Plans for Peak mansion demolished
But winning proposals for three other historic sites mean Hong Kong gets a music school, media museum and a new generation of leaders
Neither wedding ceremonies nor calligraphy were deemed good enough to grace the rescued historic mansion on The Peak, King Yin Lei, according to the government's committee on revitalising historic buildings.
However, chairman Bernard Chan announced the committee has decided that fate for three other historic venues.
The Haw Par Mansion in Tai Hang will go to a charity foundation founded by the mansion's former owner Sally Aw Sian and will become a music school.
The former Fanling Magistracy will go to the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups and teach leadership skills.
And the Bridges Street Market in Sheung Wan will become a media museum under the Journalism Education Foundation.
It was a bad news day for Lifestyle Group, which runs the century-old Western Market in Sheung Wan, and the Ink Society led by Alice King Tung Chee-ping, sister of former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa, whose plans for King Yin Lei fell flat.
Explaining the decision, Chan said: "The whole society has made a huge effort to save the mansion, including swapping a site with the owner. We have high expectations of its future use."