A walled village (圍村) is a kind of tradional building which is completely surrounded by thick defensive walls, protecting the residents from the attack of wild animals and enemies. Usually, people living in the walled village are families. Walled villages can be found in China and Hong Kong.
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2 Tsang Tai Uk 3 Sheung Shui Wai 4 Fanling Wai 5 Other walled villages 6 External link |
Kat Hing Wai (吉慶圍) is a famous Hakka walled village in Hong Kong. Popularly known as Kam Tin, from the name of the area, it is home to about 400 descendants of the Tang clan, who built the village back in the 1600s.
Kat Hing Wai is completely surrounded by 18-foot-thick walls which protected the residents against bandits, rival clans, and wild tigers. There is only one narrow entrance.
Tsang Tai Uk (曾大屋), also known as Shan Ha Wai, is another well-known walled village in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin.
Built in the 1840s, Tsang Tai Uk is rectangular in shape and is surrounded by grey-brick compound with high, thick walls and tall corner towers.
Originally designed as the home for a rich quarry-master's clan, the walled village gained its current name when it gave refuge to displaced families after the Second World War.
Sheung Shui Wai (上水圍), also known as Sheung Shui Heung (上水鄉), is one of the very few rural settlements having retained its original moat which was built in 1646. Characterized by its magnificent moat and landscape setting, the walled village is the core of the Liu clan, of which ancestors came originally from Fujian during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The village is located in Sheung Shui.
Fanling Wai (粉嶺圍) is a walled village in Fanling built by the Pang (彭) clan. It is recognisable with the distinctive pond and layout including features such as cannons and watchtowers. All these elements were crafted to form an integral part of the village setting. Fanling Wai is the centre of the Pang clan who arrived Hong Kong from Guangxi province late in the Song Dynasty.
Other walled villages in Hong Kong include:
Kat Hing Wai
Tsang Tai Uk
Sheung Shui Wai
Fanling Wai
Other walled villages
See also: List of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong
External link