Vignettes of the World
The village of So Lo Pun is one of my most looked-forward to journeys on the bucket list. Well, readers wouldn’t be surprised because this is another so-called haunted village in the Sha Tau Kok area, and I am all for Angkor Wat sceneries in …
We saw the final show of Tri Ka Tsai at the Lau Bak Livehouse at Freespace, West Kowloon this past weekend. While the show is distinctively Hong Kong in its theme, as a cabaret production it clothes native contents in a cultural form with western …
As of June 2023, the giant twines of Mau Ping have been destroyed (not completely) by a vicious person, who chopped down parts of the old trees. The twines suffered significant damage. Some experts have assessed that the damage is too great for the twines to grow back. We express the most severe condemnation to the person who committed this grave act against nature.
On this beautiful winter day a group of friends and I headed out from Mui Tsz Lam to see the great twines of Mau Ping. We hiked the Mui Tsz Lam and Pak Kong Ancient Trail, which was an easy, 2.5-hour walk.
At the Tai Shui Hang MTR Station, we took exit B toward Chevalier Garden. We stopped by a restaurant at Tai Shui Hang for a typical Hong Kong meal first. Then we walked through the compound of Chevalier Garden, toward the general direction of the mountains. At this gate with the red lanterns (near Block 17), we entered into the path to Mui Tsz Lam.
We turned left on the paved Mui Tsz Lam Road. Trees lined this section of the road. For about fifteen, twenty minutes we headed up on a gentle incline. Many bikers raced by, and we saw one that made a few rounds back and forth. It was a Sunday and there were quite a number of hikers.
At this point, follow the sign for Mui Tsz Lam Village. Keep on for a little bit further.
You will have entered into the village, and reach this point. The entry to the Ancient Trail is the path on the left.
Mui Tsz Lam is a 400-year old village. The Ng clan of Hakka came to Ma On Shan and settled down here. Although at its heyday the village prided a population of 200 to 300, most villagers have moved away. Only about a dozen residents remain there now. There is no record of why this village was named Mui Tsz Lam (in Chinese, it means plum grove). The villagers grew mainly grains.
Once we passed by Mui Tsz Lam village, we came upon the Mau Ping Ancient Trail. At this sign we knew that Mau Ping is only about 1.6km up. Generous shades bless this leg of the journey. It is a gentle incline throughout, with the last section before reaching Mau Ping to be mostly upward steps.
The ancient trails of Hong Kong are distinguishable by being stone-paved paths. Judging from the condition of the stones on this trail, it is likely that the villagers have paved the stones with what they were able to find in nearby sites. The stones had irregular shapes and did not seem to have been processed in any way. Other ancient trails that came with planning are paved with wide stone slabs.[i] This ancient trail is dated over one hundred years.
We then passed by the former Mau Ping Villages on our way. Although there are a number of abandoned houses, the ancestral hall stands proudly restored. It gives tribute to the Lau ancestors. The Mau Ping villages have moved to their current locations in Sai Kung by now. In the old days, the only access to the village was this ancient trail.
This stream was a popular rest stop.
The section from Mui Tsz Lam Village to the Mau Ping Resting Area takes about 1.5 hours. Once we arrived at the Mau Ping Resting Area, (where everybody lines up to take pictures of the giant beans), we took a break. I have previously written on the Great Twines of Mau Ping and the bamboo lined sections.
We continued on the Mau Ping Ancient Trail back to Pak Kong and it took about another hour, plus 15 minutes on Pak Kong Road to Hiram’s Highway and thus back to civilization. There is a bus stop on Hiram’s Highway and you can take a bus to go back to Sai Kung Town.
The walk back to Pak Kong is slightly steep. The stone-paved roads can be slippery when heading downward because of the round and smooth surface of the stones. I caution hikers against walking it during rainy days, or otherwise always have a hiking cane.
[i] 梅子林及茅坪，馬鞍山民康促進會https://mos.hk/spot/6.
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I was born the same year as the Gala Café of Tsuen Wan. I have not heard of it until last year, but thankfully it was not too late.
For forty years, Gala Café was the local favorite in Tsuen Wan. It was especially famous for the egg selection on its menu: omelets fully stuffed with ham in a generous egg pocket; two-inch thick egg and beef sandwiches, egg milkshake and egg custard dessert. The former owner, Mr. Mak, was 74 years old in 2018. He was retiring. The decision was to close Gala Café at its fortieth year.
The news got out and the fans of Gala Café came to say goodbye. Mr. Chan was one of the patrons. He has been to the café a few times, and he has talked to Mr. Mak before. As an owner of two Japanese restaurants, Mr. Chan knew the value of good restaurants. He wanted this memory to live on. He entered into the discussion to buy the business from Mr. Mak. Mr. Mak sold the business for 34 million.
While 34 million for a small café seems like an astronomical number, this was only the beginning of a long and hard-earned journey. Mr. Chan knew full well that the business could only go on if he manages to maintain the former high standards that Mr. Mak has kept for forty years. Therefore for six months Mr. Chan took up every post in the café, from cooking food to making drinks, from serving food to busing tables.
Maintaining the standard of the café’s key menu items was the single most important factor of success. Mr. Chan learned the techniques of making egg dishes, how to make the soy sauce for the famous soy chicken wings, and how to fry the wontons to an indelible crispiness.
Although Mr. Chan was most concerned with keeping up the good name of Gala Café, he has also innovated some new items, such as the crunch Ovaltine, and variations of the French toast, such as red bean and Ovaltine crunch.
I have not had the chance to visit Gala Café before Mr. Mak retired, but I did make it out to Tsuen Wan on two occasions this year. I was very happy with the quality of food and the whole dining experience.
The café is tucked away in a very busy district in Tsuen Wan. The 10-minute walk from Tsuen Wan West station to Gala Café was quite an experience. I proceeded from the well-groomed Nina Mall and Tsuen Wan City Walk, right into the heart of the din and hustles of street stalls and wet market. In fact, only when I lined up for my afternoon tea today did I notice that the café was right next to a pork table. It brought a smile on my face as I saw a huge cockroach slipping through the many attempts by the hostess to crush it (this was outside of the restaurant). Perhaps that the surrounding environment was not the best, but that was itself the reason why it was a place of local memories. Its roots sunk deep into the everyday routines of local life.
Let’s see why I think the food is great. In my first visit, I went for breakfast and ordered the “small omelet.” It is in fact a big omelet, with lots of ham. When I call it a “local favorite,” there are certain indicators why it is a “local’ take on food. As soon as the waitress set down the dish, I smelled Maggi. I do not like Maggi, but when I tasted the omelet, I understood why a dash of Maggi made it flavorful. It added a touch of complexity to the taste.
On my second visit, in light of my intention to blog, I went all out and ordered the egg and beef sandwich (on tasted bread), their famous soy sauce chicken wings, and the fried shrimp wontons. I topped these off with the crunch Ovaltine.
I like these dishes more than the omelet last time. The soy sauce chicken wings was the most impressive I think. It meets Mr. Chan’s explanation of why it is good: the chicken wings are braised in soy sauce only when orders come in. They come to the table warm. In that way, the freshness of the meat and the body of the soy sauce are equally prominent. Many foods that are braised in soy sauce lose their natural flavors because the sauce is usually overwhelmingly sweet. But that is certainly not the case with these soy sauce chicken wings at Gala Café.
As to the other dishes, perhaps I will let them speak for themselves here.
Sources:
A Patron Takes up Gala Cafe, Hopes to Preserve Old Fashioned Cafe Dining Culture.
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On this brilliant day we visited the Tung Chung Fort in Tung Chung.
During the Daoguang Reign, the Qing Government built two strategic naval camps to clamp down on the opium trade and the pirates in the South China Sea. The site at Dapeng, Shenzhen served as the headquarters. The government named it the “left camp.” The site in Tung Chung was known as the “right camp.” The Tung Chung Fort completed in 1832 and it was fitted with cannons. Until 1898, when the British took over the administration of Hong Kong, the Qing military withdrew. The military purpose was no longer observed, and the site became a police station in 1918.
Between 1937 and 1941, the Tung Chung Rural Committee established its presence in this very site, along with the founding of the Tung Chung Public School.
The site presented a number of pleasant surprises. It was very exciting for me to see the antique gateway with the wording Tung Chung Rural Committee on the left and Tung Chung School on its right.
About ten meters further we came upon the fort itself. The main gate, the “Morning Tower,” faces north toward the coast of Tung Chung Bay. The Tung Chung Public School stands right there as we viewed through the arched entrance of the fort. Although of a much later date, the Tung Chung Public School itself is reminiscent of a time bygone.
The whole fort is open for touring. We were very happy that we could actually go around the whole fort. Even though it was a short walk, we got a very good sense of the purpose that this structure was meant to serve. On our climb up via the first tower we came upon six cannons. The four cannons on the east seemed like standard Qing dynasty cannons to us.
According to the descriptions on site, two of the cannons were constructed in 1805 and 1809. Two others were constructed in 1843. The two other ones on the west of the Morning Tower were notably longer, but also slimmer. I suspect that these two were the ones with unknown date of construction. The historical introduction suggests that not all of these six cannons were the original ones on site. The British could have fitted additional cannons when this site served as a police station.
These cannons uniformly pointed to the northward direction. Before the construction of the Yat Tung Estate and the Hong Kong International Airport (Chek Lap Kok), it was an open coast on Tung Chung Bay. It once provided an open view of the entry of South China Sea into both Lantau Island and Western New Territories. The strategic purpose (as against opium trade and pirates) was clear to us as we looked onto the now nearly invisible seaway before us.
We then went westward to take a look. We ended up going around the whole fort, back to the Morning Tower. There are two more arched entries facing eastward and westward. It was certainly a well-chosen location, constructed in an orientation that fitted squarely within the compass.
I highly recommend this site for a family outing. My friend talked about her children when we toured. It would be a very nice lesson in local history. The walk was also family-friendly. The structure was well-restored. Do note a gentle reminder that the parents must watch the children as they can fall off.
We took the MTR to Tung Chung Station and took exit A. Then we just followed the pedestrian ways via the underpass. At some point we went up the overpass to cross Yu Tung Road, and found our way to Ha Ling Pei Village. The walk would be an easy 25 minutes from the station. Google map will show you a clear way to walk there.
To tour the site, allow for about half hour with picture taking. Normally, there is a museum with introduction next to the Tung Chung Public School, but it was not open due to the pandemic. It is really too bad for me, as I would have loved to learn more beyond what Wikipedia told me.
All historical descriptions in this entry came from Wikipedia’s entry on the Tung Chung Fort.
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