RECREATION AND THE ARTS
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Under the guidance of the Antiquities Advisory Board, the Antiquities and Monuments Office continued to play its part in the recording, preservation and restoration of historical and archaeological items throughout the territory.
Two important Chinese traditional buildings were declared as buildings of historical significance during the year. They are the Tai Fu Tai at San Tin and the old house in Hoi Pa Village in Tsuen Wan. Other projects carried out during the year included the restoration of the Man Lun Fung Ancestral Hall and the repair of the Tung Chung Fort and Battery. In addition, Man Shek Tong, the restoration of which was undertaken jointly by the government and the Liu Clan in Sheung Shui, was formally opened by Lady Youde, wife of the Governor, in March. Excavation of a neolithic site at Yung Long was also completed. The actual excavation took four months and its findings were being assessed.
A considerable amount of work continued to be done to identify historical buildings and structures under threat from decay or development. The responsibility of the Antiquities and Monuments Office is to record these buildings and, where possible, to preserve them either administratively or by legal means through declaration. To help in identifying such buildings, students from the two universities continued their surveys on traditional villages in the New Territories during the summer holidays.
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