Tai Tam Waterworks Heritage Trail

I've been trying to really get out and be out this winter, as it has been a bit warmer than usual.  Along with being more active in the outdoors, I have been trying to see some of the Heritage Trails around Hong Kong.  

The Tai Tam Waterworks Heritage Trail isn't as easy to follow, but it does have a ton of beautiful structures to see, all of which revolve around the Tai Tam Reservoir.

How to get there:

1.  From Exchange Square in Central, hop on bus 6 to Stanley Prison

2.  Hop off at the Wong Chai Nung Reservoir Park/Wong Chai Nung Gap Road

NOTE:  The stop that signals THIS STOP is the Hong Kong Tennis Courts.

3.  The Wong Chai Nung Reservoir Park/Wong Chai Nung Gap Road bus stop is at a Sinopec Gas Station

4.  From THIS BUS STOP, you'll notice signs pointing towards the Tai Tam Reservoir Road

5.  Follow the signs up the stairs and up the hill (15 minute walk)

6.  Pass the Wong Chai Nung Reservoir Park

7.  Pass the Hong Kong Parkview apartments

8.  Pass the Wilson Trail

9.  Pass the Hong Kong Trail

10.  And you'll just walk straight into the Tai Tam Country Park

NOTE:  From the Tai Tam Country Park, it's a 10 - 15 minute walk down to the reservoir, where the Heritage structures can be found.  

All of the Heritage structures can be found around the Tai Tam Reservoir.  There are over 20 structures that are marked, which you can sort of follow from the pamphlet the Water Supplies Department put up online.

A view of the reservoir

There are maps and signposts marking the Heritage structures, but it is quite difficult to easily follow the trails.  There are several trails that will take you to different points around the Tai Tam Country Park, but, if you are there for the Heritage Trail only, be warned that you'll have to do some backtracking and scavenger hunting.

The easiest structures to find are at the beginning of the Trail (which are marked Sections 1 - 4 on the map above):  The Masonry Aqueduct and Bridge, the Valve Houses, the Upper Dam, and the Recorder House.  Scouting around for these places took about half an hour.

Masonry Aqueduct

Masonry Bridge

Upper Reservoir Dam

View of one of the Valve Houses that we found

A look down from the Dam

Walking the steps down to the Recorder House

The Recorder House

Walking the trail

Walking up the stairs back to the top of the Dam

A view of the reservoir

One of the Valve Houses

Walking the trails

Another view of the Dam

My over all thoughts on this trail:

1.  It's a fun trial for exploration

2.  There are interesting facts that you can learn about the construction of the reservoir

3.  The buildings and structures are in beautiful condition

4.  It's a great area to see some of Hong Kong's great outdoors

5.  I'm going to take my folks here the next time they're in Hong Kong

One of the oldest structures that we found

The wall of the Wong Chai Nung Reservoir Park reservoir

We walked back to our original bus stop area and caught Bus 6 back into Exchange Square.  Along the way, though, we noticed that the Wong Chai Nung Reservoir Park was actually apart of the Heritage Trail.  So, it's also worth checking out when you first get off of the bus and start walking up that hill.

Lung Yuek Tau Heritage Trail

I've been wanting to check out the Lung Yuek Tau Heritage Trail for a few months now.  Since the weather has been so beautiful, my husband and I decided to trek out to Fanling to see what the fuss was all about.

From Fanling MTR Station, the easiest way to get to the starting point of the Heritage Trail is catching a taxi.  

We asked the taxi driver to take us to Shung Him Tong and also told him we were checking out the Lung Yuek Tau Heritage Trail.  He seemed to know exactly where it was, which may be a good thing for anyone else who is also interested in checking out the Trail and can't speak Cantonese (like myself).

Suggestion:  Print out Lung Yuek Tau (龍躍頭) and Shung Him Tong, which is the name of the church that is the landmark for the start of the trail (崇謙棠).  If the taxi driver can't understand your pronunciation, then you will will have the Chinese Characters for back up!

The Lung Yuek Tau Heritage Trail is a lot more spread out than the one in Ping Shan.  Though there are signs that direct you to different spots, they may not be noticeable if you aren't looking out for them. 

The unique thing about this trail is the fact that it can be broken up into two sections:

(1)  The first part of the trail features several colonial-style buildings.

(2)  The second part of the trail takes you around the Lung Yeuk Tau villages.

Usually, when I see the colonial-style buildings around Hong Kong, they have been urban renovated.  It was beautiful to see what colonial-style buildings look like in their dilapidated states.  The two building below (the first building is called Shek Lo) are blocked off by a fence, just to note.

Walking around the area, we also found a lot of hidden gems, like this little shelter or storage vestibule. Though we were walking around the villages of the area, we did come across patches of "wilderness," which deems this, in my book, as a great outdoor hiking experience.

Along the trail, we discovered an abandoned complex, which was quite eerie to walk through.  It looked like an old school and partially, perhaps, a set of dormitories.  We weren't sure if this complex was actually apart of the actual Lung Yuek Tau Heritage Trail, but it was still open to explore.

NOTE:  The Lung Yuek Tau village was established by the Tang clan, who were one of the five great clans of the New Territories.   Reading up on the Tang clan, they were said to have been able to trace their lineage back to the eldest son of one of the princesses of the Song dynasty (which evidence can be seen in the Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall below).  The Tang clan also has a presence in the Kam Tin/Yuen Long area

One of the most impressive things about this Trial is the fact that it showcases some of Hong Kong's walled villages:  Lo Wai is pictured below.  Because it is a village, tourists and trail walkers aren't really allowed beyond the village walls.  But, it is still impressive to see these walls still standing strong (thanks to the renovation works).

NOTE:  There are five walled villages on this Trail:  Lo Wai, Ma Wat Wai, Wing Ning Wai, Tung Kok Wai, and San Wai.  A great map to follow is the one provided by the Antiquities and Monuments Office.

Featured below is the Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall.  It's a beautifully impressive structure, which houses the ancestral tablets of the Song Princess and her husband, a chamber honoring the ancestors who made noteworthy contributions to the clan, and a chamber that serves to honor virtuous members of the clan.

Along the trail, there is another of Hong Kong's famous Tin Hau Temples.  This Tin Hau Temple, like most I have come across, is still a full functioning temple.  Patrons still come to pray for good studies or protection.

Learning a little about the Lung Yuek Tau villages was really eye opening.  It really made me want to see more of the Heritage Trails around Hong Kong so that I could learn more about the City's history.

My lasting impressions of this Heritage Trail:  Though the Trail wasn't as clear as daylight to follow, it's still great to be able to have the opportunity to just wander...

First Fridays: Ping Shan Heritage Trail

A great alternative to doing a hike is going for a fun nature walk!  Or a Heritage walk!

On this First Friday, I am blogging about my first every Hong Kong Heritage walk.

Hong Kong has two official Heritage Trails, according to the Discover Hong Kong website.  One of them is the Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail out in Fanling.  The other is the Ping Shan Heritage Trail which is right outside of the Tin Shui Wai MTR station. 

What:  Seeing historical buildings, monuments, temples, study halls, and residences of the Tang clan

Where:  Tin Shui Wai area

How to get there:  From Tin Shui Wai MTR station, take Exit E down to the Light Rail station, exit the Light Rail and look up.  You should see the back side of the Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda, which is the first stop on the Heritage Trail.

More information here.

Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda

Shrine of the Earth god

Sheung Cheung Wai Wall

Yeung Hau Temple

Tang Ancestral Hall and Yu Kiu Ancestral Hall

Ping Shan Tang Clan Gallery

Hung Shing Temple

Kun Ting Study Hall and Ching Shu Hin

This trail was great because it was a calm and relaxing walk around a village.  There were plaques on most of the Heritage Sites that told you the history of the building and of the Tang clan.  Plaques also pointed you in the direction of the next stop on the Heritage Trail.

The shots I have here are all of the main buildings along the trail.  Mostly it is the exterior, but you can definitely explore the inside of the temples and residences.

Suggestions:
Bring a lunch, set out at around 11 am, explore, then find a place to sit and relax with your friends, and have a picnic.  It took us around an hour and a half to explore!  This area was so beautiful, the locals were so nice, and I learned a lot about the village life of the New Territories.