The historic Catholic church in Tai Long
Local media, including BUZZ, have reported many times over the past few years about the delay in giving historic grading to buildings in Ham Tin Village and Tai Long Village in Sai Kung. The Antiquities Advisory Committee met earlier this month (8/9) and finally confirmed the grading of individual buildings in the two villages, including five buildings rated as Grade 2, eleven projects rated as Grade 3, and two that were not rated before will be reviewed by the evaluation team before the rating is determined. The overall historic building rating of the two villages will be determined at the next meeting, on 8 December 2022. Whether an individual building can apply for the Historic Building Maintenance Subsidy Scheme depends on whether the building has been graded.
Ham Tin as seen from the beach
Ham Tin and Tai Long villages have a history of more than 100 years. In the early days, Catholic missionaries preached to the villagers, so most of the villagers in the two villages have been Catholics since the Qing Dynasty. The Catholic Church eventually decided to build a church. There are also schools and nuns’ dormitories in the village. It was pointed out at the meeting that since the heritage values and conditions of individual buildings in the two villages may be different, it is recommended to refer to the grading studies of the Shaw Brothers Studio and the former Central Government Offices to further conduct historical grading of individual buildings in the villages. There are 16 buildings of heritage value in the two villages, including ten in Tai Long Village and six in Ham Tin Village. Some members asked at the meeting why the buildings in Tai Long Village were similar, but some were rated 3 and some were rated 2. The representative of the Antiquities and Monuments Office explained that all projects are graded according to six accreditation criteria. For example, if a building is built later, but its historical value is more important, the rating will be higher. The representative of the Antiquities Office added that the historical value of the village can reflect the hard work of the Hakka people who built the village. In addition, the villagers have a Catholic background, and the layout and atmosphere of the village are dominated by Catholicism. As for some members who questioned whether individual buildings that have not been graded can apply for the Historic Building Maintenance Subsidy Scheme, the representative of the AMO responded that since members agreed to grade individual buildings, only owners of graded buildings can apply for the subsidy in the future. Individual ratings, even if the entire village will be rated at the next meeting, does not mean that the amount of funding can be applied for.
One of the old houses in Ham Tin
The Assessment Panel noted that the proposed grading boundaries for (a) Tai Long and (b) Ham Tin endorsed in 2009 cover the entire villages, including village houses, village setting and the environs of the villages. Noting that the heritage values and condition of individual buildings in the two villages may be varied, it is recommended to further study and assess the historic value of the individual buildings for grading. As such, the following 16 items with heritage values in the two villages, including ten items in Tai Long and six items in Ham Tin, have been identified for study with their respective proposed grading recommended by the Assessment Panel listed below:
Tai Long map
Tai Long
(a) Nos. 13, 14 & 15, Tai Long, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 3)
(b) Nos. 18A, 18B & 18C, Tai Long, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 3)
(c) Yuk Ying School and kitchen, No. 18D and Latrine at the side of No. 18E, Tai Long, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 3)
(d) No. 27, Tai Long, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 3)
(e) No. 29, Tai Long, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 3)
(f) No. 30, Tai Long, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 3)
(g) Nos 30A, Tai Long, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 2)
(h) No. 31, Tai Long, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 3)
(i) Nos. 32 & 33, Tai Long, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 2)
(j) Nos. 34, 35, 36, 37 & 38, Tai Long, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 2)
Ham Tin map
Ham Tin
(k) Nos. 5 & 6, Ham Tin, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 3)
(l) Nos. 7 & 8, Ham Tin, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 3)
(m) No. 9, Ham Tin, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 3)
(n) Nos. 10, 11 & 12, Ham Tin, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 2)
(o) Nos. 14 & 15, Ham Tin, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 2)
(p) Nos. 16 & 17, Ham Tin, Sai Kung (Proposed Grade 3)
In addition, a total of nine buildings in the two villages, including eight in Tai Long and one in Ham Tin, have been assessed and recommended no grading by the Assessment Panel. They are listed below:
Tai Long
(q) Building remains near the hillslope, Tai Long, Sai Kung
(r) Structure near No. 18A, Tai Long, Sai Kung
(s) Structures near No. 30A, Tai Long, Sai Kung
(t) Nos. 22 to 26 and structures nearby, Tai Long, Sai Kung
(u) No. 26A, Tai Long, Sai Kung
(v) No. 28, Tai Long, Sai Kung
(w) No. 30B and structure nearby, Tai Long, Sai Kung
(x) No. 39 and buildings and structures nearby, Tai Long, Sai Kung
Ham Tin
(y) New and ancillary buildings and structures, Ham Tin, Sai Kung
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