A YOUNG computer expert from one of the great clans that settled in the New Territories is putting his huge family tree into a unique database. Working in the shadow of the famous Liu Man Shek Tong ancestral hall, Liu Chiu-wa is inputting 23 generations of Sheung Shui history.
The first Liu clansmen penetrated the fertile plains along the Beas River in the 13th century. About 100 years later, the great founder of the farming dynasty, Liu Chung-kit, built a fortified walled settlement, protected by a deep moat from the diverted stream. Maps of that early settlement are proudly displayed today in the imposing village hall at Sheung Shui Heung.
Next year, the ancient citadel, pictures of the modern village, and the family trees of 23 generations of Lius will go on-line. Seven centuries after his ancestors first ploughed rice fields in the area, Liu Chiu-wa is bringing the clan legacy into the 21st century. The project will take the ancestral tablets, now hanging in the stately ancestral hall, and place them on a database. It is believed to be the first time the enlarged family tree of an entire Chinese clan will be available on-line. Not only will it bolster the already considerable community pride in the cluster of eight villages around the ancestral temple, but it will also be a major aid to scholars.
Mr Liu, a candidate in the forthcoming District Councils election, started his project for a number of reasons. He was born in the village in 1963, went to kindergarten in the local temple school, then to primary and secondary schools in the village. He had to go away to study computers, but he returned to live amid the familiar maze of narrow lanes and tiny squares. He works at night on his computer program, inputting electronic data of marriages and clan alliances that happened during the Ming Dynasty.
Another spur was the Beautified Village Campaign. This drive to locate and award New Territories settlements that have done the most to make their villages more attractive, or to preserve their historic legacy, is sponsored jointly by the Home Affairs Department and the South China Morning Post. It is organised in conjunction with the Heung Yee Kuk and has the support of all rural committees.
Few places in Hong Kong take such pride in their present environment and their colourful history. Once you get off the main expressway thundering past to Man Kam To border crossing, you enter a series of streets and footpaths. Suddenly, tranquility reigns. Huge banyans are set in the middle of village squares, protected by 2.5-metre high concrete structures. In the shade of one massive banyan, clan patriarchs relax, chatting and watching the world stroll by. Most of those pedestrians are relatives; it is a close-linked clan, with the exception of the large percentage living and working abroad. Of the 12,000 or so residents, about 5,000 are Lius.