Leisure and Cultural Services Department - Antiquties and Monuments Office

Learning zone

Principal's Tour at Ha Tsuen, Yuen Long

West New Territories has been developed rapidly during recent years, luckily, quite a number of old villages are still preserved there. But how much do you know about these villages? To enrich our knowledge of traditional villages in the New Territories, we have invited Mr. Tang Yiu-nam to organize a "Principal's Tour at Ha Tsuen" for us. Mr. Tang was grown up in the village and knew many things about this place, so we did learn a lot from him through the guided visit!

Ha Tsuen lies on a wide plain in the northwest corner of the New Territories. Before the setting up of the Yuen Long Old Market, Ha Tusen was a popular port-market whose history is closely related to the development of the Tangs. The Tangs is one of the "Five Great Clans"' in the New Territories, during the Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127 A.D.), Tang Fu (alias Tang Fu-hip), a native of Jishui of Jiangxi, passed by Sham Tin (i.e. the present Kam Tin). Impressed by the beautiful scenery of the area, he decided to settle down there and became the founding ancestor of the Tangs in the New Territories. According to historical record, Tang tze-ming, the 8th generation ancestor of the Tangs married to the Royal Aunt of the Song Dynasty. He was then honoured with the title "Shuiyuan Chunma", meaning that he was the son-in-law of an Imperial prince. Tang tze-ming and his wife then settled down in Sham Tin, and gave birth to four sons, namely Tang Lam, Tang Kei, Tang Kwai and Tang Tze. The descendants of Tang Lam, the eldest son, have settled down in Lung Yeuk Tau of Fanling; and those of Tang Kwai, the third son, are now living in Tai Po Tau and Lai Tung; while offspring of Tang Tze, the fourth son, have dispersed to places like Kam Tin, Ha Tsuen, Mong Tseng, Sai Shan, Tung Tau, Yuen Long, Kwun Chung, Sheung Ko Po, Ha Ko Po, Tong Fuk and Tung Chung in Lantau Island.

The Tang Ancestral Hall, situated near Ping Ha Road, was moved to the present location by Tang Tso-tai, the 18th generation ancestor of the Tangs, in 1749. It is also known as "Yu Kung Tong" which highlights the principle of brotherly unity among clansmen. The building, having three halls and two courtyards, is made up of green bricks, which is the place where the Tangs have their ancestral worship, wedding ceremony and social activities. According to Mr. Tang, the design of the ancestral hall is strongly influenced by fung-shui principles. As the Tangs wish their descendants to attain eminence step by step, so the halls inside the building were built one higher than the other. Moreover, there is a courtyard in-between the first and the second halls, clansmen standing right here can look up at the sky clearly, meaning that they can be promoted quickly. Another characteristic of the building showing its influence by fung-shui is the large open space found in front of the main entrance, which extends to the Deep Bay without interfered by any structure (in Cantonese, water ("水") is often described as money ("财"), so having the ancestral hall facing the sea, means that there will be a continuous source of money for the descendants). To prevent any destruction on the fung-shui of the ancestral hall, the Tangs requested the Government to avoid blocking of the hall by any infrastructures in Tin Shui Wai, and the Government finally adopted the proposal made by the villagers too.

The site visit has really widened my horizon, and it is funny to know that there is a story for every little component of the village!

Mo Yin Mei, Yiu Yee Ki, Lo Kwok Chi, Au Hoi Man
Ju Ching Chu Secondary School (Yuen Long)

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