Tai Fu Tai is not easy to get to, but this is Hong Kong’s finest example of how Chinese gentry lived in the 19th century. Built in 1865, it’s the only Mandarin mansion remaining in Hong Kong.

It was the residence of Man Chung-luen, whose ancestors had settled in San Tin in the 15th century. The 21st generation of the Man clan, Man Chung-luen was a merchant and a scholar who had distinguished himself by earning the highest grade in the Imperial Chinese Civil Service Examinations. The Qing Emperor honored him with the title Tai Fu (“mandarin”).

Made of granite and bricks and adorned with ceramic figurines, colorful woodcarvings, and murals of auspicious Chinese motifs and pictures, the complex is like a miniature fort, completely without windows but with an inner courtyard to let in natural light. You can visit the main hall, study, side chambers, kitchen, servant’s quarters and lavatory. In the main hall is a portrait of Man Chung-luen, with pictures of his two sons and two wives at his side (interestingly, portraits of his eight daughters are absent).