XN000022-1995-09-16 — Page 4

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He described the University itself as a repository of historical buildings which comprised a number of distinguished examples of Western architecture including the Main Building declared in 1984 and the three buildings now being declared.

"With the continued support of the University, members of the public are given the opportunity to appreciate the splendour of the historical buildings within its campus and the important role the University has played in providing education for our younger generations for the advancement of learning and in so doing contributing to the prosperity of our community.

"I hope that other buildings within the campus, including Bethanie, the Old Halls and the Fung Ping Shan Building could be similarly declared and protected in the near future," Mr So said.

Also speaking at the ceremony, the Chairman of the Antiquities Advisory Board, Mr David Lung, paid tribute to Mr So for his full support in heritage preservation work.

"During his four years of service in the Recreation and Culture Branch, 14 historical items have been declared under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, and the first heritage trail in Hong Kong was established.

"In addition, the Antiquities and Monuments Office has been greatly strengthened and a large number of other important and meaningful heritage projects like the Kowloon Walled City Park, a territory-wide historical building survey, several .conferences on various heritage topics, a popular television series on local heritage and a wide range of education programmes on heritage have been launched," Mr Lung said.

Earlier, in his welcoming speech, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, Professor Wang Gungwu, told the gathering that with increasing education and respect for the environment, Hong Kong was now more than ever aware of the need to preserve something from the bygone days of its history.

He pointed out that declaring only the exteriors of the three buildings would enable the University to make whatever changes and adaptations to the interiors it saw fit in future while at the same time maintaining the essential and overall architectural face.