FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1977 ·
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BIG WAVE BAY ROCK CARVINGS BECOME FIRST OFFICIAL ANCIENT MONUMENT *****
HONG KONG NOW HAS ITS FIRST OFFICIAL ANCIENT MONUMENT, WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY (FRIDAY) IN THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE THAT THE ANCIENT ROCK CARVINGS AT BIG WAVE BAY HAVE BEEN DECLARED A MONUMENT UNDER THE ANTIQUITIES AND MONUMENTS ORDINANCE.
+THIS IS A BIG EVENT FOR HONG KONG,+ DR. SOLOMON BARD, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT'S ANTIQUITIES AND MONUMENTS SECTION, SAID TODAY. THE FIRST STEP HAS NOW BEEN TAKEN TO PROTECT LEGALLY THE TERRITORY'S ANCIENT AND HISTORIC HERITAGE.+
DR. BARD SAID THAT THE BIG WAVE BAY CARVINGS ON HONG KONG ISLAND WERE ONE OF THE SIX KNOWN SETS OF CARVINGS IN THE HONG KONG TERRITORY.
+THEY ARE VERY FINE CARVINGS OF GEOMETRIC AND ZOO-MORPHIC DESIGNS ON A VERTICAL PORTION OF THE ROCK OVERLOOKING THE BAY, IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE CARVINGS ARE MORE THAN 2,000 YEARS OLD AND WERE CARRIED OUT BY THE EARLY INHABITANTS OF THIS REGION FOR SOME RITUALISTIC PURPOSE.+
ALL THE ROCK CARVINGS ARE AT PRESENT TEMPORARILY PROTECTED BY WIRE CAGES AND IT IS PLANNED IN FUTURE TO ERECT MORE PERMANENT PROTECTIVE STRUCTURES AND AT THE SAME TIME DISPLAY THEM TO THE PUBLIC BY AN EASIER APPROACH AND EXPLANATION NOTICES.
+THE DECLARATION OF THE BIG WAVE BAY CARVINGS AS A MONUMENT GIVES THEM LEGAL PROTECTION AGAINST ALL FORMS OF INTERFERENCE, + SAID DR. BARD.
+THIS ACTION WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A SIMILAR DECLARATION FOR THE OTHER ROCK CARVINGS, AND IT IS HOPED THAT OTHER STRUCTURES AND ITEMS WILL SOON OFFICIALLY BECOME MONUMENTS UNDER THE ANTIQUITIES ORDINANCE.+
NOTE TO EDITORS:
THE BIG WAVE BAY CARVINGS WILL BE AMONG THOSE ON DISPLAY IN THE EXHIBITION, +ANCIENT ROCK CARVINGS OF HONG KONG+. THERE WILL BE A PRESS PREVIEW OF THE EXHIBITION AT 5.30 P.M. TODAY (FRIDAY) IN THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY IN STAR HOUSE. TSIM SHA TSUI. DR. EARD TOGETHER WITH THE CURATOR OF THE MUSEUM, MR. BRIAN PEACOCK, AND OTHER MUSEUM STAFF WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE PREVIEW TO ANSWER PRESS QUESTIONS AND GIVE FURTHER INFORMATION.
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