Walled villages of Hong Kong


Once common throughout China, walled villages can still be found in southern China and Hong Kong. Most of the walled villages of Hong Kong are located in the New Territories.

History

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the shore of Guangdong suffered from pirates, and the area of Hong Kong was particularly vulnerable to pirates' attacks. Winding shores, hilly lands and islands and far from administrative centres made 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 and Tsuen 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:
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.

Notable walled villages

Kat Hing Wai

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 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. In 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

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. The village is located in Sheung Shui.

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 in 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

NameAlternate nameArea and
coordinates		Notes
and links		GateShrine or
ancestral hall		Watch tower
Fanling Ching Wai
Fanling Chung Wai
Fanling
See "Notable walled villages" above: Fanling Wai.N/A
Hung Leng
Fanling
The Hung Shing Temple of Hung Leng was probably built in 1763. It is the centre of the Four Yeuk, namely Loi Tung, Lung Yeuk Tau, Lin Ma Hang and Tan Chuk Hang.N/A
San Uk Tsai
Tam Chuk Hang San Uk Tsai
Fanling
San Uk Tsai was probably established before 1688.N/A
Tan Chuk Hang Lo Wai
Fanling
Tan Chuk Hang Lo Wai was probably established before 1688. Together with Tan Chuk Hang San Wai, it forms Tan Chuk Hang village.
N/A
Lo Wai
Lung Yeuk Tau, Fanling
One of the "Five Wais" of Lung Yeuk Tau.N/AN/A
Ma Wat Wai
Lung Yeuk Tau, Fanling
One of the "Five Wais" of Lung Yeuk Tau.
San Wai
Kun Lung Wai
Lung Yeuk Tau, Fanling
One of the "Five Wais" of Lung Yeuk Tau.
Tung Kok Wai
Ling Kok Wai
Lung Yeuk Tau, Fanling
One of the "Five Wais" of Lung Yeuk Tau. The watchtowers in the four corners of the village have collapsed, leaving their bases.N/A
Wing Ning Wai
Lung Yeuk Tau, Fanling
One of the "Five Wais" of Lung Yeuk Tau.N/A
Ha Wo Hang
Sha Tau Kok
N/A
Kuk Po Lo Wai
Sha Tau Kok
N/A
Ma Tseuk Leng San Uk Ha
Sha Tau Kok
N/A
Man Uk Pin
Sha Tau Kok
N/A
Sheung Wo Hang
Wo Hang
Sha Tau Kok
N/AN/A
Hakka Wai
Sheung Shui
A Hakka walled village located in the Tsung Pak Long area. Construction of the village started in the 1900s-1910s and was completed by 1920.N/A
Ho Sheung Heung Lo Wai
Pak Pin Wai
Sheung Shui
There are four villages in Ho Sheung Heung, namely Nam Pin Wai, Pak Pin Wai, Chung Sum Tsuen and Chung Wai Tsuen.
Ping Kong
Sheung Shui
The village has a Tin Hau Temple.
Tai Tau Leng
Sheung Shui
N/AN/A
Wai Loi Tsuen
Sheung Shui Wai
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.
Heung Yuen Wai
Ta Kwu Ling
N/A
Muk Wu
Ta Kwu Ling
N/A

Sha Tin District

Tai Po District

NameAlternate nameArea and
coordinates		Notes
and links		GateShrine or
ancestral hall		Watch tower
Kei Ling Ha Lo Wai
Shap Sze Heung, Sai Kung Peninsula
N/A
Chung Sum Wai
Tsing Chuen Wai
Tai Hang
N/A
Fui Sha Wai
Tai Hang
The walls of Fui Sha Wai were built by the local villagers in 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.N/A
Pan Chung
Tai Po
A multi-clan village.
N/A
Tai Po Tau Shui Wai
Tai Po Tau Lo Wai
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.

Tsuen Wan District

Tuen Mun District

Wong Tai Sin District

Yuen Long District

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:
NameAlternate nameArea and
coordinates		Notes
and links		GateShrine or
ancestral hall		Watch tower
Pak Mong
Lantau Island, Islands District
N/A
Sha Lo Wan Tsuen
Lantau Island, Islands District
N/AN/A
Wing Ning Tsuen
Lung Yeuk Tau, Fanling, North District
N/AN/A
Chow Tin Tsuen
Ta Kwu Ling, North District
Lai Chi Wo
Sha Tau Kok, North District
Hakka village.N/A
Sheung Yiu Village
Pak Tam Chung, Sai Kung District
Hakka village.N/AN/A
Pak Sha O
Sai Kung North, Tai Po District
Pak Sha O Ha Yeung
Sai Kung North, Tai Po District
Tung Tau Tsuen
Ha Tsuen, Yuen Long District
Wang Toi Shan Wing Ning Lei
Pat Heung, Yuen Long District
Wing Ping Tsuen
San Tin, Yuen Long District
Yeung Ka Tsuen
Shap Pat Heung, Yuen Long District
Ng Uk Tsuen
Wang Chau, Yuen Long District
The village features a Tin Hau Temple.
N/A

Non-walled 'wai'

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