Hong Kong Snapshot (31) (With Video) Sheung Wan(3)– PMQ, the so called “conservation and activation” in HK 香港随拍(31) (附有视频) 上环(3) – 元创坊，所谓的「保育活化」

最近幾篇文章都講及香港近年的文化既藝術發展與保育，這次也不例外，這次也是上環，它是PMQ元創坊。

In the previous articles I was talking about the development of arts and culture of HK. This time is the same topic, I will talk about PMQ at Sheung Wan.

PMQ位於香港的上環區，是一個創意中心，PMQ的全寫是Police Married Quarters，因PMQ的前身是一個已婚警察宿舍。PMQ位處的地段本身也充滿歷史，早於1843這裡是一座城隍廟，是香港第一座華人的社區建設項目，後來殖民政府於1876在這裡興建中央書院，即今天的皇仁書院。中央書院是香港歷史第一間官立學校，很多華人界名人，如孫中山、霍英東、何東等都是畢業於中央書院。

PMQ is a mixed-use venue for arts and design in Sheung Wan. The full name of PMQ is Police Married Quarters. It was really a police married quarters. This place is full of history. In 1843, it was a Shing Wong Temple which is the first community project of HK. In 1876, the colony government built the former Central School. Central School was the first public school in HK. Sun Yat-sen, Henry Fok, Sir Robert Ho Tung was also the alumni of Central School.

1951年，政府將書院校舍改建為已婚警察宿舍，前任香港特首曾蔭權也是在這裡成長。其後曾蔭權任香港特首，於2009年將已婚警察宿舍列為「保育中環」計劃項目。

1951, the Government rebuilt the old school to a police married quarters. Donald Tsang, former Chief Exective of HK grew up in the quarters. In 2009, Donald Tsang announced that PMQ was one of the “Cencerving Central” project.

PMQ在外觀上完全不像一個創意中心，沒有那些劃時代的設計感，沒有那些像是很藝術的建築特式，完整保留了一個宿舍的模樣，在這裡，你可以感受到舊香港住所建築的味道。PMQ於2014年正式開放，提供130個空間給本地的設計師及藝術工作者，在成立初期更提供租金優惠以支持新進設計師的營運。PMQ內現有多個設計工作室及商舖，主要售賣中高價檔次的自家設計，包括時裝、生活用品、品牌包裝等，亦有咖啡室及餐廳。

PMQ doesn’t have epoch-making nor artistic architecture style. It keeps the structure of the police married quarters. You may feel the old HK residential style. PMQ was opened in 2014, providing 130 spaces for local designers and artists. The management also provide a rental discount to new designers and artists. In PMQ there are various of design workshop and shops, providing self-brand products, fashion, daily products and branding design etc. There are also cafes and restaurants.

另為了吸引人客到訪，PMQ亦邀請了多個著名品牌進駐，如Vivienne Tam、JOYCE、住好D、Bread n Butter等。5樓更有著名創作人歐陽應霽提供近三千本關於飲食文化及設計的味道圖書館。2014年，PMQ更成功爭取為1600熊貓在香港的展出地，風頭一時無兩，吸引很多遊客到訪PMQ，不過，在此之後PMQ的人流逐年減少，更換來無數爭議。

To attract visitor, PMQ also invited famous brand to move in like Vivienne Tam, JOYCE, G.O.D., Bread n Butter etc. on the 5th floor, it is the taste Library operated by Craig Au Yeung Ying Chai, famous Chinese multimedia creative director. There are 3000 books of food culture and design provided by Au Yeung. In 2014, PMQ was the exhibition venue of 1600 Pandas in HK attracting a lot of visitors. But after that, the number of visitors declined and declined.

(photo from expat living Hong Kong)

「迎合所有人，最終只會失去所有人」，這是我對PMQ發展方針的意見。PMQ的人流量平均每年下跌30萬，直到2016年只有320萬人次入場，開業3年仍然錄得虧損數字，而重點正是這個「虧損」。保育活化，從來只有兩個方針，一是主打商業，以收益為目標，另一則是以文化藝術為主打，以補貼的形式營運，但PMQ正正落於兩者的中間，打算迎合所有人的位置。

”Cater to Everyone will finally cater to no one”. This is my opinion to PMQ. The number of visitors drops every year to only 3.2M in 2016. In the 3 years, there is still deficit. And the main point is the word “deficit”. I believe there are only two direction for “conservation and activation”. The first in target on commercial profit. The other one is target on Arts and cultures atmosphere by substitution. But PMQ is in the middle, targeting to cater everybody.

PMQ為租戶提供租金優惠，希望租戶能達成自負盈虧，這裡就已經充滿商業的成份，讓本港新晉設計師推銷產品及推廣品牌，但租金優惠卻不很優惠，至少比附近舊區昂貴。同時間，營運商卻像以藝術文化為主打以推廣PMQ，結果，來的人大多都是是被這裡的「創意藝術」氣息吸引，拍照的拍照，卻鮮有欣賞這裡的商品及購物。

PMQ provides rental discount to designers and artists so as to let them have a self-financing. It’s already a commercial operation to be designers and artists to promote their own brand and products. But the rental discount is not very attractive, at least more expensive than the old district surrounding. At the same time, the management promotes PMQ as a venue of arts and designs. The result is, visitors take PMQ as a place of arts. They take photos, enjoy the atmosphere, but seldom shop.

Chocolate Rain是一個很多的例子，Chocolate Rain是香港一個走到國際的新晉品牌，曾在大英博物館、古根漢博物館展出，更在新加坡及倫敦都有工作室，但在PMQ兩年，最後也因抵受不了租金而無奈遷出，這是PMQ定位錯誤的結果。

One example is Chocolate Rain. Chocolate Rain an international new brand of HK. It even had exhibitions in British Museum and The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and also has studios in Singapore and London. But in PMQ, Chocolate Rain finally decided to move out due to the unbalance of income and rental fee. It is the mistake of the policy of PMQ.

(photo from official website of Chocolate Rian)

有趣的是，現時PMQ的出租率達九成以上，但仍然錄得虧損，這是代表租金訂得太低，還是以收益為目標來營運一個「活化」項目是失敗之舉？

An interesting thing is that the rental ratio of PMQ is over 90%. But there is still deficit. It means the rental fee is too low? Or the policy of the “conservation and activation” project by commercial is a failure?

其實PMQ為於中上環一帶，優越的地理優勢，如果不能吸引人流量，實在是充滿問題。它一方面以一個「活化保育」的文化項目營運，同時間又擁有一個商業模式的營運目標，正正是「想迎合所有人，但最後卻迎合不到任何一個人」。
PMQ is located at Sheung Wan next to Central. It is a great area. It is a problem that PMQ can’t draw visitors. The management operates PMQ as a cultural project of “conservation and activation”, but with the target of commercial income. ”Cater to Everyone will finally cater to no one”.

不過，我認為PMQ落至如此最重要的原因，還是香港人的藝術與創意氣息，如果香港人普遍欣賞藝術，支持本地創意工作，PMQ就算沒有任何宣傳，也已能吸引大量人流，並達到商業成果。還記得小時候唯一接觸藝術的機會，就只有每星期一小時的美術課。今日社會模式已劇變，大家都能預示技術性及服務性的工作只會越來越少，剩下的只有高端科技及以人為本的創意業，可惜香港已失去了它的視野，原地踏步，各樣進步往往都是由民間帶起，而非政府主導。哈哈！我是否太過悲觀！

But in my opinion, the major reason of the failure of PMQ is the art spirit of HK. If all HK people like and enjoy arts and design, PMQ may have lot of visitors even without any promotion and gain its commercial target. I remember when I was childhood, the only chance I contacted arts was the only 1 hour arts lesson in a week. Today the structure of our society has great change. We all may foresee that the number of jobs related to technical and service will become less and less. The remaining will only be high end technique and creative industry. But HK has lost its vision without stepping forward. The government is doing nothing. Haha! Am I too pessimistic?

最後，也為大家準備了視頻，讓大家看到更多的PMQ!

Again, a video for you!

!steemitworldmap 22.2833841 lat 114.149385 long d3scr

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謝謝你能抽空閱讀這篇文章，我平日喜歡分享香港的故事，希望大家多多支持，我會繼續努力！

Thanks for spending your time to read my articles. I like to share stories of Hong Kong. I wish you may support me and I will keep going!

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