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The following is the speech (English only) by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Anson Chan, at the Opening Ceremony of the International Conference on Heritage and Tourism today (Monday):

Dr Sinn, Mr Cheng, Members of the Officiating Party, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to extend a very warm Hong Kong welcome to all the delegates to this International Conference on Heritage and Tourism, in particular first time visitors from overseas.

With less than 500 hours to the Year 2000 and as the countdown to the Millennium ticks over impatiently, we are entering an era where distances between nations will continue to shrink and borders will become even more invisible. And with international travel becoming more affordable, the peoples of the global village will be able to visit each other more often. Tourism is a fast growing industry worldwide, so competition among destinations will be very keen. We have to work hard on new incentives, new attractions and new ideas.

Tourism is about leisure as well as discovery. Seeing and learning about the practices, customs and cultures of other people is always an important element in any enjoyable holiday. Heritage is an important tourist attraction in itself.

When you look out through the glass walls of this magnificent convention centre, you can see a city that is bristling with other glass-clad skyscrapers. You may ask : what happened to Hong Kong's heritage? What, if anything, is left of it?

It is true that Hong Kong is renowned for knocking down buildings - some old ones and others much newer - to make way for even taller, technologically smarter and more eye-catching ones. Some may feel that this is a city of destruction and construction.

But if you look more closely - perhaps I could liken it to a treasure hunt - you will find that we have preserved some very fine examples of our past. And although we may not have been as careful and as far-sighted as we perhaps should have been in earlier years, we are now far more conscious of our responsibilities in preserving our heritage.

Of course heritage is much more than ancient temples or old buildings. It is about our past - the origins from which we spring. And here in Hong Kong we have established significant archaeological links with our early civilisation. In what has been recognised as one of the 'Ten Most Important Archaeological Discoveries in China' in 1997, remains were uncovered on Ma Wan, a small island you passed through on the way from our new airport, showing that Hong Kong's history goes back at least 6 000 years to the Middle Neolithic period.

The recent finds have led to the construction of the busts of inhabitants who lived as early as 4 000 years ago. These and other artefacts will be the centrepiece of an archaeological heritage centre to be built on Ma Wan as part of a cultural theme park being constructed by the private sector. When completed, it will add an important element to Hong Kong's growing heritage tourism appeal.

Documented clan records also indicate that family groups from various Mainland regions started migrating into Hong Kong in the Song Dynasty, or about 1,000 years ago. These clans have stayed on, and remain today the most prominent families in the rural areas. A vivid reminder of this is Wun Yiu in Tai Po, the only site in South China that features the entire ceramic production process.

Today, we can still see many of the customs and culture of these early Hong Kong settlers from the Chinese Mainland. One example that springs to mind is the "Big Bowl" feast of the Hakka clan where you can find people on special occasions gathered around tables in village squares in the New Territories sharing an all-in meal from large basins. And, believe it or not, we are perhaps the only place where most of the traditional Chinese festivals are still celebrated.

The one and a half centuries of British administration of Hong Kong brought in western and other cultures, further enriching our way of life. You will see in the streets, on our spectacularly-lit buildings, and in our department stores that we are now busily preparing for Christmas. Halloween in Lan Kwai Fong is an annual ritual for many ghosts and ghouls! And Easter peacefully co-exists with the Buddha's birthday and both are public holidays and significant religious events on our calendar.

So, this is Hong Kong - a place where the Chinese and Western cultures blend, a melting pot of civilizations. Nothing better manifests this in physical form than our built heritage. And reinforcing my earlier remarks - our treasure hunt can unearth some well-preserved Chinese historical buildings and structures like courtyard houses, ancestral halls, study halls, temples, and village walls. The architecture is not only aesthetically outstanding, the design, orientation, and decoration provide a living reminder and appreciation of our local culture. Visitors can also find excellent examples of historic Western style buildings, barracks, churches, cathedrals, official residences, with some of the best being declared monuments. The old French Mission Building, now the home of our Court of Final Appeal, Government House, and the Legislative Council Building are the best examples.

As an Administration, we are determined to look at ways of better presenting our distinct heritage to the world. We have opened heritage trails and we have set up a Heritage Tourism Task Force, which is working on individual initiatives and also a broader strategy for promoting our historical sites. The Task Force will also develop opportunities for joint promotions with the Mainland and other regional destinations.

Our efforts to promote heritage tourism does not mean that we are subjugating heritage to the interests of tourism. We believe in its intrinsic value, but we must bear in mind that heritage is the common cultural legacy of people. It should be a living and accessible asset that binds, enriches, educates and inspires. Promoting Hong Kong's heritage to visitors implies that we need, first of all, to protect and properly preserve what we have. It also implies that we ourselves need to understand our heritage better in order to tell our visitors. In short, heritage tourism will not only create economic benefits which will contribute to our preservation efforts. It also provides impetus for the promotion of heritage within the community.

Ladies and gentlemen, you have three busy days ahead to share, exchange, and discuss ideas on various issues relating to heritage tourism. I wish you every success in encouraging people around the world to have a better appreciation and respect for each other's culture, for its history and for its lifestyle.

Thank you very much.

Photo: Picture shows Mrs Chan joining other officiating guests at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the conference.

End/Monday, December 13, 1999

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