ABSTRACT
Institutionalized heritage protection commenced in the 1950s when the country's rich archaeological heritage started to be investigated by teams of international archaeologists in cooperation with local partners. The majority of historic buildings are vernacular, constructed between the late nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries. Residential, commercial, palatial and public buildings, including religious structures, share a set of construction techniques common to the region. In 2013, the heritage authority launched an initiative to expand the heritage register to embrace a greater number of historic buildings, as well as urban areas and cultural landscapes, including marine and agricultural sites of cultural significance. The constitution of the Peoples' Republic of Bangladesh (1972) specifies that the state shall adopt measures for the protection against disfigurement, damage or removal of all monuments, objects or places of special artistic or historic importance or interest. Modern heritage is an oxymoron in Hong Kong, as the public mind-set does not equate Modernism with architectural heritage.
