Antiquities Advisory Board and Antiquities and Monuments Office

The Antiquities and Monuments Office continued its task of preserving Hong Kong's heritage and promoting public awareness of it through various educational and extension projects in 2006.

The Antiquities Advisory Board has 21 appointed members and advises the Government on sites and structures that merit protection by declaring them monuments and about other matters related to antiquities and monuments.

In 2006, the office carried out restoration and repair work on a number of historical buildings, including the Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall and Tin Hau Temple in Lung Yeuk Tau, Fanling, Leung Ancestral Hall in Pat Heung and Tang Ancestral Hall in Ping Shan. The office also provided technical support to the privately-funded restoration work on the Liu Ying Lung Study Hall in Sheung Shui, which won Honourable Mention of the 2006 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation.

In 2006, rescue archaeological excavations were conducted in Lam Tei, Tuen Mun and Cheung Shue Tan, Tai Po before the sites were developed. Artefacts dating back to the prehistoric period and the Qing dynasty were recovered at these places respectively. Similar operations were carried out at Sai Kung, Tuen Mun, Cheung Chau, and Lamma Island to prevent the underground archaeological remains there from being damaged during the development of village houses at those sites.

Some of the facilities at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre in Kowloon Park, opened in October 2005, include the exhibition gallery, reference library and lecture hall. Major exhibitions held in the centre in 2006 included the 'Cartographic Survey of Historic Buildings', 'Transforming Our Community' and 'Preserving Hong Kong's Archaeological and Built Heritage'. A permanent exhibition of Hong Kong's archaeological and built heritage is expected to open by early 2008.

Two electronic database systems are being developed to store heritage information. The Heritage Virtual Tour Programme will provide a panoramic view of 60 historic buildings and sites across Hong Kong. Building of the system is expected to be completed in 2007. The Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Architectural Information System, which maintains a database of about 200 traditional Chinese villages and buildings in Hong Kong, will be launched in late 2007.

The conversion of the Old Ping Shan Police Station, a Grade III historic building into the Ping Shan Tang Clan Gallery-cum-Heritage Trail Visitors Centre is progressing well. The centre is expected to open in April 2007.

Lord Wilson Heritage Trust

The Lord Wilson Heritage Trust was established in 1992, following the enactment of an ordinance bearing the same name. It aims to promote the preservation and conversation of Hong Kong's heritage. During the year, the trust granted around $3.5 million to support 13 heritage-related activities and research projects. Since the launch of the Lord Wilson Scholarship Scheme in 2005, the trust has awarded scholarships to one research fellow and one post-graduate student to carry out research projects on local archaeology.

The two awardees started their researches in 2006 and the research fellow conducted three public lectures as required under the scheme.