Return to Wong Chuk Yeung

In June 2008, I first wrote about this village, high above Sai Kung town but located in the Ma On Shan Country Park. At that time, the village appeared to be on the verge of death, with only one resident. I have paid occasional visits since then, with saw no signs of change. I also saw the last survivor on Chuk Yeung Road, on his way to and back from Sai Kung town, and also saw him in town. (More about him later.)

I went on Sunday March 10 for another visit. I first checked on the last survivor of the village. He used to have three black dogs, all mutts, who were so loyal to him that they would accompany him to and back from Sai Kung town, walking all the way. They minded their own business, not even barking at passers by. This time, I didn't see the black dogs. Instead, a mangy brown dog, with overgrown fur, was hanging out near the last survivor's house. It barked at me and retreated as I walked up to the house to take a photo. I heard a voice from within, hushing the dog, but the man never appeared. The front area of the house was strewn with trash and in a very unhygienic state. A larger mound of garbage could be seen beyond the house. i know that Sai Kung Police occasionally check on the survivor, but they can do nothing about the trash.

Approach to the village on Chuk Yeung Road.

The trash strewn alley leading to the last survivor's house

The typical scene inside abandoned houses. The roof has collapsed.

I followed a path into the forest and into a different world. Birdsong and the buzzing of bees filled my ears. A dried up stream was bordered by a concrete path. About 100 meters beyond the village, I came upon this large crumbling house, covered in vines. Other, smaller houses, some completely covered by the forest, could be seen nearby.

This shrine is located just before the entrance to the village. Visitors had come by during Chinese New ear and also for the Ching Ming festival. A few meters beyond the shrine, near the path that leads to the Maclehose Trail, is this large hall, more solidly built than the village houses. It may have been a community center or even a school.

The interior of the community hall.

Of the 30 or 40 houses in the village, two seem to have been visited recently. One, which had a padlock on the front door during a previous visit, was open this time, although I could not see anyone around. Of course, electricity and water is supplied to the village, mail is delivered (the mailbox was full of CLP bills), and I saw a brand new garbage bin.

Forgotten hibiscus and rose bushes.

An open field near the village. This may have been a rice field.

I came home and Googled Wong Chuk Yeung village. In Wikipedia, I found an entry which indicated that the village was first settled in 1660 by the Lee clan from Dongguan. The villagers were farmers, producing rice, sugar, and bean curd. When an iron mine was opened nearby, the water table had dropped and the villagers began to leave.

I went back to by 2008 blog entry and saw that the following comment had been left.

Hi George, found your blog and found it fascinating. Great pictures. This is my family's village, it is a lovely village, though very run down I still like to go and visit it whenever i am in hk - with much sadness all the villagers involved have now signed the papers for the land to be sold off to a development company. Not everyone wanted this but the majority won and it is now in process of exchange. i am extremely sad about this as the land has a lot of history. The buildings, the wildlife (the numerous beautiful butterflies!) in the land all needs to be preserved - hong kong needs to preserve old ancestral lands such as Wong Chuk Yeung before it's too late. If there was any way this sale and developing of the land can be stopped - i would be in support of it... alas it seems that not enough people care about the land and the greedy developers are on their way to destroying yet another beautiful part of hk. I'm glad you have visited my village and have experienced it's beauty - sad that soon it will be all wiped out.

October 23, 2009 11:32 PM

I wish I had seen the comment earlier (it had been made in late 2009) because I would then have known the importance of the lone survivor. Despite the commentator (who was anonymous) saying that "all the villagers have now signed the papers for the land to be sold off" to a developer, the lone survivor may be the final holdout. And the two houses with decorations on the entrance (seen in the two photos above) may also belong to owners who have not sold out yet. I hope so because the villagers is worth saving. The last thing that Hong Kong and Sai Kung in particular needs is another historical site to be "developed".

I saw that new paths, wide enough to allow 4 wheel drive vehicles, had been cleared around the village, leading to the abandoned fields. This may be the work of the developer, which means that the destruction of the village has already begun.

Further Google searching brought me to another blogger, a birder, who had two entries on the village and the bird life in the vicinity. Descendants of former villagers ad left comments and one had left his email address. I contacted him, asking for more information on the last survivor, but haven't received a reply yet.

As for the survivor, I see him in Sai Kung town, sitting at Macdonalds engrossed in a newspaper that appears to have been salvaged from the garbage. He holds the paper close to his face, which probably means he is nearsighted. That may account for his shyness and avoidance of people. He probably doesn't see well. I have also seen him buying Mark Six, which is an optimistic sign. His bicycle is long gone, as are the three dogs who used to accompany him all the way to town, and whom he fed with bread. He looks a lot weaker and more hunched than when I first saw him.

What awaits Wong Chuk Yuen?