Hong Kong history on a plate, yet we spurn it

It's sometimes forgotten just how much history Hong Kong has. The shorthand view that there was little to Hong Kong other than fishing before British colonialists arrived 170 years ago is a far cry from the truth. At a site in the New Territories, a kiln turned out that most identifiable of Chinese objects, blue and white porcelain, for centuries. It was exported throughout Southeast Asia and beyond. Archaeologists have unearthed evidence of a thriving industry in the five-hectare area. When the kiln thrived during the Ming and Qing dynasties porcelain was a luxury only the wealthy could afford. To know that it was being traded for goods like silk paints our past in considerably more vibrant colours.

And yet we don't seem to be expending much effort to celebrate that past. The Wun Yiu kiln has been neglected to the point of ruination. Despite having been declared a monument, a land dispute with villagers has left it overlooked and open to the ravages of the elements. The protection that the special status is supposed to confer has been made meaningless by inattention.

Even a conservation plan was seen to be too difficult; indigenous villagers demanding the right to build promised houses on the 97 per cent of the site that is in private hands caused that to be shelved six years ago. In place of attractions there's only a wire fence that is poorly maintained, a hillside that is freshly eroded with each downpour and broken pieces of porcelain littering the dirt. A visit by this newspaper showed none of the preservation that monument status is supposed to guarantee.

We should be capitalising on what we have to educate and to draw tourists. The atmosphere of a thriving kiln could be recreated with a museum and displays. That has been done successfully with the Sheung Yiu Folk Museum in Sai Kung. Hong Kong has just 94 buildings and places with monument status. Every effort has to be taken to keep them in the best condition. Disputes have to be settled using every resource that the government can muster. If a land purchase or swap is necessary at Wun Yiu, let's do it so the neglect can end. Or even more of Hong Kong's history will be forgotten.