XN000022-1988-01-22 — Page 13

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 1988

12

HISTORICAL BUILDING IN NT TO BE RESTORED

*

WORK IS NOW IN HAND TO RESTORE "TAI FU TAI", OTHERWISE AS THE MANDARIN'S RESIDENCE, TO ITS FORMER SPLENDOUR, THANKS $2.5 MILLION DONATION FROM THE ROYAL HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB.

KNOWN ΤΟ A

BUILDING

PROTECTION OF THE 10, 1987. IT HAS LONG

BUILT IN 1865 AND LOCATED AT SAN TIN, YUEN LONG, THE WAS GAZETTED AS AN HISTORICAL BUILDING UNDER THE ANTIQUITIES AND MONUMENTS ORDINANCE ON JULY BEEN CONSIDERED BY THE ANTIQUITIES ADVISORY BOARD ΤΟ BE THE MOST IMPORTANT HISTORICAL BUILDING IN THE TERRITORY.

THE ARCHITECTURAL DECORATION IS ELABORATE AND OF SUPERB QUALITY. BOTH THE FACADE AND THE INTERNAL WALLS ARE ORNAMENTED WITH MURALS AND TERRA-COTTA MOULDINGS, AND SOME FINE STAINED GLASS REMAINS IN THE WINDOWS AND ABOVE THE ARCHED DOORWAYS.

EXQUISITE CERAMIC DECORATIONS ON THE ROOF RIDGE OF THE FRONT HALL WERE MANUFACTURED AT SHEK WAN, GUANGDONG.

TWO HONORIFIC BOARDS, THE ONLY ONES OF THEIR KIND IN THE TERRITORY, WERE BESTOWED

THE PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS OF MAN

ON

CHUNG-LUEN IN 1875 BY THE QING EMPEROR.

THEIR

EXQUISITELY CARVED AND INSCRIBED WITH BOTH CHINESE AND MANCHU CHARACTERS, THE BOARDS HAVE BERN TEMPORARILY REMOVED POSITION ABOVE THE MAIN DOOR FOR CONSERVATION TREATMENT.

FROM

WAH CHEUNG AN HISTORICAL OWNERS WHOSE

WITH THE FULL CO-OPERATION OF THE MANAGERS OF MAN

DECLARED TONG, THIS UNIQUE, PRIVATELY-OWNED HOUSE WAS BUILDING AFTER SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE REDEVELOPMENT RIGHTS OVER THE PREMISES HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER SITE.

A CONTRACT FOR THE RESTORATION PROJECT HAS BEEN AWARDED TO YAN LEE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY AND IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE WORK WILL ВВ COMPLETED IN SIX MONTHS' TIME.

/13