Joint Program with American Institute of Architects 
ˇ§Seed to Cityˇ¨ ˇV Sheung Wan and Central Tour

In 1841, the British colonial government began developing Hong Kong as an entrepot from the site of present day Sheung Wan, to present day Central.  The ˇ§Seed to Cityˇ¨ morning tour led by Mr. Roger Ho of the Conservancy Association Centre for Heritage was designed to trace Hong Kongˇ¦s early development, as well as the earliest Chinese community within the new city .  A broad cross section of architect members, associate members, guests and members from fellow institutes attended, reflecting the wide appeal of ˇ§Heritage Mayˇ¨ events.

The group started at Western Market in Sheung Wan.  The structure, built in 1906 is a significant monument that was renovated and transformed from a food market to a shopping arcade in 1990.  The guest speakers, Mr. Lam Sair Lung of the ASD and Mr. Ivan Ho pointed out many of its architectural features, such as the polychrome brick masonry, the steel ceiling structure, and the lofty central space and discussed the difficulties and merits of the renovation and adaptive re-use. 

The second stop was the site of the first harbour reclamation at Bonham Strand, which occurred in 1850, far from the current harbourfront and now firmly imbedded within the Sheung Wan urban fabric.  A pass by Possession Point of historic significance, now part of Hollywood Road Park , lends perspective as to where the British landed in 1841, an original waterfront site, and how the city grew from there.

The tour also included a visit to the Tung Wah Hospital area, and the Kwong Fuk Ancestral Hall in particular.  Mr. Roger Ho and his colleagues explained the importance of these institutions in the early years of the colony, and demonstrated the vast importance of the temple to assist a transient urban population that wanted to return ˇ§homeˇ¨ to their villages after death.  Though a small temple, one could still sense the cultural significance of former practice and its importance even today in the community, in relation to its traditional character and architectural form.  However, many of the tour sites are today so divorced from their original functions or geographic significance, and it seems their importance is either marginalized or disregarded by new development context.

After stops at the architecturally distinctive Medical History Museum (formerly the Patholgy Institute), and the Sun Yat Sen Museum (formerly the Ho Tung family home, then the Mormon Church), the recently renovated Kam Tong Hall, the group wound down the hill through the Peel Street market area. 

Mr. Roger Ho gave an impassioned account of the building types, namely shop houses and temples, as well as the significance of street markets in the life of local people and the community in giving the area a distinct and vibrant traditional street character.  While few truly old buildings remain, eg., the Wing Woo Grocery Store, the building types and the street market have continuously thrived in this location for over a hundred years.  This stop provided excellent background to any participants in the Peel and Graham Street Charette as part of the Urban Design Weekend Symposium that followed.

After winding through market streets, the tour proceeded to the last stop via the Central-Mid Levels Escalator to the Central Market, an unusual architectural monument, in that it is a modernist, streamlined style seldom seen in Hong Kong . This rather exhaustive tour ended on an interesting note highlighting the importance of sensitive urban design, so as to value the significance of traditional and cultural heritage in regenerating the city.