The best way to understand the village is to consult the local community and other stakeholders.
Villagers and experts interviews
Between November 2021 and January 2022, we conducted 16 interviews with village representatives, village descendants, local authorities and project-doers, including members from HKU Centre for Civil Society and Governance (HKU CCSG), Hong Kong Countryside Foundation (HKCF), Sha Tau Kok District Rural Committee, etc.
During the interviews, we talked about the existing conditions of village developments, details about specific revitalisation projects and their own visions for the area.
The bad Hong Kong working habit: stating all the fears before really working on it. It’s like an excuse for not doing it. Working stage-by-stage could already prevent potential overcrowding.
— Tsang Yuk On, Mui Tsz Lam Village Representative
Focus groups
We held 2 focus groups on 9 and 16 December 2021, with a total of 13 participants. The discussions covered topics like the essence of a rural village, establishing trust between villagers and external stakeholders, contributions and roles of different parties, and the balance between development and preservation.
What's missing right now is a new positioning (for rural villages). Some people think revitalisation is just a transition, it will become a city eventually.
— Ip Tsz Lam, coordinator of HKU Permaculture Course
While we are obtaining more information and ideas about revitalisation potentials of the area, we are glad to see the connections between different stakeholders facilitated by these events.