Mui Tsz Lam (North District)

For other places with the same name, see Mui Tsz Lam.

Mui Tsz Lam (Chinese: 梅子林) is an upland Hakka village in the North District, in the northeastern part of the New Territories of Hong Kong.[1]

Administration

Mui Tsz Lam is a recognized village under the New Territories Small House Policy.[2]

History

Mui Tsz Lam is over 300 years old.[1] It is one of the seven Hakka villages of the Hing Chun Yeuk (慶春約; 'Hing Chun Alliance'), which comprises Kop Tong, Lai Chi Wo, Mui Tsz Lam, Ngau Shi Wu, Sam A Village, Siu Tan (小灘), and So Lo Pun.[3]

Mui Tsz Lam was abandoned in the 1970s. The village has been the focus of conservation and revitalization projects in the late 2010s and early 2020s, with the village being reconnected to the electricity grid in 2021.[1][4]

Flora and fauna

The villages of Mui Tsz Lam and Kop Tong are surrounded by dense woodland. The stream system at Lai Chi Wo, Mui Tsz Lam and Kop Tong provides habitats for three amphibian species of conservation concern: Chinese Bullfrog Hoplobatrachus chinensis, Big-headed Frog Limnonectes fujianensis and Lesser Spiny Frog Paa exilispinosa. The fung shui woodlands at Mui Tsz Lam and Kop Tong support a diversity of plans, including Pavetta hongkongensis (香港大沙葉) and Aquilaria sinensis of conservation significance.[5]

Access

Mui Tsz Lam can be reached by foot from Lai Chi Wo. The walk takes about 15 minutes.[6]

References

1. "Forest Village: Mui Tsz Lam and Kop Tong Sustainable Village Programme (2021-2024)" (PDF). Environmental Protection Department.
2. "List of Recognized Villages under the New Territories Small House Policy" (PDF). Lands Department. September 2009.
3. Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal. Hip Tin Temple & Hok Shan Monastery Lai Chi Wo, Sha Tau Kok
4. "Shining a Light on Heritage". CLP Innofinity. CLP Holdings Ltd. 12 May 2021.
5. "Draft Lai Chi Wo, Siu Tan and Sam A Tsuen Outline Zoning Plan" (PDF). info.gov.hk. Town Planning Board. 16 May 2014.
6. Williams, Jessica M.; Chu, Vivian; Lam, Wai-Fung; Law, Winnie W.Y. (2021). "Chapter 4: Building Resilient Rural Communities: A Summary of the Case Study and Prospects Beyond Lai Chi Wo and Hong Kong". Revitalising Rural Communities. Springer Nature. p. 90. ISBN 9789811658242.

External links

• Delineation of area of existing village Mui Tsz Lam (Sha Tau Kok) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)

22.518589°N 114.256252°E / 22.518589; 114.256252