The project was organised around 6 work packages as summarised below.
*Training*
Under WP1, the Fellow received comprehensive technical training in GIS, geospatial analysis, HLC, OSL-PD, as well as training in transferable skills for career development, project management, teaching and dissemination, leading to continued employment beyond the project.
*Computer-based (GIS) data collection and analysis*
Under WP2, the project’s GIS-based study facilitated the identification and mapping of over 3,000Ha of previously unrecorded upland cultivation using terraces in 2 distinctive forms, which both required investigation in fieldwork under WP3. The work also produced the first (HLC) in East Asia.
*Fieldwork sampling and analysis*
Under WP3, 4 upland terrace groups were tested using OSL-PD and dating samples were processing and analysed in the laboratory at University of St Andrews. In the central New Territories (NT), 3 sites totalling 13 terraces revealed dates spanning the 12th to 17th centuries CE, while on Lantau Island the 3 terraces at 1 site revealed dates spanning the 8th to 15th centuries CE. The OSL-PD chronological framework established by the scientific research undertaken in WP3 represents a significant advancement of archaeological knowledge in the HK region, and it challenges conventional wisdom surrounding the timing and character of upland exploitation in the central NT, while opening up an entirely new field of study focused on the upland interior of Lantau Island.
*Comparative Studies*
Under WP4, the upland cultivation terraces identified by the project and slope-risk (landslide) data to better understand the role of terraces in long-term slope stability and management. The results showed that on the steep mountainsides there was a significant relationship between presence of historic terracing and reduced risk of landslides.
Under WP5, a comparative review of archaeological research on upland cultivated landscapes elsewhere in East-Southeast Asia revealed limited published work at Ifugao in the Philippines and Jiuzhaigou in China. The comparison of the findings of those regional studies confirmed that the HK terraced landscapes were significantly different in terms of the distributions, character and dates of the 2 HK terrace types. The conclusion is that in the central NT and Lantau Island we have two locally distinctive socio-economic responses, probably by quite different groups, to a perceived need and/or opportunity to exploit HK’s mountainous uplands using contrasting forms of terraced cultivation.
*Dissemination of Results*
The project’s dissemination strategy was designed to enhance awareness of Hong Kong’s upland heritage—cultural and natural—and build avenues of communication between different stakeholder groups both within the territory, and in the broader China-Southeast Asia region. The stakeholders could be divided into three main groups: Hong Kong government staff involved in the management of the environment and cultural and natural heritage, academics, and members of the public. In order to achieve effective dissemination across all those diverse groups, the strategy used a wide range of formats and avenues including the following: 5 open-access publications, 4 presentations at international conferences (1 each in HK and Macau as an overseas invited speaker), 5 open-dialogue workshops (4 organised with HK collaborators), 2 public lectures in HK each with a press release, 1 guest lecture at HK University, 2 seminar presentations to colleagues & students at Newcastle University, 2 non-scientific publications in a HK newspaper and landscape newsletter, a project webpage, and an open-access online dataset deposited at the Archaeology Data Service (ADS).
