Sam Tung Uk Museum
Former Walled Village in the New Territories
Two hundred years ago, Hakka farmers belonging to the Chan clan built themselves a walled village in the New Territories to protect against bandits and to lead a communal lifestyle. They lived here for the next two centuries, with as many as 300 clan members in residence, until the village was abandoned in 1980. Today the former walled village, now the Sam Tung Uk Museum, serves as a window to the past.
The walled compound’s miniscule lanes are lined with tiny homes, an ancestral hall, and exhibitions dedicated to Hakka traditions and rice cultivation. Four of the tiny homes, all without windows, have been restored to their original condition and contain elegant black-wood furniture, farming implements, a kitchen and lavatory.
Be sure to ask the receptionist to show the video, played on request, that chronicles the village’s restoration into a folk museum and describes the purpose of its many rooms. One of the most striking things about the village is that it has been completely engulfed by Tsuen Wan, former fields that is now a huge satellite town in the New Territories.
2 Kwu Uk Lane, Tsuen Wan
Price: free
Hours: 10-6, closed Tues
(852) 2411 2001
www.lcsd.gov.hk
MTR: Tsuen Wan