Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen

Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen (衙前圍村), established in 1352 near the end of the Song Dynasty by three clans (Chan, Lee and Ng), is the last remaining ancient walled village in Kowloon.

Located in the Wong Tai Sin district, it's surrounded by urban high-rises. At one time the village had a moat, drawbridge, a pair of cannons and a watchtower, but during the Japanese occupation of WWII the moat was filled in and the cannons were buried close to the entrance.

Typical of walled villages, Nga Tsin Wai was laid out in a grid, with houses connected by narrow lanes. Of the original 127 houses, only 59 are left, the rest having been demolished by one of Hong Kong's largest property developers.

Remaining residents have been caught in a 10-year battle between the developer, which wants to build two 40-storey residential towers on the site, and conservationists who want to preserve the village. Most of the families, but not all, want development to proceed as existing living conditions are rough: ramshackle houses are in a state of severe decay and don't even have basic indoor plumbing; human waste, known as nightsoil, must be hauled away each evening at midnight.

Unlike other walled villages found in the New Territories, Nga Tsin Wai is in such poor condition that people have to come before heritage preservation, and financial compensation for their properties must be high enough to allow residents to settle elsewhere.

However, in compromise the Urban Renewal Authority plans to preserve 10 stone houses, the Tin Hau temple and a gatehouse between the new towers. If the developers can be trusted to retain the Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen's most noteworthy features, it should be a suitable arrangement.

As a significant element of its heritage is the Tai Ping Ching Chiu festival, held once every 10 years since 1726 to honour the goddess Tin Hau for driving away evil spirits and calming the sea (at one time the villagers were fishermen), conserving important parts of the village may allow descendants of the three clans to continue observing the festival should they so choose.

With 655 years of history under its belt, Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen deserves not to disappear without a trace.

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