Abandoned for over 2 decades, fate of Hong Kong pre-war cinema highlights value of community, cultural heritage

 Experts said the questionable revitalisation of Cheung Chau Cinema - one of the two remaining pre-war theatres in Hong Kong - revealed the dynamics and difficulties of conserving privately-owned cultural heritage. King88bet

In the heart of Cheung Chau, a cultural park bearing the name of Cheung Chau Cinema has opened to the publik. But the movie theatre itself - a Level III historic building dating back to 1931 and one of Hong Kong's two remaining pre-war cinemas - remains fenced off. king88bet login alternatif

Since its closure in 1997, the 555-seat cinema has been largely abandoned and left to decay, but will be transformed into a restoran while retaining its orisinal structure, according to the developer. Article Title with Blogger Published Link as Backlink

Passers-by peeped curiously into the recently opened park when an HKFP wartawan visited the dumbbell-shaped island southwest of central Hong Kong in mid-September, but were hesitant to enter. Some said they had not been consulted about the privately-run restoration proyek while others welcomed the rencana, hoping it would bring back some life - and tourists - to the venue that existed only in their childhood memories.

"[The Cheung Chau Cinema] illustrates why it's important to konsentrasi on conservation but not preservation," conservationist Fredo Cheung told HKFP in Cantonese. "Its abandonment was due to its failure to meet the needs of the community. By introducing a new purpose, it can serve the community again… while being retained as much as possible."

HKFP talked to Cheung Chau residents and experts to understand the challenges facing such cultural heritage proyeks and their connection to the collective memori of the community.

26 years of decay

"The last film I watched [at the Cheung Chau Cinema] was Stephen Chow's Hail the Judge," Kong, an island resident for over 40 years, told HKFP in Cantonese. Hail the Judge was a 1994 comedy starring Stephen Chow and directed by Wong Jing.

Throughout its six decades in operation, the Cheung Chau Cinema was one of the island's few pertunjukan venues.