Explore Hong Kong’s rich Hakka heritage at traditional walled village
Encompass HK’s tour of Lai Chi Wo, near Sha Tau Kok, offers a taste of a disappearing culture
Last year, the government approved a development plan to restore 14 houses in the centuries-old settlement
In the 1950s, the village of Lai Chi Wo, near Sha Tau Kok in the New Territories, was a buzzing community of Hakka farmers and fishermen, members of a Han Chinese subgroup with their own dialect whose ancestors migrated to Hong Kong in the 18th and 19th centuries.
A decade later its population dwindled as residents migrated to urban areas or moved overseas in search of better paid jobs, leaving the village to fall into disrepair.
Fast forward to the present day and Lai Chi Wo – its name means “lychee nest” – has come full circle. While the fruit trees that gave the village its name are long since gone, evidence of Hakka culture remains, best seen in the architecture of Lai Chi Wo’s 200 homes with their traditional tiled roofs and metal bar windows. Feng shui elements can also be found in the design of the houses and, more obviously, in the wall surrounding the settlement that was built to bring prosperity and protection. Today, Lai Chi Wo is one of Hong Kong’s best preserved walled villages.
Those keen to learn about the area’s rich but disappearing Hakka history can join a Lai Chi Wo Culture and Heritage tour on March 29, hosted for the first time by social enterprise Encompass HK.
The day trip costs HK$450 a person, including a ferry ride and lunch, and gives guests a literal taste of local life with a lesson on how to make Hakka dumplings.