Time to rebuild that community spirit
29 April 2009
Hong Kong Standard
Photos by tychris from dchome :
So many people were keen to catch a slice of history at Lower Ngau Tau Kok estate recently, that the government was compelled to ask visitors not to disturb residents too much.
Ten or 20 years ago, the idea of visiting a 1960s-era public housing estate to walk around and take photos would have been thought pretty strange. Now, in the final weeks before the last residents are due to leave, making the area free for redevelopment, the old community has become a must-see attraction.
When I went a few weeks ago, it was like a trip back to my childhood. There was an old-fashioned barber shop of the sort you hardly ever see nowadays. I went to a very crowded cha chaan teng where everybody knew each other. It was completely different from a McDonald's. I visited a rice shop, with all the different varieties of grain in big bins with the price stuck on top.
The owner told me he was going to get compensation when his business closed.
I asked him what he would do next and he said he would just retire. Outside there was a common open area where kids played ball games and old people sat chatting.
The new estate will be different: it will probably have a multi-story shopping mall with supermarkets and fast food outlets, and the playground will be in a separate area.
But let's not get too romantic: the old estate's shopping area was frankly unhygienic and, in most ways, the new estates are better.
But would it not be great if planners could do something to retain that old community spirit in new residences?
Bernard Charnwut Chan is chairman of the Antiquities Advisory Board.
29 April 2009
Hong Kong Standard
Photos by tychris from dchome :
So many people were keen to catch a slice of history at Lower Ngau Tau Kok estate recently, that the government was compelled to ask visitors not to disturb residents too much.
Ten or 20 years ago, the idea of visiting a 1960s-era public housing estate to walk around and take photos would have been thought pretty strange. Now, in the final weeks before the last residents are due to leave, making the area free for redevelopment, the old community has become a must-see attraction.
When I went a few weeks ago, it was like a trip back to my childhood. There was an old-fashioned barber shop of the sort you hardly ever see nowadays. I went to a very crowded cha chaan teng where everybody knew each other. It was completely different from a McDonald's. I visited a rice shop, with all the different varieties of grain in big bins with the price stuck on top.
The owner told me he was going to get compensation when his business closed.
I asked him what he would do next and he said he would just retire. Outside there was a common open area where kids played ball games and old people sat chatting.
The new estate will be different: it will probably have a multi-story shopping mall with supermarkets and fast food outlets, and the playground will be in a separate area.
But let's not get too romantic: the old estate's shopping area was frankly unhygienic and, in most ways, the new estates are better.
But would it not be great if planners could do something to retain that old community spirit in new residences?
Bernard Charnwut Chan is chairman of the Antiquities Advisory Board.