State Theatre is saved – but the real test for Hong Kong’s heritage conservation is still to come
Hong Kong Free Press
Excerpt
Oct 17, 2020
One of Hong Kong’s largest developers has announced it will restore rather than demolish the 68-year-old State Theatre after a five-year community-led campaign focused on preserving the building.
The cinema in North Point opened as the Empire Theatre in 1952, 10 years before City Hall in Central, and was renamed the State Theatre in 1959. Under the leadership of Russian Jew Harry Odell, the building was both a cinema and a concert hall which brought top overseas performers such as Benjamin Britten and Isaac Stern to local audiences. Teresa Teng, who conquered the hearts of millions of Chinese worldwide, met her fans there.
Adrian Cheng, chief executive of New World Development, described the theatre as “one of the last standing cultural icons of Hong Kong.” He pledged to restore the iconic building to its original glamour, reopen it as a theatre “and build a cultural oasis that serves the community.” The scheme prompted praise from pundits and across social media.
But now comes the real test.
Because of the overwhelmingly destructive development model in Hong Kong, the city has had little success in conserving and revitalising its cultural landscape. Even when it does, the original purpose of the buildings has gone.
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