The spirit of a forgotten urban village : the cultural mapping of Cha Kwo Ling Main Street, Cha Kwo Ling Village, Hong Kong to establish its spirit of place

Abstract

Urban villages are the villages located at the urban fringe or engulfed by the metropolitan areas as a result of rapid urban development. Being encapsulated by developed districts nearby in Kowloon East, Hong Kong, Cha Kwo Ling Village is one of these urban villages. Since the Hakka’s settlement in the 18th century, Cha Kwo Ling Village has been developing its unique character, traditions and culture. With the surrounding places being urbanized over the years, the village still retains much of its original appearance and is regarded as one of the last remaining urban villages in Hong Kong. It is a time capsule of the by-gone years of Cha Kwo Ling. Recently, it is announced in the government policy that the Cha Kwo Ling Village is to be demolished and replaced by public housing developments. There is an urgent need to document this distinctive urban village, which has been forgotten by the majority of the public. With the employment of desktop study, site inspections and interviews with relevant stakeholders, this dissertation intends to study the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the village by using cultural mapping, so as to determine the heritage values and the character-defining elements of the place as the means of establishing the spirit of place of the village. It is hoped that, with the findings of this dissertation, the spirit of place of Cha Kwo Ling Village can be identified and documented for the next generation. Ultimately, this research also aims at providing insights and serves as an important documentation for the government to consider in the coming redevelopment plan on Cha Kwo Ling Village.