Since 1976, Hong Kong's heritage has been protected under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance (Cap.53). The ordinance provides the framework for the Antiquity Authority (AMO) to declare any place, building, site or structure to be of public interest by reason of its historical, archaeological or palaeontological significance. The Antiquities Authority will consult the Antiquities Advisory Board and seek approval of the Chief Executive to declare a monument. It is prohibited to carry out the following acts (except under permit) at a Declared or Proposed Monument:
· excavate, carry on building works, plant or fell trees or deposit earth or refuse; and
· demolish, remove, obstruct, deface or interfere with the Declared Monument will be protected under the Ordinance from acts such as demolishing or destruction.
The EIAO provides additional legislative protection to sites of cultural heritage which are threatened by development. The TM-EIA contains the guidelines and criteria for the assessment of sites of cultural heritage interest.
The main objectives of the Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment (CHIA) for this project include identification of potential impacts on heritage resources, recommendation of mitigation measures for any identified adverse impacts and also the highlighting and promotion of cultural heritage tourism opportunities. The objectives are highlighted in the following points:
· Identification and mapping of cultural heritage resources, including archaeological resources, built heritage structures, pre-world war II/ clan graves and cultural and historical land use features;
· Assessment of any identified direct and indirect impacts to these identified resources and recommendation of mitigation measures;
·
Identification
and integration of cultural heritage tourism opportunities into the project
infrastructure.
The locations covered by the project can be divided into four areas
(i) Tung Chung terminus
Tung Chung Terminus will be constructed in an area of urban development, in the centre of Tung Chung New Town. Nearby impacts include roads, train station, parking area and high rise housing blocks.
(ii) Support towers, Emergency Rescue Trail (EMT) and Nei Lak Shan angle station
All the support towers, EMT and angle station are located in areas of natural hillside terrain, with no existing impacts.
(iii) Airport Angle station
The Airport Angle station is located on the southern tip of Airport Island, the former Chek Lap Kok, at the southwest tip of Scenic Hill. Existing impacts include roads and airport ancillary buildings.
(iv)
Ngong Ping
terminus
The terminus at Ngong Ping will be located in an area of former fields; existing impacts in the area include paths, residential and religious buildings.
Proposed works include:
· construction of two terminal buildings, one at Tung Chung and another at Ngong Ping;
· construction of two angle stations (Nei Lak Shan Angle Station and Airport Island Angle Station);
· construction of a maximum of 8 support towers; and
· construction of an emergency rescue trail, 1.5m wide.
The potential impacts associated with the proposed works include:
· direct subsurface impacts on areas of archaeological potential;
· direct impacts on heritage resources: buildings, structures or and/or graves during the construction stage;
· indirect impacts on built heritage during construction; i.e. vibration damage;
· indirect visual and aesthetic impacts on heritage resources; and
· restriction of access to temples and shrines and potential interference with cultural activities at Po Lin Monastery.
The study corridor runs from north west of the Tung Chung Battery westward to the Airport Angle Station at the south of Airport Island. The alignment then turns to the south-west straight up the hill, elevated on towers, towards the Ngong Ping Monastery where it terminates. The Terminus to the north of the Tung Chung Bay is situated on existing reclamation. It will then cross the Sea Channel to the southern end of the former Chek Lap Kok , at Pak Sha Tsui. This former island is a mainly fine granite outcrop with many dykes such as quartz veins, feldsparphyric and quartzphyric rhyolite. The alignment as it turns southwest will again cross the water and then climb along the northern slopes of Nei Lak Shan. The lower slopes of Nei Lak Shan have a diverse geology of fine grained quartz syenite, feldsparphyric rhyolite, micro granite and granites. The upper slopes are more homogeneous rhyolite lava and tuffs with pockets of debris flow deposits. At the end of the cable car the Ngong Ping Monastery is located on alluvial deposits.
No archaeological sites have been recorded in areas which will be directly impacted by the proposed project; however, a number of prehistoric and historic deposits have been found in the wider Tung Chung area (Figure 9.1). These highlight the potential, particularly for historic deposits from the Tang (A.D. 618 – 907) through Qing periods (A.D. 1644 – 1911):
a. Ha Law Wan, Chek Lap Kok
A complex of 13 kilns was recovered at Ha Law Wan, in a ravine just above the beach at the northern end of Pak Shui Tau’s lower hill slopes. They date to the Yuan dynasty (A.D. 1260-1368) and there is evidence that they may have been used for smelting iron. They have been retained in situ (Meacham 1994).
b. Fu Tei Wan, Chek Lap Kok
A Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-907) lime kiln was found at Fu Tei Wan, which was relocated to New Tung Chung Development Area (Meacham 1994). The site was destroyed by construction of the airport island.
c. San Tau
The Territory-wide Survey recorded late Neolithic (2500 – 1500 B.C.), Chin (A.D. 1115 – 1234), Tang (A.D. 618 907) and Song (A.D. 960 – 1279) material in trial trenches at San Tau (AMO files).
d. Ma Wan Chung
Test pit excavations were carried out in 1992 by the Hong Kong Archaeological Society at Ma Wan Chung. Finds belonging to the Neolithic Period (4000-1500 B.C.), Tang (A.D. 618-907) and Song (A.D. 960-1279) Dynasties were recovered. This site is located on a large sand bar on the sea edge of the Tung Chung alluvial plain (Mott Connell Ltd. 1998)
e. Sha Tsui Tau
Large quantities of kiln debris have been recovered from this site. Test excavations revealed fragments of kiln but no remaining structure; a single pottery sherd belonging to the Bronze Age (1500 – 221 B.C.) was also found. (Peacock and Nixon 1986). The Hong Kong Archaeological Society researched the area in 1993 and discovered material belonging to the Tang (A.D. 618-907), Song (A.D. 960-1279) and Qing (A.D. 1634 –1911) Dynasties and the prehistoric late Neolithic period (2500-1500 B.C.). In 1995 a Guangdong team commissioned by the AMO located Tang pottery and kiln debris including wall fragments and kiln furniture at Sha Tsui Tau. Additionally they discovered Song material and a coin cache which may belong to a 19th or e. 20th c. “boat people cemetery” (known from ethnographic sources and a 1905 map). The site is located on a raised sand bar at the water fringes of the Tung Chung alluvial plain.
Tung Chung Area
Lantau has a long and rich history, with the earliest written record of the island dated to A.D. 411, referring to the Lo Ting pirates based there. Little further is known until the early Southern Song (A.D. 1127 – 1279) when imperial forces wiped out the local native population who revolted against forced work in the imperial salt fields and engaged in salt smuggling. In the late Southern Song, Lantau was granted to Lei Mau-ping, a dynasty official, whose family continued to manage it until 1898. During this period the forest at Tung Chung was cut down and the land turned to rice cultivation.
Lantau played an important role in the flight of the last Song Emperor; the enthronement of Prince Ping as emperor probably took place at Tung Chung or nearby. During the Yuan dynasty (A.D. 1271 –1368) there is a gap in the archaeological and historical record, particularly concerning the Tung Chung area.
In the middle Ming period (A.D. 1368 –1644), north Lantau was partly occupied by Portuguese. They were driven out by Chinese forces, after a naval battle probably off the coast of north Lantau in 1521. During the late Ming the area around Tung Chung was only lightly populated. It was a period of continuing problems with piracy, with pirate fleets entering Tung Chung Bay and extorting provisions from Tung Chung farmers. This culminated in the Qing period (A.D. 1644 –1911) with the Coastal Evacuation (A.D. 1662 – 1668).
After rescinding of the Order, Tung Chung was settled between 1676 and 1750 by several main lineages: the Law, Lei and Suen and later the Mok, Kwan, Tse and Wong. All the clans are Punti with the exception of the Wong and Kwan who are Hakka.
In 1817 the Chinese constructed two coastal Batteries at Tung Chung; one remains and is a Declared Monument. Tung Chung Fort to the south was built in 1832, although this date may refer to a refurbishment of an earlier 1817 construction.
The communities in the Tung Chung area were subsistence rice farmers well into the 20th c., with a secondary crop of sweet potatoes and taro, supplemented by fishing in local waters. Tung Chung villagers were also active in the fuel trade, harvesting wood from the mountain slopes for sale in Tai O. Boulder pathways over which goods could be moved ran from Tung Chung west along the coast to Tai O, east to Tai Ho, over the mountains to south Lantau and through Ngong Ping to Shek Pik.
Due to the remoteness of Tung Chung and its decline as a centre of the shipping trade under British rule, the area fell into decline. It retained its rural character until the advent of Tung Chung New Town and development on north Lantau (Hase in Mott Connell Ltd. 1998) (see 1963 and 1999 aerial photographs Figures 9.2 and 9.3).
Chep Lap Kok / Airport Island
Chep Lap Kok was levelled and the adjacent seabed reclaimed during construction of the new airport. The only portion which remains is the hillock at the southern tip now called Scenic Hill, formerly Pak Sha Tsui. The villages of Ha Law Wan and Kwo Lo Wan originally lay in bays to the north. Little is known about the history of these villages, but both areas were inhabited by longstanding farming communities (Meacham 1994)
Ngong Ping
There is no record of habitation at Ngong Ping prior to the construction of the first buildings associated with the Po Lin Monastery. The area to the west of the village and monastery, where the cable car terminus is proposed, can be seen even on an aerial photograph as recent as 1993 to be unutilised (Figure 9.4). However, there are references to cultivation of tea on the southern slopes of Lantau Peak in the late 1880s and 1890s. Hayes records an interview with a Tung Chung woman born in 1879 who picked tea at plantations in that area as a child. The plantations were apparently run by Chinese from outside the island (Hase, Hayes and Lu 1986).
Po Lin Monastery
The Po Lin or ‘precious lotus’ monastery was founded in 1905 by three monks. Prior to this the area was uninhabited. The monastery was officially inaugurated in 1928 (Rodwell). Original buildings associated with the monastery were simple hermitages built between 1909 and the 1930s; they were later replaced by new buildings including the Po Lin Monastery which opened in 1970. Today the monastery complex contains numerous religious buildings, residential units and associated shops and restaurants.
The AIA comprised the following tasks:
(1) Study of the geology and geomorphology of all areas to be impacted by the proposed works;
(2) Examination of aerial photographs and maps to identify original landforms and past land use;
(3) Assessment of impacts which could arise from the various proposed works;
(4) Design of mitigation measures where required.
Assessment of Archaeological Potential
Based on tasks (1) and (2) above, the archaeological potential of areas which will be directly impacted by works is as follows:
(a) Tung Chung Terminus and Tower 1
Construction will take place on reclamation.
No archaeological potential.
(b) Airport Angle Station and Towers 2A and 2B
These proposed works are located on the southern end of Airport Island, at the south of Scenic Hill. The areas to be impacted are on heavily modified and reclaimed land associated with construction of the Airport.
No archaeological potential.
(c) Towers 3-7, Emergency Rescue Trail and Nei Lak Shek station
Construction will take place on the southern hill slopes of Nei Lak Shan at heights ranging between 300 and 420 m. PD. The steep slopes are not suitable for settlement and there is no record of occupation or cultivation.
No archaeological potential.
(d) Ngong Ping Terminus
The terminus at Ngong Ping will be situated at a height of approximately 440m on a plateau of alluvial deposits. Prior to the founding of the monastery in the early 20th c. no settlement at this location is recorded.
No archaeological potential.
Assessment of Potential Impacts on Archaeological Resources
There will be no direct impacts on any areas with archaeological potential (Table 9.1). All areas are either reclaimed or at very high elevations.
Table 9.1 Assessment of impacts from works on potential archaeological Resources
|
Proposed Works |
Types of Associated Impacts |
Potential impacts on archaeological
resources |
|
Tung Chung Terminus |
Site formation and construction |
None |
|
Ngong Ping Terminus |
Site formation and construction |
None |
|
Airport Angle Station |
Site formation and construction |
None |
|
Support Pylons 1, 2A and 2B |
Excavation |
None |
|
Support Pylons 3-7 and Nei Lak Shan Angle
Station |
Excavation |
None |
|
Emergency Rescue Trail |
Surface modification and laying of
concrete |
None |
No mitigation is required as there will be no impacts on areas of archaeological potential.
The scope of the BHIA included land within all works areas, for the termini, turning stations, towers and the emergency access path and areas within close proximity to them, including the Po Lin monastery and Ngong Ping, which were highlighted by the AMO for inclusion in the assessment.
Desk based research indicated that there were no structures within the works area associated with the project and that the only potential built heritage features within 200 metres of the project boundary were those highlighted by the Antiquities and Monuments Office at the Po Lin Monastery and Ngong Ping. As this is a very well documented site, a collective recording methodology was adopted, where major features and representative structures were mapped, described and photographed.
The field survey confirmed that the only heritage resources within 200 metres of the project boundary were indeed those associated with the Po Lin Monastery and structures in Ngong Ping. At this distance, there will be no direct impacts to any of the structures and any adverse indirect impacts will be minimal, hence, the resources were recorded collectively and will be assessed as such. The Po Lin Monastery consists of a large number of religious buildings. There are also shops and restaurants spread around the area. The settlement of Ngong Ping is not a traditional village and grew up as a result of the establishment of the nearby monastery. The structures include a number of religious and residential buildings of various dates and styles.
A map of the compound and associated structures in Ngong Ping, with the locations of the main features is provided in Figure 9.5, which also shows the location of the Monastery in relation to the alignment and works area. Photographs of these features are provided in Figures 9.6 to 9.8. The specific features are as follows; the Hall of the Main Hero and the Arhan Temple (A), the Welto Temple (B), the Di Tan (C), the Main Gate (D) and the Big Buddha Statue (E). Examples of typical structures found in Ngong Ping are shown in photographs on Figure 9.8 and 9.9 and the locations are shown on Figure 9.5, examples, (F and G).
There will be no direct impacts associated with either the construction or operational phase of the project, as there were no recorded resources in either of the termini works areas or any of the works areas of the towers and turning stations or along the alignment of the emergency access path. The following indirect impacts were assessed for both the construction and operational phases for Po Lin and Ngong Ping (Table 9.2 and 9.3);
(1) Possible vibration damage associated with construction works
(2) Visual and aesthetic impacts on heritage resources;
(3) Restriction of access to temples and shrines and potential interference with cultural activities at Po Lin Monastery;
Table 9.2 Impact Assessment for the Construction Phase
|
Resource |
Minimum Distance to Alignment or Works
Area |
Impact Assessment |
|
Po Lin Monastery and Ngong Ping
(religious and associated buildings) |
200 m |
There will no adverse vibration impacts
associated with the proposed project as all works areas are located at a
sufficient distance from the monastery and associated structures; There will no adverse visual or aesthetic
impacts associated with the proposed project as all works areas are located
at a sufficient distance from the monastery and associated structures and are
separated from them by wooded areas; There will no adverse access and usage
impacts associated with the proposed project as all works areas are located
at a sufficient distance from the monastery and associated structures; |
Table 9.3 Impact Assessment for the Operational Phase
|
Resource |
Minimum Distance to Alignment or Works
Area |
Impact Assessment |
|
Po Lin Monastery and Ngong Ping
(religious and associated structures) |
200 m |
There will be no adverse visual or
aesthetic impacts associated with the proposed project as all works areas are
located at a sufficient distance from the monastery and associated structures
and are separated from them by wooded areas; The operation of the cable car will not adversely
affect the accessibility of the monastery and associated structures |
There will be no adverse impacts to the Po Lin Monastery or associated structures during either the construction or operational phases and no mitigation measures will be required.
These resources include historical terracing, for both agricultural and slope management functions, field patterns and traditional track ways as well as fung shui features, such as ponds, woods and lines.
The alignment and works areas and areas in close proximity to them, as well as two fung shui features, highlighted by the Antiquities and Monuments Office were assessed through site inspection where possible and aerial photographs, when access was not possible.
No historical land use patterns were identified in the field scan of the works area of the Ngong Ping terminus or along the portions of the alignment that were accessible. The Tung Chung terminus site is located on recent reclamation and was, thus, not surveyed. The portions of the alignment located on very steep hill slopes were assessed through aerial photographs and no features were identified.
There are two fung shui features in the area of the proposed cable car alignment (Figure 9.1).
· ”Elephant’s Trunk”
This fung shui feature lies on the coast, east of Tin Sam, Kau Liu and San Tau villages. It plays an important role in the fung shui system of Lantau, being the anchor for many lines in the area.
The proposed cable car alignment will not pass over the feature, running approx. 450 m to the east south east.
· “Dragon’s Back”
The “Dragon’s Back” fung shui line runs from the upper slopes of Nei Lak Shan, down the mountain spine to the west of Kau Liu. The proposed turning station and T5 and T6 are located in the vicinity of the fung shui line and care should be taken during the final design stage and construction not to impinge on or bisect the fung shui feature.
Table 9.4 Assessment of Impacts and Mitigation Recommendations for Cultural Landscape Features
|
Feature |
Mitigation recommendations |
|
“Elephant’s
Trunk” |
None, as the feature lies at a sufficient
distance from the proposed alignment |
|
“Dragon’s Back” |
Precautions during final design and
construction to avoid bisecting the line |
Field investigations were undertaken to identify the presence of any pre World War II / Clan graves in the Study Corridor or within 25 m of either side of the alignment. A grave survey was conducted which is described below.
Information on graves was collected in the field through on-site surveys and interviews with local informants. Aerial photographs and topographical maps were used to identify the presence of graves.
The resources were surveyed and assessed on an individual basis. However, modern graves, which show the construction date to be recent, were not included in the assessment. The survey consisted of a field evaluation incorporating the collection of photographic, oral and written information, on the condition and history of structures to be impacted by the proposed works. This information was recorded on specially designed forms. These forms were designed to provide a complete documentation of all identifiable pre-war /clan graves. Renovation and relocation, as well as historical attributes, such as associations with local families or prominent personages are documented on the forms. The recording forms also include a photograph of the grave, the family it belongs to, a brief description, including its dimensions.
A single grave was recorded during the survey. The recording form for the grave can be found in Figure 9.9 and the location of the grave is highlighted on the map in Figure 9.5.
Table 9.5 For the Recorded Grave at Ngong Ping
|
Grave
Ref. # |
Impact |
Distance/
Orientation |
Intervening
landscape |
Assessment |
|
TCCC-02-G01 |
Ngong
Ping terminus Turning
station 7 Emergency
access path |
75
m (towards) 100
m (away
from) 30
m (parallel) |
Scrub,
woodland Scrub Scrub
|
There
will no adverse impacts to the grave in either the construction or
operational phases as the grave is located at a sufficient distance from the
works areas, structures and path. |
There will be no adverse impacts associated with either phase of the project and no mitigation measures will be required.
The area around and including the Tung Chung Valley has a long and fascinating history, which should be capitalized upon when the proposed Cable Car is designed. People are known to have been living in the area for as long as 5000 years. Prehistoric finds were retrieved from San Tau and Sha Tsui Tau and Ma Wan Chung A number of sites from early historical periods including the Song, Tang and Ming Dynasties have also been identified at Sha Tsui Tau, Ma Wan Chung, Ha Law Wan and San Tau. While these sites do not contain any visible features, their presence can still be used to highlight the history of the area.
A number of built heritage features exist which have potential for cultural heritage tourism.
In Tung Chung:
· the Tung Chung Fort and Battery;
· the game board rock carving;
· Fu Dei Wan kiln relocated at Tung Chung; and
· the Ha Law Wan kiln complex;
· the Hau Wong Temple; and
· historical villages to the south of the new town.
In the Tung Chung valley:
· historical villages;
· the Lo Hon Monastery and Fong Yuen Nunnery; and
· and the Yuen Tan Temple in Shek Mun Kap.
West of the Cable Car alignment:
· historical village of San Tau;
· traditional hill slope rice terrace; and
· the Elephant’s Trunk and Dragon’s Back fung shui features.
And at Ngong Ping:
· Po Lin Monastery;
· many associated temples, shrines and statues;
· The Statue of Buddha; and
· traditional tea cultivation landscape.
In order to maximize this potential it is recommended that the
following be included in the planning and design of the Cable Car:
The development of the Tung Chung Cable Car offers a unique opportunity to present the culture and history of the area to both local and overseas visitors. It should be emphasised that the cable car project is one that will be beneficial to the heritage of the area and that the majority of the impacts can be seen to be positive.
· The design of pamphlets regarding archaeological and built heritage sites to visit at both ends of the cable car journey, including self-guided tours through imperial fortifications of Tung Chung, nearby historical villages and environs and the religious landscape at Ngong Ping;
· Planning of a network of tourist heritage trails with signs and information boards;
· Cultural heritage information displayed inside the cable cars highlighting vistas over the cultural landscape;
· Design of a training programme for local tour guides to ensure that a complete and informed narrative is presented to visitors to the Cable Car and sites in the area;
· Design and implementation of a Tourism Management Plan for Ngong Ping. The construction of the Cable Car will greatly increase the number of visitors to the religious site, at the same time increasing pressures on the services, infrastructure and religious values of the complex. In order to ensure sustainable tourism use of the site, it is recommended that professional input be sought regarding visitor routing, site carrying capacity and other important co modification issues.
Antiquities and Monument Office files
Geotechnical Engineering Office aerial photograph library
Hase, P.H., J.W. Hayes and K.C. Lu 1986. Traditional Tea Growing in the New Territories. In RAS, vol.24: 264 – 281.
Langford, R.L. et al 1995. Geology of Lantau District. Hong Kong Geological Survey Memoir No. 6, Geotechnical Engineering Office: Hong Kong
Lim, Patricia 1997. Discovering Hong Kong’s Cultural Heritage. Oxford University Press: Hong Kong.
Meacham, W. 1994 Archaeological Investigations on Chek Lap Kok Island. Journal Monograph IV, Hong Kong Archaeological Society: Hong Kong
Mott Connell Ltd. 1998. Remaining Development in Tung Chung and Tai Ho Comprehensive Feasibility Study. Historical, Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment. TDD.