Walled_villages_of_Hong_Kong

Walled villages of Hong Kong

Walled villages of Hong Kong

Housing structure found in Hong Kong

Most of the walled villages of Hong Kong are located in the New Territories.

Main entrance of Tai Wai Village.
Model of San Wai (新圍) aka. Kun Lung Wai (覲龍圍), displayed in Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
Location of walled villages in Hong Kong

History

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the shore of Guangdong suffered from pirates, and the area of present-day Hong Kong was particularly vulnerable to pirates' attacks. Winding shores, hilly lands and islands and remoteness from administrative centres made the territory of Hong Kong an excellent hideout for pirates. Villages, both Punti and Hakka, built walls against them. Some villages even protected themselves with cannons. Over time, the walls of most walled villages have been partly or totally demolished.

Names

In Punti Cantonese, Wai (圍, Walled) and Tsuen (村, Village) were once synonyms, hence most place names which include the word 'wai', were at some point in time a walled village.

Conservation

Two heritage trails of Hong Kong feature walled villages:

Features

Walled villages in Hong Kong are characterised by row houses arranged in a square or rectangular block, where the parallel rows of houses are separated by narrow lanes.[2]

Notable walled villages

Kat Hing Wai

Historic plan of Kat Hing Wai walled village in Kam Tin.
Main article: Kat Hing Wai

Kat Hing Wai (吉慶圍) is a noted Punti walled village in Yuen Long District of Hong Kong.[citation needed] It often mistakenly believed to be Hakka, whose people have similar traditions.[citation needed] However the Punti people were from Southern China and the first to settle in Hong Kong. Kat Hing Wai's residents speak Cantonese, rather than Hakka.[citation needed] Popularly known as Kam Tin, from the name of the area, it is home to about 400 descendants of the Tang Clan, who built the village back in the 17th century.

Kat Hing Wai is a rectangular (100 m x 90 m) walled village. As a family stronghold, Kat Hing Wai has served the Tangs well through the centuries, protecting the residents against bandits, rival clans, and wild tigers. During the Qing dynasty, a five-metre high blue brick wall and four cannon towers were added to defend against bandits. Today, the village is still completely surrounded by 18-inch-thick walls,[citation needed] outside which are the remains of a moat. However, most houses within the walls have been rebuilt in recent years. There is only one narrow entrance, with a pair of iron gates.

Tsang Tai Uk

External view of Tsang Tai Uk.
Main article: Tsang Tai Uk

Tsang Tai Uk (曾大屋), also known as Shan Ha Wai (山下圍),[3] is another well-known Hakka walled village in Hong Kong, and one of the best preserved. It is located in Sha Tin, close to the south of the Pok Hong Estate, not far from the Lion Rock Tunnel Road. Built as a stronghold for the Tsang Clan, its construction started in 1847 and took around 20 years to complete. The village is built with granite, grey bricks, and solid timber.

Sheung Shui Wai

Main article: Sheung Shui Wai

Sheung Shui Wai (上水圍), also known as Sheung Shui Heung (上水鄉), is one of the very few rural settlements having retained its original moat which was built in 1646. Characterized by its magnificent moat and landscape setting, the walled village is the core of the Liu clan, of which ancestors came originally from Fujian during the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). The village is located in Sheung Shui.

Fanling Wai

Houses reflecting in a pond at Fanling Wai.
Main article: Fanling Wai

Fanling Wai (粉嶺圍) is a walled village in Fanling built by the Pang (彭) Clan. It is recognisable with the distinctive pond and layout including features such as cannons and watchtowers. All these elements were crafted to form an integral part of the village setting. Fanling Wai is the centre of the Pang Clan who arrived in Hong Kong late during the Song dynasty.[4]

Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen

Main article: Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen

Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen (衙前圍村) is a walled village in Wong Tai Sin, New Kowloon. It is the only walled village left in the urban built-up areas of Hong Kong. Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen is also the only remaining walled village in Kowloon. It is located near San Po Kong. On 18 July 2007, the government announced its plans to redevelop Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen.[5]

List of walled villages

Remaining walled villages in Hong Kong include:

North District

More information Name, Alternate name ...

Sha Tin District

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Tai Po District

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Tsuen Wan District

More information Name, Alternate name ...

Tuen Mun District

More information Name, Alternate name ...

Wong Tai Sin District

More information Name, Alternate name ...

Yuen Long District

More information Name, Alternate name ...

Unconfirmed

The following villages are likely to have been walled villages, although it is not confirmed:[46]

More information Name, Alternate name ...

Other fenced villages

A number of old villages in Hong Kong have a wall, built for defensive or feng shui purposes, and an entrance gate, but are not considered as traditional walled villages. They include:

More information Name, Alternate name ...

Non-walled 'wai'

The following villages are neither current nor former walled villages, despite the wai in their name:[46]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office. Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail
  2. [2]
    Jeffrey W. Cody and James R. Richardson (1997). "Urbanizing forest and Village Trees in Hong Kong's Sha Tin Valley, 1976–1997" (PDF). Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review. IX (1): 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 January 2016.
  3. [3]
    Hill, Ronald D. (1985). "Fragments and speculations: the walled villages of Hong Kong". Journal of the Hong Kong Archaeological Society. 11. Hong Kong Archaeological Society: 25-38. OCLC 02465191.
  4. [4]
    Planning Department – Historical Background
  5. [5]
    HK Yahoo News
  6. [6]
    Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal: Hung Shing Temple, Hung Leng Tsuen
  7. [7]
    Agreement No. CE 45/2008 (CE) Liantang / Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point and Associated Works -Environmental Impact Assessment Report. Appendix 12.2f: Detailed Records of Identified Built Heritage Features within CHIA Study Area of the Lau Shui Heung Tunnel Section (South Tunnel)
  8. [8]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office: Ma Wat Wai: Declared monument on AMO website
  9. [9]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office. Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail - Ma Wat Wai
  10. [10]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office: Kun Lung Gate Tower: Declared monument
  11. [11]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office: Kun Lung Walls
  12. [12]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office. Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail - San Wai
  13. [13]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office. Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail - Tung Kok Wai
  14. [14]
    Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal. Tung Kok Wai, Lung Yeuk Tau
  15. [15]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office. Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail. Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail - Wing Ning Wai
  16. [16]
    Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal: Hakka Wai – Residential Houses
  17. [17]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office: Ho Sheung Heung: History
  18. [18]
    Lonely Planet: Ping Kong
  19. [19]
    Chinese Temples Committee: Tin Hau Temple, Ping Kong
  20. [20]
    Antiquities and Monuments Offices: Ha Pak Tsuen – History
  21. [21]
    Christopher DeWolf, "At the end of the line: Sheung Shui Village", CNN GO, 5 May, 2010
  22. [22]
    Planning Department: Fanling & Sheung Shui – Historical Background
  23. [23]
    East Rail Extension Project: Test Pits Results and Cross-Section Drawings. Items #219, 220, 221 on map:
  24. [24]
    Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal: Entrance Gate, Tin Sam
  25. [25]
    Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal: Choi Ancestral Hall, No. 142 Tin Sam
  26. [26]
    Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal: Che Kung Temple, Che Kung Miu Road, Tai Wai
  27. [27]
    SCL – NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section. Environmental Impact Assessment Report.Appendix 4.3. Built Heritage Survey. October 2011
  28. [28]
    East Rail Extensions – Tai Wai to Ma On Shan. Environmental Impact Assessment Report. Archaeological and Cultural Resources, 1999
  29. [29]
    SCL – NEX/2206 EIA Study for Tai Wai to Hung Hom Section, Final Environmental Impact Assessment Report, Figure 4.2.1. Locations of Known Built Heritages (Sheet 1 of 8), October 2011. Shows the location of the historic buildings of Tin Sam Village.
  30. [30]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office: Tai Po Tau Shui Wai
  31. [31]
    Brief Information_ on proposed Grade III Items. Item #689 Archived 21 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  32. [32]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office: Tsing Chuen Wai – History
  33. [33]
    Brief Information on proposed Grade III Items. Item #875 Archived 21 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  34. [34]
    Tuen Tsz Wai Building Complex, Hulu Culture
  35. [35]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office: Tuen Tsz Wai – History
  36. [36]
    Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal. Yeung Hau Temple, San Wai, Ha Tsuen
  37. [37]
    "Ha Tsuen Tang Clan's Historic Building compound". Hulu Culture.
  38. [38]
    Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal. Entrance Gate, Wing Lung Wai, Kam Tin
  39. [39]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office: Ping Shan Heritage Trail
  40. [40]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office: Sheung Cheung Wai
  41. [41]
    Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal: Entrance Gate, Sheung Cheung Wai, Hang Tau Tsuen
  42. [42]
    Brief history of Shan Ha Tsuen
  43. [43]
    Introduction to 1444 Historic Buildings, p.913
  44. [44]
    Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal: Entrance Gate, Tai Wai Tsuen, Yuen Long
  45. [45]
    Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal: No. 24 Lee Yick Street, Yuen Long Kau Hui
  46. [46]
    Ip, Hing-fong (1995). An historical geography of the walled villages of Hong Kong (Postgraduate Thesis, Master of Philosophy). University of Hong Kong.
  47. [47]
    Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal. Entrance Gate, Pak Mong
  48. [48]
    Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal. Entrance Gate, Sha Lo Wan Tsuen
  49. [49]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office. Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail - Siu Hang Tsuen
  50. [50]
    Antiquities and Monuments Office. Historic Building Appraisal. Entrance Gate, Tai Tseng Ng Uk Tsuen

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