Where “Hong Kong in the Sea” and “Hong Kong on the Land” Meet - A Study on the Conservation of Historic Building Clusters in the Ap Lei Chau-Aberdeen-Lamma Island Area: Thematic Research Funded by the Built Heritage Conservation Fund, Development Bureau

The Ap Lei Chau-Aberdeen-Lamma area is a fishing area with historical significance. Evidence indicates that fishing boats gathering along the waterways and religious rituals performed by fishing communities can be traced back to at least 250 years ago. The Hung Shing Temple on Ap Lei Chau, for example, is one of the oldest temples in Hong Kong. Moreover, when the Europeans began to expand to the East, the AAL area attracted Britain’s attention as it provided fresh water supply for the European ships. Under the British colonial rule, the area became important outposts where the colonial government and Western churches established their influence on the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. After WWII, amidst political chaos in South China, the government implemented a series of policies to manage the “fishermen/floating” population and used the AAL area for policy experimentation. Therefore, the history of the AAL area has played a pivotal role to the long-term development of Hong Kong. This study adopts the “point-line-plane” approach which selected 12 architecture which reflects mixed maritime and land-based culture in the region and investigated the historical and architectural significance in three phases.

The final chapter of this report recommends different interpretative means and revitalisation models on various cultural heritage points based on their existing situation. The feasibility of these recommendations is examined in more detail by drawing on some relevant precedent cases both locally and abroad.