Green island lighthouse compound : the search for the tangible and intangible elements of a Hong Kong maritime heritage and a rediscovery of its cultural heritage significance

Abstract

The Green Island Lighthouse Compound, located on Green Island off the coast of Kennedy Town, faces the west entrance of Victoria Harbour. The two lighthouses in the compound have served thousands of ships entering Hong Kong for almost 150 years, and they have played a vital role in Hong Kong’s maritime history. Today, the compound is completely unmaned, due to the redundancy of the lighthouse keeper with the automation of the one remaining operational lighthouse in the 1970s, and the widespread use of the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) for ship navigation since the 1990s. Since then, the site has largely faded from the memory of the Hong Kong people. In 1988, the government started the Green Island Reclamation Feasibility Study, which planned to reclaim the stretch of waters between Green Island and Kennedy Town for a massive housing development to accommodate a population of 207,000. This ambitious housing plan did include a sort of conservation for the lighthouse compound, as the entire Green Island was designated an “urban fringe park.” In the event, the reclamation was not carried out, and the lighthouse compound was forgotten again. It was not until the launch of the Built Heritage Conservation Policy in 2007 that the compound was brought to the attention of the government, which in 2008 declared the compound a statutory protected monument. Public interest in the compound’s lighthouse heritage then began to grow with media reportage and published academic research. However, the island remains a restricted area due to the on-going automated operation of one of the lighthouses. This keeps the public out from visiting the island, which contradicts the purpose of monument declaration for the enjoyment of the public. Since the Green Island Lighthouse Compound was declared a monument in 2008, the government is obligated to provide financial resources to conserve the site. However, the conservation policy puts too much emphasis on the preservation of the tangible (the built heritage), and has neglected the tangible (the people’s stories). As we understand now that cultural heritage is a combination of the tangible and the intangible, so it is with the combination of these two component that a complete understanding of the significance of the lighthouse heritage can be established. Only then the full picture of the Green Island Lighthouse Compound can be presented to the public for their comprehension and appreciation. Otherwise, the lighthouse compound is meaningless. To quote from Alastair Kerr, professor of the MSc(Conservation), “Built heritage in itself has no meaning; it is the people who ascribe heritage meaning to the built form.” As such, this dissertation aims to find out the cultural heritage significance of the site, and applies the information under the seven principles of The Ename Charter to develop a framework for the interpretation of the tangible and intangible aspects of the Green Island Lighthouse Compound, thereby laying the foundation for the future conservation of this maritime heritage site.