Ancient artifacts pull the crowds

Citizens spent 30 minutes queuing to view ancient artifacts on show at the new Sung Wong Toi Station.

As the crowd grew inside the station yesterday, passengers were reminded they must leave the station within 150 minutes - for if they not get out within 2 1/2 hours, they were be liable to a surcharge equivalent to the maximum fare of a single journey under MTR bylaws.

A man surnamed Ngan from the Northern District said: "The environment of the station is acceptable, but I think there can be more cultural relics on display on the platform."

The station will be the first in Hong Kong to include facilities to exhibit artifacts. On show will be about 400 pieces dating back to the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368).

The station displays some of the 700,000 items unearthed during construction of the station.

The exhibits were chosen by the Antiquities and Monuments Office and include two 750-year-old Celadon Incense Burners with Eight Trigrams Pattern from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The office believes that the two incense burners may be related to the worship of the "well deity" as they were unearthed from a pit near a well.

Also on display were pieces from ceramic vases, ancient coins and daily necessities from the late-19th to mid-20th centuries.

The MTR said earlier Sung Wong Toi has a rich historic background and many relics were excavated during the station's construction, so the station design has incorporated several archaeological elements.

A 1,000-year-old stone well was found there but passengers were not able to see the ancient well when the station opened yesterday as work continued.

Part of the station's ceiling will be converted into a transparent panel, allowing passengers to view the well.

During the Song Dynasty, a salt field was established in Kowloon Bay, and the young emperor and prince of Southern Song stayed at the salt field for a few months to flee the Mongol onslaught. A large boulder on a hillock nearby was inscribed with words "Sung Wong Toi," which translates as Hill of the Kings of the Song Dynasty.

As the artifacts at the station drew a big crowd, merchants and restaurants nearby also had high hopes that it would benefit their business.

A Thai restaurant operator just one block from an exit of the Sung Wong Toi Station said the number of customers skyrocketed last night.

"The number of customers at my restaurant was shocking," said the operator. "My restaurant used to start filling up at 7pm usually on Sundays, but it was already full at 5pm. "There are also a lot of new faces at my restaurant, and I do think the revenue will increase by one-third compared to usual Sundays."