This Brief is the first comprehensive coverage of law and policy
intended to protect built heritage in Hong Kong. Although characterized
as a city of skyscrapers and modernity, Hong Kong has a rich cultural
heritage and a surprisingly rich built heritage. The text considers what
"built heritage" means in Hong Kong and what built heritage there is in
Hong Kong. It introduces general readers, practitioners and students to
the issues facing built heritage protection and how such protection
usually develops in a modern city. In particular, it considers the
problems and disputes that provided the focus for development of law and
policy in Hong Kong, especially the legacy of 150 years as a British
colony and the consequent identification as a "borrowed" and "temporary"
place. The Brief considers how effective law and policy has been in
protecting built heritage under the colonial and post-colonial
administrations- their successes and failures. These include the
Kowloon-Canton Railway Station, the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance,
reclamation of Victoria Harbour, violent protests at Queen's Pier, and
the introduction of mandatory heritage impact assessments for government
projects. The text concludes noting recent successes, which may indicate
a brighter future for the protection of Hong Kong's built heritage.