Walled villages of Hong Kong

thumb|Main entrance of [[Tai Wai Village.]]

thumb|Model of [[Lung Yeuk Tau|San Wai () aka. Kun Lung Wai (), displayed in Hong Kong Heritage Museum.]]

thumb|Location of walled villages in Hong Kong

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

History

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, coastal areas in Guangdong experienced numerous attacks from pirates. The area of present-day Hong Kong was particularly vulnerable to such incursions. The area's winding shores, hilly land, and islands, as well as its distance 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 (, 'walled') and tsuen (, 'village') were once synonyms. 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:

Ping Shan Heritage Trail. One walled village: Sheung Cheung Wai ().
Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail. Five walled villages: Lo Wai (), Ma Wat Wai (), San Wai (, also called Kun Lung Wai ), Tung Kok Wai (, also known as Ling Kok Wai), Wing Ning Wai ().

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.

File:HK NamBinWai.jpg|Entrance gate of Nam Pin Wai

File:HK SheungCheungWai CentralAxle.JPG|Central axis of Sheung Cheung Wai

File:Tsing Chuen Wai 10.jpg|Tu Di Gong shrine within the entrance gate of Tsing Chuen Wai

File:Lam Tei Tsuen 11.jpg|A narrow lane in Lam Tei Tsuen, typical of Hong Kong walled villages

File:Mong Tseng Wai village shrine 02.jpg|Village shrine of Mong Tseng Wai, at the end of the central axis

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File:覲龍圍.jpg|Wall of San Wai aka. Kun Lung Wai

File:HK KamTin KatHingWai 2014 (brighter version).jpg|Wall of Kat Hing Wai

File:20180305 151716 HDR.jpg|Wall of Fui Sha Wai, Tai Hang

File:Lo Wai, Lung Yeuk Tau 03.JPG|Wall of Lo Wai

File:Fanling Wai 2012.jpg|Village pond of Fanling Ching Wai

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Notable walled villages

Kat Hing Wai

thumb|Historic plan of [[Kat Hing Wai walled village in Kam Tin.]]

Kat Hing Wai () is a noted Punti walled village in Yuen Long District of Hong Kong. It often mistakenly believed to be Hakka, whose people have similar traditions. 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. 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, 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

thumb|External view of Tsang Tai Uk.

Tsang Tai Uk (), also known as Shan Ha Wai (), 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

Sheung Shui Wai (), also known as Sheung Shui Heung (), 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

thumb|Houses reflecting in a pond at Fanling Wai.

Fanling Wai () is a walled village in Fanling built by the Pang () 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.

Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen

Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen () 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.

List of walled villages

Remaining walled villages in Hong Kong include:

North District

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" style="width:95%"

! style="width:80px;"|Name !! style="width:80px;"|Alternate name !! Area and coordinates !! Notes !! Gate !! Shrine or ancestral hall!! Watch tower

|style="text-align:center"|Fanling Ching Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Fanling Chung Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Fanling

|See "Notable walled villages" above: Fanling Wai.

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|style="text-align:center"|Hung Leng ()

|style="text-align:center"|Kuk Fung Leng ()

|style="text-align:center"|Fanling

|The Hung Shing Temple of Hung Leng was probably built in 1763. It is the centre of the Four Yeuk (; four villages alliance), namely Loi Tung, Lung Yeuk Tau, Lin Ma Hang and Tan Chuk Hang.

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|style="text-align:center"|San Uk Tsai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Tam Chuk Hang San Uk Tsai ()

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|style="text-align:center"|Lo Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Lung Yeuk Tau, Fanling

|One of the "Five Wais" of Lung Yeuk Tau.

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|style="text-align:center"|Lung Yeuk Tau, Fanling

|One of the "Five Wais" of Lung Yeuk Tau.

|style="text-align:center"|Lung Yeuk Tau, Fanling

|One of the "Five Wais" of Lung Yeuk Tau.

|style="text-align:center"|Ling Kok Wai ()

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|style="text-align:center"|Wing Ning Wai (永寧圍)

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|style="text-align:center"|Lung Yeuk Tau, Fanling

|One of the "Five Wais" of Lung Yeuk Tau.

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|style="text-align:center"|Ho Sheung Heung Lo Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Pak Pin Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Sheung Shui

|There are four villages in Ho Sheung Heung, namely Nam Pin Wai, Pak Pin Wai, Chung Sum Tsuen and Chung Wai Tsuen (San Tsuen).

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|style="text-align:center"|Ping Kong ()

|style="text-align:center"|Cheung Lung Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Sheung Shui

|The village has a Tin Hau Temple.

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|style="text-align:center"|Tai Tau Leng ()

|style="text-align:center"|Sheung Shui

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|style="text-align:center"|Wai Loi Tsuen ()

|style="text-align:center"|Sheung Shui Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Sheung Shui

|Built around 1584, Wai Loi Tsuen is the original settlement of Sheung Shui Wai. It is one of the very few rural settlements having retained its original moat. It features a Tin Hau and a Hung Shing temple.

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|style="text-align:center"|Heung Yuen Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Ta Kwu Ling

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|style="text-align:center"|Muk Wu ()

|style="text-align:center"|Ta Kwu Ling

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Sha Tin District

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" style="width:95%"

! style="width:80px;"|Name !! style="width:80px;"|Alternate name !! Area and coordinates !! Notes !! Gate !! Shrine or ancestral hall!! Watch tower

|style="text-align:center"|Tsang Tai Uk ()

|style="text-align:center"|Shan Ha Wai () Historic buildings in the village include the Choi, Leung and Liu ancestral halls,

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Tai Po District

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" style="width:95%"

! style="width:80px;"|Name !! style="width:80px;"|Alternate name !! Area and coordinates !! Notes !! Gate !! Shrine or ancestral hall!! Watch tower

|style="text-align:center"|Kei Ling Ha Lo Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Shap Sze Heung, Sai Kung Peninsula

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|style="text-align:center"|Chung Sum Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Tsing Chuen Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Tai Hang (Tai Po)

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|style="text-align:center"|Fui Sha Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Tai Hang (Tai Po)

|The walls of Fui Sha Wai were built by the local villagers during the mid-Ming dynasty. Four watchtowers were built in each corner for fortification. Nowadays, Fui Sha Wai still remains as a village exclusively for the Man clan.

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|style="text-align:center"|Pan Chung ()

|style="text-align:center"|Tai Po

|A multi-clan village. [http://www.thaiworldview.com/hongkong/newterritories/taipo2.htm] [https://web.archive.org/web/20160429141719/http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2008/07/01/villages-in-the-city/] #1403

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|style="text-align:center"|Tai Po Tau Shui Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Tai Po Tau Lo Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Tai Wo

|Tai Po Tau Shui Wai was established during the Song dynasty by a branch of the Tang Clan of Kam Tin. The enclosing walls were constructed during the Ming dynasty.

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|style="text-align:center"|Lam Tei Tsuen ()

|style="text-align:center"|Wing On Tsuen ()

|style="text-align:center"|Lam Tei

|Established by the To () Clan

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|style="text-align:center"|Nai Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Wong Kong Wai ()

[http://www.hkhikers.com/Tuen%20Mun%20Villages.htm]

#875

#1262

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|style="text-align:center"|Tsing Chuen Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Mak Yuen Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Lam Tei

|The village was built by the Siu () Clan. It was later settled by the To () Clan during the Qing dynasty. The entrance gate was demolished and was rebuilt further east for feng shui reasons.

|style="text-align:center"|Ha Tsuen

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|style="text-align:center"|Sik Kong Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Ha Tsuen

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|style="text-align:center"|Tseung Kong Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Sai Tau Lei () Lo Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Ha Tsuen

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|style="text-align:center"|Tin Sam Tsuen ()

|style="text-align:center"|Tin Sam Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Hung Shui Kiu

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|style="text-align:center"|Kat Hing Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Fui Sha Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Kam Tin

|(see "Notable walled villages" above)

pp.56–58

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|style="text-align:center"|Tai Hong Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Kam Tin

|pp.56–58 [https://peterlamphotography.com/2016/03/01/kam-tins-walled-villages/]

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|style="text-align:center"|Wing Lung Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Sha Lan Mei () or Wing Lung Wai () Present name since 1905.

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|style="text-align:center"|Kam Hing Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Kam Tin

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|style="text-align:center"|Sha Po Tsuen ()

|style="text-align:center"|Kam Tin

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|style="text-align:center"|Mong Tseng Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Lau Fau Shan

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|style="text-align:center"|Sha Kong Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Nam She ()

|style="text-align:center"|Lau Fau Shan

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|style="text-align:center"|Hop Shan Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Pat Heung

|The walled village forms the core of Lin Fa Tei () Village.

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|style="text-align:center"|Kiu Tau Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Ping Shan

|One of the "Three Wais" of this part of Ping Shan.

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|style="text-align:center"|Fui Sha Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Ping Shan

|One of the "Three Wais" of this part of Ping Shan. The lower storey of the southwest watchtower remains.

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|style="text-align:center"|Shek Po Tsuen ()

|style="text-align:center"|Shek Po Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|Ping Shan

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|style="text-align:center"|Lam Hau Tsuen ()

|style="text-align:center"|Ping Shan

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|style="text-align:center"|Shan Ha Tsuen ()

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|style="text-align:center"|Ping Shan

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|style="text-align:center"|Yan Shau Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|San Tin

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|style="text-align:center"|Shek Wu Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|San Tin

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|style="text-align:center"|Pok Wai ()

|style="text-align:center"|San Tin

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|style="text-align:center"|Ma Tin Tsuen ()