Kat Hing Wai Village - Hong Kong New Territories

Another trip we made out to the New Territories while we were in Hong Kong in October last year was to visit the Kat Hing Wai Village which is a private property and the Government has not yet obtained the consent of its owners to declare it as a monument. To visit the village take the West Rail Line to Kam Sheung Road Station, then it is a short ten minute walk, which I think was signposted at the time of our visit to Kam Tin, the name of the area and the name by which the village is often called locally.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Courtesy of Wikipedia

The plan above shows that Kat Hing Wai is a rectangular (100 m × 90 m) walled village and the black and white photo is of the village in the 1920's.

The Entranceway to Village.

As a family stronghold, Kat Hing Wai has served the residents well through the centuries, protecting the residents against bandits, rival clans and wild tigers, with its five-metre high blue brick wall and four cannon towers. Today the village is still completely surrounded by 18-inch-thick walls, outside of which are the remains of a moat. There is only one narrow entrance, with a pair of iron gates. In April 1899, the residents of Kam Tin rebelled against British Colonial rule, blockading themselves within the village. After several unsuccessful attacks by British troops, the iron gates were blasted open. The gates were then shipped to London for exhibition. After the demand of the Tang Clan in 1924, the gate was eventually returned in 1925 by the 16th governor, Sir Reginald Stubbs.


With such a fascinating history a walk around the village is a great glimpse into the intriguing past of these settlers. Although many of the houses have been rebuilt there are still many very old buildings remaining. It is compact with rows of narrow houses and small temples separated by the small winding alleys. The village is still home to about 400 descendants of the Tang Clan, who built the village back in the 17th century when they were among the first to settle in Hong Kong from Southern China. 

The Main Street

Side Streets

A Family Residence

Village Temple

Front Door

Side Street

 Village Residents.

I have also made a slideshow of our visit to Kam Tim area, I was unable to embed it in the post but the link will take you directly there.
Slideshow Link
If you would like to view the photos individually the full album can be viewed at Flickr.com Travel Tales - Kat Hing Wai Village.

Visitors are asked to make a donation on entering the village, it is also possible to take photos of the clan women in their traditional black trousers, tunics and distinctive bamboo hats, but they will expect you to pay.

I have already mentioned that we travelled by train then walked but there are alternatives.  I have no idea if these instructions are correct, so do check thoroughly before using any of this information.
1. Take the bus No.51 to Kam Tin at the Tsuen Wan Station Exit D or the Tsuen Wan Wharf and then go straight for 5 minutes.
2.Take the bus No.64 at the Tai Po Market Station of Kowloon-Canton Railway and get off at the Kam Tin Road.
3.Take the bus No.251M at the MTR Tsing Yi Station Exit A1 and get off at Kim Tin Walled Village 
4. Alternatively take a taxi from Kam Sheung Rd MTR West Station.

Location map

With thanks to the following sites for the background information included in this post. The links will take you directly to the pages on Kat Hing Wai Village if you are interested in learning more.


Hong Kong Tourism Board    Kat Hing Wai - Wikipedia    Visit Our China