Ka Ho Village Road to Modernization——With the Development of Infrastructure as Centre

Abstract

In the 50 years between 1970 and 2020, with Macau, Taipa and Coloane connected and accessible as one area, Macau’s economy swiftly grew and fl ourished, thus lending impetus to Macau and pushing it towards modernization. Ka Ho village is situated in the isolated north east corner of Coloane and, along the way of the modernization of the Macau peninsula, Ka Ho was also being pulled into this process. Before the 70s, it was simply a site for the leprosy colony; in the 70s and 90s, major infrastructure for electricity, fuel and container port was built in Ka Ho, and roads were constructed for ease of accessibility. In the 90s and after, as Ka Ho began to attract attention and recognition for its own cultural merits as well as its natural environment; modernization in Ka Ho entered a new era of self-consciousness and collaboration. As Ka Ho was initially just being pulled onto the modernization wagon, the development of Ka Ho proceeded at a rather slow pace and the participation of the villagers in the modernization process was simply insuffi cient. However, this slow pace did benefi t Ka Ho in that the local natural environment, the culture and traditions of the local Hakka and part of the older architectures were left intact. To navigate successfully further down the road of modernization for Ka Ho would require collaboration of both the Macau government and the locals in fostering this unique Hakka heritage that is an inherent part of the area, thus cementing Ka Ho as an important element in this multi-cultural global tourism and leisure centre that is Macau.