Ping Shan village reaps rewards for keeping rural traditions alive

Ping Shan village was rewarded yesterday for winning the Preserving the Villages 2006 Competition, for its residents' extraordinary efforts in keeping their traditions alive amid unrelenting urbanisation.

A village representative received the award from the South China Morning Post and the Home Affairs Department, which organised the competition.

'I want to thank the Post and the department for a chance to feature our village. The story really brought to life our history,' Tang Kwan-chi, 72, whose family has been in the village for 25 generations, said at the ceremony.

The project aimed to highlight communities among the New Territories' 600 surviving villages that are working to keep their heritage and communal traditions alive.

The organisers and indigenous villagers spent a year collecting suggestions from district officers, rural workers, businessmen and friends. They visited more than 40 villages and identified seven finalists, of which six runners-up were featured in the Post between September and October. The runners-up also received awards yesterday.

'This competition is to encourage villagers in the New Territories to preserve their villages' features and to raise their sense of belonging. We hope citizens and tourists will have a better understanding of our traditions,' said Director of Home Affairs Pamela Tan Kam Mei-wah.