RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS
the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust through the AMO. In so doing, the Secretary for Broadcasting, Culture and Sport draws on the advice of the Antiquities Advisory Board.
Antiquities Advisory Board and Antiquities and Monuments Office
The Antiquities Advisory Board has 17 appointed members. They include anthro- pologists, archaeologists, architects, curators, historians and planners. It advises the government on sites and structures which merit protection through declaration as
monuments.
In order to establish closer contact with overseas heritage institutions, the board, accompanied by staff of the Broadcasting, Culture and Sport Branch, paid two visits to Macau and Beijing in July and September respectively. The visits were a success and paved the way for future cultural exchange programmes.
Three historical buildings and one archaeological site were declared as monuments in 1996: St. John's Cathedral, I Shing Kung and the Yamen Building and the remnants of the South Gate of the former Kowloon Walled City.
St. John's Cathedral is the oldest surviving ecclesiastical building in Hong Kong. I Shing Kung in Wang Chau, Yuen Long, is a traditional two-hall Chinese temple built in 1718 by the six alliances of that area. The Yamen Building of the former Kowloon Walled City was the office and residence of the Commodore of Dapeng, who was stationed in the Walled City. It is the only surviving yamen building in Hong Kong. The remnants of the South Gate, which were uncovered during the archaeological investigations conducted by the AMO in 1993-94, include the flagstone gateway, drainage ditch and most important of all the two original stone plaques bearing the Chinese characters 'Kowloon Walled City' and 'South Gate'.
Restorations and repairs were being undertaken at various historical sites, including the Helena May, I Shing Kung, Lo Wai, and Cheung Shan Kwu Tse buildings, Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall and Man Lung Fung Ancestral Hall.
The Antiquities Advisory Board also examined and graded pre-war Chinese temples and monasteries in Kwai Chung, Tsing Yi, Tsuen Wan and the North District as well as the military structures and installations in the Stanley Fort and on the Stonecutters' Island according to their historical significance and architectural merit.
Two rescue excavations were conducted. The first was in April at Sha Ha, Sai Kung, which was affected by landscaping works of the Beach Hotel. The two-week investigation succeeded in ascertaining the archaeological potential of the site which was not known before. The discovery of large quantities of Tang dynasty lime kiln debris and furniture together with other pottery pieces suggested that there was once a Tang dynasty settlement at Sha Ha. The entire excavation was conducted by the AMO with help from a group of enthusiastic volunteers.
Another rescue excavation was conducted by the AMO at Man Kok Tsui on Lantau Island in July. The site was affected by the laying of a water main to supply water to Kau Shat Wan. Bronze Age materials were discovered which allowed a better understanding of the distribution of archaeological remains at the site.
Overseas consultants were commissioned by the AMO to review the documentation system of the Central Archaeological Repository and the recording system of sites of
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