Vignettes of the World
At the Qianxing Square drop-off point I first came across the Ancient Stage. Built in the third year of the Jiaqing reign in Ming dynasty (1524), the Ancient Stage was the only building in Huangyao that served the purpose of cultural performances. When it was …
I have long wanted to visit the Liu Man Shek Tong Ancestral Hall in Sheung Shui because it is quite close to home. On this sunny spring day I finally went to learn about the Lius and their history at the beautiful, near-majestic Liu Man …
The day was bright with a perfect azure sky. I wanted to do an interesting but easy walk so I visited the Old Quarry of Lei Yue Mun.
Photo: A Panorama of the Lei Yue Mun Pass
Lei Yue Mun, in Chinese, means “The Carp Gate.” Situated on the eastern channel that leads into Victoria Harbour, the Lei Yue Mun Pass is wedged between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Lei Yue Mun has thus long been recognized for its strategic importance throughout history.
During the turn of the Qing dynasty, the famous Ming dynasty naval general Zheng Chenggong found his stronghold here in Lei Yue Mun and attempted to wage resistance campaign against the Qing court. The fact that Zheng Chenggong made it to this part of Hong Kong has touched some nerves in the Qing court.
It was with this background that the Qing court issued the imperial edict to evacuate the coastal areas of southern China. This imperial edict would dislocate many of the native villagers in Hong Kong, mostly in the New Territories, as they all had to move inland and abandon their original homes on the coastal areas.
Zheng Chenggong eventually settled down in Taiwan instead, but his general Zheng Jian stayed after in Hong Kong. Zheng Jian’s son Zheng Lianchang was passed the baton. He garnered forces in this part of Hong Kong. Eventually his troops would become pirates based in Lei Yue Mun. These pirates menaced the ships and commercial vessels that sailed here, collecting tolls systematically. The rampancy of the pirates was also the reason why the Devil’s Peak was named as such. There had long been rumors about hidden treasures in Lei Yue Mun belonging to these pirates.
The famous Hong Kong pirate Cheung Po Tsai, who rose to prominence from his roots in Cheung Chau, would eventually take over the pirate stronghold of the Zhengs in Lei Yue Mun.
Fast forward to the 20th century, the British also found strategic importance in this part of Kowloon. They built the Devil’s Peak batteries, including the Devil’s Peak Redoubt, the Observation Post, the Gough Battery and the Pottinger Battery. Together these military structures constituted the Fire Command East during WWII.
The four villages in the area were once engaged in the quarry business. Together, these villages were known as “the Four Hills.” The quarry business thrived during the late Qing dynasty. At its heyday, the rocks turned up from the quarry would ship to Shunde in China, and some even made their way to Europe.
There is some relevance here with a previous entry I have recently written. Tsang Koon Man, the ancestor of the Tsangs that founded the Tsang Tai Uk Village in Shatin, began his career at Lei Yue Mun’s quarry business as an apprentice. He would eventually set up his own quarry and masonry businesses in Sai Wan Ho and Shau Kei Wan, and made the fortune that enabled him to found the village of Tsang Tai Uk.
The industry became obsolete in the 1980s. By the 1980s or so, the Hong Kong Government would develop Lei Yue Mun into a haven for seafood dining as well as an industrial area. The ruins of the Old Quarry thus becomes the quiet and forgotten witness to the industrial past of Hong Kong at the easternmost coast of the Lei Yue Mun Pass.
The Tin Hau Temple of Lei Yue Mun was built in 1745 during the 18th year of the Qianlong Reign of the Qing dynasty. Legend has it that the temple was originally built by Zheng Lianchang, the son of Zheng Jian, a subordinate of the famous naval general Zheng Chenggong of the Ming dynasty.
The Tin Hau Temple of Lei Yue Mun is still very popular today and it draws worshippers from all over Hong Kong and from overseas as well. The bronze urn, where worshippers serve their burned incenses, is a new addition. One day, an old lady dreamed of this temple. She sent her secretary over from the mainland, and said that she would make a donation. She made this bronze urn in China and shipped it over to the temple. She had a terminal illness and as a result of her donation, she lived three times longer than expected.
The Tin Hau Temple of Lei Yue Mun is a Grade 3 Historic Building.
Photos: A Panorama of the Harbour Views
Besides the Tin Hau Temple, there are some other interesting sights on the way to the Old Quarry. Needless to say, all along the way there are wonderful sea views.
And of course, as Lei Yue Mun was developed by the Hong Kong Government into a seafood dining hub, there are countless seafood restaurants on the way.
The green lighthouse is on the way to the Tin Hau Temple.
The century-old tree is believed to be very spiritual and has blessed faithful worshippers.
Finally, like so many revitalized villages in Hong Kong, there are many colorful wall murals at the villages. They really bring forth vibrancy and a celebratory spirit to the rural life of Hong Kong.
The closest MTR station is Yau Tong and it takes about 45 minutes to walk from the MTR to the Old Quarry of Lei Yue Mun.
Photo: Great View from the MTR Station
From the Yau Tong MTR Station, take Exit A2 and follow the stairs down to Cha Kwo Ling Road.
Go all the way on Cha Kwo Ling Road.
You will reach Shung Shun Street, and then watch out for the signs for Lei Yue Mun.
On Shung Shun Street you will walk just about a minute until you reach the general area of Lei Yue Mun. It should be familiar to most as that is the way to the seafood restaurants in Lei Yue Mun. You will come across the façade of Lei Yue Mun. Enter the village, follow the signs for Tin Hau Temple.
The Tin Hau Temple had interesting stories and some photogenic spots so I spent a bit of time there.
Exit the Tin Hau Temple and keep walking. Then you will see signs in the village pointing you to the Quarry.
The ruins of the Old Quarry is less than ten minute by walk from the Tin Hau Temple by the seaside.
The Wikipedia on The Tin Hau Temple of Lei Yue Mun (Chin).
Descriptions on site at the Tin Hau Temple of Lei Yue Mun.
Hillmanblog.com, Stone Quarry in Lei Yue Mun (Chin).
Weekendhk.com, The Route to the Stone Quarry in Lei Yue Mun of Yau Tong (Chin).
I love visiting ancient towns in China. In this blog I have covered the Gankeng Ancient Hakka Townlet and the Dapeng Fortress in Shenzhen. Apparently, many tourists find ancient towns to be very attractive tourist sites, and China’s local governments and cultural heritage developers have …
Guilin was my first trip in 2024. The trip lasted four days and three nights, and I visited the ancient towns of Huangyao, Yangshuo and Xingping. Perhaps at a long-forgotten time I have visited Guilin proper with my parents. When I was growing up, Guilin …
My bestie and I had a full day of fun with yummy food and interesting sightseeing in Shenzhen. We started the day at Fascino Bakery in CoCo Park in Futian, then visited Shui Wei 1368, then the Ancient Art Museum of the Shenzhen Museum. We had a simple noodle lunch near the Science Museum Station, and finally did some grocery shopping before returning to Hong Kong.
We loved pastries and so we started the day with freshly-baked pastries at the super popular Fascino Bakery in CoCo Park in Futian. The Fascino Bakery has been exceedingly popular in Shanghai. There are two locations for Fascino in Shenzhen, one is in Wanxiang Cheng (Grand Theater subway station) and I chose the other one in CoCoPark (Shopping Park subway station) for this day.
This would be the first time that I visited the very popular mall of CoCo Park in the morning on a weekday. In all previous times that I visited, the mall was packed. The atmosphere was markedly different on this morning. Few patrons were sitting at Fascino. We found a table, sat down relaxed with our coffee as we waited for the shop to reheat our pastries.
We loved bagels so we each chose a specialty bagel for ¥18 each. I had the apple and cinnamon and my friend had the earl grey and cinnamon flavor. When we ordered, we asked for cream cheese, but apparently that is not how the Chinese people do bagels. They make their bagels with stuffing inside instead. I bit into my hot bagel and there were apples and cinnamon filling overflowing from it. The texture was quite a bit softer than what I was accustomed to, but we thought that was an “improvement” to the conventional bagels that we usually got in the U.S. If you must insist on cream cheese in your bagel, they do make one with cream cheese filling. No need to mess with all the spreading.
I have read online that the Danish pastries was a new line offered by Fascino, so I also ordered a ham and cheese puff to try. True to its name, it was crispy with heaps of buttery flakes, along with a melty heart of golden cheese.
Like so many other revitalized spaces in China, Shui Wei 1368 came with a long history. A village of the Zhuangs that settled down in Shenzhen hundreds of years ago, Shui Wei had a history decorated with legends and anecdotes.
To be precise, it was 656 years ago that the fourth-generation Zhuang ancestor Meng Zhaigong founded this village. The number 1368 denotes the time of the foundation. Shui Wei, meaning “surrounded by water,” acquired its name due to a pair of couplets that the Zhuangs placed at the village. It says “water surrounding the four walls, an enclosure of prosperity for ten thousand years.”
The Zhuang ancestors that settled in this part of Shenzhen were actually the descendants of the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzu. Zhuangzu is known mostly for his philosophy that lies at the heart of Taoism. A man of the Warring States period, his wisdom has long influenced both classical Chinese thoughts and literature.
At the time of founding, Shui Wei 1368 was located in the very waterfront of Shenzhen. Life was difficult then — the Zhuangs made a livelihood from fishing and salt drying. One day, the Zhuangs saw a spring of water and made a well. They enclosed an area and made it a village surrounding this well. The old well is now a heritage site.
Needless to say, the community here had experienced both blessings and misfortunes that were tied intimately with China’s own history. During the years of resistance against Japanese invasion, the Communist Party youths of Shui Wei participated in the rescue of Hong Kong’s cultural elites. Shui Wei was then the base camp for the rescue effort.
Today, the area is consisted of eleven streets and alleys. It is the first “urban village” that was revitalized and remade in Shenzhen into what is known as a “cultural block.”
Quite unlike some of the other old cities I have seen, such as the Gankeng Ancient Hakka Townlet and the Dapeng Fortress, this area shows clear efforts on the “cultural” aspect of its revitalization. We were amazed by the variety of restaurants, bars, book stores and coffee shops that take on marketing positions that are worlds apart. From Mexican tacos to Cantonese clay pots, from ginger coffee to shisha, Shui Wei 1368 offers an astonishing spectrum of choices to visitors and locals alike.
It is notable that Shui Wai 1368s is also home to a modern apartment complex that is mostly intended for young professional tenants. The whole area is hip, sophisticated and presents myriad surprises.
It should be pointed out that the “western-style” building facades that line the main streets are not original structures, unlike the genuine colonial architecture in Shamian of Guangzhou. These buildings were designed during the revitalization as a way to beautify the block with a “neo-western” appeal.
Needless to say, the historic aspect of the community has been sacrificed (in fact, all of the old village homes were demolished) and the block it is hyper-commercialized, but it does come with plenty of cool vibes.
After visiting Shui Wei 1368, we wanted to carry on with our original plan to take a walk at the Lizhi Park, which actually does feature lychee trees (Lizhi means lychee in Chinese). However, there was heavy overcast on this day, and in fact when we left Shui Wei 1368 there was already a drizzle developing. We then changed our mind and asked the taxi driver to drop us off at the Shenzhen Museum’s Ancient Art Museum, which is next to the Lizhi Park.
The Shenzhen Museum is a national grade 1 museum. The Ancient Art Museum is a branch of the Shenzhen Museum. There are a few floors of galleries in this very spacious museum. We decided to see the special exhibition, Treasures Along the Silk Road, which takes up the three exhibition halls of 7, 8 and 9. We were pleasantly surprised by how engaging and well-presented the exhibition was.
Both being jewelry lovers, my friend and I lit up when we saw an exhibition themed in metallurgical art. There were quite a few ancient jewelry pieces there that we thought we could ask a jeweler to replicate.
Photo: These are gold earrings of the Neo-Assyrian Empire
The exhibition features the metallurgical artefacts from ancient civilizations along the Silk Road, all belonging to the BC and early AD centuries. The exhibits are grouped according to each civilization. From Sumeria to the Sasanian, the exhibition covers the treasures of humanity that has far-reaching significance to the arts and cultural practices of the world today.
Photos: Metallurgical Personal Stamps of Bactria in Openwork
There were a few aspects in which this exhibition was well done. First of all, the collection is actually not that big, but we gathered that the very best pieces were curated to create an impression that induces both an appreciation for the aesthetic aspects of the artwork and the learning of the historical implications of the craftsmanship shown. For each civilisation featured, there is maybe one row or two of exhibits. Yet each piece is interesting in its own right.
Photo: Of Clear Hellenistic Influence, Gold Crown of Bactria
The captions do not necessarily convey a coherent narrative that explains the way of life of these civilizations. Suffice to say, however, that clearly you could appreciate the individual artwork for what it is.
Photo: Cooper Alloy Pot With Lid of Gandhara
It looks like a wine decanter of our time
One surely can see how the idea behind the craftsmanship continues to be relevant to the arts and even daily life of our times.
Photo: Gold Jewelry in the Kushan Dynasty (Early Centuries AD)
At some point I started noticing that there is a poster behind the pieces showing a similar piece from the same civilization that is being exhibited in other national museums, such as the British Museum and the Met in New York. Although at first glance it felt like there was a sense of competitiveness, but I came to understand the tacit message that China does bring its culture learners a museum experience that is up to international standards. That point is noted for sure, and just the idea that the museum has extended efforts to locate similar artefacts to those shown in other national museums is fully appreciated as well.
In order not to spoil it for anyone, I will post just a few of my favorite exhibits from this exhibition.
Treasures Along the Silk Road will last until April 7, 2024.
Please note that, as with all large and small museums in China now, reservation online is necessary before entry. Because we did not have a China mobile number, we had to write down our information at the door.
Photo: Copper Alloy Coffin of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, Bearing Sculpted Medusa Image
The Ancient Art Museum of the Shenzhen Museum is located on No. 6, Tongxin Road. The museums of China typically close on Mondays, and so does the Ancient Art Museum. The opening hours of the Ancient Art Museum is between 10:00am to 6:00pm. Entrance to the Ancient Art Museum is free.
A point of some importance is the simple noodle lunch that we randomly picked. The photos speak for themselves.
Descriptions on site at the Ancient Art Museum of the Shenzhen Museum.
Huang Yayan, The Most Beautiful Village in the Urban Space—Shui Wei 1368 as the Cultural Landmark Closes to Hong Kong (Chin), Our China Story.
Shenzhen Overseas Chinese News, The Former and Current Life of a 600-Year Shui Wei Village (Chin).
Yuen Chau Kok’s Old House of Wong Uk stands in an area of Shatin that has but long-retired from significance. I lived in Shatin some thirty-five years ago and even then, Yuen Chau Kok was not anything that was talked about even amongst the residents …
The Béthanie is an antique building in Pok Fu Lam with beautiful 19th century neo-Gothic architecture. Built in 1875 by the Paris Foreign Missions Society (Missions Estrangères de Paris), its long history came with surprising turns that enabled the ultimate preservation and recognition of it …
I was looking for simple food in North Point and saw a few favorable online reviews of Mak Kee. The fact that it has earned Michelin recommendation for a consecutive seven years was assuring. I love dumplings, any form of them.
I made my way to Fort Street with Google Map guidance but only found the snack food shop of Mak Kee there. The dine-in restaurant, Mak Kee Yummy Food, is across N View Street on the other side of Fort Street (see directions below).
The owner of Mak Kee, Mr. Mak Yong-kwan, had the good repute in the North Point community as the “Fish Ball Pak Pak” (Fish Ball Old Man). During the 1970s in his early years, he learned the craft of making Shanghainese dim sum from famous chefs in Shanghai. Pan-fried pork buns, pot stickers, soup dumplings, xiaolong bao’s—you name it, he has mastered the craft.
Mr. Mak made his way to Hong Kong and he was looking to start his own business. Those were the flourishing times for street food in Hong Kong. Like so many other eager entrepreneurs, Mr. Mak became a hawker and started selling fish balls. For thirty years, he made his name in North Point with his fish balls and mala spicy meat sauce.
Fast forward to the 2000’s, the government was slowly, but surely, phasing out the hawker licenses. Mr. Mak then arranged for a very small shop space to sell takeout cheap eats. He made fish balls, pot stickers and pan-fried pork buns, the items of his forte for decades. His food was well-loved by the residents of North Point. The small neighborhood snack shop would attract long queues.
The restaurant has now opened a proper dining space just down the street from its famous small snack shop. The son of Mr. Mak, Jack, is now running this restaurant as the second-generation owner of this family business.
Mak Kee has been Michelin recommended in the street food category since 2016, and maintained this recognition for seven consecutive years.
There are set menus at Mak Kee Yummy Food. These set menus usually come with a main dish (noodles) and a side dish of potstickers. I picked set No. 5 on this day and had a wonderful mala meat sauce noodle with three pot stickers. The milk tea, which also comes with the set, was the perfect conclusion to the meal.
The restaurant offers a long list of Shanghainese dim sums. The pan-fried pork buns are a must-try. The chef makes the skin by a traditional and natural method of old dough fermentation for the skin. When making the buns in this method, the chef has to adjust the water content depending on the humidity and temperature of the day in order to ensure that the flour’s fragrance comes through.
It is cooked also by the traditional way of “raw frying,” meaning that the buns are placed on the grill with raw fillings inside and very slowly-cooked to form a crispy bottom and the meat cooked through. The xiaolongbao comes with chicken soup as its juicy, soup-splashing filling.
There are some new items at the dine-in restaurant, including sweet and sour soup, dumplings in red chilli oil, the dan-dan noodles with a soup base made with ground meat in secret house recipe.
Being known as a cheap eats shop, Mak Kee Yummy Food has maintained its decades-long commitment to good and cheap food. Prices are very reasonable, and with this high quality, it is certainly value for money as well.
On Google Map, Mak Kee shows the location of the small snack shop at No. 21 Fort Street. The original Mak Kee does not have any table seating. The address for the dine-in restaurant is rather No. 19, Fort Street, which is across the N View Street on the other side of Fort Street.
Descriptions on site at Mak Kee Yummy Food.
Weekendhk.com, Mak Kee Opens New Dine-in Restaurant in North Point.
There are many private studies in the villages of the New Territories. In the past, I have visited quite a few and introduced them in this blog. In the Kam Tin villages, there is the Yi Tai Study of the Shui Tau Village. Photo: An …