- Joined
- Jan 6, 2013
- Messages
- 5,566
- Reaction score
- 11,189
The fourth and final of my reports from the Plover Cove region of Hong Kong looks at Kau Tam Tso Village. In practice it is more of a hamlet i.e a row of about ten three-storey houses, in a clearing about a kilometre East of the larger village of Wu Kau Tang.
There’s quite a bit of info on the history of the place, especially given its relatively size. The ancestors of the people of Kau Tam Tso Village first came to settle in the New Territories during the middle of the Qing dynasty (1644 to 1912). They were nomadic farmers, planting rice and crops, moving from one part to another of the New Territories, before they finally settled down in Kau Tam Tso. The Lee Clan are traceable back to the Tang dynasty where the first "Lee" ancestor was believed to have come from central China around the Hubei and Hunan border. During the two great wars the villagers joined the Resistance Army and fought against the Japanese occupation. Folklore has it that a long network of tunnels were dug into the surrounding hills for hiding places during the wars, nearby to the village. However these were later destroyed by the monsoon rains, post-World War II. A monument has been erected near the entrance to the village to commemorate those killed in the conflict. Like many villages in Plover Cove the majority of the villagers emigrated to the UK in the 1970s and now reside in the London boroughs and Greater Manchester.
This was a particularly interesting little explore for me. Big thanks to my brother-in-law Gordi who, without him leading me here, I would have never found this place (it’s along a hiking trail with no vehicular access). Until recently the terrace had been totally abandoned. However, over the last five or so years, families have returned to the village and now over half of the houses have been fully restored and modernised. That just leaves one house at the near end and three houses at the far end of the terrace uninhabited. This explore also provided the most atmospheric room of all of my ghost village explores (see the pictures in a moment). Also while I was there I met a family and their three children from the UK. The father was an IT worker from near Crewe and he told me how he used to come and stay during the Summer here with his uncle before he emigrated to the UK. He was so happy his uncle had returned to the village and renovated the family home so he could now again come and stay there. OK…here’s the pictures.
On the trail to Kau Tam Tso. This place is pretty far gone…
img0877 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0878 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Then all of a sudden you come across a clearing in the dense undergrowth and we’re there. The first house in the terrace is abandoned and locked-up:
img0887 by HughieDW, on Flickr
But the door and windows afford us a view inside to this little time capsule:
img0886 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And what a sight that greets us:
img0879 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Some peeling paint porn, Chinese style:
img0880 by HughieDW, on Flickr
On the wall there’s an old picture:
img0885 by HughieDW, on Flickr
…next to ancestors that keep watch over the room:
img0881 by HughieDW, on Flickr
There’s some side-board porn too:
img0882 by HughieDW, on Flickr
…with some nice crockery in:
img0883 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And on the table there’s a take-away that never got eaten:
img0884 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Towards the end of the terrace, after the refurbished houses, there’s more abandonment. This place was locked tight:
img0889 by HughieDW, on Flickr
But it is the end house that provides us with more interesting subject matter:
img0906 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0907 by HughieDW, on Flickr
…with its uninvited exterior guests:
img0905 by HughieDW, on Flickr
There’s crockery cast aside outside, along with a wok:
img0908 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Were afforded a peek inside. What treasures lie in wait here?
img0902 by HughieDW, on Flickr
A golden tea pot!
img0903 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Thanks for looking. It’s time for a break from HK and the next few reports will concentrate on the south of Taiwan.
There’s quite a bit of info on the history of the place, especially given its relatively size. The ancestors of the people of Kau Tam Tso Village first came to settle in the New Territories during the middle of the Qing dynasty (1644 to 1912). They were nomadic farmers, planting rice and crops, moving from one part to another of the New Territories, before they finally settled down in Kau Tam Tso. The Lee Clan are traceable back to the Tang dynasty where the first "Lee" ancestor was believed to have come from central China around the Hubei and Hunan border. During the two great wars the villagers joined the Resistance Army and fought against the Japanese occupation. Folklore has it that a long network of tunnels were dug into the surrounding hills for hiding places during the wars, nearby to the village. However these were later destroyed by the monsoon rains, post-World War II. A monument has been erected near the entrance to the village to commemorate those killed in the conflict. Like many villages in Plover Cove the majority of the villagers emigrated to the UK in the 1970s and now reside in the London boroughs and Greater Manchester.
This was a particularly interesting little explore for me. Big thanks to my brother-in-law Gordi who, without him leading me here, I would have never found this place (it’s along a hiking trail with no vehicular access). Until recently the terrace had been totally abandoned. However, over the last five or so years, families have returned to the village and now over half of the houses have been fully restored and modernised. That just leaves one house at the near end and three houses at the far end of the terrace uninhabited. This explore also provided the most atmospheric room of all of my ghost village explores (see the pictures in a moment). Also while I was there I met a family and their three children from the UK. The father was an IT worker from near Crewe and he told me how he used to come and stay during the Summer here with his uncle before he emigrated to the UK. He was so happy his uncle had returned to the village and renovated the family home so he could now again come and stay there. OK…here’s the pictures.
On the trail to Kau Tam Tso. This place is pretty far gone…
img0877 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0878 by HughieDW, on FlickrThen all of a sudden you come across a clearing in the dense undergrowth and we’re there. The first house in the terrace is abandoned and locked-up:
img0887 by HughieDW, on FlickrBut the door and windows afford us a view inside to this little time capsule:
img0886 by HughieDW, on FlickrAnd what a sight that greets us:
img0879 by HughieDW, on FlickrSome peeling paint porn, Chinese style:
img0880 by HughieDW, on FlickrOn the wall there’s an old picture:
img0885 by HughieDW, on Flickr…next to ancestors that keep watch over the room:
img0881 by HughieDW, on FlickrThere’s some side-board porn too:
img0882 by HughieDW, on Flickr…with some nice crockery in:
img0883 by HughieDW, on FlickrAnd on the table there’s a take-away that never got eaten:
img0884 by HughieDW, on FlickrTowards the end of the terrace, after the refurbished houses, there’s more abandonment. This place was locked tight:
img0889 by HughieDW, on FlickrBut it is the end house that provides us with more interesting subject matter:
img0906 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0907 by HughieDW, on Flickr…with its uninvited exterior guests:
img0905 by HughieDW, on FlickrThere’s crockery cast aside outside, along with a wok:
img0908 by HughieDW, on FlickrWere afforded a peek inside. What treasures lie in wait here?
img0902 by HughieDW, on FlickrA golden tea pot!
img0903 by HughieDW, on FlickrThanks for looking. It’s time for a break from HK and the next few reports will concentrate on the south of Taiwan.
Last edited:
