ENG-1976 — Page 298

Wuin

自安平入出

The Rural Scene

Beyond the skyscrapers and the bustle of city life, Hong Kong has more than 650 villages scattered across the mainland and islands of the New Territories. Some of these villages date back to the 11th century and descendants of the original families or clans still live there. The preservation and improvement of village life has for many years been furthered by a system of rural committees, through which more than 900 village representatives help to run their own villages and provide a bridge between the government and the people. With the new towns of Sha Tin, Tuen Mun, and Tsuen Wan being built in the New Terri- tories to provide homes and nearby em- ployment for the crowded city population, special care is now being taken to make sure that the villages in these areas are not disrupted any more than is necessary. Villages are preserved wherever possible, others are resited close by and with new village style housing, and villagers who have to move are offered accommodation alongside old neighbours. There is com- pensation for the loss of land holdings, and options on new land are also offered.

A farming village at Lai Chi Wo (cover), on the northeast coast of the New Terri- tories. The woodsheds (above) guarded by: pictures of door gods are in the 200-year-old village of Fan Lau on Lantau Island; and at Shui Tau, near Yuen Long, joss sticks burn in an ancestral hall close to a village house with a circular doorway.

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