Saving hill 255 : formulating conservation and management guidelines for Shing Mun Redoubt

Abstract

Military heritage is heavily associated with the history and setting of our city, they represented battles and memories that shape the city and what we now are. In Hong Kong, most of these heritages are related to the World War II and scattered throughout Hong Kong Island and the New Territories. Their significances are clearly seen yet they received little protection or management, not to mention the lack of a proper assessment and management guidelines for particular heritage type. A lot of these features are left abandoned along the coastline or in country parks, only a few could receive revitalizations such as the Lei Yue Mun Fort which turns into Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence. This paper pointed out a need of such guidelines for military heritage, and through assessing the historical and cultural significance of Shing Mun Redoubt, to formulate a conservation and management guidelines as a reference for future site management purposes. Primary and secondary data are conducted through site observation, peer-reviewed publications, audio and video materials. It is noted the site received certain level of deconstruction shortly after the war, yet it remains largely intact and receive little interventions today other than graffiti and unofficial site interpretation, which is an excellent example of similar feature type in Hong Kong. The site was popular for explorations to understand the history of Hong Kong as hiking to military sites is gaining its popularity these days. However, the Redoubt is currently under structural damages due to environmental deterioration and the lack of management, which would threaten visitors’ safety and damage the cultural significance of the site. There is also a lack of adequate official interpretation, where visitors would have to rely on information provided by enthusiasts which may not be accurate. The paper proposed certain conservation guidelines on repair and protection of the site, followed by a series of management guidelines including regular monitoring and clearing, site interpretation, safety measures, promotion etc. to let the public recognize its importance and understand the need of conserving military heritage, such that these precious cultural heritages would not be abandoned or misused.