Yau Kung Hall, Yuen Long

Ha Tsuen is one of the seven villages in the Yuen Long area. Tang Si Chung Tsz (Tang Ancestral Hall) is a big ancestral hall that belongs to the Tang clan. The original ancestral hall was located between the eastern and western ends of Ha Tsuen during the reign of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty. It was moved to this site in 1749 (the 14th year of the reign of Qianlong of Qing Dynasty). The ancestral hall is a 3-hall type building. The central hall was named "Yau Kung Hall" meaning "honour" and be friendly to your brothers." There are two large tablets (about 8 feet high) bearing the characters "Hau" (filial piety) and "Tai"(fraternal love). Besides these, there are other writings by well-known calligraphers. This may very well be the only ancestral hall in Hong Kong that has retained so many Chinese calligraphic works. There is an exhortation written on a wooden tablet in the central hall to alert the Tang descendants. Besides ancestral worship, the Tand hall is also used as place for teaching and celebrations.