Sex: | Male |
Birthyear: | 1922 |
Age at Interview: | 90 |
Education: | Primary School |
Occupation: | Police |
Theme: | Community,Social Life,Japanese Occupation |
Ng Sai Ming, born in 1922 in the village of Sha Po, belongs to the 26th generation of the Ng Clan in Nga Tsin Wai. He is a member of the branch of Ng Tak Ko Tso, and has served as the head of the Ng Clan (Ng Shing Tat Tso) in his old age. His family owned an ancestral home and farmland in Sha Po. His grandfather’s generation used to grow standing grains for a living. His father worked abroad as a seaman in the early years, before returning to the village for farming in the early 1930s. During his childhood, Ng Sai Ming studied at the Ng Clan Ancestral Hall as well as Sz Ko Private School. He was later promoted to Lung Tsun School and studied there until primary school graduation. He applied to join the British regiment in Hong Kong in 1941 and retired from military service after the fall of Hong Kong during WWII. After the war was over, he applied to rejoin the regime but was soon transferred to the police force, where he worked until his retirement. In 1962, the government demolished Sha Po to make room for the construction of resettlement buildings. Ng therefore moved away from Sha Po to a building in Fung Wong San Chuen that he built himself. Growing up as a child in a traditional village, Ng heard a lot of legends and stories from the village elders. He has a deep understanding of his clan’s history, the rural landscape, rural customs, and the transformation of the villagers’ livelihood.