Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen
The Chinese characters, read from right to left, "慶有餘" (Hing Yau Yu) engraved on the granite stone above the entrance are said to be the handwriting of the Song Emperor.[1]
Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen (Chinese: 衙前圍村, lit. "the walled village in front of the yamen"),[1] also known as Hing Yau Yu Tsuen (慶有餘村, lit. "overflowing prosperity")[1] is a walled village in Wong Tai Sin, New Kowloon, Hong Kong, China. It is the only walled village left in the urban built-up areas of Hong Kong.
History
According to a legend, members of the Ng, Chan and Lee Clans followed the fugitive Song Emperor and settled in Kowloon in around 1278.[1] The village was probably established by the Ng, Chan and Lee clans in the mid 14th century.[2] They built a Tin Hau Temple around 1352 and the fortified village around 1724.[1]
Nga Tsin Wai was the head village of the "Kowloon League of Seven", an inter-village union formed to guard against attacks from the pirates and bandits. Other villages of the League included the nearby Sha Po, Ta Kwu Leng, Shek Kwu Lung, Kak Hang, Tai Hom, Nga Tsin Long, Ma Tau Chung and Ma Tau Wai.[2] The Tin Hau Temple of Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen was the place of worship for the residents of the villages of the League.[3]
Features
The village occupies an area of approximately 0.4 hectare. There are about 100 village houses separated by 3 narrow streets and 6 sidelanes in a rectangular layout. The walled village has a Ng (吳) Clan Hall and a Tin Hau Temple.[1]
Conservation
On 18 July 2007, the government announced its plans to redevelop Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen.[4]
See also
References
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen. |
- Nga Tsin Wai Village Project on Urban Renewal Authority website
- "Lam pledge to help on relocation" in The Standard, July 17, 2007
- Webpage about Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen
- "Comments on Nga Tsin Wai Village Project"
- P.H. Hase "Beside the Yamen: Nga Tsin Wai Village", Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch Journal, Volume 39, 1999, pp. 1-82
- Christopher DeWolf, "Nga Tsin Wai: Is Kowloon's last walled village worth fighting for?", CNN GO, 19 October, 2010
- Aerial views of Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen:
Coordinates: 22°20′06″N 114°11′36″E / 22.335042°N 114.193354°E