ENG-1993 — Page 416

RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS

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and curators. The board advises the government on the sites and structures which merit protection through declaration as monuments.

In 1993, the enclosing walls and corner-towers of Kun Lung Wai in Lung Yeuk Tau, Fanling, and the exterior of the main building of the Helena May, were declared monuments. The wai has a history of some 250 years, witnessing the lengthy settle ment of the Tang clan in the area. The Helena May building, opened in 1916 to provide accommodation for single working women, is a fine example of architecture in the late Victorian/Edwardian classical revival style. The Antiquities Advisory Board also examined a number of historical buildings, including Chinese temples, and graded them in accord- ance with their historical significance, architectural merit and other factors.

The full restoration of Ching Shu Hin, an elegant Qing dynasty residence of the Tang clan at Ping Shan in Yuen Long, and the walls of Kun Lung Wai in Fanling, was completed during the year with funding support from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club and the government, respectively. Other major restoration and repair projects launched during the year included the Yi Tai Study Hall in Kam Tin and the Yu Kiu Ancestral Hall in Ping Shan.

University students were employed during the summer to conduct a survey of Chinese temples in Kowloon, which provided preliminary historical and architectural information on the buildings as a basis for further study.

The Antiquities and Monuments Office continued to maintain close links with govern- ment departments and private developers to ensure that all archaeological sites which would be affected by development were brought to its attention during the planning stage. As a result, it proved possible to preserve intact some of the sites, such as the Late Neolithic site at Pa Tau Kwu in North Lantau and the Yuan dynasty kiln complex at Ha Law Wan, Chek Lap Kok.

Intensive archaeological surveys were conducted of areas to be developed. Such investigations included the archaeological survey of Tung Chung and Kau Shat Wan, the headland at Sha Lo Wan West in Lantau and the historical and archaeological survey of Ma Wan. These surveys were undertaken by local as well as overseas experts and professional institutions. The surveys succeeded in retrieving important archaeological information on the areas investigated, enabling appropriate rescue operations to be organised prior to the commencement of development works.

Many of these surveys and subsequent rescue operations were made possible by substantial donations from the developers concerned and from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The Antiquities and Monuments Office encouraged public interest in local heritage issues through a full programme with an emphasis on education and links with school curricula. Field studies, seminars and lectures were organised for youth groups, students and teachers. Exhibitions on various local heritage themes were produced and staged at the exhibition hall in the Tsim Sha Tsui office and other suitable venues. A booklet introducing the history, relics and traditions of the Islands District was published by the Islands District Board with the assistance of the office. Another similar publication, covering the Eastern District, was underway. Various community involvement projects such as grass-cutting and cleaning-up at historic sites were arranged. These were aimed at cultivating among the younger generation an interest in Hong Kong's past and a sense of civic responsibility.