The Tang Clan of Hong Kong () is one of the Five Great Clans of the New Territories. The others are

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(), Hau (), Pang () and Liu (). The Tangs are one of the region's oldest families and can trace their lineage back 30 generations in Hong Kong and 86 generations in China. In the New Territories, the clan stands about 25,000 strong. Sharing the same surname as the Deng in China, the Tangs of Hong Kong originated from Jishui of

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province and are considered to be native Hong Kong people, as they were the first immigrants to settle in what is now Hong Kong from what is now

mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

in the 11th century. Many of the Tangs settled in Kam Tin,

New Territories The New Territories (N.T., Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: ) is one of the three areas of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of H ...

.Johnson, Elizabeth. ''Recording a Rich Heritage: Research on Hong Kong's "New Territories"'' Published by the Leisure & Cultural Services Department Produced by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum 2000 The most famous Tang village is Kat Hing Wai, a walled village with a moat. Kat Hing Wai was the last Punti village to fall under British control after the Six Day War in April 1899.

History

The Tang family is the oldest, largest and most famous of the

' Chinese lineages. It has been settled in the area for just over 900 years and has a long history of local dominance. It has also produced many famous scholars and officials in the tradition of large, wealthy Chinese lineages. The Tangs in Lung Yeuk Tau (), in Fanling, have the strongest claim to the royal descent among their fellow clansmen, because they are the descendants of Tang Lum (), the eldest son of the princess of the southern

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

(1127–1279). The father of the princess was Emperor Gaozong of Song (June 12, 1107 – November 9, 1187), born Zhao Gou, was the tenth emperor of the Song dynasty of China, and the first emperor of the Southern Song. He reigned from 1127 to 1162. He fled south after the Jurchens overran Kaifeng in the Jingkang Incident of the Jin–Song wars, hence the beginning of the Southern Song dynasty 1127–1279. Gaozong re-established his seat of government in Lin'an (; today's Hangzhou). When the princess took refuge in the south, she was married to Tang Wai-Kap () of Kam Tin by Wai-Kap's father, Tang Yeun-Leung (). Tang Lum, the eldest son of the royal couple moved to Lung Yeuk Tau at the end of the Yuan dynasty. As the clan prospered it further branched out to the neighbouring area, establishing the present-day "Five Wais and Six Tsuens" within a few hundred years. The "Five Wais" (walled villages) () are Lo Wai (), Ma Wat Wai (), Wing Ning Wai (), Tung Kok Wai (), also known as Ling Kok Wai (), San Wai (), also called Kun Lung Wai (). The "Six Tsuens" (villages) () are Ma Wat Tsuen (), Wing Ning Tsuen (), also called Tai Tang (), Tsz Tong Tsuen (), San Uk Tsuen (), Siu Hang Tsuen () and Kun Lung Tsuen ().

Antiquities and Monuments Office The Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) is a Hong Kong government organization established in 1976 under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance to protect and preserve historic monuments. Housed in the Former Kowloon British School, the AMO ...

Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail
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Customs

The Tangs of the area still practise traditional village customs. Apart from the communal worship in spring and autumn and Tin Hau Festival, a

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lighting ceremony is also held for the new born baby boys on the fifteenth day of the first Lunar month. On the first day of the second Lunar month there are ancestral worship ceremony and vegetarian feast. Moreover, Tai Ping Ching Chiu Festival (meaning "the Purest Sacrifice Celebrated for Great Peace"), also known locally as dajiao is held once every decade and celebrated by the whole Tang Clan as well as people from the neighbouring villages. The next festival will be held in November 2024.

Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall

The Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall () is the main ancestral hall of the Tang Clan of Lung Yeuk Tau. It is one of the largest ancestral halls in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, it was built in the early 16th century in memory of the founding ancestor, Tang Chung Ling () (1303–1387), the sixth generation descendant of the clan. It is situated on a site in between Lo Wai and Tsz Tong Tsuen. It is a three-hall building with the "dong chung" placed at the central hall. The rear hall is divided into three chambers. The central chamber houses the soul tablets of the ancestors of the clan including the soul tablets of the Song princess and her husband Wai-Kap whose posthumous title was Fu Ma () Tang Wai-Kap (husband of a princess). Their soul tablets were elaborately carved with dragon head, which distinguished them from the others. The chamber to the left is dedicated to the ancestors who had made significant contributions to the clan or those who achieved high ranks in the imperial court. The chamber to the right, on the other hand, is for the righteous members of the clan, one of whom is Tang Si-meng, a brave servant who saved the life of his master. In the late 16th century, he was kidnapped with his master. Claiming to be the son of his master, he volunteered to be detained by the kidnappers in exchange for the release of his master to raise ransom. After the departure of his master, he jumped into the sea and sacrificed himself. He was awarded the posthumous title of "Loyal Servant" and worshiped in this hall. The whole building is decorated with fine wood carvings, polychrome plaster mouldings, and murals of auspicious motifs. Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall was declared a monument in November 1997.

Significant members

* Tang Fu-Hip () ** Successfully passed the

Imperial Examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...

, awarded the highest level ''Jinshi'' () degree in the

Xining Xining is the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of Qinghai province in western China and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. As of the 2020 census, it had 2,467,965 inhabitants (2,208,708 as of 2010), of whom 1,954,795 l ...

era (1068–1077) ** Status: -

Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

of Yeung Chun

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* Tang Yeun-Leung () ** Great-grandson of Tang Fu-Hip ** Status: - Garrison commander of the northern Jiangnanxidao town of Qianzhou () *Sean Wai Lai Tang * William Tang (fashion designer) *Yat Tang (Engineer/Photographer)

References

External links

Hong Kong Tang Clansmen Association
Organisations based in Hong Kong Indigenous inhabitants of the New Territories in Hong Kong