AWA visits Dragon Garden
by R J Prescott
Dragon Garden is not currently open to the public except for tours and I joined one as a member of the American Women's Assoc. In 1949 Dr. Lee Iu Cheung bought the land in the New Territories from the Hong Kong Government and over 20 years, he landscaped it to become a beautiful garden. In recent years the family decided to sell the property to a land developer and Dr. Lee's granddaughter Cynthia Lee fought to preserve the garden, creating the Dragon Garden Charitable Trust. Dr. Lee's youngest son bought the land from the family shareholders to donate it to the people via the HK SAR government, but the garden faces challenges because the government lacks a current policy on protecting privately owned historical properties. Dragon Garden was protected with a Heritage Policy, but is safe only in the short term as the policy is only valid until the end of the official's term.
dragongarden.hk/
