又中又英｜dicing with death

It didn't surprise me that an apartment owner redesigned the home by removing a structural wall. The owner was dicing with death by doing that but likely didn't know the danger of removing the wall. Structural walls transfer the weight of a structure to the foundation. What surprised me was the government found out only after pictures of the redesigned flat appeared on social media. This was not an isolated case. I have seen numerous apartments being renovated when I lived in Hong Kong. I have been inside some with structural walls removed.
Hong Kong should thank its lucky stars there have only been isolated cases of homes collapsing because of unsafe renovation. To dice with death means to take serious risks. To thank your lucky stars means to be grateful for something because the situation could have been much worse. The government asked the flat owner to rebuild the wall within 30 days. The government should have imposed a heavy fine. Surveyors say the incident was only the tip of the iceberg. They say additions to rooftops are also illegal and could be dangerous, but such additions are common in Hong Kong.
In New York, where I lived for many months last winter, renovation rules are very tough. A building's top management must approve the renovation. Apartment owners must hire an architect to supervise the renovation. When the renovation is finished, the architect must show the apartment to a government official. New York City is like Hong Kong. It has 8.5 million people with many high-rise apartment buildings. The Hong Kong government cannot say tougher renovation rules are impossible.

有一个单位业主重新设计家居，把主力墙拆了，对此我并不感到意外。那位业主这样做是在玩命（dicing with death），但也很可能不知道拆墙的危险。主力墙是将一幢建筑的重量转移至根基。令我意外的是，只有当那个装修单位的图片出现在社交媒体上之后，政府才发现事件。这并非个别事件，我住在香港的时候，见过无数的单位翻新，也曾去过当中一些单位，也是拆除了主力墙的。
香港好应庆幸自己运气够好（thank its lucky stars），只有个别一些居所因为不安全的修葺而倒塌。To dice with death是指去冒着生命危险去做。To thank your lucky stars即是谢天谢地、庆幸自己有吉星高照，因为情况可以更糟。政府要求单位业主于三十天内重建该墙。但其实政府好应罚重款。测量师直言，这宗事件只是冰山一角，他们说，在天台僭建也是非法和构成危险的，但在香港，这样的僭建很常见。
在纽约，就是我上个冬天住了几个月的，那儿对于装修工程的规例非常严苛。装修工程必须先得到该建筑的最高管理层批准，单位业主亦必须聘请一名建筑师去监督装修工程。而当修缮竣工时，建筑师必须向一名政府官员展示单位。纽约市就像香港一般，有八百五十万人口，到处都是高楼大厦。香港政府不能推说，不可能实施更狠辣的装修工程规例。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻

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