Kat Hing Wai

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Kat Hing Wai (吉慶圍) is a famous Punti walled village in Yuen Long District of Hong Kong. It often mistakenly believed to be Hakka, whose people have similar traditions.^{[citation needed]} However the Punti people were from Southern China and the first to settle in Hong Kong. Kat Hing Wai's residents speak Cantonese, rather than Hakka.^{[citation needed]} Popularly known as Kam Tin, from the name of the area, it is home to about 400 descendants of the Tang Clan, one of the "Five Great Clans" in the territory, who built the village back in the 1600s.

Contents 1 History 2 Features 3 Conservation 4 Access 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] History

In April 1899, the residents of Kam Tin rebelled against British Colonial rule. They defended themselves in Kat Hing Wai. 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.

[edit] Features

Kat Hing Wai is a rectangular (100 m x 90 m) walled village. As a family stronghold, Kat Hing Wai has served the Tangs well through the centuries, protecting the residents against bandits, rival clans, and wild tigers. In the Qing Dynasty, a five-metre high blue brick wall and four cannon towers were added to defend against bandits. Today, the village is still completely surrounded by 18-foot-thick walls, outside which are the remains of a moat. However, most houses within the walls have been rebuilt in recent years. There is only one narrow entrance, with a pair of iron gates that were once removed to Britain when the villagers rebelled against British colonial rule and of which only one was eventually returned. The current standing gates are a mismatched pair, the left hand side originally belongs to Tai Hong Wai and was given to Kat Hing Wai as a gift upon the gates return.

[edit] Conservation

Kat Hing Wai is a private property and the Government has not yet obtained the consent of its owners to declare it as a monument.^[1]

[edit] Access

Route: West Rail Line Kam Sheung Road Station or KMB bus routes 51, 54, 64K and 251M.^[2]

[edit] See also

• Walled villages of Hong Kong

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kat Hing Wai

• Kat Hing Wai (personal page)

Coordinates: 22°27′N 114°04′E / 22.45°N 114.067°E / 22.45; 114.067