Reconstructing the Value of Hong Kong's Ancient Trails under Sensory Experience: A Case Study of Ancient Trails from Wu Kau Tang to Lai Chi Wo

<p>Hong Kong’s cultural landscapes, despite their significance in reflecting human-nature interactions over time, remain unrecognized and unprotected under its current heritage legislation. Among these overlooked cultural landscapes, ancient trails as vital conduits of history, trade, and community life, carrying unique narratives of Hong Kong’s rural development, colonial encounters, and indigenous traditions, offering a distinct window into the territory’s heritage and evolution. However, these trails are excluded from statutory conservation, managed fragmentarily as recreational assets rather than heritage, undermining their role as “living archives” of collective memory. </p><p></p><p>This study reconstructs the value of Hong Kong’s ancient trails through sensory experience, with the Wu Kau Tang to Lai Chi Wo trail network as a case study. It explores how multisensory perceptions (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory) shape human-land connections, analyzes the impact of functional transformation and rural erosion on ancient trail value, and examines conflicts in authenticity and value reconstruction. Findings reveal that visual qualities dominate the sensory experiences, evoking strong aesthetic responses, while the shift from traditional functions to recreational uses, has added new values, reframing the human-nature linkages. This is while the historic connections are still seen as important values that require protection and interpretation strategies. However, under current legislation, there are no guidelines to provide a holistic conservation approach to protect their range of values and offer interpretations strategies that explore the richness of these living archives. </p><p></p><p>This study highlights sensory experience as a critical lens to understand trail values and proposes sensory-sensitive strategies: integrating sensory dimensions into heritage evaluation, enhancing cross-departmental collaboration, and promoting community-led restoration. These measures aim to secure recognition of ancient trails as heritage and implement policy instruments to safeguard them as living cultural landscapes.</p>