XN000022-1994-04-24 — Page 5

SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 1994

"LEARNING HISTORY OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM IS BENEFICIAL TO STUDENTS IN THEIR STUDIES," THE TEACHER SAID.

DEFINITELY

то

THE PING SHAN HERITAGE TRAIL IS A TYPICAL SITE FOR STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT LOCAL HISTORY AS BUILDINGS ALONG THE TRAIL BELONG ΤΟ A LINEAGE OF THE TANG CLAN, ONE OF THE "FIVE GREAT CLANS" IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, WHICH HAS BEEN LIVING IN THE AREA SINCE THE 12TH CENTURY.

OF

NUMEROUS ELEGANT STRUCTURES BUILT IN THOSE DAYS REMAIN TODAY, BEARING WITNESS TO HISTORY AND THE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTS AND CHANGES THE PAST CENTURIES.

THE TRAIL IS

APPROXIMATELY 1.4 KILOMETRE LONG WITH UNIQUE HISTORICAL STRUCTURES RANGING FROM ANCESTRAL HALLS TO STUDY HALLS. TEMPLES, A WALLED VILLAGE AND PAGODA, ALL LOCATED WITHIN BASY WALKING DISTANCE FROM ONE ANOTHER. THE TRAIL MEANDERS THROUGH HANG MEI TSUEN, HANG TAU TSUEN AND SHEUNG CHEUNG WAL.

IT LINKS UP A NUMBER OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE STRUCTURES, PROVIDING VISITORS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECAPTURE ASPECTS OF LIFE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES IN THE OLD DAYS IN A CONVENIENT HALF-DAY EXCURSION.

IN THE MORNING OF DAY ONE, THE 30 HISTORY TEACHERS WERE GIVEN A BRIEFING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE TANGS LIVING IN THE PING SHAN TRAIL AND HOW THE TRAIL WAS BROUGHT INTO BEING.

THE SENIOR PROPERTY SERVICES MANAGER (ANTIQUITIES), MR LAM SIAR-LING AND ASSISTANT CURATOR (EDUCATION), MR MING KAY-CHUAN, BRIEFED TEACHERS ABOUT THE PAST ENVIRONMENT, THE PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL BUILDINGS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND THE WORK OF THE ANTIQUITIES AND MONUMENTS OFFICE.

THE AFTERNOON FIELD-WORK INCLUDED VISITS TO THE HUNG SHING TEMPLE, KUN TING STUDY HALL, CHING SHU HIN, TANG ANCESTRAL HALL, YU KIU ANCESTRAL HALL, YEUNG HAU TEMPLE, AN OLD WELL, SHEUNG CHEUNG SHRINE OF THE EARTH GOD AND TSUI SHING LAU.

WAT,

TEACHERS WERE REQUIRED TO TAKE NOTES IN PRODUCING TEACHING MATERIALS FOR FUTURE FIELD WORK AT THE TRAIL DURING THE WORKSHOP SESSION ON THE FOLLOWING DAY.

THE TEACHING MATERIALS THUS PRODUCED WOULD LATER BE USED DURING FIELD TRIPS ON THE TRAIL AND SHOULD INCLUDE ALL ASPECTS RELATING TO PROMOTING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TRAIL AND VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES THAT ONE CAN OBSERVE IN THE AREA. FURTHER DISCUSSIONS WITH STUDENTS COULD BE ARRANGED SUBSEQUENT TO FIELD VISITS TO THE TRAIL.

TEACHERS WERE ENCOURAGED TO MAKE USE OF THEIR TEACHING MATERIALS IN STIMULATING INTEREST IN THE LEARNING OF LOCAL HISTORY AND CONCERN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT DURING FIELD TRIPS.

/5