Ping Shan Heritage Trail

Ping Shan is where you see a side of Hong Kong most visitors miss. This is the home ground of the Tang clan, one of the great clans of the New Territories, whose ancestors settled here in the 12th century. The Ping Shan Heritage Trail, opened on 12 December 1993 as the first heritage trail in Hong Kong, runs about 1.6 kilometres through the villages of Hang Tau Tsuen, Hang Mei Tsuen and Sheung Cheung Wai. Along the way are ancestral halls, study halls, a temple, a walled village and a pagoda, all still part of daily village life. The walk starts beside Tin Shui Wai station at Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda, the only ancient pagoda left in Hong Kong. It is a squat, six-sided tower of brick and granite, about 13 metres high. It is said to have once had seven floors, and three remain. The Tangs built it for good feng shui and to bring the clan success in the imperial exams. From there the path winds between village houses to the Old Ping Shan Police Station, built in 1900. It now holds the Ping Shan Tang Clan Gallery cum Heritage Trail Visitors Centre, with free exhibitions on the clan and the trail. It makes a good first stop. Further on, the Tang Ancestral Hall is a grand three-hall building with two courtyards, still used for worship and clan meetings. Next door stands the Yu Kiu Ancestral Hall. You also pass Kun Ting Study Hall, built around 1870 for young men preparing for the civil service exams, and Hung Shing Temple. Sheung Cheung Wai, about 200 years old, is the only walled village on the route. People live here, so keep your voice down, and remember that not every historic building is open to visitors. There is no charge to walk the trail or visit the gallery.