Vignettes of the World
A busy schedule has prevented me from regular hiking during the first two months of 2022. I took some time from the busy schedule to walk the Pik Shan Path with a friend for a quick and easy stroll in Hong Kong Island. The plan …
A review of the stage performance 100% Hong Kong is long overdue. We booked the tickets to the 100% Hong Kong show back in June for a showtime in late October. And it was worth the long wait. 100% Hong Kong was going to make …
It was due to the Covid-19 pandemic that Chestnut Writers had to take on a new direction for Chestnut Journal. When Chestnut Journal began its first chapter, we have meant this blog to be mostly about international travels. Although we did intend to write about Hong Kong, it was somewhat of a lesser importance than international destinations.
The pandemic has put all travelling to a halt. As a result, we looked to local interests in Hong Kong to be the mainstay of our research and writing. We have therefore concerned ourselves mostly with the nature, culture and heritage of Hong Kong since 2020. In other words, we have become tourists in our own home.
And surely, Hong Kong did not disappoint. In this process of transition into a blog about local travels, we have found many lesser-known stories in the people and places of Hong Kong. Hiking also became a main theme since. Having hiked regularly for two years, we have gathered some thoughts to share with you here.
Hiking anywhere requires quite a bit of thorough research. This is not any less important in Hong Kong, although many hiking trails lie within the city. Missing an exit anywhere can result in many more unplanned hours of walking before one reaches another exit.
There are many, many hiking enthusiasts in Hong Kong. It seems to us that many that hike regularly here are mid-aged Hong Kongers. It is no different for us, and we have come to appreciate the parallels between hiking and life.
With each plan to see the wild, we start first with some research. The hiking trails of Hong Kong are mostly well-trodden, and we certainly can rely on sources online to get a pretty good idea what this hiking journey would be like.
But like life, once you embark, the journey can present many unexpected possibilities. Sometimes you make mistakes in observing the trail. You can become lost when you have ventured off-course. Sometimes you would stumble upon gems that were not discussed by the other hikers. No matter how prepared you are in being guided by your predecessors, each journey is unique to your own experience. You will not see the same grasshopper that some others found. You will come across weather and natural conditions differently, and therefore each journey can come with different views, even if you are on the exact same path as the last hiker.
There are also people you meet on the way as well. As in life, these fellow hikers will walk with you for a part of it. Then they will leave for their respective destinations. Sometimes fellow hikers tell you new things about the trail that you did not know from research. Your journey is how you make it to be, even if it is a path well-trodden.
Some of us at Chestnut Writers like to do solo hiking. Although we do not advise readers, especially those who have just begun to hike, to do this even in the well-known trails of Hong Kong, we often find the experience to be rewarding. One does notice more of the environment when he or she hikes alone. Hiking without a companion, you pay full attention to the cues that nature gives you. As such, one does experience the natural stimulations in a more focused way when hiking alone. The trail itself is perhaps better-remembered as well.
When we do decide to do solo trips, we pay much greater attention when we research. Being lost in the woods in Hong Kong, especially when you are alone, can be a very stressful event. We also tend to prepare more water, snacks and warm clothing for the sake of contingencies.
We enjoy hiking for its adventurousness. With each new trail comes the excitement of having seen something new and having trekked unfamiliar terrains. The sensory pleasures from being in touch with nature have kept up our spirit throughout this pandemic. Hearing waves, meeting creatures, smelling trees and receiving sunshine are the standard experiences of all hiking journeys. Sometimes the trails entail quite a bit of exploration, and the sense of accomplishment often propels us to make bolder attempts for more rigorous trails.
Although Chestnut Journal’s transition into a local travels website grew out of the unfortunate Covid-19 pandemic, our writers have decided that the local bent is more-than-worthwhile and it will be a permanent feature of this blog. In fact, it is our estimation that we will take about three to four more years of mindful exploration in Hong Kong before we can say we have substantially covered most bases here. As of now, and as with the past two years, we seek out the hiking trails, heritage sites and historic dining establishments perhaps two to three times a week regularly. Hong Kong really does have that much to offer.
Please see below the editors’ choice on Hong Kong Lesser Known, our Hong Kong feature, for 2020 and 2021.
2020:
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Beautiful Sha Tau Kok – The Abandoned Village of Yung Shue Au |
Temple Street and Its living Memories
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2021:
The plan of the day was first a walk in Shek O’s Tai Tau Chau (also known as Urn Island), then head over to Big Wave Bay and ascend the Pottinger Peak via the Pottinger Peak Country Trail. The walk ended in Chai Wan, when …
The plan of the day was first a walk in Shek O’s Tai Tau Chau (Urn Island), then head over to Big Wave Bay and ascend the Pottinger Peak via the Pottinger Peak Country Trail. The walk ended in Chai Wan, when I found my …
I have previously written on the Tai Fu Tai and Tung Shan Temple. Both are landmarks that stand testament to the Man’s history in San Tin, Yuen Long. Since there are more such heritage sites, I decided to visit San Tin again to seek out the Man Lun Fung Ancestral Hall, the Man Sun Ye Ancestral Hall and the Man Ancestral Hall (also known as Dun Yu Tong).
I have briefly told the story of the Man clan’s origins in my entry on the Tung Shan Temple. To trace back to a time even earlier than the direct lineage ancestor Man Tin-shui, I learned more when I did research for this entry on the Man Lun Fung Ancestral Hall.
An early ancestor of the Man’s was a Han Dynasty general that stationed in Chengdu, Sichuan. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the Man’s moved to Jiangxi. At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, when Mongolian forces captured Wen Tianxiang, his cousin on the paternal line, Man Tin-shui fled to Baoan, Guangzhou. What followed was the further moving-south of Man Sai-kor, who was the seventh generation ancestor after Man Tin-shui, to San Tin. Man Sai-kor founded the Man villages here in Hong Kong.
The Man Lun Fung Ancestral Hall commemorates Man Fat-po (also named Man Lun-Fung), who was of the 8th generation of the Man ancestors. He was the second son of Man Sai-kor.
The Man’s efforts to settle down in this area of Hong Kong were successful, and they changed the face of this land. When they first came to this area of Yuen Long, it was a swamp. They used a simple method to drain the land, and turned it into arable fields. As a result, people named this place San Tin, meaning “new fields,” to note the Man’s successful turnaround of their livelihood in this new home.
There are at least five ancestral halls of the Man’s in San Tin. Of the three ancestral halls I saw in this visit, I think the Man Lun Fung Ancestral Hall has made the most favorable impression.
The Man’s built it during the mid to late 17th century. During its long history, the Man Lun Fung Ancestral Hall has served many purposes, as community, cultural, ceremonial and educational venue for the Man clan. Some villagers still remember it as a school. Today, the Man’s celebrate traditional festivities mostly at this ancestral hall. For example, the ancestral worship at Chung Yeung Festival is one of the most important events of the year. For Chinese New Year, there is a lantern-lighting celebration here. It has also been the meeting place for village elders.
The Man Lun Fung Ancestral Hall became a monument in 1983. In 1987, the Antiquities and Monuments Office restored it with donations from the Jockey Club. In 1995, it underwent another restoration with government funds.
Unlike the Tai Fu Tai, the Qing Dynasty mansion home for Man Chung-luen, that features elements of mixed western and traditional styles, the Man Lun Fung Ancestral Hall is purely traditional in all its architecture.
The layout is one of three halls on its main axis with two enclosed courtyards. Viewed from the interior of the first main hall, a plaque with the words “To Shu Tong” hangs on the high beam at the hallway. “To Shu Tong,” standing alone, means “the hall of speaking with scholarship.” Indeed, this plaque itself is a cultural relic. In the 11th year of the Jiaqing Reign (1806), Song Xiang, who was admired as Lingnan’s most gifted scholar, wrote these very three words for the Man Lun Fung Ancestral Hall.
Lun Fung is the name of the ancestor to which this ancestral hall is dedicated. The word “Lun” means the mythical creature kirin. Culturally, it also means sons. The phrase “Kirin To Yuk Shu” refers to the imagery of a kirin spewing a jade book. It serves as the omen for the birth of a son destined to make scholarly accomplishments. Legend has it that a kirin spewed out a jade book when Confucius was born.
The couplets lining the sides of the front entrance also refer to learnedness. This is very intriguing to me. Most of the ancestral halls feature couplets and plaques themed in auspicious phrases. References to erudition are rare. At that moment, I felt that this blue-brick building, with its unusually high ceiling and beautiful, aged carvings on the beams, to carry a sense of the lyrical and the poetic.
Photo: The Man ancestors’ soul tablets are enshrined in the main hall of the Man Lun Fung Ancestral Hall.
Perhaps I like the Lun Fung Ancestral Hall even more so than the Tung Shan Temple. As it has been more than twenty years since its last restoration, the Lun Fung Ancestral Hall is showing signs of age. The recently-restored Tung Shan Temple has brilliant colors that convey a sense of bold authority. In contrast, the Man Lun Fung Ancestral Hall commands respect and solemnity due to its height and an aged elegance. It was humble but no less respected.
When I visited at the end of 2021, I saw some workers there setting up some kind of structural repair. I think they were adding reinforcements to the structure.
There are so many ancestral halls for the Man’s in San Tin because each side lineage within the clan commemorates its ancestors with an ancestral hall. The Man Sun Ye Ancestral Hall belongs to a branch lineage of the Man’s. As such, it remains closed to visitors.
The Man Sun Ye Ancestral Hall was built in the mid-18th century. An interesting fact is that the Man Sun Ye Ancestral Hall is built to the same form as the Man Ancestral Hall (see below) next to it. For the Man Ancestral Hall commemorates all lines of Man Ancestors as the original ancestral hall.
When I visited, I saw significant revamping work at the site. It would not have made any difference though, since the site is not open to public visit. It is a Grade 2 Historic Building. Given the current state of restoration as shown in this photograph, I believe the structure will show a kind of brightness similar to the Tung Shan Temple when the process finishes.
The Man Ancestral Hall is the original ancestral hall of the Man’s in Fan Tin Tsuen Village. It is believed that the founding father of the Man clan in San Tin, Man Sai-kor, built the Man Ancestral Hall. The year of construction is believed to be 1444, during the Ming Dynasty. There is also no public access to this ancestral hall.
Take Bus 76K either from Sheung Shui or Yuen Long and get off at the San Tin stop. Pass the restaurants and you will be at the road that leads you to the Tai Fu Tai, with signs pointing you also to the Man Lun Fung Ancestral Hall. This path will lead you to Fan Tin Tsuen Village within the San Tin area. The three ancestral halls stand within the vicinity of each other.
The map is from the Aniquities and Monuments Office, see first citation under Sources.
This is part of the series on the Man clan’s history in San Tin, Yuen Long. See also the entries on Tai Fu Tai and Tung Shan Temple. Consider doing all these sites in one trip. It is doable within a half day.
Antiquities and Monuments Office, Tai Fu Tai, Man Lun Fung Ancestral Hall, 2021.
Ng Ka Fai, Leung Yan Cheong, A Study on the Man’s of San Tin, Historical Value and Cultural Heritage, A Year-end Thesis for the course Hong Kong Historical Artifacts and Monuments, Department of History at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, April 22, 2006.
The Wikipedia on the Man’s of San Tin (Chin).
The Wikipedia on Song Xiang (Chin).
The Wikipedia on the Man Sun Ye Ancestral Hall (Chin).
The Wikipedia on the Man Ancestral Hall (Dun Yu Tong) (Chin).
Kirin Spews a Jade Book (Chin), baike.baidu.hk.
Yi Tung, In Search of Cultural Monuments in the New Territories (2008), at 79-82.
Tsing Yi lies on northwestern side of Hong Kong Island. It is an island just west of Kwai Tsing. I learned from a few sources on the internet that there are exceptional views of the Tsing Ma Bridge along a system of hiking trails in …
Ki Lun Shan is quite a popular trail in my neighborhood. I have lived here for ten years and I finally mustered up enough courage to go. As it turned out, it did take some courage to take down this trail, which is along the …
In its first week of showing, the film Anita has topped the charts for Hong Kong-made movies. This was no surprise. Hong Kong, being in its current state of affairs, is rightly in the mode of nostalgia. Anita Mui Yeem Fong, the queen of Cantopop during the 1980s, was one of the most cherished icons of that bygone era.
The film is a biographical portrait of Anita Mui’s life, perhaps somewhat dramatized in a rather rosy light. It begins at Anita Mui’s childhood. She sings at the night clubs to earn a living at a tender age. A producer of a record company notices her talent, along with her sister Ann Mui. He approaches them with an opportunity: join the first New Talent Singing Championship.
The film proceeds in a good pace. Anita Mui wins the talent show, and the film then depicts how she rises to stardom. In this early time of her performance career, Anita forms some of the most significant relationships in her life. The film explores her relationships with her sister, friends, mentors and lovers .
There is a poignant portrayal of her most notable lifelong friendships. First is with Eddie Lau, who is her mentor and image advisor, and also with actor-singer Leslie Cheung, who also rises to stardom in the same period. Her friendship with Leslie Cheung has been a positive force in his life.
However, her romantic life, as it truly was in her life, was regretful. In the 1980s, she has a brief relationship with Japanese actor-singer Kondo Masahiko. The film tells the story in its best light possible. It presents a very touching scene where Kondo Masahiko protects Anita Mui, who hides in the closet, by stopping the producer of the record company from confronting and humiliating her. The film suggests that they end the relationship due to career concerns. Though in fact, it is well known that Kondo Masahiko is involved in a few relationships at the same time.
Quite a few of my friends have told me that they cried during the film. I did too, and actually a few times. The well of emotions that this film elicits is hard to explain. But let me do try here.
Anita Mui’s life is a testament to Hong Kong’s success. In her generation, most Hong Kong people have humble roots. In a balance of luck, hard work, perseverance and raw bravery, she rises to stardom. These are the qualities of Hong Kong itself, the spirit that enables Hong Kong’s success. On this point, viewers would naturally share a sense of pride. I do believe, however, that many Hong Kong people watching the film at this vantage point now lament on Hong Kong’s current state. Hong Kong is no longer at its heyday. The tearing factor is that what she stands for is now a thing surely past. In 2022, Hong Kong is not the same even as compared to to 2003, when Anita dies of cervical cancer at age 40.
The film presents some of Anita’s best-known character authentically. Her person is itself persuasion, as she does have many admirable qualities. I was no big fan of hers when I grew up. But the Hong Kong people knew her character well. She is strong, principled, hardworking, an exceptional friend, and she gives all in her love life. Having grown up seeing the seediness of nightclub entertainment, she does certainly have a dark side. She can be a bully herself, certainly, but she is genuine in her relationships, particularly with her sister Ann Mui, Leslie Cheung and Eddie Lau. Finally, she was passionate in her dedication to Hong Kong.
Another powerful aspect of the film is the reconstruction of Hong Kong’s old times. It is perhaps not meant to be subtle but the actors speak in a manner and accent of old Hong Kong. Of all the acting I first and foremost liked Louis Koo’s role as Eddie Lau. He presents so well the temperament of a supportive friend to both Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung in the complicated entertainment industry of Hong Kong. Then of course Louise Wong is simply dazzling in her debut film role as Anita. The tearing factor in this aspect is the pure hard work shown by all in the cast and production team. The film is well-done, and the effort is so commendable, that itself is moving.
There is a very careful selection of props. The rendition of 80s fashion and lifestyle in the film is a major success in bringing back the old times. I did learn that technology was key in remaking the scenes of the 1980s. For example, in the scene where Anita and Leslie Cheung promise to support each other at the harbour front, the skyline of Kowloon has to be restored to what it actually looked like in the 1980s.
The exceptional resources, efforts and thoughts that went into the production of Anita are seen throughout the film. I have heard that the team was stretched beyond its budget and Louis Koo had to contribute his own funds in order to complete it. Since the film has grossed more than 10 million by now, I am just happy to see that everyone who was involved to be amply rewarded for this production.
Finally, my only critique of the film is that there has not been enough of Anita Mui’s songs. There were quite a few points with actual footage of her performance interwoven with the re-created scenes, and that was well done. But I think the film should include some of her best songs in a number of other sections. I was slightly disappointed that some of my favorite songs of hers are not featured.
Having watched this film, I started thinking that an Anita musical may be a fruitful production as well.
My friend and I love excursions in the islands of Hong Kong. We have been to the Kwun Yam Wan Beach and the Mini-Great Wall Trail in southeastern Cheung Chau. This time we opted for open views in north Cheung Chau. Despite the myriad choices …
