HKU Symposium Speech

Here's the link to my Asia Sentinel blog post containing a translated excerpt of my speech, which was delivered on November 14, 2012 in Cantonese to an audience of HKU students:-

http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4989&Itemid=320

French Fashion Forefather

To say that French haute couture owes its origin to the English may sound sacrilegious. On the other hand though, history does tell us the saying has at least an iota of truth.

After reading Emile Zola’s La Curee (“The Kill”), I became most intrigued about the French Second Empire epoch. At one of the Vancouver Public Library periodic book sales, I spotted John Bierman’s Napoleon III and His Carnival Empire and lost no time in grabbing it.

In La Curee, I had read about the heroine’s lavish addiction to her “Worth” gowns. From Bierman’s interesting book, I came to know that Charles Frederick Worth, an Englishman born in Bourne, Lincolnshire, England, was the grumpy couturier who was the craze of upper-class Europe during the French Second Empire. The most renowned of his customers was French Empress Eugenie, and it was the Austrian princess Pauline von Metternich who introduced Worth to her.

Though described by Bierman as an “unfulfilled, neurotic woman of limited talents”, Eugenie was nevertheless the woman who instigated a passionate fashion sense not only in ladies of the outgoing aristocracy, but also those in the up-and-coming bourgeoisie in post-revolution France.

“If the emperor’s example inspired Parisiens of all classes to new levels of sexual activity, Eugenie’s example gave similar impetus to another form of commerce for which Paris had long been famous: fashion. While disdaining sex, she was obsessed with clothes and coiffure and set the standard for all – from the haughty ladies of the old aristocracy, who disdained the parvenu court of the Bonapartes, to the grisettes in the neighborhood dance halls.”

Worth started out as a drapery maker in England and moved to Paris in 1846. Having teamed up with a wealthy Swede, Otto Bobergh, who acted as his financier, he opened a shop at 7, Rue de la Paix, Paris. Before long, the Empress became one of his admiring patronesses.

The Empress’s relationship with Worth was much like the mutually enhancing relationship between Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy, in terms of augmenting each other’s fame, as Eugenie was fast becoming a fashion icon for the whole of France.

After being propelled onto a pedestal by the patronage of the Empress, Worth turned into a dictator in the world of fashion, treating his customers with utter disdain –they were not able to choose their own clothes; he would decide for them. He would usually hold fashion shows four times a year, during which he would display model dresses. Each of his patronesses would be allowed to pick one model dress, which would be sewn in the fabrics of her choice and tailored to her figure. But the ladies of Paris did not seem to mind his haughtiness and outrageous prices, as long as he was willing to dress them. At the height of his career, he did not deign to accept new customers unless they were introduced by an old client.

The zesty obsession with clothes, for better or worse, did bring into existence many grand department stores, like Le Bon Marche, La Samaritaine and Le Printemps, some of which have survived to this day. Critics, however, labeled such obsessive concern with outward appearance and embellishment as destructive and demoralizing, and as a reflection of the Second Empire’s predilection for style over substance. Indeed, the unabashed decadence and flagrant materialism of the era was the subject of excoriation in the works of many intellectuals of the time.

All said, the legacy left by Worth still blazed a trail for the numerous French designer houses that followed, which subsequently dominated the scene of European high fashion. His son, Gaston, actually founded the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in 1868, which was the precursor to the present day’s Federation Francaise de la Couture, du Pret-a-Porter des Couturiers et des Createurs de Mode. The Federation is responsible for setting the dates and location of the French fashion weeks, for establishing industry standards on quality and on the use of the word “haute couture”. Those once disdainful French haute couture houses, which have now become the craze of an oriental nation, seem to have lost a little bit of their cool hauteur of yesteryears.

Condolences

My condolences to all who lost loved ones in the vessel collision off Lamma Island on the eve of October 1, and my best wishes for a speedy recovery to those injured in the accident.

It was a deeply tragic loss of lives. The unfortunate accident has sent a harsh blow to the lives of many families and calls for sympathy from all - not petty squabbles, nor unfounded accusations at this time of great sorrow. In the past, Hong Kong showed itself totally capable of dealing with grave accidents, and emerging therefrom a little wiser. This time, it should be no exception.

Here is a song, called “I Am A Thousand Winds”, to sooth the grieving families:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR05T2m4yGM

Lyrics of “I Am A Thousand Winds”:-

Please do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am the sunlight on the ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain

I am a thousand winds
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glint on snow
I am a thousand winds that blow

Please do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die
I am the swift rush of birds in flight
I am the stars that shine at night

I am a thousand winds
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glint on snow
I am a thousand winds that blow

Please do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am the sunlight on the ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain

I am a thousand winds
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glint on snow
I am a thousand winds that blow

I am the diamond glint on snow
I am a thousand winds that blow

An Anti-Greed French Song

Since the days of Gordon Gekko’s motto “greed is, for lack of a better word, good”, we have seen the world swept up by uninhibited avarice in the last two-and-a-half decades. This vice finally led to gargantuan financial debacles in many countries and cities. Zazie’s song “Etre et Avoir” (“To Be and To Have”) is a light and sweet ridicule of this particular human foible.

This song reminds me of an essay that says it is important, as an inward-looking morality check, to discern what “need” and “want” is. It also reminds me of what Bud Fox’s father said in the film “Wall Street”, that a person’s character is not measured by the money in his pocket. One verse in the song says it all « Il en faut peu pour etre heureux. »  (“We need little in order to be happy.”)

Link to the song:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHH5si2Y4sw&feature=my_favorites&list=FLlMBDFYTe8MGL_Z6TJc6LOg

French Lyrics of « Etre et Avoir » (‘To Be and To Have’) by Zazie :-

Des chaises, une table, un lit, un toit,

C'était tout ce qu'on avait.
Vingt ans, pourtant, des rêves en grand,

C'était tout ce qu'il nous fallait.

Voiture, maison, c'est sûr, c'est bon.

Maintenant qu'est ce que ça cache?
Ca nous remplit, ca nous rend pas meilleur,

Pour autant que je sache.

Car tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a,

Tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a.

Plus beau, plus cher, plus riche, plus fort,

Voilà tout ce qu'on adore
Autant d'efforts, tous ces trésors,

On en fait quoi quand on sera mort?

De tout cet or en banque, ces armes, ces tanks

Alors que c’est d’amour que l'on manque.
Et l’être humain l’est un peu moins

Depuis qu'il s'est fait avoir.

Car tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a,

Tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a.

Des chaises, une table, un lit, un toit,

C'était tout ce qu'on avait.

Il en faut peu pour être heureux,

Moi c'est tout ce que je sais.

Tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a,

Oui, tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a.

Tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a
Oui, tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a

My English Rendition of the Lyrics of « Etre et Avoir » by Zazie :-

Chairs, a table, a bed, a roof,

It was all that we had.

Twenty years, yet, of great dreams

It was all that we needed.

A car, a house, sure, it is good,

Now what is it that it hides?

It fills us up, it does not make us better

For as much as I know.

Because all that we are, is not all that we have,

All that we are, is not all that we have.

More beautiful, more expensive, richer, stronger,

This is what we adore.

So much efforts, all these treasures,

What do we do with these when we’re dead?

Of all this gold in the bank, all these arms, these tanks

While it is love that is lacking.

And the human being is a little less human,

When we are bent on having.

Because all that we are, is not all that we have,

All that we are, is not all that we have.

Chairs, a table, a bed, a roof,

It was all that we had.

We need little in order to be happy

For as much as I know.

All that we are, is not all that we have,

Yes, all that we are, is not all that we have.

All that we are, is not all that we have.

Yes, all that we are, is not all that we have.

Love Poems by Lu You and Tang Yuan

This is a follow-up to the last post regarding the poignant love story of Song poet Lu You (陸游). I’ve given my attempted English rendition to Lu’s poem 釵頭鳳:紅酥手, which he wrote on a wall inside the Shen Garden during his chance encounter with his ex-wife Tang Yuan (唐婉), as well as to Tang’s reply poem 釵頭鳳:世情惡 .

At the Shen Garden (沈園) accidental encounter, Tang Yuan, with her husband’s permission, had some food and wine sent over to her ex-husband Lu You as a courtesy (presumably they were at different spots inside the big mansion). Her gesture got Lu all sentimental, and the lovelorn poet improvised his poem on a wall, which Tang later set her sight on, and she wrote her own reply there.

【釵頭鳳】紅酥手 南宋 • 陸游
 

紅酥手，黃藤酒，滿城春色宮牆柳。
東風惡，歡情薄，一懷愁緒，幾年離索。
錯！錯！錯！
 

春如舊，人空瘦，淚痕浥紅鮫綃透。
桃花落，閒池閣，山盟雖在，錦書難托。
莫！莫！莫！

My English Rendition (Title: Phoenix Hairpin by Lu You):-

Tasty pork, golden wine, spring came amidst willows draped over walls.

Wicked custom, short-lived joy, leaves a pining heart, and lonely years befall.

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

Spring comes and goes, as I waste away; my tears have soaked many a handkerchief.

Peach blossoms fall, by the lonely pond, our vows intact, yet we can’t connect.

Lost! Lost! Lost!  

【釵頭鳳】世情惡 南宋 • 唐婉
 

世情薄，人情惡，雨送黃昏花易落。
曉風乾，淚痕殘，欲箋心事，獨倚斜欄。
難！難！難！
 

人成各，今非昨，病魂常似鞦韆索。
角聲寒，夜闌珊，怕人詢問，咽淚裝歡。
瞞！瞞！瞞！

My English Rendition (Title: Phoenix Hairpin by Tang Yuan):-

A pitiless world, hard-hearted people, the evening rain beats petals down.

Morning wind dries, not the tears, I want to write, but can only lean on the fence.

Tough! Tough! Tough!

We parted ways, yesteryears gone, the ghost of sickness haunts like a hanging rope.

The horn is chilling, the night is long, shunning questions, I dry my tears and feign joy.

Hide! Hide! Hide!

A Yuan Qu Aria and a Song Poem

Recently I came across two Chinese poems that I became immediately smitten with. One is a Yuan qu (aria) (元曲) by Ma Zhiyuan (馬志遠), called “Sky and Clear Sand: Autumnal Thoughts” (天淨沙: 秋思), and the other is a Song seven-character quatrain by Southern Song poet Lu You (陸游), called “Revisiting Shen Garden, One of Two” (再遊沈園, 二首之一).

Ma Zhiyuan was born in war-torn Southern Song dynasty and was a Yuan dynasty court official by profession. He was also a well-known Yuan drama (雜劇) and aria (散曲) writer and was honored with being named one of the four great masters of Yuan aria writers (元曲四大家之一).

天淨沙·秋思• 馬致遠 (“Sky and Clear Sand: Autumnal Thoughts”) by Ma Zhiyuan
 

枯藤老樹昏鴉，
小橋流水人家，
古道西風瘦馬。
夕陽西下，
斷腸人在天涯。
 

My English Rendition:

Withered vines, old trees, frail crows;
Dainty bridge, running stream, folks' homes.
Beaten path, west wind, gaunt horse;
Waning sun sets in the west;
Heartbroken man on sky's edge.

Most Chinese poetry lovers would find the name Lu You (陸游) very familiar. Until recently, I only knew him to be one of the greatest poetry and lyrics writers of the Southern Song dynasty. I’ve lately stumbled upon a poignant love story of that dynasty, in which he, and ironically, his ex-wife, were the two doomed lovers. This love story spells the background for the poem that Lu wrote forty-three years after his chancing upon his beloved ex-wife at Shen Garden (poem introduced below).

The Shen Garden chance meeting, which had taken place a few years after their forced separation, had prompted him to write her a riveting poem called “釵頭鳳:紅酥手” to express his undying love for her and his powerlessness in face of rigid customs. Upon receipt of that poem, she had replied her ex-husband with an equally heart-rending poem. Shortly after that chance meeting and exchange of poems, she had died from heartbreak.

The tragic love story started out as a happy union in marriage between a great young poet (Lu You) and a beautiful and intelligent lady of great literary talent called Tang Yuan (唐婉). The twenty-year old Lu was deeply in love with Tang and the two shared a happy life. But marital bliss was short-lived. Lu’s mother was far from appreciative of her new daughter-in-law and began finding faults with her. The wicked woman found a way to forcing her son and his wife to live in separate living quarters. But Lu still tried to make contact with his wife stealthily. Not long thereafter though, Lu’s mother found out about their secretive rendezvous and demanded that her son divorce Tang to marry another. Pressured by traditions and his filial duty, Lu succumbed to his mother’s wishes. Tang also remarried a little later. The year when Lu was thirty-one, he encountered Tang and her husband by chance at Shen Garden.    

再游沈園, 二首 之一, • 陸游 (Revisiting Shen Garden, One of Two, by Lu You)

採得黄花作枕囊，
曲屏深幌泌幽香。
喚回四十三年夢，
燈暗無人說斷腸。
 

My English Rendition:

Having picked some yellow mums to pillow my head,
Behind the screen and curtains, there wafted a luring scent.
Recalling a dream forty-three years back,
In the faint light, no one to share my self-torment.

The fact that Lu still couldn’t let go of Tang in his thoughts at the senile age of seventy-five says something about his love for Tang. Perhaps “one life, one love” would be a truly apt description here.

A Satirical and Sensible French Song

I just can’t stop. I’ve found another French song that I like very much. This one is by Zazie and has witty and poetic lyrics set in satire. This song is a powerful wakeup call to all mankind who are the ultimate Earth Destroyer. I’m inclined to think that it’s human greed that drives an incurable addiction to wasteful consumption, which causes steady destruction of the Earth. In the end, greed will destroy humankind – in a vicious circle.

Link to the song:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05fRI9CkL7k&feature=my_favorites&list=FLlMBDFYTe8MGL_Z6TJc6LOg 

Je Suis Un Homme (French Lyrics):

Je suis un homme de Cro-Magnon
Je suis un singe ou un poisson
Sur la terre en toute saison
Moi je tourne en rond, je tourne en rond

Je suis un seul puis des millions
Je suis un homme au coeur de lion
A la guerre en toute saison
Moi je tourne en rond, je tourne en rond

Je suis un homme plein d’ambition
Belle voiture et belle maison
Dans la chambre ou dans la salon
Moi je tourne en rond, je tourne en rond

Je fais l’amour et la revolution
Je fais le tour de la question
J’avance, avance a reculons
Et je tourne en rond, je tourne en rond

Tu vois, j’suis pas un homme
Je suis le roi de l’illusion
Au fond, qu’on me pardonne
Je suis le roi, le roi des cons

Je fais le monde a ma facon
Coule dans l’or et le beton
Corps en cage, coeur en prison
Moi je tourne en rond, je tourne en rond

Assis devant ma television
Je suis de l’homme, la negation
Pur produit de consommation
Oui, mon compte est bon, mon compte est bon

Tu vois, j’suis pas un homme
Je suis le roi de l’illusion
Au fond, qu’on me pardonne
Je suis le roi, le roi des cons

C’est moi, le maitre du feu
Le maitre du jeu
Le maitre du monde
Et vois ce que j’en ai fait
Une terre glacee, une terre brulee
La terre des hommes que
Les hommes abandonnent

Je suis un homme au pied du mur
Comme une erreur de la nature
Sur la terre sans d’autres raisons
Moi je tourne en rond, je tourne en rond

Je suis un homme mais je mesure
Toute l’horreur de ma nature
Pour ma peine, ma punition
Moi je tourne en rond, je tourne en rond

Je suis un homme mais je mesure
Toute l’horreur de ma nature
Pour ma peine, ma punition
Moi je tourne en rond, je tourne en rond

Moi je tourne en rond, je tourne en rond

My English Rendition of the Lyrics of “Je Suis Un Homme” (“I am a Man”):

I am a man, of prehistoric times
I am a monkey, or a fish
On the earth in all times
Me, I go round in circles, go round in circles

I am one, but then of a million
I am a man, with the heart of a lion
Going to war all the time
Me, I go round in circles, go round in circles

I am a man, full of ambition
Beautiful car, and beautiful house
In the bedroom or in the parlor
Me, I go round in circles, go round in circles

I make love, and revolution
I ponder over and over on a question
I go forward, forward to be backward
And I go round in circles, go round in circles

You see, I’m not a man
I am the King of Illusion
Basically, if you’ll pardon me
I am the king, the King of Idiots

I fashion the world in my own way
Cast in gold and in concrete
Body in a cage, heart in a prison
Me, I go round in circles, go round in circles

Seated in front of my television
I am a man, of passivity
Pure product of consumption
Yes, I’m good at counting, good at counting

You see, I’m not a man
I am the King of Illusion
Basically, if you’ll pardon me
I am the king, the King of Idiots

It is me, the Master of Fire
The Master of Games
The Master of the World
And look what I’ve done to it
An earth frozen up, an earth burnt down
The earth of men that
Men have abandoned

I am a man at the end of my rope
Like an error that nature has made
On the earth without any other reasons
Me, I go round in circles, go round in circles

I am a man but I take count
Of all the horror of my nature
For my penalty, my punishment
Me, I go round in circles, go round in circles

I am a man but I take count
Of all the horror of my nature
For my penalty, my punishment
Me, I go round in circles, go round in circles

Me, I go round in circles, go round in circles

Who Has the Right?

I came across this French song “Qui a Le Droit” quite some time ago, and, apart from being moved by the angelic Soprano voice of the young Jean-Baptiste Maunier, I thought the lyrics were hauntingly inspirational. As a way to brush up my French, I’ve given the lyrics my English rendition.

Here’s the link to the multi-artist performance on Youtube (the other singers being Bruel, Zazie, Boulay, Corneille and Garou):-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23_1DQGaMo0&feature=my_favorites&list=FLlMBDFYTe8MGL_Z6TJc6LOg

Qui a Le Droit (French Lyrics)

On m'avait dit :
‘Ne pose pas trop de question,
Tu sais, petit, c'est la vie qui t'répond.
A quoi ca sert de vouloir tout savoir?
Regardes en l'air et vois ce que tu veux voir’

On m'avait dit:
‘Faut écouter son père’
Le mien a rien dit quand il s'est fait la paire
Maman m'a dit: ‘Tu es trop petit pour comprendre’
Et j'ai grandi avec une place à prendre

Qui a le droit
Qui a le droit
Qui a le droit de faire ca
A un enfant qui croit vraiment
C'que disent les grands
On passe sa vie à dire merci
Merci à qui? à quoi?
A faire la pluie et le beau temps
Pour des enfants à qui l'on ment

On m'avait dit:
‘Les hommes sont tous pareils’
Y'a plusieurs dieus mais y'a qu'un seul soleil"
Oui mais le soleil il brille ou bien il brule
Tu meurs de soif ou bien tu bois des bulles

A toi aussi j'suis sur qu'on t'en a dit
De belles histoires. Tu parle, que des conneries
Alors maintenant on se trouve sur la route
Avec nos peurs nos angoisses et nos doutes

Qui a le droit
Qui a le droit
Qui a le droit d'faire ca
A des enfants qui croient vraiment ce que disent les grands
On passe sa vie a dire merci
Merci à qui? à quoi?
A faire la pluie et le beau temps
Pour des enfants à qui l'on ment

My English Rendition of the Lyrics of “Who Has the Right?” :

Someone had told me

“Do not ask too many questions,

You know, little one, it’s life that answers you.

What’s the point in wanting to know everything?

Look into the air and see what you want to see.”

Someone had told me

“One should listen to one’s father.”

Mine said nothing to me when he philandered.

My mother said, “You are too young to understand,”

And I’ve grown up, with an empty place at my side.

Who has the right

Who has the right

Who has the right to do that

To a child who really believes

Anything that the grown-ups say.

He goes through life saying thankyou

Thankyou to whom, for what?

For creating the rain and fine weather for the children?

To whom one tells lies?

Someone had told me

“Men are all the same,

There may be several gods, but there’s only one sun.”

Yes, but the sun, it either glares or else it burns,

Either you die of thirst, or you drink the bubbles.

To you too, I’m sure, one has told

Beautiful stories. You say: what a farce!

Well now we are on the road again,

With all our fears, our anguish and our doubts.

Who has the right

Who has the right

Who has the right to do that

To a child who really believes

Anything that the grown-ups say.

He goes through life saying thankyou

Thankyou to whom, for what?

For creating the rain and fine weather for the children?

To whom one tells lies?

A Lovely French Song

Thanks to Mister Bijou, I've been alerted to a lovely French song sung by Zaz, a popular French singer. This song not only has a pleasing melody, but also has beautifully poetic lyrics. I've tried to give an English rendition of the lyrics. Hopefully the poetic element is not all lost in translation!

La Pluie  (By Zaz) French Lyrics :-

 

Le ciel est gris la pluie s'invite comme par surprise
Elle est chez nous et comme un rite qui nous enlise
Les parapluies s'ouvrent en cadence
Comme une danse,
Les gouttes tombent en abondance
Sur douce France.

Tombe tombe tombe la pluie
En ce jour de dimanche de décembre
à l'ombre des parapluies
Les passants se pressent se pressent sans attendre

On l'aime parfois elle hausse la voix elle nous bouscule
Elle ne donne plus de ses nouvelles en canicule
Puis elle revient comme un besoin par affection
Et elle nous chante sa grande chanson
L'inondation

Tombe tombe tombe la pluie
En ce jour de dimanche de décembre,
à l'ombre des parapluies
Les passants se pressent se pressent sans attendre

Tombe tombe tombe la pluie
En ce jour de dimanche de décembre
à l'ombre des parapluies
Les passants se pressent se pressent sans attendre

Et tombe et tombe et tombe, tombe
Et tombe et tombe et tombe...

 

My English Rendition of the Lyrics :-

 

The sky is grey, the rain invites herself as if by chance
She’s in our home, and consumes us like in a rite
Umbrellas open up in rhythm as in a dance
Raindrops fall in abundance
Over gentle France

Fall, fall, fall the rain
On this day a Sunday in December
In the shade of umbrellas
Passers-by hurry, hurry, without delay

One loves her when she shouts, pushing us around
She gives nothing more than news of a heat wave
Then she comes back as if in need of affection
And she sings us her great song
Of inundation

Fall, fall, fall the rain
On this day a Sunday in December
In the shade of umbrellas
Passers-by hurry, hurry, without delay

Fall, fall, fall the rain
On this day a Sunday in December
In the shade of umbrellas
Passers-by hurry, hurry, without delay

And fall, and fall, and fall, fall…
And fall, and fall, and fall

Preserving Agricultural Land for Food Safety

People want to have affordable housing. People want to eat vegetables without the fear of being poisoned. The second statement seemingly is a non sequitur. But it doesn’t have to be. Here is where sensible rustic planning comes in.

Thanks to the Land Justice League’s report on InmediaHK, we are told that the SAR government is planning to develop a new town in Yuen Long South and is applying to LegCo for funds of about HK$50 million to be used in hiring consultants to do planning and engineering studies in identifying suitable housing sites.

http://www.inmediahk.net/%E5%85%83%E6%9C%97%E5%8D%97%E7%99%BC%E5%B1%95%E8%A6%8F%E5%8A%83%E5%85%AC%E4%BD%88%E8%8D%89%E7%8E%87

According to this document issued by the Development Bureau, the studies will form the basis for an official Outline Development Plan (equivalent to an Outline Zoning Plan in urban areas):

http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr11-12/english/panels/dev/papers/dev0522cb1-1875-4-e.pdf

The Land Justice League has conducted some on-site investigation and found that a substantial amount of farming activities have been on-going for a long time covering over 10 hectares of land within the area earmarked for the studies. Most of the farmers are vegetable growers who have made a livelihood out of farming on land leased from the indigenous villagers. The vegetables that they grow are sold through distributors to the Cheung Sha Wan wholesale market. Hong Kongers should be grateful that they still have the choice of safe, Hong Kong grown vegetables because of the hard work of those farmers.

Since the announcement of the earmarking of the study area, a few farmers reportedly have noticed some anomaly where some landowners have begun ending the farm leases and resuming their land.

The LJL report made one very valid point, and that is, that by arbitrarily making public a tentative map showing the study area, the administration is actually hinting to developers, especially those who are familiar with the land use conversion procedure, where to sweep up agricultural land for their hoard. (I took great pains in trying to explain in my book Land and the Ruling Class in Hong Kong how the large developers use this land use conversion procedure to their competitive advantage. I also made it quite clear that this land use conversion procedure should be thoroughly reviewed with regard to its fairness and efficiency.)

One very sound point made in the LJL report is that whenever government plans to develop a new town, all developers’ hoard of agricultural land in the area in question should first be resumed by government and then properly zoned and put up for public auction.

Suspected government-developer collusion aside, a crucial question to ask is: must the land in the New Territories be solely used to pile concrete on? In the present times when there’s one report after another of poisonous vegetables being shipped to Hong Kong from north of the border, isn’t it about time for the planners to begin thinking outside the (concrete) box and start looking seriously at farming as a viable local industry, food safety and sustainable agricultural land use? Is there a way for housing and farm land to co-exist? Apart from farm use, are there other compatible uses like open air farm produce markets, flea markets, cooked food markets etc. (like those popular “marches” in urban and suburban France) that can be considered as viable zoning?

While I concur with the suggestion in the report that the land currently being used for farming should be taken out of the study area altogether to protect the farmers, I think we could go one step further and start considering the active preservation of agricultural land for exclusive agricultural use (i.e. application for land use change not to be allowed).

As early as the 70s, British Columbia already saw the importance of agricultural land preservation. The province introduced the Agricultural Land Commission Act in April 1973. An Agricultural Land Commission was set up and charged with the duty to designate a provincial Agricultural Land Reserve (“ALR”) and to encourage farm businesses. The ALR presently covers an area of 4.7 million hectares (5 percent of the province) and is a special zoning in which agricultural use is recognized as the priority use. It is typically difficult to apply for non-farm use where such a zoning exists.

Hong Kong may find the British Columbia experience worth studying. 

Caixin Media Interview 財新媒體專訪

Here's the link to the interview text titled "潘慧娴：香港被地产商操控背离市场经济":-

http://special.caixin.com/2012-04-28/100383246.html