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Highlighting history to save Wan Chai from demolition

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SCMP Reporter

Market is just one of the sites heritage group wants preserved

For 66-year-old Wong Yut-ying, witnessing the change Wan Chai has undergone since she moved away in 1958 was overwhelming.

Her eyes reddened as she fondly recalled her memories of a 67-year-old landmark in the district - the Wan Chai Market.

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'I have so many childhood memories of this place, but if the government wants to tear it down there's not much we can do,' she said.

Ms Wong is among the Hongkongers fighting the plans of property tycoon Joseph Lau Luen-hung to replace Wan Chai Market with a 46-storey glass office building in 2006. The news has sparked a public outcry, and the Wan Chai Heritage Taskforce - an alliance of district council members and leading architects - is among the loudest of the voices.

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Since Wednesday, the group has been on the streets publicising the historical and cultural significance of famous Wan Chai sites like the King Yin Lei mansion on Stubbs Road and the Cross Street market.

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