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Allen Au-yeung

Demolition is continuing apace on Wan Chai’s landmark Tung Tak Pawn Shop, despite a last-ditch plea from more than 2,000 people to save the historic building.
An online petition is demanding that the government name the Grade III historic building as a proposed monument, forcing a 12-month delay in the demolition work to allow more time for negotiation with the owners of the building.
The petition has attracted some 2,000 signatures in just a week, but organisers say there is no sign of the demolition work slowing.
Community activist Yuen Chi-yan, one of the organisers of the campaign, said the Development Bureau, which oversees heritage conservation policies, had not yet replied to the petition. He hoped the government would give a reply by the end of the week.
Building owner Tak Shing Investment secured approval from the Buildings Department to build a 23-storey tower on the site in 2013.
On the junction of Hennessy Road and Marsh Road, a handful of pedestrians and journalists are stopping by to capture the last days of the pawn shop with their phones and cameras.
 A retired man, who identified himself only as Ken, had been on the street for nearly two hours to photograph the shop from different angles.
 Ken said: “My daughter studies graphics design. She asked me to come here to help take photos to make a record of the building before it’s gone.
 “It’s a pity. There is one fewer old building in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is about to lose another piece of its memory.”
The shop is known for its representative verandah and neon signs written from right to left. While it was recognised as historic in 2010, Grade III status confers no protection against redevelopment – only a monument is protected in law.


Demolition of Hong Kong's Tung Tak Pawn Shop continues despite last-ditch battle to save it

Demolition continues on the Tung Tak Pawn Shop. Photo: Franke Tsang

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