Safeguarding our Heritage: A Clean Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is the life source of Hong Kong. As we all know, Victoria Harbour acts as an important transit-hub for the shipping industry of Hong Kong since hundreds of years ago. Its unbreakable relationship with Hong Kong is very close and cannot be described in just a few words. With the existence of Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong which was a small fishing village became an entreport due to the deepness and the large size of Victoria Harbour, making ships easy to travel. Navy ships of the United States and other nations pass by Hong Kong by going through the Victoria Harbour thus, Hong Kong can provide a good vacation destination for soldiers and sailors as it provides ration, food and fresh water for these people. Moreover, Victoria Harbour is situated in an ideal location where east meets west for ships to go in and out freely. World shipping routes pass nearby Hong Kong which makes Victoria Harbour important for the trading industry in Hong Kong. Later on, Hong Kong became an industrial centre due to the rapid growth of the trading industry and now, with the advancement of information technology, Hong Kong has become an international financial centre. Without this harbour, Hong Kong’s political and economical development would not have grown so fast in only about a hundred years and would not be as prosperous as it is now because Hong Kong’s past and future all lies in the Victoria Harbour. With the improvement of the living standard of Hong Kong people and the constantly increasing population, the government has been forced to reclaim a lot of land for more residential and commercial purposes. With the increasing rate of reclamation, the size of Victoria Harbour is decreasing greatly. It is not as wide or deep as it was before and is no longer a fragrant harbour like it once was. It is believed that sooner or later, every part of our precious Victoria Harbour would be reclaimed. Although the government finds it necessary to reclaim land, some people are strictly against this idea. Victoria Harbour has been so important and vital to Hong Kong over the past years, it is not surprising that some people would object the reclamation of Victoria Harbour. These people have the same goal as we do in protecting our harbour. However, there are still people who agree with such development. These people do not believe that Hong Kong should dwell in the past and waste its resources to protect its heritage. Instead, they think that Hong Kong should develop as much land as possible to build up commercial and financial areas in order to prosper. Yet, as we look into it, we can still find people who do not bother to concern themselves with this issue. These people do not seem to care about Hong Kong’s heritage and future.

Besides reclamation, the Victoria Harbour is becoming more and more polluted because of ignorant people who litter. This leads to a terrible smell and the rubbish makes the ships difficult to travel through the harbour. Tourists would be disgusted by all the litter and the bad smell of it. Even local transport like the Star Ferry would be affected. Therefore, people should be encouraged to realize the seriousness of pollution, reclamation and the importance of safeguarding our heritage. In order to do this, more activities should be held. For example, a poster design competition on “Protecting the Victoria Harbour” can be organized in order to arouse the people’s awareness. An exhibition on the brief history of Hong Kong, related to Victoria Harbour can be held. A quiz on all the factors related to Victoria Harbour can be opened to Hong Kong citizens. A one-day boat ride around the Victoria Harbour or a “Clean Victoria Harbour Day” can be organized. There can be a competition in collecting rubbish from the harbour. The group with the most rubbish collected can be awarded. This can increase the people’s incentive in protecting and cleaning the harbour. All these can enrich people’s knowledge about the Victoria Harbour and make them realize its importance so that they can be encouraged in keeping the harbour clean. The government should also think of other ways in developing Hong Kong and not just reclaim more land from the harbour. I believe that reclamation is not the only way leading to prosperity. What is more is that there is still sufficient land in the New Territories and Lantau Island. Instead of decreasing the size of Victoria Harbour to reclaim more land, areas in the northern part of Hong Kong can be developed. The government should also emphasize on the seriousness of pollution in Victoria Harbour and educate the young to keep our harbour clean. The government can also minimize the number of ships traveling across the harbour or control the amount of sewage dumped into the harbour in order to reduce water pollution caused. Also people should not only be penalized a fine if they litter because some rich people do not tend to care at all. Punishments like collecting rubbish from the Victoria Harbour for a day can be made. This can give people a lesson and let them know that even if they have money, they cannot just litter whenever and wherever they want. They can also experience the difficult work of those who have to clean up the garbage thrown into the sea every day. Since Victoria Harbour is so important to Hong Kong, it is necessary that we should all try our best to keep it clean so that it can stay in a good condition. If reclamation or water pollution is continued, the beautiful view of the Victoria Harbour would no longer exist. Therefore reclamation and pollution should be stopped immediately. However, this cannot be done without the cooperation of every person in Hong Kong. If every one puts a little effort, our aim can be achieved. I believe that it is the responsibility of every one of us to safeguard our heritage, the Victoria Harbour. By: Chan Lee Ting Cecilia St. Paul’s Convent School