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 ...

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 ...

area, in the northern part of

Tuen Mun District The Tuen Mun District () is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong, administrative districts of Hong Kong. As of 2021, the population was 506,879, of which 64,000 were under the age of 18. Part of the district is the Tuen Mun New Town (or sim ...

, in Hong Kong.Welcome to 18 Districts - Tuen Mun District
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Recognised status

Tsing Chuen Wai is a recognised village under the

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 ...

of the

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 ...

. 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 as of 2021 was 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, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...

. Originally from Poyang,

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

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 ...

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

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

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 Secretary for Development, Antiquities Authority on any matters relating to antiquities and monum ...

. 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 (Hong Kong), Fairview Park, the north of San Tin village and Kai Kung Leng, the ...

and then to Tuen Mun Tai Tsuen. 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 villages of Hong Kong, walled village in Lam Tei, Tuen Mun District, Hong Kong. Recognised status Nai Wai is a recognis ...

, 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 Terr ...

, Lam Tei Tsuen and Tuen Mun San Tsuen, which were all

fortified A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lat ...

. 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 (), Hau (), Pang () and Liu (). The Tangs are one of the region's oldest families and can trace their lineage back 30 generations in Hong ...

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 Lo ...

during the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

, 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 w ...

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, Kwan Tai and a

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

official are worshipped in the village shrine.

References

External links

{{commons
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
Lam Tei Walled villages of Hong Kong Villages in Tuen Mun District, Hong Kong

Recognised status

History

Features

See also

References

External links