ENG-2001 — Page 482

RECREATION, SPORT AND THE ARTS

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The Tang Ancestral Hall is the main ancestral hall of the Tang clan of Ping Shan. A traditional building with three halls and two internal courtyards, the ancestral hall is still used regularly for worship and celebrations of traditional festivals and ceremonies, and as a clan meeting place.

The Yu Kiu Ancestral Hall is a three-hall and two internal-courtyard traditional building constructed in the early 16th century. It served as an ancestral hall and was also used as a teaching venue for youngsters in Ping Shan, from 1931 to 1961.

The Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda, which is believed to date back more than 600 years, is the only surviving historical pagoda in Hong Kong. This hexagonal-shaped pagoda is a three-storey green-brick structure about 13 metres tall. It was built to prevent flooding disasters and to improve the locality's fung shui.

In 2001, restoration and repairs were undertaken on various historical buildings, including the Former Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) Clock Tower, the Former Kowloon British School, and the Hau Mei Fung Ancestral Hall in Sheung Shui. The office also organised rehabilitation ceremonies in conjunction with the local villagers to mark the completion of the restoration of the King Law Ka Shuk and the Hau Kui Shek Ancestral Hall on February 12 and June 13, respectively.

The office commissioned the Guangdong Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology to conduct a conservation study project for the Leung Ancestral Hall in Yuen Long in November. The findings would provide useful information to facilitate the conservation of the historical building. The office has also conducted a region- wide survey to identify buildings that were built prior to 1950. The findings are being studied, analysed and computerised to facilitate preservation work.

Recognition of the office's work has come with the Outstanding Project Award to the Hung Shing Temple, on Kau Sai Chau, in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage 2000 Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation. An award presentation ceremony was held at the temple on February 23. The restoration project at the King Law Ka Shuk, monitored by the office, won an Award of Merit in UNESCO's Culture Heritage Conservation awards for 2001.

With the co-operation of the property developer concerned, the Haw Par Mansion at Tai Hang, on Hong Kong Island, has been successfully preserved. A cartographic and photographic survey of the mansion was conducted. Some of the historical materials and relics of the public garden were salvaged for future educational and cultural uses.

The office continued to be heavily involved in heritage impact assessments associated with Environmental Impact Assessment studies. Moreover, the office conducted marine archaeological investigations in connection with the Central Reclamation Phase III and the reclamation work at Tsing Lung Tau and Sham Tseng. The field surveys yielded valuable data on the archaeological sites there, and appropriate mitigation measures were arranged to reduce the impact of developments on the affected sites.

The office also conducted rescue excavations at Penny's Bay, on Lantau Island, and at Tai Fu Tai in San Tin, Yuen Long. The Penny's Bay excavation was necessitated by the extensive reclamation being undertaken for the Hong Kong Disneyland project. The excavation yielded artefacts dating back to the Late Neolithic period (about 2000 BC), the Tang Dynasty, and the Ming and Qing Dynasties as well as remains of house structures of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. A large quantity of