatives in enhancing heritage conservation, we are well on our way of rolling forward the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme and adaptive re-use of government-owned historic buildings, by which we have injected a new lease of life into a number of historic buildings.

 

Our focus will not only be placed on the conservation of physical parts of our heritage. Indeed, conservation has today evolved into a cross-disciplinary subject that extends beyond the conventional boundaries in the physical protection of tangible artefacts to include also the diminishing intangible cultural heritage (ICH). In Hong Kong, we also attach increasing importance to ICH, which embraces many elements closely linked to our way of life, and can be seen in our languages, social practices, crafts, beliefs, just to name a few. Since 2011, four of our unique, traditional festivals and activities have been inscribed into the third national list of ICH in China, including the Bun Festival on Cheung Chau, the dragon boat water parade in Tai O, the fire dragon dance of Tai Hang and the Yu Lan Ghost Festival of the Hong Kong Chiu Chow community. In the years ahead, we will continue to adopt a multi-pronged approach to protect, nurture and promote ICH.

 

It is only through concerted conservation efforts that the merits and significance of East Asian works of art and heritage can be revealed and revived.

 

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam gave this speech at the opening ceremony of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works 2014 Hong Kong Congress at City Hall.



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