Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier
Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier | |
---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin | Àidīngbǎo Guǎngchǎng Dùlún Mǎtóu |
Yue: Cantonese | |
Jyutping | (ng)oi3 ding1 bou2 gwong2 coeng4 dou6 leon4 maa5 tau4 |
Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier, often referred to as the "Star Ferry" Pier, was a
The pier was the central flashpoint of the
History
The entire waterfront where the "third generation" pier was situated was created in the late 1950s following a major
The Star Ferry Pier was designed by a local Chinese architect, Hung Yip Chan (born in 1921). He worked in the Architectural Office (AO) of the Hong Kong Government from 1952 to 1957 as an assistant architect. He designed the façade of the pier, and the Chief Architect, Michael Wright, added the Clock Tower to make the pier more balanced and practical.
The chimes of the turret clock installed at the pier marked every quarter-hour since the pier's inauguration in 1957. The clock was a gift from John Keswick, who had in turn received it from the Prince of Belgium.[1] The mechanism was manufactured by British company Edward John Dent, which also provided the mechanical signature to "Big Ben" of London.[5]
There is a major bus terminus on the Kowloon side, which is conveniently situated close to the Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier. Thousands of residents passed through this principal gateway to Hong Kong Island from the Kowloon Peninsula daily from 1957 until 2006. However, the inauguration of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel in 1972 popularised vehicular travel across the harbour and reduced the flow of passengers.[1] From 1972 to 2006, the ferry was still used by many as the shortest route from Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) to Central District, and a daily average of 74,000 passenger trips were made across the harbour in 2004.[6]
On the island side, various New World First Bus and Citybus bus routes as well as public light buses connected to many destinations on Hong Kong Island.
Relocation
The plan to relocate the Central Ferry Piers dates back to July 1999, when proposed amendments to the draft Central District (Extension) Outline Zoning Plan covering the Central Reclamation III area were published. Both the third generation Star Ferry Pier and Queen's Pier would be demolished and 16 hectares of land directly in front of the fourth-generation pier reclaimed to make way for a six-lane road and a low-rise shopping centre. The cost was estimated at HK$3.5 billion.[7] The Government said that the historical significance of the third-generation pier would be recognised and promised to recreate the landmark on the new waterfront.[8]
In 2001, an impact assessment for the Central Reclamation recommended the relocation of the Star Ferry Pier, and this was approved by the Antiquities Advisory Board in 2002.[1][4]
Demolition
3D Laser Scanning Technology in digital recording of structures was applied to capture three-dimensional images of the pier before the demolition.[9]
Following the pier's decommissioning on 12 November 2006, demolition work started amidst protests. The demolition was originally scheduled for the early part of 2007, but demolition was brought forward by 3 months, to 12 December 2006. The government ignored a nonbinding motion in September in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong urging it to retain the pier and clock tower.[10]
The demolition crew took control of the site by erecting scaffolding on 6 December 2006, and demolition commenced on 12 December.[4] Workers took down the clock mechanism and clock face, leaving a gaping hole, and then proceeded to lift the clock tower off in one piece. After the protesters had been dispersed, the remainder of the pier was completely dismantled, away from the glare of publicity.[11][12]
Controversy
Although the scale of the phase 3 reclamation in Central was cut back from 32 to 18 hectares, the fate of the piers was sealed by the reclamation.
Consultants who prepared the Environmental Impact Assessment report in 2001 for the Central reclamation noted the pier's significant role in Hong Kong's transport history.[1] The Government was warned that a public backlash could be expected when the full implications of the reclamation were known.[7]
The Pier, especially its clock tower, is a visually important landmark in Hong Kong. It is an eye-catching icon within the beautiful Hong Kong Harbour particularly for tourists and locals crossing it via Star Ferries from Tsim Sha Tsui. It is a must on their itinerary. No other ferry pier along the harbour could possibly perform such a symbolic function as this clocktower pier. The removal of the Star Ferry Pier to Piers 4–7 leading to its destruction would likely raise public objection and dismay.[1]
— Chan Sui San, Peter, A survey report of Historical Buildings and Structures within the Project Area of the Central Reclamation Phase III"
However, the Government had maintained that the Pier and its tower was not old enough to be classified as "historical" and that people were not necessarily "concerned about the building itself".[10] To some extent, it was not wrong, since the activists were mainly fighting for the preservation of a public place and against the methods and urban planning policies of its government, perceived to favour business interests over the public interest. The struggle to preserve the Star Ferry and, later, the Queen's Pier, was the occasion to raise questions on Hong Kong's history, the question of colonialism, and that of democracy in the HKSAR.[14]
The Government had grossly underestimated the very strong public sentiment about this 49-year-old landmark in the "collective memory" of Hong Kong residents. By its own retrospective admission, it lacked legitimacy: a Government spokesman conceded that the it had failed to gain the moral high ground.[15]
Loss of convenience
Ferry passengers would face a lengthier trek to reach the new pier.[7] By relocating the new piers 300 m away, it is estimated that the Star Ferry could lose perhaps 13 per cent or more of passengers due to its inconvenience.[16] On the Tsim Sha Tsui side of the harbour, the proposed relocation of the bus terminus which acts as a feeder for the ferry is forecast to further reduce passenger numbers by one-fifth.[6]
This loss, totalling one-third of its passengers, would translate into revenue loss of some HK$17 million per annum for Star Ferry.[6]
Architectural importance
Architects and conservationists
State of the clock
One reason cited by the Government against the relocation of the turret clock and tower was that an expert feasibility study advised that there was "no guarantee the clock and chimes would continue to work after relocation, due to their age and obsolete components".[21] However, Neil Brennon Wright of Thwaites & Reed, the world's longest operating clockmaking firm, who arrived from England on 18 December 2006 to examine the clock, said that his firm had restored far worse.[5]
The Government promised that it would "rebuild" the chimes of the clock, complete with the restitution of the original clock faces and mechanism at some nearby location.[20]
Public sentiment
The public outcry, anticipated by the consultancy report for the Antiquities and Monuments Office, was to become reality.[1] With the imminent threat of demolition, the local community rallied to save pier, to widespread media coverage. In the weeks running up to the cessation of service from the pier, thousands of Hong Kong residents arrived to post banners and other messages in support of retention.
There were some 150,000 nostalgic visitors to the Pier and harbour crossing on the night of 11 November 2006. To mark the special occasion, Star Ferry hosted a "last ride" before the pier was closed-down, with the last four ferries leaving this pier on the stroke of midnight.[22] Eighteen hundred Hongkongers willingly paid up $88 (40 times the normal fare) for the last ride, whose proceeds were designated for charity.[16]
Protest movement
On 19 November 2006, the
Further spurred by the start of demolition on the afternoon of 12 December 2006, more protesters started gathering spontaneously after workers removed the bell and the clock face from the tower, leaving a big hole. Activists, including "Long Hair"
In addition to the public,
The demolition drew widespread condemnation from the public, legislators, and conservationists, all of whom claimed the government action was contrary to the wishes of the public.[25] Legco members tabled motions to immediately halt the demolition, pending further consultation. The Government denied a last-minute reprieve, reiterating that there has been "adequate consultation", and forged ahead with demolition. The Conservancy Association claimed it made its objection known in 1996 when Government proposed to construct a temporary road through the Edinburgh Place and that the Government has never consulted the public regarding demolition of the pier, or the adjacent Queen's Pier.[17]
After the demolition of the pier, the government said that it would consider the memories of the citizens and not the historic value of the building/structure before demolishing it.
Conservationists vowed to take the fight to Queen's Pier, and a number of other historical sites threatened with a similar fate.
Demonstration timeline
- August 2006, a group of local artists subsequently known as "We Are Society" and patronised by Para/Site member Kith Tsang Tak-ping started carrying out shows and setting up installations on the premises of the Star Ferry Pier in an attempt to heighten people's awareness.
- 19 November 2006, pressure groups met at pier to collect petition signatures; protesters began sit-in at the pier.[3][18]
- 6 December 2006, demolition workers broke through a human chain of peaceful protesters and erected scaffolding around the site.[4]
- 12 December 2006, site occupied by demonstrators determined to stop demolition.[23]
- 13 December 2006, demolition resumed after all demonstrators were forcibly removed from the site by police, despite protesters remaining outside.[30]
- 14 December 2006, 200 people attended a candlelight vigil to mark the pier's 49th anniversary; activists again broke through a police cordon to retake the building.[31] 13 protesters were detained in the early hours of the morning
- 15 December 2006, Government vows to get tough against protesters and accelerates demolition by carrying on work overnight; the clock tower is lifted off in one piece and taken off-site. A group of 20 students start a 49-hour sit-in hunger strike at midnight, one hour to represent each year of the pier's existence.[11][12][32]
- 17 December 2006, 200 people marched on the Government Headquarters demanding to see the Chief Executive; violent scuffles broke out; Conservationists vow to take the fight to Queen's Pier.[32]
- 18 December 2006, legislators incensed at a volte-face by the demolition company who recanted on selling the remains to conservationists and by suggestion that the clock tower may be used as landfill, demanded to know the whereabouts of the remains.
- 19 December 2006, newspapers published interviews of witnesses who claim to have seen the old clock tower being broken up at the building waste landfill in Tuen Mun.
- 11 May 2007, harbour protester Ho Loy convicted of criminal damage for having slashed the canvas surrounding the demolition works on 12 December 2006 and ordered to pay $800 in compensation.[33]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Chan Sui San Peter, "EIA: A survey report of Historical Buildings and Structures within the Project Area of the Central Reclamation Phase III", HK Government, February 2001
- ^ "Star Ferry fare increases provoke riots", Hong Kong Commercial Daily, 4 April 2005 (in Chinese)
- ^ a b c ""keep the ferry pier" says veteran protester"[permanent dead link], Apple Daily, 27 November 2007 (in Chinese)
- ^ a b c d Donald Asprey " "Attempts to save old pier losing steam" Archived 22 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 7 December 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2006
- ^ a b Donald Asprey, "Ferry clock may yet chime again" Archived 15 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 19 December 2006. Retrieved 19 December 2006
- ^ a b c Leslie Kwoh, "Pier relocation spells gloom, says Star Ferry" Archived 22 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 13 May 2006
- ^ a b c Keith Wallis, "Harbour reclamation plans gathering pace" Archived 22 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 31 July 2000
- ^ Agence-France Presse, "Star Ferry pier to keep clock" Archived 22 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 13 April 2000
- ^ "How surveyors use 3D Laser Scanning Technology in digital recording of structures" Archived 29 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, 17 January 2007
- ^ a b Leslie Kwoh, "Early demolition for old Star Ferry pier" Archived 22 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 15 November 2006
- ^ a b Donald Asprey, "Tough action warning on pier" Archived 21 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 16 December 2006, 16 December 2006
- ^ a b Chloe Lai, "Clock tower may be used as landfill for reclamation", South China Morning Post, 17 December 2006
- ^ "Central Reclamation Phase III – Project History" Archived 5 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine, Civil Engineering & Development Dept.
- ^ Pierre Martin, Hong Kong: cultural heritage, activism and decolonization (school work, in French language) https://www.scribd.com/doc/34335050/Pierre-Martin-Hong-Kong-patrimoine-activisme-et-decolonisation-Hong-Kong-cultural-heritage-activism-and-decolonization ;
- ^ Carrie Chan, "New policy aims will lead heritage debate" Archived 22 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 10 May 2007
- ^ a b Ng Tze-wei, "Not even HK's storied Star Ferry can face down developers", International Herald Tribune, 10 November 2006
- ^ a b "Preservation of Star Pier and Queen's Pier", The Conservancy Association, 18 December 2006
- ^ a b c d Leslie Kwoh, "United front in pier drive" Archived 22 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 20 November 2006
- ^ Leslie Kwoh,"Ferry terminal a step closer to history" Archived 15 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 30 August 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2006
- ^ a b Diana Lee, "Harbor option for Queen's Pier" Archived 22 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 4 May 2007
- ^ "New Star Ferry Piers to open in November" Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, 19 December 2006, Hong Kong Government. Retrieved 19 December 2006
- ^ South China Morning Post, 17 December 2006
- ^ a b c Donald Asprey, "Protesters storm ferry site" Archived 15 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 13 December 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2006
- S2CID 54956756.
- ^ Vaudine England, "Hong Kong wakes up to heritage", BBC News, 4 December 2006. Retrieved 18 December 2006
- ^ Ng Kang-chung & Danny Mok, "Front line in preservation battle switches to Queen's Pier", South China Morning Post, 18 December 2006
- ^ Michael DeGolyer,"Commentary": The power of the people Archived 13 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 4 January 2007
- ^ Chou, Oliver & Lai, Chloe (5 September 2010). "War of words" South China Morning Post
- ^ "Emanciper la ville et le citoyen: le mouvement civique urbain hongkongais", Monde chinois n° 24, "Médias & pouvoir en Chine", Hiver 2010–2011 [1] (in French)
- ^ Donald Asprey, "Standoff at old ferry pier turns nasty" Archived 22 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 14 December 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2006
- ^ Tonny Chan "Protesters retake Star Ferry tower" Archived 21 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 15 December 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2006
- ^ a b Jonathan Cheng, "Pier battle throws light on landmarks" Archived 14 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard (Hong Kong), 18 December 2006. Retrieved 18 December 2006
- ^ "Pier activist found guilty of damage" South China Morning Post, 12 May 2007, page C1
External links
- Our Star Ferry (in Chinese)
22°17′1″N 114°9′37.5″E / 22.28361°N 114.160417°E