There are many private studies in the villages of the New Territories. In the past, I have visited quite a few and introduced them in this blog. In the Kam Tin villages, there is the Yi Tai Study of the Shui Tau Village.

Photo: An Unexpected Visitor at the Chik Kwai Study Hall

And I never get tired of them. Although many of them adopt similar architectural layouts and purposes as Qing dynasty village structures, they do give out different vibes when you visit. Oftentimes I find that my words do not do justice to these antique buildings. Therefore I encourage all my readers to make the effort to see them and feel the spirit that breathes in these buildings.

The Chik Kwai Study Hall had an air of serenity about it, mainly because the ancestral altar in the rear hall is exceptionally well-kept. It impressed me to be quite a bit simpler, and minimalist, than many other elaborate ancestral altars that I have seen in the traditional ancestral worship venues in Hong Kong.

According to the Wikipedia, there was a Hong Kong movie and a TV show that filmed sets in the Chik Kwai Study Hall.

The History of the Chik Kwai Study Hall

The Lai’s of Pat Heung

The Chik Kwai Study Hall was bult before the British took over the New Territories in 1899. The Lai’s of Pat Heung came to Hong Kong from Jiangxi during the Song Dynasty. During the Ming dynasty, the 13^th ancestor Lai Wui-wan led his clansmen to settle down in Pat Heung by establishing this village called Lai Uk Tsuen (meaning the “House of the Lai’s”).

In Qing dynasty, Lai Kam-tai built the Chik Kwai Study Hall to offer education for the Lai children. During the 1930s, it also served as the venue for ancestral worship, community gatherings and weddings. The study hall closed its doors throughout the duration of WWII. Thereafter, it became a kindergarten offering modern education. This kindergarten was closed in the 1970s. The traces of a former decoration for the Chik Kwai Kindergarten remains still now on the back wall of the rear hall.

The Chik Kwai Study was named a Declared Monument in 2007.

Architectural Features of the Chik Kwai Study Hall

The Chik Kwai Study Hall was built in the two-hall, one courtyard layout with side chambers. The structure was built of granite and gray bricks.

I found the wooden carve work in the doors of the side chambers to be particularly intriguing. I was very much drawn to the beautiful wood carvings throughout the site, “lively decorative plaster mouldings are found on the roof ridges, and finely carved truss beams and vivid murals at the top of the entrance porch.”

There are study tables in the two side chambers, and they certainly impress the visitors with a taste of what it was like to study there. According to the descriptions on site, due to damage caused by a typhoon, the two side chambers underwent significant renovations in the 1960s.

There is also a neat ancestral altar in the main bay of the rear hall. The pots of flowers throughout the venue suggest that the villagers do take care of the Chik Kwai Study Hall.

Throughout its existence, the Chik Kwai Study Hall has had few restorations. By the 2000’s, it was becoming decrepit. With supervision by the Antiques and Monuments Office, it was restored to its current state in 2010.

This recent restoration has been sensitive to the Chik Kwai Study Hall’s original appearance, as such most of the Qing dynasty era interiors were preserved, including the carvings on the wooden beam, the two fish-shaped gargoyles, and the wall murals.

How to Get There

Green top Minibus Route 72 and Bus Route 251A runs through this part of the New Territories. The stop to get off at is Lai Uk Tsuen. Once getting off at the bus stop, follow the signs and enter the village here.

There is a clear main road – do not make any turns and you will see the back of the Chik Kwai Study Hall within five minutes of walking.

Sources

Descriptions on site as the Chik Kwai Study Hall.

The Wikipedia on the Chik Kwai Study Hall (Chin).