10. CULTURAL HERITAGE ASSESSMENT
10.1.1.1 The cultural heritage assessment was conducted by the Hong Kong Institute of Archaeology (HKIA) with field surveys undertaken during January and February 2002. The objectives of the cultural heritage assessment were to identify sites of cultural heritage, if any, including historic buildings and structures, pre-war graves, landscape features and archaeological sites, and to recommend appropriate mitigation measures for those identified heritage features with significant historical, archaeological and architectural values.
10.1.1.2 During the field survey, the HKIA's team walked over the entire Assessment Area which includes all the areas within the boundary of the project items shown in Figure 1.3, applied 100 auger drills, made three slope face cuts and excavated 15 test pits. In result, the team identified 25 historic buildings at San Sang Tsuen and a potential site of cultural heritage with archaeological significance dated to the Neolithic and Ming-Qing periods at Tseung Kong Wai. Besides, the survey team also located two graves possibly buried originally before 1950. The historic buildings and pre-war graves will not be directly affected by the Project, but the Tseung Kong Wai Site will be encroached upon by the Alternative 3 alignment of the proposed emergency bypass culvert.
10.2 Legislation, Standards, Guidelines and Criteria
10.2.1 Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance
10.2.1.1 The EIA Ordinance stipulates that consideration must be given to issues associated with cultural heritage and archaeology as part of the EIA process. Annex 10 and 19 of the EIA TM outline criteria for evaluating the impacts on sites of cultural heritage and guidelines for impact assessment, respectively. The EIAO-TM identifies a general presumption in favour of the protection and conservation of all sites of cultural heritage and requires impacts upon sites of cultural heritage to be 'kept to the absolute minimum'. There is no quantitative standard for determining the relative importance of potential sites of cultural heritage, but in general sites of unique archaeological, historical or architectural value should be considered as highly significant.
10.2.2 Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance
10.2.2.1 The principal legislation relevant to cultural heritage and archaeological issues is the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance (Cap 53). Human artefacts, relics and built structures may be gazetted and protected as monuments under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance (A&MO). Under the Ordinance, the Antiquities Authority (Secretary for Home Affairs) may, after consultation with the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) and with Government approval, declare any place, building, site or structure which the Antiquities Authority considers to be of public interest by reason of its historical, archaeological or Palaeontological site or structure. Once declared to be a site of public interest, no person may undertake acts which are prohibited under the Ordinance, such as to demolish or carry out building or other works, unless a permit is obtained from the Antiquities Authority.
10.2.2.2 The Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) is part of the Government Secretariat and comprises the executive arm of the Antiquities Authority. The AMO is the services arm of the AAB and is responsible for advising the Government on sites which merit protection. The AMO has further responsibility for the protection of buildings, items of historical interest and areas of archaeological significance. The excavation and search for such relics requires a licence under the Ordinance.
10.2.2.3 For archaeological sites, all relics dated prior to AD 1800 belong to the Hong Kong Government under the A&MO. Once identified as having the potential for conservation, archaeological sites are entered into the record. Archaeological sites are administratively classified by AAB into three categories, as follows:
· Designated - those that have been declared as monuments and
are to be protected and conserved at all costs;
· Administrative Protection - those which are considered to be of significant
value but which are not declared as monuments and should be either protected, or
if found not possible to protect these sites then salvaged; and
· Monitored - those which are of lesser significance or whose potential is not
fully assessed which should not be disturbed with the exception of minor works
if they are permitted and monitored by AMO.
10.3.1 Historic Buildings
10.3.1.1 Historical buildings dated to pre-war were recorded with written description, photographs, and location mapping. The identification of historical buildings were based on the inscriptions recording the history of the buildings, dated or datable artifacts associated with the buildings, stylistic characteristics of the building structure, and material such as bricks and tiles. Besides, interviews with local residents and culture specialist were carried out and local written record were collected.
10.3.1.2 Special attention were paid to three aspects of the
historical buildings in the evaluation of their cultural significance:
· special type of the historical buildings such as temple, clan shrine, school
or complex compounds;
· artistic decoration on historical buildings such as wall painting, brick
carving and ceramic sculpture; and
· the size and distribution plan of historical buildings in group.
10.3.1.3 On the basis of field survey, a comprehensive inventory of historical buildings in the Assessment Area was compiled in Table 10.1. Historic buildings were numbered with initial letters "OB", representing Old Building, and then Arabic numbers. Categories in the Table 10.1 included location information, physical characteristics of the old buildings in various aspects, dating and additional observation.
10.3.2 Graves
10.3.2.1 All the graves located were recorded in Table 10.2. There were no graves with a clear and certain pre-war date identified during the survey. But some graves were rebuilt during the post-war period but the original burying time might be pre-war. For those graves, the surface structures were post-war but the underground furnishings associated with the deceased might have an earlier date.
10.3.2.2 Several concepts used in Table 10.2 require further
explanation.
· Grave Number: Each individual number is assigned to either an independent
grave or a grave ground. A "grave" refers to an independent structure,
although it may host either one or multiple deceased. A "grave ground"
refers to a cemented or earth platform holding one or multiple pottery urns
storing the bones of the deceased. Although each of the urns is a coffin itself,
the bodies only remain in the urns for a transitional period in the funerary
process, where they wait for the secondary burying and eventually forming a
"joint burial". From this point of view, the "grave ground"
rather than the pottery urn is adopted as the basic numbering unit.
· Material: This aspect of a grave refers to the material of grave structure
above the ground. Generally, there are three basic types including brick
(sometimes mixed with rocks and usually covered with mortar or cement), earthen
mound (sometimes mixed with or strengthened by rocks) and pottery urn.
· Shape: This aspect refers to the plan design of the grave structure. The
majority of the graves in the surveyed area are horse-hoof shaped, which is
composed of two basic structural units including a round altar place above or in
front of the underground burial and a half-moon shaped "fung-shui"
pond. In many cases, especially for those buried recently, ash urns are also
placed on a cement platform in a round or half-moon shape. The other basic type
is earth burial with a tuft on the surface.
· Funerary Type: This aspect refers to the funerary arrangement of the
deceased. Based on the number of the deceased buried in the same grave
structure, a grave is either a "single" or a "joint" one. A
single grave hosts only one deceased person, and a "joint grave" may
contain either a couple or multiple deceased of more than one generation. Single
graves are more likely buried only once, called "primary burial" in
archaeology, while bodies in joint graves are naturally buried at least twice,
which is known as "secondary burial".
10.3.3 Archaeology
10.3.3.1 The investigation of known and unknown archaeological sites in the Assessment Area was carried out through two phases: desktop study and field survey.
10.3.3.2 The desktop study examined all available written material that recorded previously discovered archaeological sites or artifacts in the Assessment Area, in order to find informative clues to identify the archaeological potential. Besides, graphic data such as aerial photos, topographic maps, and old maps were also analysed to identify landform and features meriting close attention.
10.3.3.3 The field survey was carried out using four methods: field walking, auger drilling, slope face cutting and test pit excavating. Field walking covered the entire impact area. Besides collecting and quantifying artifacts left on the surface, special attention were paid to the landforms and features to locate potential site settings, and to terrace walls and face cutting on slopes revealing stratigraphy.
10.3.3.4 Auger drilling is an effective way to reveal soil type and stratigraphy of natural and cultural deposits in a large area. All the 100 augers were applied within or close to the boundary of the impact zone, which was presumably 30 metres on each side of the proposed alignment. Generally, each auger was drilled to the sterile layer unless there were large roots and cobbles in the soil or the water level was high. The data from augering in the Assessment Area were tabulated in Table 10.3.
10.3.3.5 Slope face cutting is a method in between augering and test pit excavation regarding the cost against the quality and quantity of data retrieving from the field work. During the survey, all the three face cuts were made on terrace slopes of the Tseung Kong Wai site in order to reveal the stratigraphy of the site.
10.3.3.6 Test pit excavation is the most reliable way to determine the age and nature of an archaeological site. Two test pits were excavated at the Tseung Kong Wai site, ten at the Tseung Kong Wai So Kwun Tsai site and three at San Uk Tsuen. In general, each test pit was dug to the sterile layer. Data from test pit excavations and slope face cuts were recorded in Table 10.4.
10.3.3.7 Cultural relics collected from surface, face cuts and test pits were tabulated in Table 10.5 on the basis of material types.
10.3.3.8 During the field survey, all the identified heritage remains and archaeological field work, including historic buildings, graves, augers, face cuts and test pits, were recorded with their grid co-ordinates information, which was determined with a GPS device.
10.4.1 Geographic Setting
10.4.1.1 The proposed project items are distributed in the Ha Tsuen area of the western New Territories with San Wai at the centre of the Assessment Area. The four alternative alignments of the proposed emergency bypass culvert stretch long and involve a series of villages and specific geographic places, but most parts of the affected area are occupied by roads, storage facilities and houses. The field walking of the survey covered the entire Assessment Area but the augering, face cutting and test pit excavating could only be applied in limited locations. As a result, the distribution of field work and the identified heritage features were relatively concentrated in six sub-areas, namely San Sang Tsuen, Tseung Kong Wai, So Kwun Tsai, Hau Tsz Shan, San Uk Tsuen and San Wai (Figure 10.1).
10.4.1.2 The proposed alignment is mainly distributed in a flat plain which is embellished by several erected terraces and flanked to its southwest by the hillfoot slopes. The debris flow deposits and terraced alluvia were shaped during the Pleistocene, and the plain deposits were gradually formed up during the Holocene.
10.4.1.3 Previous archaeological investigations in the New Territories have revealed that the distribution of archaeological settlements had gradually shifted downwards through time. Generally, the Neolithic and Bronze Age sites were located along the low-altitude hillocks and early Holocene seashores. Largely based on an agricultural economy, the historical settlements since the Tang - Song time began occurring on the lowlands although they might also have been built on the prehistoric deposits. During the Ming - Qing period, the sites were basically distributed in the same locations of today's villages in the plain areas. This site distribution patterning suggests that the entire Assessment Area requires a thorough search for historical and archaeological remains of different time periods from the Neolithic to the Qing dynasty.
10.4.2 Historical Review
10.4.2.1 According to historical documents, the western New Territories experienced waves of immigration from the mainland through historical times. Before the 9th century, this area was mainly occupied by non-Han aboriginals and the trend of immigration of Han people began in the late 10th century of the Song dynasty. The Tang was the earliest Han clan that moved into the western New Territories and by the end of the Yuan dynasty (mid-14 century), settlements of different Han clans had spread over the entire area (1).
10.4.3 Archaeological Review
10.4.3.1 Two potential sites of cultural heritage with archaeological significance dated to the prehistoric period had been found in the Assessment Area. Both sites were located on terraces, one was named the Tseung Kong Wai Archaeological Site and the other the Tseung Kong Wai So Kwun Tsai Archaeological Site.
10.4.3.2 The Tseung Kong Wai site was identified in the late 1990s and thick layers of late historical remains dated to the Ming and Qing periods were found on the site. Unfortunately, test pit excavation was unable to be undertaken on the site due to the rejection of the land owner. Consequently, the details of the site deposits remain unclear.
10.4.3.3 The Tseung Kong Wai So Kwun Tsai Site was first identified in 1997 during the territory-wide archaeological survey. Seven test pits were excavated on the site and two of them yielded geometric soft pottery (2). Right after the discovery and before the excavation in 1997, this site was used as a parking place and was severely damaged. Consequently, the following archaeological surveys in 1999, 2000 and 2001 resulted in no new discoveries (3), (4), (5).
10.5 Historic Buildings at San Sang Tsuen
10.5.1 General Description
10.5.1.1 All of the 25 historic buildings identified are located in San Sang Tsuen to the west of Tin Ha Road. Alternative 2 alignment of the proposed emergency bypass culvert are designed along the road and the easternmost row of historic buildings is around 30 metres away from the road (Figure 10.2).
10.5.1.2 The identified historic buildings are scattered in today's San Sang Tsuen and among many post-war houses. Most of the historic buildings, however, are apparently arranged in line along crossing lanes, reflecting the original planning of a much older village. The identified historic buildings, therefore, should be considered as an integrated whole.
10.5.1.3 The locations of the historic buildings are marked in Figure 10.2 and the written description of the details of various aspects of the buildings is presented in Table 10.1. For the purpose of survey recording, each of the old buildings is coded with a new number in contrast to its old street number(s).
10.5.1.4 All the identified historic buildings were photographed for their exterior looks and structural or decoration details. Since most of the old buildings are still in use as residential houses, the interior aspect of the old buildings was inaccessible for photographing. Considering the size of this report, only representative photographs of selected buildings are presented in Plates 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3. The other graphic data are kept in the archive of HKIA.
10.5.2 Characteristics of Historic Buildings
10.5.2.1 The majority of the historic buildings at San Sang Tsuen share the same characteristics in structure and plan. Generally, granite rocks were used for a building's base and lower courses and gray bricks were used for the upper courses. The pitched and tile covered roofs were made straight and simple but the roof ridges were mouldered into a curling type.
10.5.2.2 An independent house or room in a typical old building is usually rectangular in plan, and there are usually two or more buildings arranged around a square courtyard. In some buildings, a small rectangular or square yard symbolising the fung shui pond is placed just inside the front entrance.
10.5.2.3 The old buildings are decorated using traditional craft techniques of Guangdong such as ceramic molding, brick carving and mural painting. Various types of decoration are usually placed on the roof ridge, the top of the gable and the top of the front gate. The patterns of decoration mainly include geometric, vines and flower types.
10.5.3 Dating
10.5.3.1 The direct evidence of self-dating of the old buildings is from the inscription of a mural painting on OB 12, which states that the mural was painted in the year of Jiashen (1944). The mural was apparently redecorated after the construction of the building and the original date of this and other buildings with a similar style should be earlier. According to all the locals interviewed, these old buildings were constructed at least 100 years ago.
10.5.3.2 Some of the historic buildings have been largely ruined and only the bases of the walls remain. Some buildings have been renovated or rebuilt in the past but old structural materials such as bricks and granite rocks were reused in the new structures.
10.6.1 The Site and Its Deposits
10.6.1.1 The Tseung Kong Wai potential site of cultural heritage with archaeological significance is located on a small terrace to the south of the village Tseung Kong Wai and surrounded by a series of storage yards. The size of the terrace is around 10,000 square metres and the top of the terrace is densely planted with trees. Alternative 3 alignment of the proposed emergency bypass culvert runs across the middle of the terrace (see Figure 10.3).
10.6.1.2 The Tseung Kong Wai Site, as mentioned above, was previously dated to the Ming and Qing periods. Surface walking and slope face cutting at the site during this survey also identified thick layers of cultural deposits with blue-and-white and glazed sherds as well as broken tile pieces (Figure 10.3, Plate 10.4 - 1).
10.6.1.3 Augering at the site revealed a wide distribution of cultural deposits on the flat top of the terrace. To explore the nature of the site and its stratigraphy, two test pits were excavated. Test Pit T1 exposed a layer of structural ruin composed of broken tiles and ceramic sherds right under the shallow surface layer (Figure 10.4 - 1, Plate 10.4 - 2). The discovery in T1 indicated that this site was a residential settlement during the Ming and Qing times.
10.6.1.4 The top layers of Test Pit T2 were also remains of the late historical period. But different from T1, reddish coarse cord-marked sherds dating to the Neolithic period were unearthed from the surface of a weathered clay deposit at the bottom of the pit (Figure 10.4 - 2, 10.4 - 3, Plate 10.4 - 3). The sherds were severely broken and damaged and were probably only the residues of the original deposit.
10.6.2 Artifacts from Excavation
10.6.2.1 The major types of ceramic remains of the historical period from T1 and T2 are flat tile, glazed stoneware and blue-and-white porcelain, the other types include celadon, white porcelain, unglazed stoneware and brick (Plates 10.5, 10.6 - 5 and 10.6 - 6).
10.6.2.2 The Neolithic remains are characterised by the charcoal content of the coarse red ware and cord-marked surface treatment pattern (Plate 10.6 - 1 to 10.6 - 4). The original shape of the coarse red ware was most likely a round-bottomed jar-like type.
10.6.3 Dating
10.6.3.1 The charcoal content in the paste of the pottery resulted from the burning of organic components in the raw material of the pottery when being fired at a relatively low temperature. This characteristic and the cord-marked pattern on coarse red ware are together the common features of early pottery in South China.
10.6.3.2 Neolithic remains with a similar style were also found in some other Neolithic sites in Hong Kong. For instance, the same kind of pottery was found in Layer CL4 in Phase II culture of the Tung Wan site on Lantau Island and dated to the period 5500 to 4500 before the present (6).
10.6.3.3 The blue-and-white porcelain remains were not finely made. The wares were not glazed to the lower part of the ware and the ring-foots were not cut smoothly. These porcelain remains were probably locally made as the products of the Wun Yiu Kiln at Tai Po in the eastern New Territories. Based on the styles of blue-and-white porcelain wares, the deposit of the historical period at the Tseung Kong Wai site can be dated from the late Ming to the Qing period (17th - 19th century) (7), (8).
10.7 The Tseung Kong Wai So Kwun Tsai Site
10.7.1 The Site and Allocation of Test Pits
10.7.1.1 The potential site of cultural heritage with archaeological significance at Tseung Kong Wai So Kwun Tsai is also located on a terrace. As mentioned above, the Tseung Kong Wai So Kwun Tsai Site has been severely disturbed and previous archaeological works on the site have found no significant original deposits remaining on the site.
10.7.1.2 Previous archaeological works were conducted mostly on the top and western side of the terrace. To investigate if any archaeological deposit still remain within the site boundary, a series of augers and 10 test pits were allocated on the eastern slope of the So Kwun Tsai terrace (Figure 10.5).
10.7.2 Results of Excavation
10.7.2.1 Neither augering nor test pit excavating revealed any cultural deposit on the site. It can be concluded that the Tseung Kong Wai So Kwun Tsai Archaeological Site has been totally destroyed and no further archaeological work is required in the site area in the future (Figure 10.6).
10.7.3 Graves
10.7.3.1 All the graves except Grave 36 identified on the eastern slope of the So Kwun Tsai terrace can be considered post-war graves with a certainty. Grave 36 was rebuilt in 1957, but it hosted three generations of ancestors of the Tang family. Therefore, it is reasonable to date the original burying of this grave to the pre-war period (Plate 10.7 - 1).
10.8 Survey at Hau Tsz Shan, San Uk Tsuen and San Wai
10.8.1 Graves in the Hau Tsz Shan Area
10.8.1.1 All the graves except Grave 51 identified in the Hau Tsz Shan area can be considered post-war graves with a certainty. Grave 51 was rebuilt in 1982, but it hosted four generations of ancestors of the Tang family. Therefore, it is also reasonable to date the original burying time of this grave to the pre-war period (Figure 10.7, Plate 10.7 - 2).
10.8.1.2 Augering in this area did not identify recognisable cultural deposit.
10.8.2 Test Pit Excavation at San Uk Tsuen
10.8.2.1 San Uk Tsuen is a historic village according to the AMO's record but the village is located outside the affected area of the proposed Project. Within the proposed alignment in the San Uk Tsuen area, there was a small patch of flat place between houses and storage places. To investigate if any archaeological potential existed in this area, a number of augers and three test pits were allocated (Figure 10.8).
10.8.2.2 The deposit layers were similar in the three test pits. The top layers contained some ceramic pieces of the Ming and Qing periods but they were probably secondary deposits accumulated from recent agricultural activities (Figure 10.9).
10.8.3 Augering in the San Wai Area
10.8.3.1 Augers of a large number were allocated along the proposed alignment in the accessible locations in the San Wai Area, including Lo Uk Tsuen, Sik Kong Wai, Tseung Kong Tsuen and San Wai (Figure 10.10). The augering found no significant archaeological deposit in the entire area.
10.9 Assessment and Mitigation Measures
10.9.1 Assessment of Impact
10.9.1.1 The survey has identified significant remains of cultural heritage in the Assessment Area which include historic buildings at San Sang Tsuen and a potential site of cultural heritage with archaeological significance dated to the Neolithic period and Ming - Qing dynasties at Tseung Kong Wai. Besides, two graves with a possible pre-war dating have been identified at So Kwun Tsai and Hau Tsz Shan.
10.9.1.2 The historic buildings and pre-war graves are all located slightly outside the proposed alignment and therefore will not be directly affected by the construction of the project. The Tseung Kong Wai Site, however, will be affected by the Alternative 3 alignment of the proposed emergency bypass culvert since the alignment cuts through the middle section of the site.
10.9.2 Mitigation Measures
10.9.2.1 The historic buildings and pre-war graves identified in the Assessment Area are located close to the proposed alignment. It is recommended that appropriate mitigation measures agreed with the AMO of the LCSD should be taken by the project proponent to protect the heritage remains from any indirect impact potentially caused by the proposed construction.
10.9.2.2 It should also be noted that San Uk Tsuen is a historic village adjacent to the Alternative 3 alignment of the proposed emergency bypass culvert. It should be ensured therefore that no disturbance is caused to the historic structures in the village by the proposed works should that alignment option be chosen.
10.9.2.3 Alternative 3 alignment of the proposed emergency bypass culvert will encroach the Tseung Kong Wai Site. According to Annex 10 and 19 of the EIA TM, the impacts upon sites of cultural heritage should be kept to the absolute minimum. The Alternative 3 alignment of the proposed emergency bypass culvert is thus not preferable from a cultural heritage preservation point of view.
10.9.2.4 It should also be emphasized that any earthwork or construction work to be planned on the Tseung Kong Wai Site in the future should take into account two factors of the site condition. First, the surface layer of the site is very shallow, varying from 10 to 20 centimetres, and the Ming - Qing deposit will be easily affected by the earthwork on the top of the site. Second, the top of the terrace where the site is located is now planted with numerous trees allocated very close to each other, and any earthwork or construction work that requires removal of the trees will also severely disturb the sub-surface deposit. Consequently, the site should be untouched for its protection, otherwise rescue excavation should be required.
10.10.1.1 The cultural heritage survey for the proposed Upgrading and Expansion of San Wai Sewage Treatment Works and the Expansion of Ha Tsuen Pumping Station has identified significant remains of cultural heritage in the Assessment Area, including historic buildings at San Sang Tsuen and an archaeological site with Neolithic deposit and late historical ruins at Tseung Kong Wai. Besides, two graves with a possible pre-war dating have been identified at So Kwun Tsai and Hau Tsz Shan. Having said that, the historic buildings and pre-war graves identified in the Assessment Area will not be affected directly by the Project. It is recommended that appropriate mitigation measures agreed with the AMO of the LCSD should be taken by the project proponent to protect the cultural heritage from any indirect impact potentially caused by the proposed construction.
10.10.1.2 The Tseung Kong Wai potential site of cultural heritage with archaeological significance will be encroached upon by the Alternative 3 alignment of the proposed emergency bypass culvert. The Alternative 3 alignment is thus not preferable from a cultural heritage preservation point of view.
(1)
蕭國健：《香港古代史》
(香港：中華書局(香港)有限公司，1997)，頁5 –
78。
(2) 古 物 古 蹟 辦 事 處 ： 《 全 港 文 物 普 查 1997
年
第
一
地
區
( 元 朗 區 )
工
作
報
告
》
( 香 港 古 物 古 蹟 辦 事 處 存 檔 ， 1997)
。
(3)
古
物
古
蹟
辦
事
處
：
《
元
朗
西
部
地
區
考
古
覆
查
工
作
報
告
》( 香 港 古 物 古 蹟 辦 事 處 存 檔 ，1999)
。
(4)
W. Meacham, Deep Bay Link Archaeological
Impact Assessment
(Draft report,
file in the
Antiquities and
Monuments Office,
Hong Kong, 2000).
(5)
Hong Kong Institute of Archaeology, Deep Bay Link Investigation and Preliminary Design – The 2001
Archaeological Impact Assessment (Report submitted to the EML and
Antiquities and Monuments Office, 2002).
(6)
曾
騏：“環
珠
江
口
兩
側
的
史
前
文
化
＂，
載
於
《
東
南
亞
考
古
論
集
》( 香 港 ： 香 港 大 學 美 術 館 ， 1995
年)，頁290。
(7)
區 家 發 、 周 世 榮 、 曾 廣 億 、 佟 寶 銘 、 馬 恩 生 ： 《 香 港 大 埔 碗 窯 青 花 瓷 窯 址 調 查 及 研 究 》 (香
港
區
域
市
政
局
，
1997 ) 。
(8)
區
家
發
、
周
世
榮
、
曾
廣
億
等
：
《
香
港
大
埔
碗
窯
青
花
瓷
窯
址
– 發 掘 及 研 究 》 (香
港
文
化
博
物
館
， 2000
)
。