While several walled villages are still active communities in the New Territories, including those along the Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail Tsang Tai Uk is off the radar of most travelers. While it isn’t worth going out of your way for unless you are a history or architecture buff, Tsang Tai Uk easy to combine with a trip to Che Kung Temple, about a 15-minute walk away.

Tsang Tai Uk was built in the 1840s by Tsang Koon-man, a Hakka who made his fortune as a stone mason (Tsang Tai Uk translates as “Mr. Tsang’s Big House.”) Like other walled villages in the New Territories, the community is surrounded by high, thick walls, built to safeguard its residents against intruders. Inside are parallel rows of houses, where about 300 members of the Tsang clan reside. While there are signs of modernity such as air conditioners that might disappoint purists, probably few of us would be willing to accept the austerity of 1840s living, including modern plumbing.