Vignettes of the World
For a very long time, the Lin Heung Tea House of Sheung Wan was known for being a prime touristy restaurant that the Hong Kong locals do not go. Often touted as the “most traditional dim sum in Hong Kong,” the restaurant served its dim …
The free public tour at the Hong Kong Observatory is rumored to be very difficult for anyone to secure a spot. I was fortunate that I succeeded in signing up in my first attempt. On a rainy afternoon I headed to the Observatory with much …
I took interest in the Tsiu Keng village area in Sheung Shui because there is a palm woods there that is very photogenic. Upon some research I learned that there are a few interesting things to do and see there. Let me take you on a tour of Tsiu Keng.
Tsiu Keng is located in the Lam Tsuen Country Park area, off of Fan Kam Road between Sheung Shui and Pat Heung. Serious hikers of Hong Kong will know Tsiu Keng to be the exit point for a hike at Kai Kung Leng. To get there, take Bus 77K either from Sheung Shui or Kam Tin and get off at the Tsiu Keng stop.
Tsiu Keng, meaning “Banana Lane,” consists of the three hamlets of Lo Wai, Pang Uk and San Wai. It is believed that the oldest hamlet, Lo Wai, was established in the early years of the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty. The residents are of Pang ancestry, one of the five major clans of indigenous inhabitants in the New Territories. Other minor surname groups in the village are the Fans, Lees and Loks. Pang Uk and San Wai were developed later, during the early 20th century.
For those that enjoy an easy-going, rustic dining experience, InnoLife is a perfect choice. Located very close to the entrance of Tsiu Keng, InnoLife practices the principle of “from farm to table.” The restaurant’s menu features veggie dishes that are cooked with ingredients homegrown in its farm.
You will come into a well-designed dining space that fuses nature with a light human handprint. Large glass panels allow ample natural daylight in the dining space. The ambience is agrarian but also cosy, and a few friendly, sweet four-legged friends will wag their tails and greet you. Feel free to bring your own beloved pet as well.
For this afternoon, I ordered a simple dried mandarin peel with ginger tea. The ginger was grown organically in InnoLife’s farm. It was fully infused in the water and the wholesome spiciness of ginger stayed on my palate for a long time after, though mediated by the balanced flavor and fragrance of dried mandarin peel. I really enjoyed this tea.
The menu offers a wide variety of fusion dishes, and I will be sure to come back and try their food. Seating is available both indoor and outdoor, but if you go on the weekends, please be sure to book a table. You would also book a spot in its car park as well. Do not park randomly in the village. There is a carpark designated for restaurant guests.
Tsiu Keng certainly has an environ to boast. From InnoLife, walk along Tsiu Keng Road to its very end, toward the village. Then enter the village, pass the public toilet, and you will soon see two big patches of palm woods, which for sure is very special in terms of being Hong Kong’s natural habitat. One of the patches is fenced, but the other is open for touring and photography.
There are, however, village homes in this area and please be sure not to cause disturbance to the residents.
The Lung Tam Kwun Yam Temple is perhaps about a further 20 minute walk from the palm woods. The easiest direction is to point your Google Map to Lung Tam Kun Yam Temple (next to MX Racing Club). The way further on from the palm woods is consisted of paved, crisscrossing paths amidst the fields of Tsiu Keng. It is best to use Google for direction.
Besides the palm woods, I also find the fields of Tsiu Keng to be incredibly pleasant. There were a whole lot of crops there awaiting harvest. On this part of the walk, I came across the sighting of a very clear stream and it feels cooler despite the scorching sun.
The Long Tam Kwun Yam Temple is a private temple. It is open to visitors, and it is also well-maintained. The temple ground has ample space for its fengshui settings. There are a number of features there that exhibit a thoughtful approach to the temple’s environ, such as a manicured lotus pond and ping an faucets for hand washing.
In the temple are hung the ancient drum and bell, which are typical features in Hong Kong temples. The bell indicates the year 1844 (24th year of the Daoguang reign) as the date of its making. Kwun Yam and Kṣitigarbha are worshipped here.
Lung Tam, meaning “dragon pool,” may have referred to the natural pond that used to lie in front of the temple, where the lotus pond now stands. The Lung Tam Kwun Yam Temple was built 300 years ago during the Qing dynasty. In 1966, 7 neighboring villages pooled the funds to rebuild this temple. There was also a restoration during the 1980s.
If you drive, please be sure to post a note with your phone number if you find yourself having to park at the village car spots. They all belong to some owner and if you are in the way, they have every right to lock up your car.
To get to Tsiu Keng’s palm woods, the easiest way is to take Green Top Minibus Route 57K from the minibus station at Landmark North and simply get off at the final stop at Pang Uk. From there on, the palm woods is just a 5-minute walk away.
From Fan Kam Road, there are red top minibuses that run on Fan Kam Road throughout the day. The stop to get off at is Tsiu Keng, as with Bus Route 77K from either the Sheung Shui direction or Kam Tin direction. There is a 15-minute walk from Fan Kam Road to the palm woods, and also most of the way in the village does not have cover. On summer days, even though it is a short walk in fully-paved roads, you should prepare a hat and water with you.
Allow for about 1 to 2 hours in the village if you plan on visiting the Kwun Yam Temple. Time required also depends on whether you will enjoy a tea set or a meal at InnoLife.
The Wikipedia on Tsiu Keng.
Antiquities Advisory Board on Cheung Ancestral Hall, Tsiu Keng San Wai, Sheung Shui.
Tere-Territory on Lung Tam Old Temple (Chin).
Want milk tea? Cha Chaan Teng is the way to go. Cha (tea) chaan teng (restaurant), refers to a practice in the early times that these restaurants would charge you double if you sat there and only sipped the bland Chinese tea that the waiter …
What is known as the Cantonese bamboo noodles (in Cantonese “Zuk Sing” noodles) is a food familiar to many. The yellow, stringy and bouncy noodle is the very spirit in the Cantonese wonton noodle soup. Many people in Hong Kong and Guangdong would consider a …
I like seeing old towns and villages. I have seen a few of the ancient old towns and communities in Shenzhen, including the Dapeng Fortress, Gankeng Ancient Hakka Townlet, Nantou Ancient City and Shui Wei 1368. I was interested in the areas in Shenzhen that feature lesser-known communities that have preserved an aged vibe.
Shajing was a perfect choice for this outing. Located in Baoan, northwestern Shenzhen, the former site of Shajing Xu (old market) has also undergone restoration. As such the area is clean with hip elements, such as large wall murals.
Shajing was a thriving market in the ancient times, as one of the busiest districts in the ancient county of Baoan in Shenzhen. Before its natural landscape gradually changed into a flatland by the seaside around 2,500 years ago, the area was once a bay itself. This gave rise to Shajing’s early beginning in salt making and trade. Salt was the lifeline for this part of Shenzhen during the Song and Yuan dynasties. At first, salt was yielded by boiling sea water. Then the people of Shajing yielded salt by sun drying the sea water in salt pans. Shajing’s Gui De salt field was one of the 13 major salt fields in the Guangdong Province.
The oyster growing industry in Shajing traced a history of a thousand years since the Song dynasty. By the Qing dynasty, the salt industry has become obsolete. The people then turned to another sea-related trade—oyster farming. They engaged in the cultivation of oysters on bamboo staffs, a type of off-bottom native oyster farming technique.
By the Ming and Qing dynasties, the oyster industry in Shajing became the primary produce and business for the community. Where the men tended to the oysters at the seaside, the women made secondary products, such as oyster sauce and dried oysters. Each harvest took 2-4 years to mature. The oyster trade resulted in prosperity for this community, so much so that it was considered the “key economic hub” in Shenzhen.
By the 1990s, however, the rapid rise of Shenzhen’s industries caused severe pollution to its environment. The oysters in Shajing started showing signs of pollution, their flesh turning into bluish green colors. The products were no longer edible. This has caused a permanent shutdown of the native oyster farming industry in Shajing. The technical know-how of oyster farming was then transferred to other suitable coastal areas, such as Taishan, Huidong and Yangjiang. The people of Shajing then became the source of expertise in the modern partnership model of technology transfer, involving the establishment of experts, production units, companies and cultures.
The area of Old Shajing is very walkable and feel free to take your time. There are many spots where you can sit down in shades as well. I managed to find some of the following worthy sites. The general area of the Shajing old market consists now of a few villages. Point your Gaode map app to “Longjin Stong Pagoda.” The closest metro station is Shajing.
The Longjin Stone Pagoda is the patron saint that presided over the east bank of the Longjin River. To the locals this pagoda was known as the “Lord of Huata.” It came into being when the Gui De Salt Field Officer Zhou Mu finished building the bridge that lied on the northeast of Shajing during the Jiading reign of the Song dynasty in 1220. The day that the bridge opened, the waters raged like a dancing dragon. Zhou Mu built this pagoda here to tame the water dragon.
The pagoda is made of sandstone. The half-body Buddha statue is a relief with one hand gestured in the shape of holding a sword.
It is said that the Weitou Old Well was a well made by the Gui De Salt Administration Office in Shajing. What is left of the Gui De Salt Administration Office is just a modern stone plaque that stands at its former site, indicating where it would have been.
Indeed, it is just around the corner from the old well. Judging from the fact that a plastic bucket lies right at the well, it is likely that the residents still draw water from it today.
The Jingle Chen’s Ancestral Hall was a structure of the Qing dynasty and it underwent reconstruction in 1985. Its layout is two halls, three bays and one courtyard. The structure is made of brick and stones. As with always, beautiful lime sculptures adorn its gable roof.
The Chen’s of Shajing was a prominent clan. They moved southward from Luoyang and settled down in this area, due to the political unrests in Northern China during the late Song dynasty. Together with the Man’s, the Chen’s started quite a few old markets in Shajing. They were key players in the thriving economy of Shajing. The Jingle Chen’s Ancestral Hall is but one of the Chen’s ancestral halls in this area.
There are many village homes standing in what used to be the Shajing Old Market. You can see the Longjin River running through the area’s pathways. Houses were built along the streaming troughs of the river. See the village views showing old houses from different eras, and enjoy the vibe there.
The Jiang Ancestral Hall lies some distance away from the Shajing Old Market. My suggestion is to take the Bus Routes 779 / M254 / M598 from the Yabiancun bus stop in Shajing and get off at the Buyong Shichang Dong bus stop, then walk a short distance over. (The map app to use in China is Gaode Maps).
The former oyster trade in Shajing is amply memorialized in the Jiang Ancestral Hall. The exterior of the walls there are lain with oyster shells and it makes a wonderful sight. The Jiang Ancestral Hall is located in Buyong, neighboring the Shajing villages. Like Shajing, the people of Buyong took up oyster farming after the salt trade declined.
The Jiang’s of Buyong had a celebrated lineage that goes back all the way to the very beginning of recorded history in China. The very first ancestors assisted the ancient Emperor Yu in his efforts to tame the floods. The Jiang ancestors would be taking up key official positions with quite a few emperors later in China’s long history. The ancestor that established this village of the Jiang’s in Buyong was Jiang Naliu, in the Ming dynasty.
The Jiang Ancestral Hall was built in the Ming dynasty. During the 1970s, its front hall had to be demolished due to a long history of disrepair. There were also six flagpole mounts outside of the entrance, but they could not be restored. In 2003, it underwent the latest renovation. A structure of brick and wood, the ancestral hall has the layout of three halls and three bays.
The beautiful architectural details at the Jiang Ancestral Hall bespeak the status of the Jiang clan. Its significance as an antique building was readily observable, standing grand, proud and firm in an otherwise modern residential area.
Descriptions on site in Shajing Old Market and the Jiang Ancestral Hall.
For the research of this entry, I consulted multiple online sources in Chinese that discussed the ancient economy of Shajing’s salt and oyster trade and the history of the Chen clan.
The Lui Seng Chun building stands testament to a century-long entrepreneurship in Hong Kong and a prominent family history. Designed by foreign architect W. H. Bourne in 1929, the beautiful structure expressed the style of the Chinese eclectic with carefully crafted and designed western elements. …
The driver suggested that we visited the Zili Village first, as that village was officially recognized, restored and developed as the preeminent location for Diaolou tourism. He told me quite a bit about himself. He is a native of Chikan. Mr. Guan is his name, …
Kaiping is a county in Guangdong Province in China that is known for its people’s long history of migration abroad. Waves of migrants made it in foreign countries and returned to Kaiping rich and glorious. These successful returnees built big houses in their villages as family residences. I was drawn to the rather funny looking structures, which are called Diaolou, when I saw introduction of the county. I decided to go.
As with always, my starting point is Hong Kong. The means of transportation that makes the most sense to this part of China is the High Speed Railway (HSR). On each day there is one arrival from Hong Kong to Kaiping. There are many alternative options, however. Multiple trains leave for Kaiping from Guangzhou, so if you are not able to get tickets direct from Hong Kong to Kaiping, consider making a transfer in Guangzhou, or maybe even Jiangmen.
Because I live close to China, I booked my ticket to depart from the Shenzhen North Station. The tip is that, if you travel on HSR from Hong Kong, the tickets can cost well over 1/3 more. Therefore if you actually live closer to China, travelling from Shenzhen North is a more economical option.
Once arriving in Kaiping, I made the quick decision to rent a car and driver for the whole afternoon. I just talked to one of those men that approach you at the train station. I paid about 280 RMB for my driver. To be fair, if I had one of those car calling apps (like Didi, Gaode Map), the cost would have been much lower. But the good thing about having someone there wait for you at the sightseeing spots is that, firstly, you can leave your heavy luggage with him in his car as you tour. You would not have that option if you called separate drivers with the apps. Secondly, you would certainly save time as well, because car calling is not always reliable, especially in locations that are not so urban.
He took me around the three primary sightseeing locations in the area. I visited Zili Village, Liyuan Garden and Majianglong Village. At around 5pm, he finally dropping me off at the Ancient City of Chikan, where I was staying for the evening.
The closest urban center to Kaiping is the City of Jiangmen. We would be spending the next day and a half there.
For more tips on travelling in China, please visit my previous entry here.
I arrived at Kaiping South Station at around 12:45pm or so. I headed over to the three locations of Zili Village, Liyuan Garden and Majianglong Village. I spent a whole afternoon there, until I arrived at the Ancient Town of Chikan at around 5pm. In the first evening in Kaiping, I toured around Chikan with my friend leisurely, and had dinner.
On the second day, we spent the morning and lunch hour in Chikan, until about 3pm when we headed over to the South Tower, which has historical significance as a Diaolou because a group of national heroes died there defending against Japanese invasion.
After the South Tower, we called a car to take us to the 33 Hui (“Hui” meaning market) in Jiangmen. We walked around a photogenic old market area known for its being the set for a TV drama. Sources describe the 33 Hui as “the origin of Jiangmen.”
On the third day, I simply took a tour searching for good food in Jiangmen, then headed home on a train in the Jiangmen Station at around 7pm.
The term “overseas Chinese” refers to the waves of Chinese migrants that left China to make a living in foreign lands. Yet, in a much broader sense, it connotes also the phenomenon of migration that had enormous historical impact in modern China.
The Chinese people that went abroad to work came from all walks of life in the (mostly coastal) communities that they originated. Surely, a whole lot of them went abroad as coolies in the 18th century. Some made a fortune as a result. Once someone in the village made a living abroad, he then would bring others in the family or the village to also work abroad. One after one, and many villagers in Guangdong made it all over the world.
Besides those that went abroad to do manual labor work, there were also those that went abroad to become educated. They were the elites in China to begin with. In fact, a luxurious Diaolou in Kaiping was built by one of the 120 school children that were sent to study in the United States in the Chinese Educational Mission program of the 19th century.
Many of the Chinese people that went abroad were nurtured in all aspects of western tradition. A lot of them were the stalwarts of the 1911 Revolution, led by Dr. Sun Yatsen.
And the Diaolou’s of Kaiping are remarkable testaments to the lives and perspectives of the overseas Chinese in China. I called them “funny looking” because they were built in the Chinese eclectic architectural style. The structures exhibited characteristics that were at once Chinese and western, but could not be “boxed” within the traditions of either. The Diaolou’s served to meet the needs of a traditional family home for the overseas Chinese returnees, but furthermore incorporated the features, appearance and utility that typified western expectations of luxurious homes.
In Kaiping, the large population of overseas Chinese returnees have resulted in innumerable appearances of these Diaolou’s. In all of Kaiping, the tall, slender Dialou’s at least three stories high have sprawled in the county’s otherwise rustic landscape. Even now, they are the very soul of Kaiping’s economy and history.
The Diaolou’s are the spirited manifestation of the sentiments that defined the identity of a whole generation of overseas Chinese. They were themselves the story. They were themselves the footprints of a historical phenomenon that has continued to this day.
Let us then walk in the footsteps of the overseas Chinese in Kaiping, and trace the lives of the sojourners that made the world their home.
Our Final Lunch in Uzbekistan at the Afsona Restaurant Afsona Restaurant is very popular in Tashkent and it is highly recommended on quite a few online platforms. We sat down for our final lunch in Uzbekistan and we were excited. But we made the wrong …