2011 Mainland and Hong Kong Construction Industry Forum
I joined the HKIS delegation, led by our President, and attended this Forum scheduled between 27 and 30 May 2011. The Forum was held in the historic city of Luoyang (洛陽市) in Henan Province ( 河南省). Since 1997, this annual conference was jointly organized by the Ministry of Housing & Urban-Rural Development (formerly Ministry of Construction) of China and Development Bureau of Hong Kong. As usual, it remains as an important event of the construction industry both for China and Hong Kong, hence was supported by professional institutes including HKIS, HKIA and HKIE. It also provides a useful platform for the profession to share knowledge and experience.
Luoyang City is geographically divided into two parts by the Yellow River ( 黃河) and was one of the eight historic capital cities of China. It had been an ancient capital of total nine dynasties including 夏、商、東周、東漢、曹魏、西晉、北魏、隋、唐 and had been ruled by more than 100 emperors. Its name “Luo” was indeed come from the nearby River Luo (洛河). It has a population of more than 6.6 million with an area of about 15,208 square kilometers, almost 15 times bigger than Hong Kong.
The theme of this year's Forum was "Sustainable Urban Form: Preservation and Development of Historical and Cultural Cities (可持續城市形態：歷史文化名城的保護與發展)". Various distinguished leaders both from the Mainland and Hong Kong were invited to share their precious experience with their counterparts across the nation. Key areas covered by speakers comprising conservation framework, policies and strategies; planning, construction and related laws and regulations; technologies and skills; operation modes; public participation and education; and training and development in connection with historic and cultural cities.
I was impressed by the presentations of the Mainland speakers especially Mr 李錦生 (山西省住房和城鄉建設廳總規劃師) who had presented a talk on "山西省歷史文化名城名鎮名村保護與發展探索". He had outlined the interaction between preservation of cultural heritage with city's economic growth, and providing research information of how heritage preservation is progressed to sustainable management. He also emphasized the importance of material/structural maintenance, functional/facility capability, and the impact of regional/economic growth.
I also took this opportunity to join the visit arranged by the organizers to some renowned heritage sites and museums including 天子駕六博物館、洛陽博物館、定鼎門遺址公園、洛陽老街、康百萬莊園 and most importantly 白馬寺、龍門石窟、嵩山少林寺 (Shaolin Temple). Shaolin Temple was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in year 2010 and 白馬寺 was the first Buddha temple built in China about 2,000 years ago. I would like to encourage members to visit these historic sites in your next travel to the Mainland.
CPD Event Update
There will be a site visit organized in October to the Old Tai O Police Station. This historic building is situated by the hill side, nearby the Tai O Ferry Pier. It was designated as a Grade III Historic Building in 1988 and was subsequently upgraded to Grade II Historic Building in 18 December 2009. According to the information provided in the website of the Development Bureau, the building was built over 100 years ago in 1902. I must thank for our Council Members, Mr Daniel Hui and Mr Raymond Chan, for their effort in arranging the event.
As last year, the Council decided to organize an APC Workshop for our probationer members. It is anticipated that the workshop will be held in around September or October, well before the November Practical Task Assessment. In addition to providing useful information of attending the Practical Task, some techniques for the planning and preparation of Critical Analysis will also be discussed at the same time.
Please watch out for more detail and the exact schedule of these two events in the upcoming issue of Surveyors Times.
香港測量師學會優良物業管理實務指引 HKIS Guide to Good Property Management Practice (Chinese Version)
Members may have overlooked the "Redemption Voucher" printed in the March Issue of Surveyors Times. As approved by the Institute, all HKIS members regardless of any division are entitled to have a FREE copy of the Chinese Version 香港測量師學會優良物業管理實務指引. The successful publication of this Guide has been the tremendous hardwork of a Working Group led by our Council Member, Mr Daniel Hui. It provides useful practices to assist members in performing professional services to their clients in the management of properties and facilities. If you have already mislaid your hard copy of Surveyors Times, you may still download electronic copy from the HKIS website in order to retrieve the redemption voucher.
