Wing Lung Wai

Wing Lung Wai Chinese: 永隆圍; lit. 'Perpetuating Prosperity'
Village
Entrance gate of Wing Lung Wai.
Wing Lung Wai
Coordinates: 22.440042°N 114.067235°E / 22.440042; 114.067235
Country	People's Republic of China
Special administrative region	Hong Kong
District	Yuen Long District
Area	Kam Tin
Founded by	Tang Siu-kui (鄧紹舉) and his clansmen
Time zone	UTC+8:00 (HKT)

Wing Lung Wai (Chinese: 永隆圍; lit. 'Perpetuating Prosperity') is a walled village located in the Kam Tin area of Yuen Long District, in Hong Kong. Three other walled villages, Kat Hing Wai, Tai Hong Wai, and Kam Hing Wai are located nearby and were built around the same time.[1]

Administration

Central axis of Wing Lung Wai, with the Chung Shing Temple at the end.

Chung Shing Temple is the village shrine of Wing Lung Wai.

Kang Sam Tong in Wing Lung Wai.

Wing Lung Wai is a recognized village under the New Territories Small House Policy.[2]

History

The village was founded by Tang Siu-kui (鄧紹舉) and his clansmen in the Chenghua reign (1465-1487) of the Ming dynasty. The village was earlier called Sha Lan Mei (沙欄尾) or Wing Lung Wai (永龍圍; 'Everlasting Dragon'). The name was changed into the present name in 1905.[3]

The enclosing wall was built in the Kangxi reign (1661-1722) of the Qing dynasty to safeguard the village from bandits, privates and other enemies. The entrance gate, originally located at the front wall of the village, on its central axis, was later relocated to the south due to feng shui reasons, after establishment of the nearby the walled village Tai Hong Wai. The moat was reclaimed in the 1960s.[3]

Features

In the Chung Shing Temple (眾聖宮; 'Temple of All Saints'), the village shrine, eleven deities are worshiped, including Kwun Yam, Hung Shing and Che Kung.[4]

Kang Sam Tong (耕心堂) was built in Wing Lung Wai in the 1880s. It is an ancestral hall, and it also served as a study hall until 1926.[5]

Although the former watchtowers no longer exist, the northeast watchtower has some base structure left.[3]

Conservation

The entrance gate of Wing Lung Wai is a Grade II historic building. The Chung Shing Temple and the Kang Sam Tong are both Grade III historic buildings.[6]

Transportation

Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB)

• 54     Yuen Long (West) Bus Terminus - Sheung Tsuen (Circular)
• 64K   Yuen Long (West) Bus Terminus - Tai Po Market Railway Station
• 77K   Yuen Long (Fung Cheung Road) Bus Terminus - Sheung Shui Bus Terminus
• 251B   Pat Heung Road Bus Terminus - Sheung Tsuen (Circular)

Green Minibus (GMB)

• 602   Yuen Long (Fung Cheung Road) - Tai Kong Po

MTR

• Kam Sheung Road

References

1. Antiquities Advisory Board. Introduction to 1444 Historic Buildings. Item #505
2. "List of Recognized Villages under the New Territories Small House Policy" (PDF). Lands Department. September 2009.
3. Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal. Entrance Gate, Wing Lung Wai, Kam Tin
4. Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal. Chung Shing Temple, Wing Lung Wai, Kam Tin
5. Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal. Kang Sam Tong, Wing Lung Wai, Kam Tin
6. Antiquities Advisory Board. List of the 1,444 Historic Buildings with Assessment Results

External links

• Delineation of area of existing village Wing Lung Wai (Kam Tin) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)
• Pictures by the Antiquities Advisory Board: entrance gate, Chung Shing Temple, Kang Sam Tong
• Pictures of Wing Lung Wai (personal website)