Introduction

Lam Tung Pang’s family was originally from Fujian, but Lam was born in Hong Kong and has lived in Sha Tin since he was three years old. His creative focus in recent years has been on historical and nostalgic themes, which he explores by juxtaposing images and objects old and new. The murals and relief in this old house evoke memories of his ancestral home, sending him on a quest for his family’s history.

“Sha Tin is one of the districts in Hong Kong where it is possible to experiment with the co-existence of urban and rural areas. Wong Uk’s existence is like the punctuation marks of a lively text, which serves to adjust the pace of the town and links up old and new Sha Tin.” –– Lam Tung-pang

Situated in the southwest corner of Yuen Chau Kok, the Wong Uk Village was built by a line of the Wong clan originally from Xingning Xian, Guangdong Province, during the Qianlong era (1736-1795). During the 19^th century, it served as a transport hub for travellers and traders moving between Guangdong in China and Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The village continued to serve this function until the end of the century, when its status dwindled. With repeated reclamations of land around Tidal Cove for the development of the Sha Tin New Town, many old buildings in Wong Uk Village fell into disuse or were demolished. The only extant old house was built around 1911 by Wong Tsing Wo, a 19^th generation descendant of the Wong clan. It is a two-storey, green-brick building with exquisite murals and traditional decorations inside. It is a historical marker of Yuen Chau Kok.