What is it?
Sheung Yiu Folk Museum is a late 19th century Hakka village that was abandoned in the 1960s and turned into a museum managed by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. The village and its lime kiln were declared as historical monuments in 1981 and, after restoration, the village was opened to the public in 1984.
Why visit it?
Walking around Sheung Yiu Village, the original home of Wong Fat-sing's extended family from Bao'an County in Guangdong province, offers a wonderful opportunity for both young and old to get a picture of what life was like for some of the Sai Kung peninsula's early residents. Originally fishermen and farmers, the Wongs also engaged in the manufacture of lime bricks and tiles for construction and farming uses. At its peak, their business employed over 100 people.
The kiln that brought them prosperity has also been restored – you'll find it just outside the village. The introduction of cement heralded a rapid decline in the need for lime and the 1950s saw villagers all over the New Territories flocking to urban areas or moving overseas to places such as Sabah, Malaysia and England, to seek their fortunes. All residents had left this village by the 1960s.
The village museum consists of several houses, a kitchen, a cattle shed, pig pens and a spacious open terrace that doubled as a communal and grain drying area. Being constructed two metres above ground level granted the village some protection against floods and bandits. The view from the six-metre high gate tower also allowed residents to see easily who was coming to the village.
Information on the growing and harvesting of rice, farming implements and festivals can be found inside the village, along with some simple furnishings.
How to find it?
First make your way to the Pak Tam Chung Bus Terminus or car park at the entrance to the Sai Kung Country Park. Then, on foot, cross the creek past the picnic area just inside the Country Park barrier for a pleasant easy walk along the short Pak Tam Chung Nature Trail. On your half-hour ramble you will also see that a variety of native plant species are pointed out. Look out for the tree whose leaves feel like a scouring pad – these were once used to wash dishes!
If you're feeling energetic after your museum visit, follow the path a little further along and take the trail leading back up the hill. The easy 1.8 km Sheung Yiu Family Walk doubles back just above the Nature Trail and ends up a little further from the park barrier than where you started, on the road to High Island Reservoir. Turn left and left again onto Tai Mong Tsai Road and follow it back to the barrier.
Further InformationGo to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum
Get a 2008 Countryside Series map for Sai Kung & Clearwater Bay. Available at the Explore Store.
Getting there
Buses – Get off at Pak Tam Chung Bus Terminus
- KMB Bus 94 towards Wong Shek Pier
- Green Minibus 7 towards Hoi Ha Wan
- Green Minibus 9 towards Lady MacLehose Holiday Camp
- KMB Bus 96R or Citybus 698R (weekends only)
Car – Park at the car park at Pak Tam Chung by the barrier to the Country Park
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