XN000022-1989-11-09 — Page 12

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1989

11

PRINCE OF WALES SEES THE OLD NEW TERRITORIES

FROM VISITING TUEN MUN, ONE OF HONG KONG'S NEWEST TOWNS, PRINCE OF WALES TODAY (THURSDAY TRAVELLED A FEW MILES BY CAR CENTURIES BACK IN HISTORY WHEN HE VISITED TWO OF ITS OLDEST SHUI TAU AND SHUI MEI.

THE AND

VILLAGES,

HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS VISITED SEPTUAGENARIAN MADAM TANG MOK YING THE NO 35. SHUI TAU TSUEN. A VILLAGE WHICH PRE-DATES BY CENTURIES FOUNDING OF MODERN HONG KONG.

AT

то

MADAM TANG'S FAMILY ARE PART OF THE TANG CLAN WHOSE ANCESTOR TANG FU-HIP SETTLED IN THE KAM TIN AREA IN 1105 AD, (OR, ACCORDING THE CHINESE CALENDAR ABOUT THE SECOND TO FIFTH YEAR OF SHUNG NING OF THE EMPEROR OF FAI CHUNG OF THE SUNG DYNASTY } .

ERA

THR SUNG THE EMPEROR

THE TANGS HAD A CLOSE BLOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH EMPERORS AND TANG FU-HIP'S GRANDSON MARRIED A SISTER OF GAO ZUNG.

TODAY

TANGS THE

ARE ONE OF THE FAMOUS

CLANS OF

THE

NEW

TERRITORIES,

THE TWIN VILLAGES OF SHUI TAU AND SHUI MEI ARE PART KAM TIN HEUNG (OR GROUP OF VILLAGES) OCCUPIED BY THE TANG CLAN.

OF THE

ACCOMPANIED

WHO

KUEN; KAM

THE PRINCE OF WALES ARRIVED BY CAR FROM TUEN MUN BY THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS, MR DONALD LIAO POON-HUAI, PRESENTED THE CHAIRMAN OF THE YUEN LONG DISTRICT BOARD, MR. TAI THE DISTRICT OFFICER YUEN LONG, MR ROBIN IP; THE CHAIRMAN OF THE TIN RURAL COMMITTEE, MR.TANG CHI-LEUNG AND VILLAGE REPRESENTATIVES TANG KWOK-CHAI, MR TANG KAM-LEUNG AND MR TAM TIM-KAU.

MR

TANG

THE ROYAL PARTY BEGAN THEIR TOUR OF THE VILLAGE AT THE CHUN-YUT KUEN CHI ! OR ANCESTRAL HALL), BUILT IN THE HONG HEI ERA 1662-1722) OF THE CHING DYNASTY IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE THREE YONS, CHUN, YUI AND KUEN, OF MR TANG HUNG-YEE, THE GREAT GRAND ANCESTOR THE TANG CLAN.

IT WAS BUILT IN AN AUSPICIOUS PLACE WHERE VILLAGERS IT WOULD BRING GREAT PROSPERITY FOR THE CLAN,

OF

BELIEVED

Of THE

IT WAS THE MAIN ANCESTRAL HALL FOR THE INHABITANTS VILLAGES OF SHUI TAU. TAI HONG WAI. CHI TONG TSUEN AND KIT HING WAI.

THE HALL, NOW USED FOR LOCAL CELEBRATIONS, HAS IN BEEN USED AS A TUTORIAL SCHOOL AND A MEETING HALL.

THE PAST

AND CRAFT

IT WAS REDECORATED IN 1980, BUT MOST OF THE ART WORK, OF WHICH THE VILLAGERS ARE JUSTLY PROUD, REMAINED UNCHANGED.

/HIS ROYAL