Back to All Events

Local Visit - Lai Chi Wo: Century-old Hakka Walled Village

The Hong Kong Countryside Foundation (HKCF, who runs the village) would give an eco-cultural tour about the history and culture of Hakka Villages and the revitalisation of Lai Chi Wo, one of Hong Kong’s oldest, largest and best-preserved rural settlements.

After lunch, HKCF would continue the second part of the tour by showing us 3 iconic trees of Lai Chi Wo (Hollow Maple, Strangler Fig and the Five Fingered Camphor), the fung shui woods, followed by a walk through the fields and boardwalk trail through the mudflats.

If time permits, participants could walk around the village freely before catching the 3:30 pm ferry back to the city.

The historic and once-thriving Hakka village of Lai Chi Wo is flanked by the lush ‘fung shui’ wood and mangrove forest near the New Territories’ northeast coast. The walled village of more than 200 picturesque hillside homes, best-preserved, is auspiciously arranged in rows when built more than 300 years ago.

Lai Chi Wo was home to over 1,000 residents, before a sharp drop in population beginning in the 1960s. After years of rural revitalisation,  it has gained a new lease of life as part of the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark and is now a popular destination for hikers and ecotourists. Farmers are back growing rice and vegetables and grazing cows, and some old homes have been transformed into shops and visitor centres.  At weekends or on public holidays, village stores and stalls offer a variety of Hakka foods and dishes, such as salty chicken, braised pork and omelettes with preserved radishes, dumplings and chicken congee.

The village won UNESCO’s prestigious 2020 Special Recognition for Sustainable Development award for promoting cultural heritage conservation.  The Lai Chi Wo Nature Trail is home to many species of mammals and butterflies, with a mangrove forest and stunning coastal scenery.

Programme

Speaker: Docent assigned by the Hong Kong Countryside Foundation

Meeting Up: Meet at 8:00 am at Exit B, the MTR University Station (East Rail) and walk as a group for about 20 minutes to Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier, and take 9:00 am ferry departing Lai Chi Chong.  The ferry travelling time is about 45 minutes.

Event time: 10:30 am – 4:30 pm (take the same ferry leaves Lai Chi Chong at 3:30 pm back to Ma Liu Shui)

Location: Lai Chi Wo, northeast New Territories

Admission: $200 for members, $250 for guests /non-members

Self-paying ferry fare: $90 roundtrip ($2 for seniors)

​​​*Self-paying Hakka lunch (A) or farm-to-table fusion lunch (B) (western style):  $150 - $180

Registration: Please email <membership@royalasiaticsociety.org.hk> and provide yourmembership number, if applicable, at the time of registration.  When register, please also state whether you will order the lunch (A or B) provided by the villagers for their well preparation of adequate ingredients.  Kindly complete your registration by advance payment via Stripe's payment links below (using your Credit Card):

Members ($200):

https://buy.stripe.com/4gwbLOgyd6No7SM15x

Non-members / Guests ($250):

https://buy.stripe.com/4gwbLO3Lr7Rs0qk15y

*Both are provided by villagers and you can pay them directly on the day.  The Hakka lunch(A) will consist of the following:

Braised pork, steamed chicken, stuffed bean curb, fried vegetables, egg stir-fry and white rice.

The farm-to-table lunch (B) will consist of the following:

Appetiser (e.g. salad), main course (meat with rice), plus a drink or dessert.

Details about the other payment option will be sent on registration.  Upon receipt of payment, your registration will be confirmed by email.  Registration will be closed at 12 noon on 20 November 2024.