bucket list
2020/10/29 04:12:41 網誌分類: 生活
I was ecstatic (very happy) when New World Development, which has bought the State Theatre, said it would preserve the iconic building and turn it back into a cinema and cultural area. Adrian Cheng Chi-kong, the chief executive of New World, is the young grandson of New World founder Cheng Yu-tung. Adrian cares a lot about arts and culture. He has hired international experts to restore the State Theatre, which opened in 1952 and closed in 1997. After it closed, the building became a pool hall and a shopping mall. It is now an empty building in poor condition.
New World invited me and other media people to tour the building last week. The restoration will preserve the iconic exoskeleton truss roof. That is great news! The word “exoskeleton” means a hard outer layer, like an outside skeleton, that protects things such as insects. The word “truss” is a support for a building or bridge. The State Theatre is iconic because it has a skeleton-like truss that supports the building. The original cinema seats are gone but New World hopes the company that made them can make replicas (exact copies). The pool tables are still there. I wanted to be a pool shark when I was young but was lousy at pool. A pool shark is an expert player who makes money from playing pool, usually by pretending to be lousy to trick people. See you at the State Theatre when it is restored!
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許多人都有個 bucket list。A bucket list就是人們一生中想要完成的願望清單。我那願望清單（bucket list）上的第一個項目，就是環遊世界各國，有多少就去多少。上星期我在願望清單（bucket list）上加了一個新的項目：為了一個特別的時刻，二○二五年我想在香港，就算我那時候已不在這裏居住。這一年，是有六十八年歷史的北角皇都戲院計劃重開之年。我喜愛歷史建築。我們的政府和地產發展商過往在保育歷史建築上紀錄欠佳。
當購入皇都的新世界發展說會保存這個地標性的建築，將它還原為戲院和文化場地時，我欣喜若狂（ecstatic）。新世界行政總裁鄭志剛，是新世界創辦人鄭裕彤年輕的孫子。鄭志剛很關心藝術與文化。他聘用了國際專家去修復皇都戲院，它於一九五二年開幕，一九九七年結業。它結業後，這座大廈就變成了桌球會和購物商場。它現在是個破落的空置大廈。
上星期，新世界邀請了我和其他傳媒人去參觀這座大廈。這次修復將會保存那具代表性的 exoskeleton truss屋頂。真是天大的喜訊！ Exoskeleton是指一個堅硬的外殼如外骨骼，保護像昆蟲的動物。Truss就是支撐大樓或橋樑的桁架。皇都戲院具代表性，因為它有個像骨骼的飛拱桁架（truss）支撐着建築物。原本的戲院座椅已經沒有了，但新世界希望那間製造座椅的公司可以再造一樣的複製品（replicas）。那些桌球枱還在那兒。我年輕的時候希望成為pool shark，可是我的桌球技術糟透了。A pool shark就是專業的玩家，靠玩桌球賺錢，通常都會裝作技術很差來誘騙人。在皇都修復完成並重開之日，我們到時見吧！
中譯：七刻
mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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