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Why so little of Hong Kong’s underwater heritage has been preserved

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A local diver finds a Tin Hau stone lion in the waters of Tap Mun.

It was with a flurry of exultation that free-spirited Romantic poet Lord Byron wrote of how man’s control “stops with the shore”. Hong Kong’s underwater archaeologists, however, looking to discover, document and preserve relics of the city’s maritime past, have been less exalted to find the same applies to concern for local heritage.

Although heritage conservation has become a focal point in public discourse in Hong Kong, Bill Jeffery, leader of the Hong Kong Underwater Heritage Group, says: “Archaeology tends to stop at the waterline, but history does not.”

This summer, two significant artefacts were recovered by the group in waters around Basalt Island and High Island. One, a granite anchor stock suspected to date from the Song dynasty (960-1279), is believed to be Hong Kong’s oldest marine artefact. The other is a 19th-century cannon.

The city is preparing to host the third Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Heritage next year, but experts say Hong Kong still has not fully embraced its maritime legacy, and has a long way to go before its recovered undersea heritage can match that of Hawaii and the Philippines – both previous hosts of the conference.
Hong Kong Underwater Heritage Group members, including Bill Jeffery (front, in blue) pose with the 19th century cannon found off the coast of High Island.
Hong Kong Underwater Heritage Group members, including Bill Jeffery (front, in blue) pose with the 19th century cannon found off the coast of High Island.

Hong Kong has laws mandating heritage assessments, yet they often fall by the wayside. Professor Steven Gallagher, an expert in heritage law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, says developers’ interests often trump environmental or heritage concerns locally.

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