User:Ajob473

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Muk Wu Village(木湖村)is situated north of the New territories across the Man Kam To boarder crossing point in Hong Kong. It is therefore unaccessable to non-permit holders, but these can be obtained at Fanling closed area permit police station.

As the name suggests, orginally the village had fertile land with trees and streams. However unbelievable this may seem, one only needs to look where the village is located. That is, just a few 100 feet away lies the Shenzen river.

To get there, a 73k bus or 59k minibus will take you virtually all the way. You can catch a 73k at Sheung Shui bus stop as well as the 59k, this being a little more difficult unless you know where to get off. The 73k terminates at Lin Ma Hang Road where you will need to walk at least 100 metres and turn left at the sign post for Muk Wu Village. The village road meanders down into the village court and main door. This door is the original Qing dynasty design as well as a few houses that have been unoccupied maintained their identity as a village with at least a 200 year history. There are of course many new houses built not higher than three storeys.

Within the village there also stands a temple, village hall (sun teng) and several ancestral rooms (xi fong). The temple is beautifully decorated and very well kept by the villagers. It is about 50 metres away left as one faces the village door. There are no signs to direct visitors, but being a relatively small village it should pose no problems finding it. Going through the village door straight down the narrow lanes lies a derelict building called the village hall. This building was used for worshiping of idols, wedding receptions, birth ancestral registrations and village gatherings. The two walled partitions can clearly be identified and one half was once used as a school. Ancestral rooms look similar to residential houses from the outside but the presence of idols and offerings is a common feature. Apart from the architecture of Muk Wu there is also the nature and wildlife that speaks for itself with great Egrets visiting from time to time, as well as the abundance of exotic insects found during hot seasons.

The village is also home to some of the early settlers of the(杜)"To" clan which trace their roots back to East of Chang'an present day Xi'an, Shaanxi in China. They are also decendants of To Yiw Sun who was a rich and wealthy land owner making a living as merchandiser at sea. Yiw Sun's son Fook Tai did not possess the same business acumen as his father did, but lived a quite life working as a farmer. Fook Tai's son To Chun Wan continued in his fathers footsteps and later moved to London in the 1960s.

Today, there are only a handful of indigenous villagers living in Muk Wu and visiting relatives of the "To" clan.