| Sam
Tung Uk House (1786 onward) other
sites in Hong Kong |
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Click on the above images to enlarge
Sam Tung Uk is a Hakka dwelling founded in 1786 during the reign of Emperor Qianlong. The name of the house literally means "Three Beam Dwelling" and aptly describes the original floorplan. At that time the Chan clan, which was originally from Fujian, had moved to Guangdong and then to Hong Kong to engage in farming. Under the leadership of the clan patriarch, Chan Yam-shing, the house was constructed as four modules clustered around an ancestral shrine at the north center. Each of Chan's four sons lived in one of the four units. If you look at the aerial view of the house below, you can see that the house's core consists of three horizontal bays. As the clan grew more prosperous additional units were added to the house, giving it its current appearance. Other rooms were attached to the north, but the house's rectangular plan allowed for easy expansion.
The descendants of the pioneers lived
in the house for over two hundred years. As late as the 1970s, Chan clan
members still farmed in this area of Hong Kong. Finally, in 1980, with
the encroachment of urban sprawl, the last clan member moved out. In March
1981 the house was recognized by the Antiquities Advisory Board as a historical
monument and was protected from destruction. The Advisory Board repaired
the house, bringing in authentic Hakka material from nearby Guangdong province.
Nowadays the museum is a little too well maintained. Although it preserves
authentic architectural features from centuries past, it has been spruced up
so much that it looks almost new.
Click on an arrow for a view from that location
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View of the house from the air before
modern development
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Bibliography:
All images copyright 2001 Professor
Kerk L. Phillips of Brigham Young University, Utah, USA.
Visit his webpage at www.pomosa.com
Schematic plan drawn by Tim Ciccone based on a photo by Kerk L. Phillips
http://www.southern.ohiou.edu/folknography/hong_kong/sam_tung.html