The landmark control tower at the former Kai Tak airport could disappear from Hong Kong's radar screen altogether when it is pulled down before the end of the year to make way for a new development.
But a consensus is emerging that the tower, a beacon for more than 30 years for air traffic through Hong Kong, should be rebuilt to help preserve the city's heritage.
Opened in 1925 and expanded many times as the city prospered, Kai Tak is seen by many as synonymous with Hong Kong's meteoric rise as an international city.
Even though the control tower was not built until the mid-1960s, it is regarded as a symbol of Kai Tak.
The government wants to turn the 300-hectare airport site into a centre for tourism, culture and transport, tearing down the tower because it is attached to the main terminal, which is sitting on the site of a proposed subway station.
'We want the structure to be rebuilt somewhere,' said Wong Kam-chi, chairman of the Wong Tai Sin District Council, which has been at the forefront of efforts to preserve the tower.