Newsletter No. 305

第 305 期 2007 年 10 月 19 日 No. 305 19 October 2007 Conservation a Matter of Fate The conservation of historic structures generated much heat in town recently. Venues ranging from Star Ferry Pier and Queen’s Pier, to the old Wan Chai Market have become sites of contention between the people and the government. Prof. Ho laments that Hong Kong has too few old buildings left. For existing historic structures, Prof. Ho’s opinion is that ‘it is fate if they can be preserved. And if possible, they should be preserved as much as possible.’ The crucial issue, he feels, is to keep the buildings’ original structures whereas their functions can be changed. ‘In the UK, many old churches are now being rented by architectural firms. Architects like working in these spaces.’ He suggests learning from the British model of setting up a National Trust to manage historic sites. Sowing the Seeds of Knowledge It is often said that ‘The people make the government.’ Perhaps, the key to changing the government’s conservation policy lies in educating the people. Last year, the unit received support from the Quality Education Fund to organize ‘Travelling and Learning Around Historic Buildings: Inquiry-based Learning on Hong Kong Historic Architecture’ with the Hong Kong Institute of Education. The aim of the scheme is to acquaint local teachers with the features of Hong Kong’s historic architecture so they can impart the knowledge to their students. Prof. Ho says, ‘My role is that of a scholar and my job is to research, promote and give talks so everyone knows how to appreciate the beauty of old and meaningful architecture.’ The research may seem like an ‘ivory tower’ effort but it has important implications for conservation. Prof. Ho believes that protection must be rooted in research. Building on its research, the unit provides consultancy for the government and other organizations, and takes part in the protection and restoration of relics and old buildings, including Chik Kwai Study Hall in Pat Heung, Tat Tak Communal Hall in Ping Shan, and Dragon Garden at Tsing Lung Tau. 江西省（左）與浙江省（右）的古建築 Historic architecture: A village in Jiangxi (left) and a courtyard in Zhejiang (right) 保護文物不能沒有研究基礎。因此，研究組以其研究 工作為後盾，積極為政府或其他機構提供諮詢，參與 保護和修繕文物、舊建築的項目，包括八鄉植桂書 室、屏山達德公所，以及青龍頭龍圃等。 能保留下來就是緣分 近來有關舊建築的保護，引發社會很大迴響。從天星 碼頭到皇后碼頭，以至灣仔舊街市等，變成一個個民 間與官商角力的戰場。何教授慨嘆香港剩下的舊建築 太少，所以大家都很緊張。 何教授認為：「它們能保留下來就是緣分。可以的 話，應盡量保留。」他指最重要是保留舊建築的原有 結構，用途不妨改變，「英國有許多舊教堂保存下 來，被建築師事務所租用。建築師很喜歡在這種地方 工作。」他建議借鑑英國成立國民信託基金管理古蹟 的做法。 像播種一樣的工作 常言道：「有甚麼樣的人民，就有甚麼樣的政府。」 也許，想要改變政府的文物保護政策，最根本的是 從教育民眾著手。去年研究組就獲得優質教育基金撥 款，與香港教育學院合辦「古建遊學──香港歷史建 築探索學習」教學計劃，目的是教導老師認識香港歷 史建築的特色，讓他們把知識教給學生，就像是播種 一樣的工作。何教授說：「我的角色是學者，應該做 的事就是做研究、推廣、演講，讓大家懂得欣賞這些 古建築之美。」 P rof. Ho Puay-peng of the Department of Architecture sees architecture as ‘part of social culture’. Much of his research explores the relationship between man and buildings, with the focus falling more on social culture than on the buildings themselves. This has caused one Taiwanese scholar to remark, probably in jest, ‘That makes you a sociologist, not an architect.’ The ancients once observed, ‘People become established because of dwellings; dwellings come alive because of people. When people and dwellings support each other, there is connection with heaven and earth.’ Does this not coincide with Prof. Ho’s approach to architecture? This approach is also adopted by the Chinese Architectural Heritage Unit, which Prof. Ho directs, in its three- pronged work — academic research, consultancy research for the conservation of relics and historic buildings, and education on antiquities protection. Beyond the Ivory Tower The unit has launched three large-scale research projects in recent years. The four-year study on vernacular dwellings in Hong Kong explores the architectural styles of these traditional structures, and documents the sizes of various building components in order to obtain quantifiable data. ‘Tradition and Transformation’ studies vernacular architecture in Jiangxi, Fujian, and Zhejiang. The aim is to avoid the limitations of defining architectural styles by province in the study of the development of vernacular architectural practices in Southeast China. The most recent project, which takes the focus back to Hong Kong, scrutinizes residential buildings under colonial rule from 1900 to 1970. Prof. Ho observes, ‘Hong Kong has many colourful and unique enclaves worth investigating, such as Tai Hang, Happy Valley, Kowloon Tong, Southern District, and the Peak. The planning for Kowloon Tong, in particular, was influenced by the Garden City Movement in England.’ 研究看似是象牙塔內的工 作，但其實對文物保護有 重大意義。何教授認為， 建 築學系何培斌教授認為：「建築 是社會文化的一部分。」他的 研究著重探討人與建築的關係，重點放 在社會文化多於建築本身，因此曾有台 灣學者笑道：「那你就是社會學家，不 是建築學家了！」這大抵是戲言。古人 云：「人因宅而立，宅因人得存，人宅 相扶，感通天地。」不正與何教授不謀 而合，從人與建築的關係出發嗎？由他 擔任總監的建築學系歷史建築研究組， 也憑著這信念從事三方面的工作：學術 研究、文物或舊建築保存項目的顧問研 究，以及文物保護教育。 象牙塔內外 研究組近年接連開展三項大型研究計 劃，首先是為期四年的香港傳統民居調 查研究，旨在探索民居的建築風格，並 記錄不同建築構件的尺寸大小，以獲取 量化數據；第二項研究名為 「傳統與轉化」，調查江西、 福建、浙江一帶的民居，目 的是打破以省界劃分建築形 式的局限，探討華南民居建 築的傳承與變遷；最新一項 研究是調查1900至1970年殖 民地時代的住宅建築。何教 授說：「香港有許多有特 色、自成一格的地區，如大 坑、跑馬地、九龍塘、南區 和山頂等，都是值得研究的 地方，尤其是九龍塘，是受 英國花園城市運動影響而規 劃的社區。」