Hong Kong family with decades of residential ties to statutory monument poses heritage dilemma for officials
Yuen Long building that was once a lookout for revolutionaries has been declared a monument, but long-term residents do not want to leave
A family who has for decades been occupying an operational base of China’s 1911 revolution in Hong Kong is in dispute with local authorities over an order for them to move out – more than four years after the building was declared a statutory monument.
In 2011 – the centenary of the revolution that toppled the monarchy in China – the Hong Kong government declared the building a legally protected monument and later erected four plaques outside marking its historical significance.
However, the building has all along been locked up by the Chiu family who reside in the village. Government staff have not been able to enter and conduct repairs and maintenance works on the monument. Last Tuesday, heritage officials met with the four brothers of the family to discuss the blocked access yet a consensus could not be reached.
A visit to the family at the building by the South China Morning Post found old furniture still remained inside. Cracks were visible in the ceiling, with old wires and cables dangling about the interior and spiderwebs everywhere. The floor on the third and top storey was unstable and shook when the reporter stepped onto it.