Urban development may be taking away cultural heritage and neighborhood bonds. A Yue Lan association of long history in Central is going to lose their headquarter because of redevelopment projects launched by the URA (Urban Renewal Authority). The traditional Yue Lan Festival celebrations are likely to be much smaller in scale in the future, and residents in the area will lose their usual gathering place.
The headquarter of the 30 House Yue Lan Associates has been on Staunton Street for more than a decade. The associates set up their office here back in 1996. Over the past 14 years, the associates and residents in the area have been using this place to prepare for their annual celebration events for the Yue Lan Festival, which is a well-known Chinese ghost festival in Hong Kong.
“We distribute ‘blessed rice’, run parades and hold worship ceremonies,” said Mr. Wong Kan-Oi, the chairman of the association.
This headquarter of the age-old association has become a gathering spot for residents around the area. According to people living nearby, a lot of elderly show up at the office to meet each other and chat every day. This usual practice has successfully built a strong bond among residents in the area.
The associates also hold different kinds of gathering events regularly for the neighborhood, like visits to elderly centers, dinner gatherings and one-day trips.
Every year before the Yue Lan Festival, local residents also take part in the preparation work for the celebration.
“Residents here know each other well and we come to the headquarter and help make paper offerings before the Yue Lan Festival every year,” said Ms. Lai, an elderly who visits the office every day. “The associates are kind to us; they respect us and treat us all very well.”
The Staunton Street/Wing Lee Street Project is one of the URA’s ongoing redevelopment plans. This project involves the area surrounding the association’s office and the URA is acquiring properties in the area for future development purpose. Information from the public relations department of the URA says the authority has already acquired the Yue Lan association’s property on Staunton Street, but the association may extend their lease to February 2011, and keep the office until the redevelopment work starts.
According to Mr. Wong, the deadline given by the URA is 11 February 2011. Though redevelopment work will not start until the authority has acquired enough properties in the area, the URA has not said whether the association can further extend their lease next year, or guaranteed to relocate the office in the same district.
Mr. Wong and other associates do not know what exactly they will do with the association when the lease expires. However, they hope to continue their annual Yue Lan celebration.
“We will try our best to continue our annual ceremony, but we are not sure if the event can be as successful as before,” Mr. Wong said. “Even if we could hold the event, we expect it to be smaller in scale than in the past.”
The associates are now facing problems preparing for the event next year. According to Mr. Wong, preparation work takes months to finish, but now it is difficult for them to order preparation materials as they are not sure whether they will have a place to keep the stock after February.
The nearby residents know that the headquarter is going to be closed when redevelopment work begins. However, they have not been able to find another place to replace their old spot.
“The other closest gathering place is the Kwong Hon Terrace Garden, but you’ll need to cross a few roads and go uphill to reach there,” Mr. Wong noted. “It’s difficult for the elderly to get there.”
When asked whether the association plans to buy another property in the nearby area to replace the old one, Mr. Wong said it might not be a feasible solution.
“After all, we are located in the Soho area, and rent here is extremely high,” he said. “We may not be able to afford it.”
Though there are still a lot of uncertainties regarding the relocation of the headquarter and the arrangements for the Yue Lan ceremonies in the years to come, Mr. Wong is still optimistic about the future.
“I think there’s still room for negotiation with the government. They’ve sent officials to discuss matter with us,” said Mr. Wong. “I believe they understand our situation and will take it into consideration when they carry out the redevelopment project.”
