When visiting Hong Kong’s heritage sites, I find most of them to be very beautiful in their restored state.  This visit at Yam Wah Lo, also known as Pun Uk, brought forth a different kind of appreciation.  The unrestored historic Hakka structure, very much in ruins, stands in humility, strength and an aged authenticity.  To say the least, it is no less beautiful, or perhaps in many ways even more so, than the restored monuments.

Photo: the first impression of Yam Wah Lo, Pun Uk

As I found the entrance to Yam Wah Lo, I saw the public notice posted on the left side of the gateway.  The gist of the notice is that an application has been made for the conservation of the Pun Uk to the Planning Department.  People are welcome to submit their comments to the same.  Very soon, this aged authenticity that I saw on this day will become a thing of the past as well.

However, I am all for the restoration of the building.  It will reinforce the structure, making it safe.  Also, when the restoration finishes, visitors will be able to admire the inner halls and courtyards, as with all other historic buildings in Hong Kong.  On this visit, I stopped at the entrance.  All interiors were off-bound to visitors.

Pun Uk became a Grade 1 Historic Building in 2010.

There will be a day that a renewed glory adorns its mantle.

The History of Pun Uk

In 1932, Kwan-min Pun, a merchant of Hakka origin, built the Yam Wah Lo to commemorate his father Yam-wah Pun.  The building was therefore named after his father.  As a merchant, Kwan-min Pun has donated funds for both the 1911 Revolution and the Pok Oi Hospital.  Because Kwan-min Pun was a respectable member of the community, his mansion was once host to history-making, exceptional guests.

He was friends with Chinese Communist Party leader Ye Jianying.  When would-be Premier Zhou Enlai and Ye Jianying came to Hong Kong in 1938, they stayed at the Pun Uk.  Furthermore, famous writer Guo Moruo has also lived here in 1939.  Few of Hong Kong’s historic monuments can rival this history.

A site that also had ties with exceptional leaders of China is the Kat Hing Wai Village.  The last emperors of the Song Dynasty found refuge there.  The royal aunt of the last emperor of Song Dynasty married into this village.

Architectural Features of Pun Uk

The Faculty of Architecture of the University of Hong Kong has done a great introduction on the architectural features of Pun Uk.  Since I only managed to see the outside of the mansion, I will keep this introduction brief.

Kwan-min Pun hired four craftsmen from hometown Meizhou to construct the Pun Uk.  The house closely resembled the design of the Yam-wah Lo there.  It was his ancestral home in China.  The team sourced building materials from Foshan, Guangzhou and Shantou.  It took two years before construction completed.

The layout of Pun Uk follows the traditional “two-hall, two-row” format, which is typical for the mansion style of Hakka dwellings.  As the Faculty of Architecture’s website explains, the construction of Hakka architecture adheres to fengshui principles.  It “emphasizes enclosure, centrality and symmetry.”  This means that the halls, referring to the main halls lying on the central axis of the mansion, are strictly aligned in their layouts.

In Pun Uk, the entrance hall comes first, with the ancestral hall (with a worship altar) following in its main axis.  On the other hand, the “two-row” refers to the auxiliary structures that lie in symmetry as they extend from the main axis.  The mansion prides a total of 16 rooms, 6 main chambers and 2 courtyards.

Photos: on the left and right of the front door, identical chambers in perfect symmetry.

Originally, there was a pond in half-moon shape in front of the mansion.  This echoes the woods, also in half-moon shape, behind the mansion. When I visited, I did not notice it because people have laid down large and unstable wooden boards to allow access to the building’s entrance.

The beams on the sides of the front porch show beautiful carvings.  They depict scenes and items of auspiciousness in Chinese culture.  Especially worthy of note are the lions.

Photo: the glazed clay lions on the left beam remains.  The details and the colors continue to breathe life into them.

There were originally 8 sculpted or glazed clay lions on the side beans at the front gate.  Some were gold-plated.  On this visit, I only saw the glazed clay lions on the left and right beams.  At one point, people called Pun Uk “the Lion House” for this reason.

Photo: the side beams at the front door should have shown four gold-plated lions.  But they are now gone.

I needed only about half an hour there, but the learning was priceless.  Suffice to say, that even a cursory appreciation of the Pun Uk’s exterior would be worthwhile of a trip to Yuen Long.  In fact, the Qing Dynasty Street of Yuen Long’s Old Market is just one bus stop away.  I recommend doing both heritage visits in one go.

How to Get There

Many of the buses that run the Yuen Long area have a stop at the Pok Oi Hospital.  The Yam Wah Lo is literally thirty seconds away from the bus stop.  At the stop, look across you and you will see the entrance ahead.  Cross the two roads, go straight.  In this photo, the entrance is right by the two cars.

Photos: the photo on the left shows the Pok Oi Hospital Bus stop.  The photo in the middle shows the entrance to Yam Wah Lo Pun Uk, it is right next to the two cars in this picture.

The photo on the right is a close-up of the entrance with the public notice on the left.

Sources

The University of Hong Kong, the Faculty of Architecture, Hands-On Heritage: Shared Conservation of a Historic Hakka Mansion.

Antiquities and Monuments Office, Assessment of 1,444 Historic Buildings.

The Wikipedia on Pun Uk (Chin).

The Wikipedia on Weilongwu (Chin).

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 20^th 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.

Early History of the Kowloon-Canton Railway

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 19^th 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 19^th 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-20^th 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.

From Steam Power to Electricity Power

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.

The Semaphore Signaling System

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 51

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.

Time-Travelling on the Classic Trains

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.

How to Get There

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.

Sources

The historic descriptions on site at the Railway Museum of Hong Kong.