XN000022-1995-09-06 — Page 6

5.

"The sensuous impressions lead on to the cerebral pleasure. It is this pleasure which creates the desire to relax and be held by the Mother Nature."

Mr Blake added that the Architectural Services Department had succeeded in conveying the profound meaning of Chinese philosophy in a three-dimensional form.

"The department has courageously broken away from the limitations of tradition and has addressed a new function and meaning to the classical Chinese garden. It is this new interpretation that gives Kowloon Walled City Park the freshness of design," he added.

Also speaking at the ceremony, the Secretary for Recreation and Culture, Mr James So, said the adoption of the Jiangnan style in the overall design of the park was unique and represented a breakthrough in traditional park design in Hong Kong.

He noted that the cramped and poorly constructed buildings had been replaced by a well designed Chinese theme park which was a successful blend of the history and atmosphere of the former Walled City.

"The display of the South Gate remnants, with the original stone plaques of the Walled City and the pre-war concrete remains, demonstrates explicitly the evolution of the City site," he said.

"The yamen building, which is one of the very few surviving examples of its kind in South China, has been restored and preserved in-situ. All those significant surviving relics, including stone tablets, cannon, column bases and others, have been salvaged and are now put on display in the park.

"Under the future management of the Urban Council and Urban Services Department, I am sure that this unique theme park will soon establish itself as a landmark in Hong Kong, of which all of us can be proud and which will provide both interest and enjoyment to those who visit it."

The Director of Architectural Services, Mr Kenneth Chan, said the park's design emphasised an integrated development for promoting cultural awareness, education, leisure activities and tourism.

Mr Chan also pointed out that close co-ordination from the Antiquities and Monuments Office of the Recreation and Culture Branch and the Urban Council, and the dedication of his project team, had all contributed to the project's success.

"Credit must also go to the experts and master craftsmen of various skills from China, who have offered us valuable technical assistance.