Among Hong Kong's gleaming skyscrapers and huge futuristic shopping centers lie pockets of the old city: ancient quarters, historic buildings and preserved streets which offer glimpses of days gone by.
In a cramped city where space is at a premium, however, many of these neighborhoods are under threat from developers keen on cannibalizing old properties for new projects.
But a dedicated effort by residents, politicians and architects has all but managed to save one of the city's oldest neighborhoods from the wrecking ball in a campaign which is being watched by residents of other zones earmarked for redevelopment.
Lee Tung Street in the Wan Chai district is better known as Wedding Card Street because it has been home to the city's wedding invitation printing shops for as long as anyone can remember.
There's hardly a sign in English on the shops along some of its side streets, in the heart of the former red-light district made famous in the film that was based on the book, The World of Suzie Wong.
Almost every property has a traditional mini-Buddhist temple at which offerings are burnt or laid.
While other areas have given in to the redevelopers, stakeholders in Wedding Card Street have fought back. And they have won a major victory.
After residents, local politicians and architects attacked the redevelopment plan, fearing century-old Wan Chai could be in danger of losing its unique character, the government has agreed to think again.
"We are currently reviewing our situation, said Urbab Renewal Authority (URA) spokesman Leo Law, following uproar caused by the redevelopment proposal.
"We will continue to meet with the shop operators as well as the local community. There are two more years before we need to demolish the buildings so we will have enough time for consultation."
Ada Wong Ying-kay, chairman of Wan Chai District Council, welcomed the review.
"A lot of Hong Kong people don't think history is important -- they want everything new," said Wong.
"But people in the foreign countries, they like historic buildings ... we have different values here," she added.
"I agree urban renewal is important otherwise the inner city would be at risk of becoming a slum but we must also preserve the unique and cultural character of Hong Kong."
The URA, established in 2002 to regenerate the shabbier parts of the city, is one of the preservationists' greatest concerns.
With a war chest of HK$3.58 billion (US$461 million), its brief has been to attract private investment to the city's crumbling districts and bring renewed vigor to the down-at-heel neighborhoods that sit alongside the towering modern edifices.
Admittedly many of the zones earmarked for redevelopment desperately need help: rats often swarm the streets, roads are cracked and pot-holed and businesses are leaving in droves.
But the government's broad-brush approach threatens to sweep away some architectural and cultural gems which preservationists believe would be of more benefit renovated rather than destroyed.
"Hong Kong needs a proper heritage-protection policy," said Wong Wah-sang, associate professor in the Department of Architecture in the University of Hong Kong, and the chairman of Urban Watch, a non-profit organization that was set up to observe and care for the city's urban
environment.
"Conserving our heritage does not only give cultural and tourism value, it also helps educate young people and helps them understand the history of Hong Kong."
Johnston Road, not far from Wedding Card Street in northern Wan Chai, is one place where history looks set to disappear.
Under threat, in particular, are five fine pre-war buildings with special character, including a row of four Cantonese terrace-style buildings and a four-story shophouse building in nearby Ship Street.
But residents seem resigned to change in the crowded street, where trams rumble past old pawn shops, Western fast-food stores, mobile phone shops and old-style market stalls.
"When something gets old, it should be replaced, otherwise the whole city will become a slum," said the owner of Wo Cheung Pawn Shop, which recently moved across the street to make way for the demolition men.
"If you are given a good sum of money, why wouldn't you move out?"
In the March 9 edition of the Taipei Times a piece by Ninon Godefroy ran with the headine “The quiet, gentle rhythm of Taiwan.” It started with the line “Taiwan is a small, humble place. There is no Eiffel Tower, no pyramids — no singular attraction that draws the world’s attention.” I laughed out loud at that. This was out of no disrespect for the author or the piece, which made some interesting analogies and good points about how both Din Tai Fung’s and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) meticulous attention to detail and quality are not quite up to
April 21 to April 27 Hsieh Er’s (謝娥) political fortunes were rising fast after she got out of jail and joined the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in December 1945. Not only did she hold key positions in various committees, she was elected the only woman on the Taipei City Council and headed to Nanjing in 1946 as the sole Taiwanese female representative to the National Constituent Assembly. With the support of first lady Soong May-ling (宋美齡), she started the Taipei Women’s Association and Taiwan Provincial Women’s Association, where she
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) hatched a bold plan to charge forward and seize the initiative when he held a protest in front of the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office. Though risky, because illegal, its success would help tackle at least six problems facing both himself and the KMT. What he did not see coming was Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (將萬安) tripping him up out of the gate. In spite of Chu being the most consequential and successful KMT chairman since the early 2010s — arguably saving the party from financial ruin and restoring its electoral viability —
It is one of the more remarkable facts of Taiwan history that it was never occupied or claimed by any of the numerous kingdoms of southern China — Han or otherwise — that lay just across the water from it. None of their brilliant ministers ever discovered that Taiwan was a “core interest” of the state whose annexation was “inevitable.” As Paul Kua notes in an excellent monograph laying out how the Portuguese gave Taiwan the name “Formosa,” the first Europeans to express an interest in occupying Taiwan were the Spanish. Tonio Andrade in his seminal work, How Taiwan Became Chinese,
RSS