Free heritage from material-based conservation : investigating how community museum could create ground for interactive communication for the community

Abstract

The Ping Shan Heritage Trail is the oldest heritage trail among the five established heritage trails in Hong Kong. With its rich resource of historical architecture and village culture, Ping Shan Heritage Trail has attracted many visitors since its inauguration on 12 December 1993. Today, it is one of the top attractions in Yuen Long district. However, there are some concerns over recent conflicts and weaknesses of trail management. The living heritage approach with its emphasis on community-based conservation was developed by ICCROM in early 2000. Its objectives were aimed at retaining and sustaining the original relationship between the core community with their heritage, under the premise of treating the community as an inseparable part of the heritage. This thesis, therefore, will study the effectiveness and feasibility for a participatory management and interpretation approach with the introduction of a new community museum; the aim of which is to help resolve the problems of the current heritage trail and improve existing infrastructure. This proposed trail will make for better living environment for the community as well as a better cultural experience for future visitors. Through research, surveys, and interviews, this paper compares two heritage sites, the Ping Shan Heritage Trail and the Shijia Hutong Community Museum. Commonalities and differences between the two are studied to summarize the strengths and weaknesses of proposing a community museum in the Ping Shan Heritage Trail. It is hoped that identifying these would result in promoting this new heritage management strategy not only in Ping Shan but also how it would affect the field of heritage conservation as a whole.