Sheung Shui Wai (), also known as Sheung Shui Heung () is an area in

Sheung Shui Sheung Shui (, literally "Above-water") is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong. Sheung Shui Town, a part of this area, is part of the Fanling–Sheung Shui New Town in the North District of Hong Kong. Fanling Town is to its southea ...

, in the northern part of 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 ...

of Hong Kong. Its population is around 6,000 people.

Administration

For electoral purposes, Sheung Shui Wai is part of the Fung Tsui constituency of the

North District Council The North District Council () is one of the 18 Hong Kong district councils and represents the North District. It is one of 18 such councils. Consisting of 22 members, the district council is drawn from 18 constituencies, which elect 18 members, ...

. It was formerly represented by Chiang Man-ching, who was elected in the

local elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

until July 2021.

Villages

Sheung Shui Heung consists of the following villages: * Wai Loi Tsuen (). See details below * Man Kok Village () * Ha Pak Tsuen () * Sheung Pak Tsuen () * Chung Sum Tsuen () * Tai Yuen Tsuen () * Hing Yan Tsuen () * Po Sheung Tsuen () * Mun Hau Tsuen ()

History

The area is the core of the

Liu / ( or ) is an East Asian surname. pinyin: in Mandarin Chinese, in Cantonese. It is the family name of the Han dynasty emperors. The character originally meant 'kill', but is now used only as a surname. It is listed 252nd in the classic text ...

()

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 ...

, of which ancestors came originally from

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

during the

Yuan Dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

(1271–1368). It is widely believed that the Liu clan began to settle in this part of the

at the end of the 16th century. Wai Loi Tsuen is the area's original settlement, with its construction completed around 1584. In 1688, the size of the clan was approximately 500. As the population grew, other settlements were added: Po Sheung Tsuen, Chung Sum Tsuen and Mun Hau Tsuen were founded between 1819 and 1898. The villages are collectively named "Sheung Shui Heung".Liu Man Shek Tong Ancestral Hall: The establishment of Sheung Shui Heung
/ref>

Sights

Wai Loi Tsuen

Wai Loi Tsuen 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 ...

. It is the area's original settlement, with its construction completed around 1584. It is one of the very few rural settlements having retained its original

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

. The wall and the moat around Wai Loi Tsuen were constructed between 1646 and 1647. The village contains a

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 ...

and a

Hung Shing Hung Shing wong (), also known as Hung Shing Ye () and Tai Wong () is a Chinese folk religion deity. The most popular tale states that in his lifetime he was a government official in the Tang dynasty (AD 618–907)

temples. Both have been renovated to modern structures.

Liu Man Shek Tong Ancestral Hall

The Liu Man Shek Tong Ancestral Hall () in Mun Hau Tsuen was built in 1751. The three-hall two-courtyard building is the main

ancestral hall An ancestral shrine, hall or temple ( or , vi, Nhà thờ họ; Chữ Hán: 家祠户), also called lineage temple, is a temple dedicated to deified ancestors and progenitors of surname lineages or families in the Chinese tradition. Ancestra ...

of the Liu of the area. It is a

declared monument Declared monuments of Hong Kong are places, structures or buildings legally declared to receive the highest level of protection. In Hong Kong, declaring a monument requires consulting the Antiquities Advisory Board, the approval of the Chief Exec ...

since January 18, 1985.Environment Protection Department - List of Declared Monuments as on 1 January 1999

Liu Ming Tak Tong Ancestral Hall

Liu Ming Tak Tong Ancestral Hall, located in Po Sheung Tsuen, was first built in 1811 or 1828. The building was demolished in 1972 and reconstructed in 1973, with only a granite door frame remaining from the original hall.

Liu Ying Lung Study Hall

The Liu Ying Lung Study Hall (), located at Po Sheung Tsuen, was built in 1838. It is a traditional two-hall study hall with an open courtyard in between. It is a Grade II Historic Building.List of Graded Historic Buildings in Hong Kong (as at 6 November 2009)
A restoration project was conducted ahead of the once-in-60-year

dajiao Dajiao, ()''New Journey Through History 1A''. Kan, Nelson Y. Y. and Tang, Miranda K. L. Published by Aristo Education Press LTD. called the Taiping Qingjiao or Taai ping ching jiu in Hong Kong, () is a Taoist ritual and festival which is performed ...

festival held in 2006. The project won an Honourable Mention in the 2006 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation.

Old Sheung Shui Police Station

The Old Sheung Shui Police Station ( 舊上水警署), located in Po Sheung Tsuen, was built in 1902. When the new Sheung Shui Police Station opened in 1979, the old station became a police reporting centre, and later housed a Junior Police Corps (JPC) Club House.Brief Information on Proposed Grade II Items. Item #424
/ref> It is a Grade III historic building.

References

External links

Delineation of area of existing village Sheung Shui Heung (Sheung Shui) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)

Location map of Sheung Shui and Sheung Shui Wai (see C9)
* Liu Man Shek Tong Ancestral Hall (4 parts)

http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/ce/Museum/Monument/form/liu_man_shek_doc_2.pd

*

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
Chung Sum Tsuen
*

. Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Architectural Information System
Ha Pak Tsuen
*

. Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Architectural Information System
Hing Yan Tsuen
*

. Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Architectural Information System
Mun Hau Tsuen
*

. Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Architectural Information System
Po Sheung Tsuen
*

. Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Architectural Information System
Sheung Pak Tsuen
*

. Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Architectural Information System
Tai Yuen Tsuen
*

. Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Architectural Information System
Wai Loi Tsuen

Map of Wai Loi Tsuen
{{Coord, 22.509346, 114.124772, display=title Walled villages of Hong Kong Sheung Shui Villages in North District, Hong Kong