A study of a potential heritage site: the Repulse Bay beach Hong Kong Life Saving Society and seafront garden

Abstract

The Repulse Bay Cultural Landscape can be identified as a “Continuing Landscape” in the UNESCO cultural landscape categories. At the south end of the beach is the Hong Kong Life Saving Society Headquarters, Club House (HKLSS), and seafront Garden, which has evolved over the last fifty odd years. It continues to do so, and is highly acclaimed in Hong Kong for its water safely education and its recognition by the international community. Over the years, the HKLSS placed more than one hundred religiously related (Buddhism, Taoism and Chinese folklore) architectural elements including statues, memorial tablets, and steles, as well as pagoda and pavilion In this seafront Chinese style garden This site is used by a massive number of “stakeholders” including HKLSS members, local residents and tourists, etc. And the place is without proper management and maintenance because of lack of financial and expert support. Also, through lack of social awareness, the condition of some of the structures which may have heritage value is declining disintegrating badly. Because this place was mainly developed from the 50s onward, it is unlikely to be considered as a heritage site by conservation professionals. In order to identify this seafront property’s potential heritage value, the focus of research should be on discovering and recording the heritage value of the place.

My dissertation aims to reveal and explain the physical aspect and related elements-architecture and space- of this seafront property, and the social aspect- achievement- of one of its major stakeholder (The Hong Kong Life Saving Society). I have produced a SWOT Analysis Report and Heritage Assessment (Using the heritage criteria of the Hong Kong Antiquation and Monument office) in order to identify the heritage value of this place, and explain why “Preventive Conservation” is necessary.