Lam Tei in Map of the San-On District (1866)

Tsing Chuen Wai () is a

walled village A walled village () is a type of large traditional multi-family communal living structure found in China, that is designed to be easily defensible. It is completely surrounded by thick defensive walls, protecting the residents from the attack o ...

located in the

Lam Tei Lam Tei () is an area in the Tuen Mun District of the New Territories, Hong Kong. The region lies at the north end of Tuen Mun city. It is highly rural, with Miu Fat Buddhist Monastery being a landmark of the region. History Several villages o ...

area, in the northern part of

Tuen Mun District Tuen Mun District is one of the 18 administrative districts of Hong Kong. It is the westernmost continental district of Hong Kong. It had a population of 487,546 in 2011. Part of the district is the Tuen Mun New Town (or simply Tuen Mun), w ...

, in Hong Kong.Welcome to 18 Districts - Tuen Mun District
/ref>

Administration

Tsing Chuen Wai is a recognized village under the

New Territories The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...

Small House Policy The Small House Policy (SHP, ) was introduced in 1972 in Hong Kong. The objective was to improve the then prevailing low standard of housing in the rural areas of the New Territories. The Policy allows an indigenous male villager who is 18 ye ...

. It is one of the 36 villages represented within the

Tuen Mun Rural Committee The Tuen Mun Rural Committee (, TMRC) is a rural committee in Hong Kong. It was founded by rural leader Chan Yat-sen in 1953 with representatives from 29 villages in Tuen Mun. Today the rural committee consisted of 36 villages and 69 village r ...

. For electoral purposes, Tsing Chuen Wai is part of the Tuen Mun Rural constituency, which is currently represented by Kenneth Cheung Kam-hung.

History

Several villages of the Lam Tei area were established by the To ()

Clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

. Originally from Poyang,

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

Antiquities and Monuments Office The Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) was established in 1976 under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance to protect and preserve Hong Kong's historic monuments. Housed in the Former Kowloon British School, the AMO is responsible for iden ...

. Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Architectural Information System
Tuen Tsz Wai - History
/ref> (other sources mention Watlam in

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...

Antiquities Advisory Board The Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) is a statutory body of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with the responsibility of advising the Antiquities Authority on any matters relating to antiquities and monuments. The AAB was establish ...

. Historic Building Appraisal
To Ancestral Hall, Tuen Tze Wai
/ref> the To Clan moved to

Ngau Tam Mei Ngau Tam Mei (), also known as Yau Tam Mei (), is a suburb located in San Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong near Yuen Long. It is located at the east of Fairview Park, the north of San Tin village and Kai Kung Leng, the northwest of Lam Tsuen Cou ...

and then to

Tuen Mun Tai Tsuen Tuen Mun or Castle Peak is an area near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in what is now Hong Kong and can be dated to the Neolithic period. In the more ...

. Following the increase of the clan population, the village dispersed and developed into five villages in the Lam Tei area:

Nai Wai Nai Wai () aka. Wong Kong Wai ()Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building AppraisalEntrance Gate, Nai Wai/ref> is a walled village in Lam Tei, Tuen Mun District, Hong Kong. Administration Nai Wai is a recognized village under the New Ter ...

, Tsing Chuen Wai,

Tuen Tsz Wai Tuen Tsz Wai () is a village of Hong Kong, located in the Lam Tei area, in the northern part of Tuen Mun District. Part of the village is a historic Punti walled village. Administration Tuen Tsz Wai is a recognized village under the New Ter ...

Lam Tei Tsuen Lam Tei Tsuen () is a walled village in Lam Tei, Tuen Mun District, Hong Kong. Administration Lam Tei Tsuen is a recognized village under the New Territories Small House Policy. It is one of the 36 villages represented within the Tuen Mun Rura ...

and

Tuen Mun San Tsuen Tuen Mun San Tsuen () is a walled village in Lam Tei, Tuen Mun District, Hong Kong. The walled village is also called San Tsuen Wai () or Tai Yuen Wai (). Antiquities and Monuments OfficeTsing Chuen Wai - History/ref> Administration Tuen Mun S ...

, which were all

fortified A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. Tsing Chuen Wai, formerly known as Mak Yuen Wai (), was established by the To ()

about 300 years ago. Its present name came from the fact that the village was surrounded by its protective walls made of green bricks. The Tos had conflicts with the

Tang Clan The Tang Clan of Hong Kong () is one of the Five Great Clans of the New Territories (). The others are Man (Wen Wen, wen, or WEN may refer to: * WEN, New York Stock Exchange symbol for Wendy's/Arby's Group * WEN, Amtrak station code for Columbi ...

Ping Shan Ping Shan () is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It is located west of Yuen Long Town and Shui Pin Wai, and south of Tin Shui Wai. Administratively, it is part of the Yuen Long District. Geography Although sandwiched between Yuen L ...

during the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

, and attacks were carried out against the walled village. Watchmen at the watchtowers were killed but Tsing Chuen Wai was never captured by the Tangs. The enclosing walls and watchtowers were torn down in the 1960s.

. Historic Building Appraisal
Watchtower, Tsing Chuen Wai, Tuen Mun
/ref> Tsing Chuen Wai appears on the "Map of the San-On District", published in 1866 by

Simeone Volonteri Simeone Volonteri () (June 6, 1831 – December 21,1904) was an Italian missionary and a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. Life Simeone Volonteri was born in Milan, Italy. He joined the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions in 1855. He was ...

Features

The only surviving portion of the original green-brick boundary wall at the main entrance of the Wai gives visitors an insight into the walled village's historical outlook.

Tin Hau Mazu or Matsu is a Chinese sea goddess also known by several other names and titles. She is the deified form of the legendary figure Lin Mo or Lin Moniang, a Fujianese shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987. Re ...

Kwan Tai Guan Yu (; ), courtesy name Yunchang, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Along with Zhang Fei, he shared a brotherly relationship with Liu Bei and accompanied him on m ...

and a

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...

official are worshipped in the village shrine.

Transportation

Take LRT route No. 610, 614 or 615 and alight at

Lam Tei stop Lam Tei () is an at-grade MTR Light Rail stop located at Castle Peak Road in Tuen Mun District, near Lam Tei Lam Tei () is an area in the Tuen Mun District of the New Territories, Hong Kong. The region lies at the north end of Tuen Mun c ...

, or KMB route No. 53, 63X, 68A, or

minibus A minibus, microbus, minicoach, or commuter (in Zimbabwe) is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, th ...

running between

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

and

Yuen Long Yuen Long is a town in the western New Territories, Hong Kong. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu (), Tin Shui Wai, Lau Fau Shan and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin (), and to the north Nam Sang W ...

References

External links

Delineation of area of existing village Tsing Chuen Wai (Tuen Mun) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)
*

. Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Architectural Information System
Tsing Chuen Wai
* Film Services Office
Tsing Chuen Wai

*

Pictures of the remains of the Watchtower at Tsing Chuen Wai
{{coord, 22.422688, 113.982343, display=title Lam Tei Walled villages of Hong Kong Villages in Tuen Mun District, Hong Kong