The Government will strive to protect trees in Hong Kong, particularly valuable and rare old trees, Chief Executive Donald Tsang says.

He toured Sham Shui Po - one of the earliest developed districts in Hong Kong - to see revitalisation work taking place there. He visited Mei Ho House in Shek Kip Mei Estate, the first resettlement estate in the city.

District tour: Chief Executive Donald Tsang tours Mei Ho House and So Uk Estate, where he chats with two elderly brothers.

Heritage conservation

With the estate's redevelopment, Mei Ho House is the last H-shaped resettlement block still standing in Hong Kong. It was declared a Grade I historical building in 2005.

To encourage public participation in heritage conservation, the Institutes of Architects, Engineers, Planners and Surveyors are holding a contest sponsored by the Home Affairs Bureau to gauge creative ideas and concepts for revitialising Mei Ho House and its vicinity. Click here for more details.

The Chief Executive also toured So Uk Estate, a 40-year-old estate in the district which is about to be cleared. Phase one will begin by the end of next year while the second will start in August 2011. An on-site rehousing team and a community service team of social workers have been set up to help address tenants' concerns about the clearance process.

Green estate

So Uk Estate is a "green" estate with about 740 trees, half of them at least 40 years old. Most will be preserved.

"The Government will strive to protect trees in Hong Kong, particularly the valuable and rare old trees," he added.

Mr Tsang visited a home for the elderly in Shek Kip Mei with a unit catering for seniors with senile dementia. The  home offers therapeutic activities designed to maintain residents' self-care skills and slow mental deterioration.