Vignettes of the World
The Chuen Lung Family Walk is the shortest family walk in Hong Kong at 0.5 kilometer. I was curious so I decided to pay a visit. The Chuen Lung Family Walk is a loop. I walked from the Chuen Lung Village minibus stop so the …
After visiting the Hong Kong Railway Museum in Tai Po Market, I headed out to Wun Yiu, in another part of Tai Po. It is a much lesser-known exhibition as compared with the Railway Museum, but no less interesting. The Wun Yiu Exhibition The exhibition …
I spent a delightful 1.5 hours at the Hong Kong Railway Museum in Tai Po Market. I have been there once, but I did not study the museum exhibits last time. This time, I allowed myself a leisurely walk in the museum and the train compartments on display. All the things I saw there brought me back to a time past, most of which I had not personally experienced.
However, I am old enough to remember the days when the Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) was a separate entity from the Mass Transit Railway (MTR). The Kowloon-Canton Railway connects the through-way train tracks all the way from Hung Hom to Guangzhou. The MTR, on the other hand, provided an efficient underground subway network for the urban areas of Hong Kong. The two railway entities merged only as recently as 2007 under the Rail Merger Ordinance.
What used to be the Tai Po Market Station for the Kowloon-Canton Railway’s British Section during the early 20th century now serves as the museum on the history of Hong Kong’s railway. It is a petite museum but the exhibits are clear, concise and engaging. I read every word there and savored some of the video clips as well.
I was keen on reading about the KCR, as its history goes way far back to 1910, when it began service. The MTR, on the other hand, only began in 1979. As such, the story of the KCR would take us back to the late 19th century, when Hong Kong became a British colony.
The railways of any country always served strategic purposes throughout history. It was much more so during the late 19th century than now. When the British took over Hong Kong, they have envisioned a railway connecting Hong Kong and China would enable them to exert greater influence in China. They have wanted a railroad to connect Hong Kong all the way to Beijing.
The original railway that connected Hong Kong and Guangzhou were built by the Hong Kong Government and the Qing Government respectively. The governments also operated them separately. The Hong Kong section became known as the Kowloon-Canton Railway British Section, beginning service in 1910.
When this railway began service, the railroad spanned a distance of 38.5 kilometers. The railway consisted of 8 stations, originally from the temporary Kowloon Terminus (which was later changed to Tsim Sha Tsui Station), then Hung Hom, Yau Ma Tei, Shatin, Tai Po, Tai Po Market (now serving as the Railway Museum), Fanling and with Lo Wu as the final stop.
The Chinese section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway completed in 1911. The through-train between Kowloon and Guangdong then began service on October 15, 1911. Due to the political turmoil of the mid-20th century, KCR’s services underwent a few significant disruptions, beginning with WWII and the Japanese Occupation. Then it also met significant disruptions during the founding years of the People’s Republic of China. Needless to say, the railway was a sensitive and strategic infrastructure for the military in many of these instances.
Modernization of the trains took place during the 1950s. As will be discussed at greater length below, the KCR introduced a number of diesel-powered electric engine trains during the 1950s and the 1970s. These trains were made in Australia and the United States, unlike the older steam engines, which mostly came from the United Kingdom.
In 1978, the KCR launched the railway electrification project. This has resulted in the spending of more than 3 billion dollars on electric trains, stations, track and signal upgrades. In 1983, full electrification of the whole railway network completed. By then, the KCR’s line has been serving all the modern stops in the New Territories, as what we now know as the East Rail Line.
I spent quite a bit of time in the reconstructed railway office at the museum. Besides the fact that it was well-restored with old and original equipment on display, there was also an educational spot about the signaling system. It explains the use of semaphores, the token instruments and the token with a rattan ring handle to regulate the train’s entry and exit between stations.
This is worth learning on your own, especially if you bring your children. Therefore I won’t spoil it for you here.
Photos: This was the actual signal cabin of the old Tai Po Market Station.
The signal cabin hosts the manually-operated semaphore levers that are critical in ensuring safety for the train’s entry and exit between stations. The semaphores would result in the signaling of the semaphore arm next to the track at the station. They also regulated the switches that control the tracks on which the trains passed. This signaling system was in place until the advent of the electrification of the trains and the centralized computer operation systems.
Sir Alexander, Locomotive No. 51, was the first diesel-powered train with electric engine in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Government purchased Locomotives No. 51 and No. 52 from Australia in 1955. These two trains ushered in the dawn of a new era in Hong Kong’s railway history.
Besides being the first electric engine trains in Hong Kong, Locomotives No. 51 and No. 52 are also special in that they were the first named trains in Hong Kong. No. 51 was named after Sir Alexander Grantham, then Governor of Hong Kong. No. 52 was named Lady Maurine, after Lady Grantham, wife of Sir Alexander Grantham. This practice had continued to Locomotive No. 60.
On July 23, 1983, Sir Alexander pulled the last passenger trains. It continued to haul maintenance and freight trains, and officially retired in 1997. In 2004, the KCRC donated the Sir Alexander to the Hong Kong Railway Museum. The transfer of the train took a full day. At the Ho Tung Lau Depot, staff hinged Sir Alexander on another train, which hauled it in the front, and then another train to push behind its back, for it to be transferred to the tracks at the Hong Kong Railway Museum. And voila, this is what we see at the museum now, a train retired from decades of service to Hong Kong.
I cannot quite find the words to describe the feeling I had in touring the Hong Kong Railway Museum, especially in these old train compartments that were open to visitors. It felt like I travelled through time in here. Perhaps I should say no more and let the photographs speak instead.
Travelling Through Time: From the third class cabin to the first class cabin.
I especially liked the classic fans on the roof.
Finally, a word of recommendation: check out the Wun Yiu Exhibition on pottery making in Tai Po during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Both the Hong Kong Railway Museum and the Wun Yiu Exhibition would take about 1.5 hours and it will be worthwhile to do one stone two birds if you have to travel a long way to Tai Po.
The address of the Hong Kong Railway Museum is 13 Shung Tak Street, Tai Po Market, Tai Po.
It’s a 10-minute walk from the Tai Po Market MTR Station. My advice is to walk there from the station.
The historic descriptions on site at the Railway Museum of Hong Kong.
The Temple Hill is known locally as Tsz Wan Shan. It acquired this name due to the Kwun Yam Temple in the area. This day we climbed up to the Digital TV Transmission Tower at the peak of Temple Hill via the Shatin Pass Road. …
Update: As of December 1, 2022, Haw Par Music will cease operation. Haw Par Mansion will be returned to the Hong Kong government on this day. Haw Par Mansion will remain open for public visits, and activities already planned will continue to be held. For …
On this beautiful autumn day I took a walk from Chuen Lung Village to the Shing Mun Reservoir via the Lung Mun Country Trail, ending at the Pineapple Dam. I have previously walked part of the Lung Mun Country Trail when I became lost in the mid ranges of Tai Mo Shan. I wondered what the experience would be like walking the whole trail, so I decided to hike the whole trail this time.
The trail lies on the east-western axis of Tai Mo Shan’s southern slope at its mid-range. I was very glad that I took the Chuen Lung entrance instead of embarking the hike at the Shing Mun Reservoir. To begin the trail at the Shing Mun Reservoir, one would have to climb at least a continuous six to eight hundred steps up.
The Chuen Lung Village on Route Twisk in Tsuen Wan is known for a few things. There are two restaurants in the village serving excellent dim sum with local produce as its main attraction. The veggies are grown inside the village, and so be sure to order their watercress. Many hikers would stop here for a meal before heading out on the trails in this area. For a view of its food, visit my entry on the Shing Mun Catchwater here.
From the Choi Lung Restaurant, enter the way into the Chuen Lung Village. Walk all the way until you reach the entrance to the Lung Mun Country Trail. There is a gentle incline from the village up. This section takes about 25 minutes. At this point, you will enter the Lung Mun Country Trail.
There were two highlights on this trail. The first was the three bridges, No. 1, 2 and 3, which leads one over some of the more significant streams on the way. Here are the views. They are very pleasant places for a brief stop.
Once having passed these bridges, you will come across this section. Follow signs for Shing Mun Reservoir.
On this section of the trail, the paths are mostly unpaved. Be careful as some of the way are rather narrow. However, the ground is level mostly. The walk was very easy.
The second highlight on this trail would be the brief view of western New Territories with the famous bridges in the Tsing Yi area. There were probably two spots that allow you to take a reasonable photograph of this view.
In terms of views, you would be done on this trail after this point. Keep on going. There will be just a little bit of climbing in the next section. But it is by no means too rigorous.
At this point, you will begin the last leg of the journey on the trail. Going straight for 1.1km will lead you to the Butterfly Garden of Shing Mun Reservoir. The other sign to Shing Mun Reservoir will lead you to a different point within the reservoir. It will not be close to the Pineapple Dam.
It is perhaps a continuous 15 minutes of walk on downward steps. All steps. Then you would be coming to the Butterfly Garden of Shing Mun Reservoir as your exit from the Lung Mun Country Trail. You will know that you are nearly done when you notice many, many monkeys.
Walk through the Butterfly Garden, there is a way down the Pineapple Dam from the garden.
I spent about 2 hours on the Lung Mun Country Trail itself. Including the first 25 minutes of walk from Chuen Lung to the beginning of the trail, the outing took me about a total of two and a half hours.
I took green top minibus Route 80 from Tsuen Wan. The minibuses wait at Chuen Lung Street. Get off at the final stop when you see the Chuen Lung restaurants.
At the Pineapple Dam, green top minibus Route 82 will take you back to Tsuen Wan proper, with final stop at Shiu Wo Street.
From the Tsuen Wan West Station (Nina Tower Bus Terminus), bus 51 goes to Chuen Lung Village, but perhaps it takes longer. It is a circular route and therefore watch out for the Chuen Lung stop.
I have hiked the trail between Wu Kau Tang and Sam A Tsuen Village for three times at least, and I finally had a chance to take my camera with me for some nice photographs on this trail. The trail is properly named the Double …
The red walk of Tai Po Kau is an easy 3km walk in the Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve area. The Tai Po Kau Nature Trail offers five routes of choice. Four are demarcated in the colors red, blue, brown and yellow. The fifth walk …
I spent a delightful afternoon at the Central Library reading one of the few copies of Sunset Survivors available in Hong Kong’s public libraries. A good friend recommended this book to me and I enjoyed reading the stories very much. Here is what I took from the book.
It became quickly evident that these tenacious tradesmen and women – however clandestine against the frantic urban backdrop – were essential ingredients in Hong Kong’s cultural identity. Their fascinating lives, hard-worn hands and steadfast expressions have been the base on which a modern metropolis has been built.
But with almost no willing successors, little chance of competing with larger companies and skyrocketing rents, simply surviving this metamorphosis has proven almost impossible. And so, as these sunset survivors continue to slowly pass away, so too will a unique slice of Hong Kong’s history and character. This book hopes to capture a glimpse of the hardy few who have battled the odds and continue to run their businesses today.
~ Lindsay Varty, Sunset Survivors, Introduction
In this illustrated book, author Lindsay Varty takes readers to the world of Hong Kong’s forgotten craftsmen and their sunset industries. Along with artful photographs by Gary Jones, the author engages readers on incredibly interesting, empathetic and pithy dialogues about a once-significant part of Hong Kong’s history. These traditional skills and businesses will certainly fade, silently, into Hong Kong’s past within our lifetime.
The book contains the introduction of 30 such tradesmen and their stories. Each story brings out some interesting aspects of their trade. Some express regret at not being able to find successors (Chan Lok Choi, at 16); some are happy with their life-long commitment and accept that it will end with them, as the ever-pressing needs for modernity will surely render their trade obsolete (Luk Shu Choi & Luk Keung Choi, at 20).
Look beyond the city’s world famous skyline into the nooks and crannies of the tall buildings and there lies a plethora of ancient crafts and trades largely survived by these older generations. And although they are slowly passing, these tradesmen and women continue to give this metropolis much of its cultural depth.
~ Modern City of Ancient Tradition, at 24
The tradesmen do understand that their industries and the tools of trade would rightly belong to the museum when they retire (Wong Shue Yau, at 34). For most of tradesmen that the author interviewed are, or were, the last few remaining in their industry.
It is often said that a photograph speaks a thousand words, and Sunset Survivors is the perfect illustration. The written stories are pithy and right-to-the-point. The readers are also given the space to appreciate precious imageries of Hong Kong’s sunset industries and the people within. The photographs convey the spirit of a generation past, for many of those photographed are well into their twilight years. Most of them were witnesses to their industry’s heyday, usually when they first took over the business. They have since held the baton for most of their golden years. At the same time, they know full well, and many have accepted, that there will be no one to pass it on.
Surely, there is poignancy in the photographs, especially in the black-and-white ones. Yet the colors of their crafting materials, the unfamiliar images of their tools of trade, the beautiful mastery, along with large personal portraits, together convey positive, optimistic and upbeat impressions. These are people who took true joy in their craftsmanship. They are proud to have partaken in the industry’s flourishing years. The pride in hard work, honed skills, community engagement and a sense of the historic resonates throughout this book. They certainly come alive in the photographs. And finally, they continue to be the woven strands in Hong Kong’s culture. The themes are as much about the continuation of the Hong Kong spirit as they are about the obsolescence of traditional industries.
Photo: I will share just one photograph from the book. This is Kan Hong Wing, Qipao Tailor.
One of the most interesting stories I read was about Cheung Shun King. He is the third-generation owner of Biu Kee Mahjong. Mahjong is often called the “national art of China.” His shop would be the perfect testament to this favorite pastime for most Chinese people. There were very good days when all the tiles were handmade crafts. Not surprisingly, with the rise of industrial production, handmade mahjong tiles became a thing of the past. So does the art of engraving and painting them.
By now, Mr. Cheung mostly sells machine-made mahjong tiles for HK$600 a set. When he does decide to handcraft the tiles, it takes months and they go for HK$4,000 a set. Customers also go to his shop to replace missing or damaged individual tiles.
The story is interesting because “ironically, between work and his personal life, he has never learned the game.” (Cheung Shun King, at 44). While his family love playing mahjong, “I would rather rest than learn to play mahjong… I feel bored just looking at the mahjong tiles as I look at them all day every day at work.” (Id.) He does see the end of handcrafted mahjong as a business and a craft. “I foresee that all mahjong shops in Hong Kong will disappear in 10 years.” (Id.)
Another humorous point was in Kan Hon Wing’s story. Mr. Kan is a tailor specializing in the making of qipao. Needless to say, the qipao has retired long ago as the common dress for women. Demand for the qipao today is only for special occasions like weddings. The wonderful tailor recognizes the value of honest assessment for his customers. “I will give people suggestions if their ‘dream qipao’ is too ugly.”
The Sunset Survivors have a website, where you can sign up to walk with the author to visit these sunset industry locations in Hong Kong for a fee.
Finally, there is a story about the China Café in the book and the restaurant has already closed its doors in 2019. I have written here as well.
In a few hours I read and enjoyed every word and every photograph in Sunset Survivors. I think this would be a collectible on the Hong Kong section of someone’s home library. If only I didn’t have so many unread books on my shelves!
With more than 70 years of history on its back, the Better ‘Ole is a rare gem in the New Territories. It is the oldest British pub with continuous operation in the New Territories, and perhaps in Hong Kong. It certainly was the first in …