Urbanization_The Mills in Tsuen Wan by ARCH2058

URBANIZATION:

TSUEN WAN

荃灣

ARCH2058 Modern Architecture

ASSIGNMENT 3: GUIDEBOOK

| Fall 2021

Urbanization: The Mills in Tsuen Wan MAK Chung Hang Terence (3035824481) WEI Xi (3035831874)

WALKING TOUR

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The walking tour began from taking the MTR Tsuen Wan Line to the final ! ( station Tsuen Wan. We will exit from the exit A. By walking through the network of SA footbridges entering and I Lexiting malls and residence, AU which is the Fuk Loi Eswe reached the first destination KO tate. The Fuk loi Estate is a cluster K of 9 public housing buildings which vary from 7 floorsRto D 16 floors. Entering the footbridge again we head towards the second destination which takes only about 5 A3 minutes A4 is the recently renovated and adaptive reused factory “TheA 荃 A2 in D Mills”. It was named the “Nan Fung Textile Factory” the past. The design of “The Mills” conserves a part of A1 the original building, gives us glimps of experiencing the past by walking in “The Mills” which is currently a LO shopping mall and learning centre. The third location H O is the Ching Shan RoadTAwhich K C is 53 miles long, and I P UR the 登安榮Oexit the shopping mall A whole walk since we first 發 T 街 S 街 TR connected to the MTR station, is a part of the Ching EE Shan Road. T Ching Shan Road is the longest road ex道河 isting in Hong Kong which connects to the western 昌 from the MTR大to the New Territory. The whole journey 泰街 final destination we have not pass through a single zeSH bra crossing. The major buildings and malls in Tsuen Wan is connected through a system of footbridges, D being the Sky City. 荃 giving Tsuen Wan the name Aof 灣 O 海街 R 壩街 O

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1 Fuk Loi Estate

Fuk Loi Estate is one of the oldest existing public housing estates in Hong Kong. The estate are mixed with both 7 storeys and 14 storeys residence. Fuk Loi Estate is a living example of early public housing projects in Tsuen Wan, which served the first batch of citizens or pathfinders who migrating from both New Territory and Kowloon into Tsuen Wan during the 1960s. Fuk Loi Estate is one of the ten Public Housing Projects done by the Hong Kong Housing Authority under the (Government Low Cost Housing Scheme). Fuk Loi Estate marks the transition of the usage of public housing in Hong Kong History. The first public housing complex were built after the Shek Kip Mei fire, which led to the immediate needs of basic housing needs for refugees of the fire during the early 1950s. As a response the Hong Kong government immediately built resettlement buildings which became the ancestors of current public housing. In the 1960s due to urbanisation and the rapid growth in population led to a shortage of housing, which led to occur of (Government Low Cost Housing Scheme)Ten years program, and since the occurance of the program Public Housing are no longer limited for refugees but citizens too. Today Public Housing are housing over two million citizens in Hong Kong, and in there next ten years the Transport and housing Bureau planned to build another 330,000 public housing units. The public housing program has a huge significance to Hong Kong’s urbanisation process, which provided curcial living spaces for citizens in this rapid urbanising city.

2 Nam Fung Factory Industry has a huge influence to Hong Kong’s urban development and financial development. Nam Fung Factory was once one of the highest output factory in Hong Kong, it marks the glory history of Hong Kong’s industrialisation in the 1960s to 1990s. The huge output from industry made Hong Kong one of the “Four Asian Tigers” (referring to the four leading fast-growing economies in Asia). The status is the foundation of Hong Kong’s current development into an international financial centre of Asia today. Nam Fung Factory have developed into Nam Fung Group, covering variety of businesses. This transformation in business indicates the trend of diversification led by the economic growth in Hong Kong during the 1980s - 1990s, this change in business have caused indsutry entered a downturn, until today industry have almost disappeared in Hong Kong. Nam Fung Factory currently The Mills are adaptive reused into a learning centre and shopping centre, under the pretty renovation the current skin of the space, is the evidence of Hong Kong’s glory history of industrialisation that led to the current success of being an international financial centre of Asia.

3 Castle Peak Road Castle Peak road is the longest road in Hong Kong, which consist of 52 miles and 22 sections. This roads connects the whole western areas of New Territory District. Castle Peak road have once been the only main road connecting that connects New Territory District to Kowloon District for almost half decade. Until today Castle Peak road is still under use, despite there are more transportation infrasturctures completed through the years, but Castle Peak road still remain highly used till today. Castle Peak road Tsuen Wan section is connected to the “Ding Gao Section” which we understand as the road that connects to another important infrastructure “Ching Ma Bridge”, the bridge was once the only path and still the main path connecting to the New Hong Kong international airport in “Chek Lap Kok”. It is one of the most imporant infrasturcture done in Hong Kong’s urbanisation history. As we can see Tsuen Wan is a significant transition area in terms of transportation in Hong Kong and contributed in the urbanisation of Hong Kong as a city.

Urbanisation of Tsuen Wan Chung Hang Terence, Mak Introduction: Through this essay readers are able to witness and experience the evidence of different development stages in Hong Kong’s recent history of urbanisation. Beginning from the 18th century the British Empire colonised Hong Kong, after a hundred years of development, Hong Kong from a fishing and farming town transcend into a financial centre of Asia . It is worthwhile to investigate into a districts of Hong Kong, to search for evidence of Hong Kong’s modernisation process throughout the years. Which this essay will choose Tsuen wan as the focused location of our walking tour and investigation. Tsuen Wan is a district located in the borders of the New Territories and Kowloon district. Its unique location as being the border of the two districts makes Tsuen Wan an impor-

tant transitional space between the urban and rural areas of Hong Kong during the rapid urbanisation period in Hong Kong history. This essay would analyse three major elements that drives the urbanisation in Tsuen Wan. Public Housing (living), Industrialisation (Working) and Infrastructure (Transportation). Public Housing (Living) in Tsuen Wan In the past 60 years, Tsuen Wan had gone through a rapid urbanisation process, from a fishing and farming village developed into an urbanised district. Tsuen Wan is one of the eighteen districts in Hong Kong. The geographical location of Tsuen Wan is the border in between New territories and Kowloon. It made Tsuen Wan an important connection space between the two districts and are destined to be developed if Hong Kong as a city would continue to urbanise . In the 1950s there is a transition of political power in mainland China, it led to a lot of mainland industrialist bringing capital and advanced

machineries to relocating in Hong Kong. The geography of Tsuen Wan is located on the coastline and back against the Tai Mo Shan Mountain , provides Tsuen Wan with abundance of fresh water and large availability of land. These environmental factors are beneficial for the factory’s operation and Tsuen Wan became one of the concentrated area of where factories are located . The appearance of factories further attracts people to move into Tsuen Wan, becoming the first major step in turn Tsuen Wan into an urbanised town with the increase of population. In 1953 the Shek Kip Mei Fire led to 50000 citizens lost their homes , this incidence escalated the sudden needs of housing. As a response, the government began to develop the Resettlement Area to resettle the victims, which is the resettlement buildings then became precursor of the current Public Housing scheme of Hong Kong. In 1961 the Hong Kong government decided to plan Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan as the first two

Satellite City in Hong Kong (later known as New Town). Satellite City is an urban development scheme aiming to provide the basic needs of residents in terms of housing, employment, education, leisure and other communal activities to a district . The purpose of the Satellite City is to reduce the dependence and employment pressure to the old community centres (existing urbanised districts in Hong Kong such as Central), in responding to the social economic development such as the rapid inflating population in Hong Kong. Satellite Cities has a significant importance to the whole Hong Kong urban development, the first two Hong Kong MTR lines are named after the two satellite cities Kwun Tong Line and Tsuen Wan Line. In the 1960s public housing estates were continuously built all around Hong Kong, and one example in Tsuen Wan is the Fuk Loi Estate. Fuk Loi Estate is one of the ten Public Housing Projects done by the Hong Kong Housing Authority under the (Government Low Cost Housing Scheme) in between

1958 to 1975. The Government Low Cost Housing Scheme holds a huge significance to the urbanisation process of Hong Kong as a city. The resettlement buildings and The Low Cost Housing Scheme were purposed to resettle victims of the Shek Kip Mei Fire, but in the later years due to the rapid growth in population, the increasing needs of housing and high housing price, led to public housing scheme are no longer limited for resettlement. In 1972 the (Ten-Year Housing Plan) were issued by the 26th governor of Hong Kong MacLehose, it is to respond the rapid increasing needs of housing. The aim of the scheme are to provide well equipped public housing units with reasonable living environment to the 1.8 million Hong Kong citizens . In today’s Hong Kong, over three million citizens live in an apartment under the public housing system, also the new built public housing estates would incorporate malls and schools which further improving and urbanise the surrounding living environment . In the next ten years, the Hong

Kong Housing Authority planned in building around 430,000 of public housing units . Public Housing has a huge significance in the urbanisation of Hong Kong, the Public Housing scheme adapted through time and provided crucial living spaces during the rapid development of Tsuen Wan and even Hong Kong as a city. Industrialisation (Working) in Tsuen Wan Industry is one of the major influences that provides working opportunities in Tsuen Wan in attracting people migrating to Tsuen Wan. In 1954 Tsuen Wan has only 40,000 villagers with about 20 villages, mostly earns their living through farming . At the time there is a saying (想發達去金山，想死去荃灣) it translates as (you want to be wealthy you go JinShan, you want to die you go Tsuen Wan) . It shows the tough and unpleasant conditions in Tsuen Wan back in the 1950s. The political shift in mainland China, led

to industrialist during the war decided to deviate from mainland, bringing capital, advanced machineries even workers to relocating in Hong Kong. The increase of immigrants led to the increase of population in Tsuen Wan from 40,000 before the war largely to 250,000 . After the New Republic of China was established, they declared to support North Korea in the Korean War in the 1950s. This political incidence led to the United Nations issued embargo to China, which heavily impacted Hong Kong as a main international trading port in terms of economic. As a response Hong Kong is required to search for a new source of economic income, which is industry. During the 1950s there are two types of factories, small scale family based factories with less than 50 workers. This type of family based factories took over 75% of the market output. Large scale factories over one thousand people only conceives 34% of the market . In 1964 the former governor Sir Robert Brown Black promoted a lease promotion in order to fur-

ther attract factories to setup in Hong Kong, which also led to the increase of factories built in Tsuen Wan . At the time the number of factory workers working in Tsuen Wan is over twenty three thousand people, which is 10.9% of the total labour power in Hong Kong. Within the 10.9% of the workers over 77% of the factory workers belong to the Textile factories, making the textile industry the major type of factory in Tsuen Wan . One of the existing example mentioned in the walking tour, is (The Mills - 南豐紗廠 – Nan Fung Textile Factory) but re-purposed in 2014. The Mills was once one of the highest output factory in Hong Kong, which they holds a significant status in the industry. In the 1980s-1990s, economic growth and diversification have caused the textiles industry entered a downturn, until today industry have almost disappeared in Hong Kong . Today Nan Fung Group has developed into one of the largest local private companies in Hong Kong, with business covering the real estate development, investment ser-

vices also other fields. The business transformation of Nan Fung Textile Factory into Nan Fung Group from 1950s till today is the epitome of Hong Kong’s urban development process from 1950’s industrialisation till today an international financial centre of Asia. Despite industry are no longer significant to Hong Kong’s future development, but industry in the 1960s to 1990s made Hong Kong as one of the “Four Asian Tigers / Tiger Club Economies” (referring to the four leading fast-growing economies in Asia). The status of being one of the “Four Asian Tigers” have a huge significant in Hong Kong’s urbanisation process and further developing into a leading international financial centre of Asia. Infrastructure (Transportation) In Tsuen Wan

Infrastructure is one of the key component of urbanisation for a city. Tsuen Wan benefits as being located in the borders of Kowloon and New Territory, a lot of transport infrastructure are built in Tsuen Wan in order to

enhance the accessibility from the Urbanised Kowloon area to the rural area New Territory. There are a few key infrastructures with high significance to the urbanisation of Tsuen Wan district. In 1898 the British Empire and the Ching Dynasty have signed (The Second Convention of Peking), the convention is to lease the now called New Territory area. Due to military considerations and urban development needs, there were immediate plans for constructing transportation infrastructures. The current Castle Peak Road (青山公路), is the longest highway in Hong Kong which consist of 52 miles with 22 sections . The highway connects the whole West New Territory, which the first section (Taipo Road) were built in 1902, in 1914 the Castle Peak Road western section are completed, until 1920 the east section of Castle Peak Road which extends to Sham Shui Po (West Kowloon) are completed. The Taipo Road and Castle Peak Road became the 2 only roads that connects the whole New Territory area, until after half century, in 1961 the Hong

Kong government decided to make Tsuen Wan a Satellite City, multiple transportation infrastructures are progressively built, including the Ching Yee Bridge in 1974 and the Tsuen Wan Line (MTR) in 1982. Before the Tsuen Wan Line were established, bus, mini bus and ferry were the options connecting to the Kowloon district, and it takes about 30 mins to reach Kowloon . After the Tsuen Wan Line were establish, it takes 10 mins to reach the Kowloon district. The increasingly efficient transportation further connects Tsuen Wan to the Kowloon district. The completion of large infrastructures connects the districts, and in recent years the localised small scale infrastructures are built in order to further urbanise the area. Currently Tsuen Wan has longest bridge system (Tsuen Wan Town Footbridge Network) in Hong Kong, which it connects 20 housing estates, 25 shopping malls and 2 MTR stations. Infrastructures in large and small scale since 1950s have turned Tsuen Wan from a remote fishing and farming village into an urbanised “New

Town” with a say of being a sky city (天空之城). Conclusion The urbanisation of Tsuen Wan is an epitome of Hong Kong’s urbanisation history and it began since the 1950s, from a fishing and farming village developing into an urbanised “New Town”. This process consist of three main elements Public Housing (living), Industrialisation (Working) and Infrastructure (Transportation). In The Public Housing program have provided living space for over two million citizens in today’s Hong Kong and marks a huge significance in the urbanisation of Hong Kong. Industrialisation is the foundation of Hong Kong being one of the “Four Asian Tigers”, the History of (Nam Fung Factory) The Mills marks the expansion and downturn of Industry in Hong Kong as a whole. The status of “Four Asian Tigers” led to Hong Kong’s further development into the leading financial centre in Asia. Lastly

Tsuen Wan locating in the borders between New Territory and Kowloon district makes Tsuen Wan a transitional area between the urban and rural at the early 19th century. The transport infrastructures built in Tsuen Wan represents the urban development of Hong Kong as a city. The large scale infrastructure such as the Castle Peak Road and Taipo Road shows the idea of connecting New Territory and Kowloon, later the Tsuen Wan Line further shows the idea of connecting the two “New Town” of Hong Kong towards the centre of the city “Central Station”. The recent small scale infrastructure such as the Foot Bridge Network shows the trend of how a community could be interconnected through circulation, similar approach could already be seen in Central district.There are still a lot of land remained un-used in Hong Kong, the urbanisation of Hong Kong are still on-going until today, which the urbanisation process experienced in Tsuen Wan will be repeat until one day Hong Kong becoming a fully urbanised city.

Notes

1.Hong Kong Monetary Authority, “Hong Kong as an International Financial Centre”. Hong Kong Monetary Authority. October 4th, 2021. 2.Johnson, Elizabeth Lominska. E.Johnson, Graham. A Chinese melting Pot: Original People and Immigrants in Hong Kong’s First ‘New Town’. Preface. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2019. 3.Buddhist Sin Tak College. “荃灣五十年 - 荃灣如何由客家部落集居地變成衛星新市鎮？” Hong Kong Museum of History. March 17th, 2012. 4.Johnson, Elizabeth Lominska. Johnson, Graham E. A Chinese melting Pot: Original People and Immigrants in Hong Kong’s First ‘New Town’. Preface. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2019. 5.The land Registry, “Information Sheet 5: The need for and emergence of public housing.” Decoding Land Registration. Last accessed: December 22nd, 2021. 6.Hong Kong Jockey Club Heritage X Arts X Design Walk Project. “歷史 - 荃葵青”. HuluCulture. Last accessed December 22nd, 2021. 7.C.M.Hui, Eddie. K.W.Wong, Francis. “The Hong Kong Housing Authority and its Financial Arrangement over the Past 50 Years”. Hong Kong: Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2004. 8.Hong Kong Heritage Museum. “Memories of Home – 50 years of public housing in Hong Kong”. Last accessed December 22nd, 2021. 9.Hong kong Housing Authority. “Long Term Housing Strategy Annual Progress Report 2020 (for the 10- year period from 2021-22 to 2030-31)”. Hong Kong Legislative Council. Last modified December, 2020. 10.Buddhist Sin Tak College. “荃灣五十年 - 荃灣如何由客家部落集居地變成衛星新市鎮？” Hong Kong Museum of History. Page 6. March 17th, 2012. 11.麥, 嘉緯. “香港故事(第18輯)- 荃城”RTHK. December 19th, 2011. 12.Johnson, Elizabeth Lominska. E.Johnson, Graham. A Chinese melting Pot: Original People and Immigrants in Hong Kong’s First ‘New Town’. Preface. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2019. 13.Buddhist Sin Tak College. “荃灣五十年 - 荃灣如何由客家部落集居地變成衛星新市鎮？” Hong Kong Museum of History. Page 7. March 17th, 2012. 14.張,連興. “香港二十八總督”. 朝華出版社. Page 315. July 1st, 2007.

15.Buddhist Sin Tak College. “荃灣五十年 - 荃灣如何由客家部落集居地變成衛星新市鎮？” Hong Kong Museum of History. Page 7. March 17th, 2012. 16.Nan Fung Group. “ABOUT THE MILLS” The Mills. Last accessed December 22nd, 2021. 17.香港地方. “道路及鐵路－香港公路(二)青山公路”. Hong Kong Place. Last accessed December 22nd, 2021. 18.Fung, Danica. “登陸荃灣：衛星城市上的故事”. Cultural Journalism Campus. August 21st, 2016. Reference: 1. Buddhist Sin Tak College. “荃灣五十年 - 荃灣如何由客家部落集居地變成衛星新市鎮？” Hong Kong Museum of History. March 17th, 2012. 2. C.M.Hui, Eddie. K.W.Wong, Francis. “The Hong Kong Housing Authority and its Financial Arrangement over the Past 50 Years”. Hong Kong: Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2004. 3. Fung, Danica. “登陸荃灣：衛星城市上的故事”. Cultural Journalism Campus. August 21st, 2016. 4. Hong kong Housing Authority. “Long Term Housing Strategy Annual Progress Report 2020 (for the 10- year period from 2021-22 to 2030-31)”. Hong Kong Legislative Council. Last modified December, 2020. 5. Hong Kong Heritage Museum. “Memories of Home – 50 years of public housing in Hong Kong”. Last accessed December 22nd, 2021. 6. Hong Kong Monetary Authority, “Hong Kong as an International Financial Centre”. Hong Kong Monetary Authority. October 4th, 2021. 7. Johnson, Elizabeth Lominska. E.Johnson, Graham. A Chinese melting Pot: Original People and Immigrants in Hong Kong’s First ‘New Town’. Preface. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2019. 8. Nan Fung Group. “ABOUT THE MILLS” The Mills. Last accessed December 22nd, 2021. 9. The land Registry, “Information Sheet 5: The need for and emergence of public housing.” Decoding Land Registration. Last accessed: December 22nd, 2021. 10. 麥, 嘉緯.“香港故事(第18輯)- 荃城”RTHK. December 19th, 2011. 11. 香港地方. “道路及鐵路－香港公路(二)青山公路”. Hong Kong Place. Last accessed December 22nd, 2021.

Tsuen Wan’s transformation from villages to the new town Xi, WEI Before the World WarⅡ, the residents in Tsuen Wan mainly depended on agriculture and fishery. Few of them engaged in industrial and commercial activities or work in towns. As an old saying goes, “Those living on a mountain depend on the mountain for a living, those living near the water likewise depend on the water”, which describes the situation very well. After world war2, some changes happened at Tsuen Wan especially on the aspects of lands. Between the two world wars, the British Hong Kong government started the project of water supply. The Shing Mun Reservoir was built in 1930s by the government, a large amount of migrants who was employed by the construction sites came to Tsuen Wan and settled down under the policies of government. And because of the sud-

den increase of population, the former way Tsuen Wan’s residents deal with the lands also changed, a lot of lands turned into other functions instead of normal agriculture. Also because of the raise of population, a municipal construction plan was issued in 1936, which intended to build 29 residential units, ports, docks and some other infrastructures in Tsuen Wan. This plan also led to the increase of the land price. Factories have also begun to appear in Tsuen Wan. Private companies have purchased land on the beach at the western end of Tsuen Wan to build factories, such as the Texaco Oil Company in the 1930s and the South China Iron Factory in 1938. A lot of workers have also emerged in Tsuen Wan. Gradually, some areas in Tsuen Wan have been converted into industrial land and residential buildings. In 1956, the Tai Lam Chung Reservoir was built. This was the beginning of Tsuen Wan’s transformation from a Hakka village into a modern new town.

According to the descriptions from the villagers, in the 1960s and 1970s, the villagers of Tsuen Wan gradually became unable to earn a living from farming or fishery, so they gave up farming, and change the village houses and farmland into houses for rent. Later, part of villagers went out to work to make money, and the income from going out to work was more abundant than that of farming or fishery. The village houses left by the residents who went out were rented out again, so the whole area of Tsuen Wan began to be richer than before. However, going out to work is also related to the historical development of Tsuen Wan. When the People’s Republic of China was established in the 1950s and the Korean War broke out in the 1960s to the 1970s, refugees poured into Hong Kong from mainland China. At that time, some Shanghai industries such as textile merchants took a fancy to Tsuen Wan’s location and development potential, set up factories in Tsuen Wan,

and hired the refugees as workers. In addition, at the same time, cottage factories have also sprung up in Tsuen Wan, concentrated in the wooden house area. Villagers of Lo Wai, Tsuen Wan also talked about some villagers who gave up farming at that time and went to cottage factories to work as workers to earn more money. At this time, the government also demolished villages and turned farmland into industrial land. According to the government archives, the farmland was changed to industrial land in 1970. With the increase in the migrant population brought about by industrial development, the government has listed Tsuen Wan as a key development area in order to solve the problem of industrial land use and the construction of public housing estates to relocate the population. From 1955 to 1956, a reclamation plan was implemented in Tsuen Wan. At the same time, in order to solve the problem of Hong Kong’s population increase, the government has implemented a new town plan. Tsuen Wan was the first district to

be established among the nine new towns. The new town plan was launched in 1959. Besides converting agricultural land into industrial land and public housing estates, the government needs to build public housing estates in Tsuen Wan to relocate residents from Yuen Long and Lantau, including Tai Uk Walled Village, which moved from Tai Lam, Yuen Long in 1956, to resettle. And in 1960, Shek Pik New Village, which resettled Shek Pik villagers on Lantau Island. Until the 1970s, Tsuen Wan was no longer a concentration of Hakka villages in the past, but became a concentration of industries and public housing estates. Due to the rapid development of Tsuen Wan in the 1970s, in 1978, the government decided to extend the subway to Tsuen Wan. The MTR station was officially opened in 1982, making it easier for the whole of Hong Kong to reach Tsuen Wan. Up to this time, many ancient villages in Tsuen Wan were relocated and collapsed due to the expropriation of cultivated land brought about by urban expansion. Lo Wai Village is

the only ancient Hakka village that remains. However, its scope has shrunk a lot, and many original lifestyles, maintenance methods, economic activities have also changed over time. As the agriculture and traditional villages in Tsuen Wan continue to die out due to changes in the usage of lands, the residents leave the land to work and gradually change into the living mode of urban people. In addition to the collapse of the aforementioned clans, this change in society and lifestyle has also brought about an earth-shaking change in Tsuen Wan’s original regional system. The government has played a very important role in the changes mentioned above. Under the influence of the government, due to the emergence of factories and the construction of new types of houses, villages were also relocated and demolished in the 1970s. Tsuen Wan was no longer composed of markets, villages, and clans, but became a new type of town containing of industry, commerce, and housing estates. This has

increased the migrant population in Tsuen Wan. Tsuen Wan’s population rose from 3,000 to 80,000 in the 1950s. Today, the population of Tsuen Wan has reached 774,000. The increase of population has brought more diversified requirements of business activities, so both the area and size of market has been expanded. Therefore, there is no longer a “central point” as the main business area, business activities happen at more places because of the increase of population. New lower-level market towns are established in all possible locations, and the original market towns have become In the higher-level market towns, and the original “central point” gradually becomes blurred. The urbanization in Tsuen Wan is mainly affected by the geographical location and the policy of the government, it changed the ways by which the residents live and work. However, during this development process, some original life style of clans and villages

also disappeared, only few areas still keep the original custom. This is the also the problem of urbanization among most Asian cities who get chances of rapid development.

Notes

1.阮志，2012，《中港邊界的百年變遷：從沙頭角蓮蔴坑村說起》。香港：三聯書店。 2.施堅雅，1991，《中國封建晚期城市研究》。吉林：吉林教育出版社。 3.許舒，1999，《滄海桑田話荃灣》。香港：滄海桑田話荃灣出版委員會。 4.劉義章，2005，《香港客家》。桂林：廣西師範大學出版社。 5.劉潤和，1999，《新界簡史》。香港：三聯書店（香港）有限公司。 6.Faure, David et al., 1984, From Village to City, Studies in the Traditional Roots of Hong Kong Society. Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong. 7.Hayes, James, 2006, The Great Different, Hong Kong’s New Territories and Its People 1898-2004. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. 8.Rawski, Evelyn Sakakida, 1972, Agricultural Change and The Peasant Economy of South China. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 9.Skinner, G. William, 1979, The Study of Chinese Society, Essays by Maurice Freedman. California: Stanford University Press

The Modern Architecture Guidebook Hong Kong’s built environment represents a unique site of inquiry in the global history of the Modern Movement. The Modern Architecture guidebook series draw from an inter-disciplinary toolkit of knowledge, references, and field studies to understand the processes at work in the built environment. Each walking tour in the series begins with one of the 98 MTR stations in Hong Kong as the meeting point. First opened in 1979, this modernist infrastructure has produced a city rationalized around transportoriented development. Organized around key themes (industrialization, colonization, environment, internationalization, migration, decolonization, counterculture, and globalization), the guidebooks present a critical yet open perspective towards the implications of large-scale modernist schemes on the environment and community.