In their blood : understanding heritage meanings through the socio-historical experience of Hong Kong's Central police station

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the personal layers of meaning attached to a heritage site, using the case study of Hong Kong’s old Central Police Station (CPS). It is a way to enhance the understanding of the site in a way that goes beyond the scope of ‘official’ records and histories, such as those found in conservation reports, government documents, etc. These documents focus heavily on the significant historical stories attached to the site and the site’s formal architectural qualities as a way to understanding the heritage values of the place. However, this ignores the fact that a site such as the CPS was not built as an historical artefact or as a grand architectural monument. Rather, the CPS had a functional purpose: as a site of work.

This dissertation therefore uncovers the meanings attached to the CPS as a site of work, through an understanding of the socio-historical experiences of the site. This is based on both theoretical and practical research. The theoretical research outlines an overarching theory of ‘heritage place’ – as a result of human interaction with space – as based on the philosophies of Martin Heidegger and Henri Lefebvre, the geographical writings of Carl O. Sauer and Allan Pred, and the cultural heritage theory of Laurajane Smith. This theory is rooted in the phenomenological method, which is founded upon an understanding and description of human experience. The practical component of this dissertation draws upon 10 interviews I conducted with former staff of the CPS, which led me to understand the memories and experiences attached to the site. I then present a synthesis of the theoretical and the practical arms of the research as a way to understand the heritage meanings of the CPS as a living, functional site (not as historical artefact).

Ultimately, the research presented in this dissertation is an attempt to guide conservation thinking in Hong Kong away from static and esoteric understanding of heritage significance as rooted in esoteric and largely impersonal qualities of history and aesthetics, and towards an understanding of heritage significance as rooted in humans’ interactions with their environment.