Muk Wu
Encyclopedia
Ta Kwu Ling
Ta Kwu Ling is an area in the North District, New Territories, Hong Kong, located northeast of Sheung Shui, close to the border with mainland China....
is situated in the north of the New Territories
New Territories
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. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
across the Man Kam To
Man Kam To
Man Kam To or Mankamto is a place in the North District, New Territories, Hong Kong near the border with Shenzhen of mainland China.-Border:...
border crossing point in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
It is therefore inaccessible to non-permit holders, but these can be obtained in Fanling
Fanling
Fanling , also known as Fan Ling and Fan Leng, is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the North District...
, Sheung Shui
Sheung Shui
Sheung Shui is an area in 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 southeast.-History:...
Closed Area Permit police station. As the name suggests, originally the village had fertile land with trees and streams derived from the Chinese characters: "wooden" (木); "lake" (湖). However unbelievable this may seem, one only needs to look where the village is located. That is, on the northern periphery right next to the border fence, the Shenzhen River
Sham Chun River
Sham Chun River serves as the natural border between Hong Kong and Mainland China, together with the Sha Tau Kok River....
is only a few feet away. Therefore, the village is situated where one can take a good look at the breathtaking view of Shenzhen's city skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
s and admire its ongoing development. It can also be exciting to look at Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
from the village in the evening when the high-rises light up. It is not like Hong Kong's 'Symphony Of Lights
A Symphony of Lights
A Symphony of Lights is a synchronised building exterior decorative light and laser multimedia display, featuring 44 buildings on both sides of the Victoria Harbour of Hong Kong accompanied by music. The technology was developed by Australian firm Laservision and cost approximately 44 million HK...
' along the harbour
Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent...
, but maintains its unique character and focus as a 'Window to the East'.
Directions
To get there, a 73k bus or 59k minibus will take you virtually all the way. You can catch a 73k at Sheung ShuiSheung Shui
Sheung Shui is an area in 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 southeast.-History:...
bus station as well as the 59k, this being a little more difficult unless you know where to get off. The 73k terminates at Man Kam To Bus Terminus and then you will need to walk at least 70 metres along Lin Ma Hang Road and turn left at the sign post for Muk Wu Village.
Attractions
The village road meanders down into the village court and main door. This door (gate tower) and stone floor is the original Qing dynastyQing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
design as well as a few houses that have been unoccupied maintained their identity as a village with a long history. There are of course many new houses built not higher than three storeys.
Within the village there also stands a Tin Hau Temple, village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
(sun teng) or shrine and several Ancestral rooms (xi fong). The temple is beautifully decorated and very well kept by the villagers. It was built around 1912-1913. It is located about 50 metres away left as one faces the village door.
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
are plentiful but the main one where most villagers used to draw water from is very large in comparison. Its disuse came about when alternative means of transporting water was sought. Efficient and effective land cultivation was of prime importance and therefore improvements of water pipe systems
Water pipe
Water pipes are pipes or tubes, frequently made of polyvinyl chloride , ductile iron, steel, cast iron, polypropylene, polyethylene, or copper, that carry pressurized and treated fresh water to buildings , as well as inside the building.-History:For many centuries, lead was the favoured material...
obviously meant that they no longer had to depend on it.
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 (gate tower) straight down the narrow lanes lies a derelict building called the village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
(shrine). This building was used for worshiping of idol
Cult image
In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents...
s, wedding reception
Wedding reception
A wedding reception is a party held after the completion of a marriage ceremony. It is held usually as hospitality for those who have attended the wedding, hence the name reception: the couple receives society, in the form of family and friends, for the first time as a married couple. Hosts...
s, birth
Birth
Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring. The offspring is brought forth from the mother. The time of human birth is defined as the time at which the fetus comes out of the mother's womb into the world...
ancestral registrations and village gatherings. The two walled partitions can clearly be identified and one half was once used as a school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
. Ancestral rooms look similar to residential houses from the outside but the presence of idols and offerings is a common feature.
There have been archeological finds of ancient kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
s unearthed in Muk Wu where details of this can be found in the Hong Kong Museum of History
Hong Kong Museum of History
The Hong Kong Museum of History is a museum which preserves Hong Kong's historical and cultural heritage. It is located next to the Hong Kong Science Museum....
. The famous Muk Wu pumping station is also worth a visit.
Apart from the architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
of Muk Wu there is the nature and wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
that speaks for itself with great Egret
Egret
An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets...
s visiting from time to time, as well as the abundance of exotic insects found during hot seasons.
Settlers (The Punti people)
The village's original settlers were: "To" (杜), "Wong" (黄) and "Yam"(任), where "To" (杜) remained the dominant surname even at present. Today, there are various families from China unrelated to the early settlers. Each clan's surname has a remarkable history. "To" (杜) clanChinese clan
A Chinese clan is a patrilineal and patrilocal group of related Chinese people with a common surname sharing a common ancestor and, in many cases, an ancestral home.-Description:...
trace their roots back to East of Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
present day Xi'an
Xi'an
Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
in China.
Today, there are only a handful of indigenous villagers living in Muk Wu and visiting relatives of the "To" (杜) clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
. The Chinese festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
s such as: Mid-Autumn festival (中秋節), Chinese New Year, Ching Ming (清明節) and Chung Yeung (重陽節) "paying homage to ancestors", attract most tourists and relations of the clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
s to reunite. During these public holiday
Holiday
A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...
s especially Ching Ming and Chung Yeung the bus services are very busy and passengers pack buses to the full. The occasion can be quite a sight and the atmosphere is most welcoming and cheerful.
Interesting facts
- Muk Wu pumping station distributes more than 70% of Hong Kong's fresh water to a population of 7 million.
- Closest village to the Northern Boundary
- Muk Wu picks-up mobile phone signals from both Hong Kong and China.
- Muk Wu, in addition to Hong Kong TV channels, can also pick-up many channels from China.
See also
- Tan Si Chong Su Ancestral HallTan Si Chong SuTan Si Chong Su is a Chinese temple in Singapore, and is located at Magazine Road in the Singapore River Planning Area, within the Central Area, Singapore's central business district....
- List of villages in Hong Kong
- List of Chinese surnames and their meanings