Sam Tung Uk Museum
Encyclopedia
The Sam Tung Uk Museum is a museum
restored from Sam Tung Uk (literally "three-beam-dwelling", which describes the original floorplan), a Hakka
walled village
in Tsuen Wan
, Hong Kong
.
under the leadership of the clan patriarch, Chan Yam-shing, in 1786 (during the reign of Emperor Qianlong
). The Chan clan was originally from Fujian
; they had moved to Guangdong
, and then to Hong Kong to engage in farming. The site has been carefully restored and opened to the public as a museum.
Sam Tung Uk was vacated in April 1980 and declared an historic monument
in March 1981. The Government funded its restoration and converted it into a museum between 1986 and 1987. The restoration work won the Pacific Heritage Award of the Pacific Asia Tourist Association in 1990.
The Sam Tung Uk Museum is open from 09:00 to 17:00 every day of the year except Tuesdays, Christmas Day, Boxing Day
, New Year's Day
, and the first three days of the Lunar New Year. Admission is free of charge. It can be accessed from the MTR
Tsuen Wan Station
.
The house is located at 2 Kwu Uk Lane, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
restored from Sam Tung Uk (literally "three-beam-dwelling", which describes the original floorplan), a Hakka
Hakka people
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....
walled village
Walled villages of Hong Kong
Once common throughout China, walled villages can still be found in southern China and Hong Kong. Most of the walled villages in Hong Kong are located in the New Territories...
in Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan is a bay in the Kowloon area of Hong Kong, opposite to Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged for the surrounding villages and fleets of fishing boats in the area. The town is around the present-day Tsuen Wan Station of the MTR...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
History
It was built by a Chan clanChinese clan
A Chinese clan is a patrilineal and patrilocal group of related Chinese people with a common surname sharing a common ancestor and, in many cases, an ancestral home.-Description:...
under the leadership of the clan patriarch, Chan Yam-shing, in 1786 (during the reign of Emperor Qianlong
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. The fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he reigned officially from 11 October 1735 to 8 February 1796...
). The Chan clan was originally from Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
; they had moved to Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, and then to Hong Kong to engage in farming. The site has been carefully restored and opened to the public as a museum.
Sam Tung Uk was vacated in April 1980 and declared an historic monument
Declared monuments of Hong Kong
Declared monuments of Hong Kong are places, structures or buildings legally declared to be "protected". In Hong Kong, declaring a monument requires consulting the Antiquities Advisory Board, the approval of the Chief Executive as well as the publication of the notice in government gazette.As of 12...
in March 1981. The Government funded its restoration and converted it into a museum between 1986 and 1987. The restoration work won the Pacific Heritage Award of the Pacific Asia Tourist Association in 1990.
Museum
The entrance, assembly and ancestral halls, and twelve of the original houses are preserved. Other rooms have been modified to accommodate a reception area, an orientation room, an exhibition hall, a museum office, and a lecture theatre. The agricultural implements and everyday objects of Hakka village life are on permanent display. The main exhibition hall at the far end of the building complex changes its displays approximately every six months. Documentation of the restoration process is on display in Orientation Room.The Sam Tung Uk Museum is open from 09:00 to 17:00 every day of the year except Tuesdays, Christmas Day, Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
, New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
, and the first three days of the Lunar New Year. Admission is free of charge. It can be accessed from the MTR
MTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
Tsuen Wan Station
Tsuen Wan (MTR)
Tsuen Wan is the northern terminus of the MTR Tsuen Wan Line in Hong Kong. It is the only station on the line that is at ground level. It is located at the northern central part of Tsuen Wan New Town, and its next station is Tai Wo Hau....
.
The house is located at 2 Kwu Uk Lane, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong.
Transportation
- By rail: Mass Transit Railway to Tsuen Wan Station
- By bus:Kowloon Motor Bus nos. 40, 43X, 48X, 49X, 52M, 57M, 58M, 59A, 60, 63M, 66, 67M, 68A, 69M,73X, 278P, A31, or City Bus no. 905R