Tai Kiu Tsuen: determining the essential character defining elements of a typical village in the NewTerritories

Abstract

Hong Kong is currently facing the insufficient flat supply to cope with the growth of population and foreign investment from mainlanders. Over the past decade, there has been an escalating force to explore the land supply in many village area in the New Territories due to its low land premium to be paid to the Government. While some of the village are located far away from the urban area in Kowloon peninsula and the Hong Kong Island, some of the typical villages in the New Territories, with the benefit of railway development by West Railway, have been drawn developer’s attention to start acquisition of the village area and commence property redevelopment by change of land use through planning application to Town Planning Board.

Yuen Long District, one of the longest history and full of typical villages’ characteristics in Hong Kong, also face the threats and opportunities from local developer. Tai Kiu Tsuen is a typical example to examine how local developers could explore the redevelopment potential of the entire village area and preserve the character defining elements of the village during the current planning and design stage.

The issue of the redevelopment and preservation of the village rest on the effort and contribution mainly from three parties, including the various government departments such as Planning Department and Town Planning Board, Antiquities and Monument Office from Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Lands Department and Buildings Department and various works departments, local developer’s side include the Project Management Team and Conservation Architect Team and the local stakeholders including the indigenous villagers, the neighborhoods and relevant Yuen Long citizens has attachment to the village. The key issue address by this dissertation is that while the redevelopment potential of certain prime village area could be explored and utilized to satisfy the local domestic needs, it is also equally important to preserve the tangible and intangible value of the village. This values should be preserved and passed to next future generation to continue the tradition and customs of Yuen Long District.

The dissertation will focus on Tai Kiu Tsuen in Yuen Long District as a case study. The purpose is to identify the character defining elements of the typical village in the New Territories and its cultural significance. The dissertation also examines the evidential, historical, aesthetical and communal values of Tai Kui Tsuen in the development of Yuen Long District. This research will answer the conservation principles could be adopted in preserving a heritage village in Yuen Long District or New Territories and suggest how to integrate the heritage significance into future property development in order to maintain the significant values, especially communal value, of the village in Yuen Long District or New Territories.