Travel Weekly editor in chief Nadine Godwin sampled a heritage
tour in Hong Kong. Her report follows:
My guide, a certified guide specializing in heritage tourism,
was a little nettled the morning we met.
No one looks at Hong Kong's history; everyone just wants to
shop, Nevin growled.
What Nevin said was not quite true. He is pretty busy responding
to the requests of individuals or handling special-interest
groups.
Taking a heritage route was my choice. I sampled an abbreviated
version of the five-hour heritage tour that the Hong Kong Tourist
Association has typically operated.
Immediately after my visit the heritage tour was revised, so
this describes the types of sites visitors will see now, but not
always the same ones.
Highlights of my tour follow:
Sam Tung Uk Museum, created from a walled village that was
occupied by a single clan, from 1786 to 1979.The family belonged to the Hakka people, who migrated to the
Hong Kong area in the 17th century and make up about 10% of the
local population.
The Hakka have their own Chinese dialect and food; they gave us
sweet and sour pork.
The village was walled to keep out pirates. Nothing in the
village stood more than two stories high.
At its start, the clan's village had four family houses, each
with three rooms and able to provide sleeping for 20 persons each,
Nevin said.
Over time, more rooms were built for a growing family.
Liu Man Shek Tong Ancestral Hall, built in 1751, constructed by
the Liu clan to honor their forefathers. Restored in the 1980s, it
is still in use; my guide had photos of a Liu family event there,
which he attended as a guest last summer.Within the oblong structure, we could roam easily from one space
to another, but not walk in a straight line from the front door to
the altars at the back.
A wooden screen installed near the front door blocks movement in
a straight line to keep out evil spirits. This was typical of sites
on this tour.
Three altars are the resting place for hundreds of "soul
tablets" remembering specific ancestors; among them are 47 clan
members who passed civil service exams in the days of the
emperors.
Tai Fu Tai Mansion, a two-level mansion with 11 small rooms,
two courtyards and an indoor lavatory on the main floor, built by a
wealthy merchant-scholar named Man in 1865.From the exterior it is easy to think this a plain building,
sitting in a large walled yard, except for intricate, colorful
ceramic figures in strips near the front entrance.
A typical home for Chinese gentry, it features brightly
decorated screens and a room set aside as the scholar's study.
More interesting, set slightly apart from the main building,
were the bathroom and the kitchen. In that kitchen, the cook
prepared only one food type per container and huge stovetop holes
accommodated large woks. To one side were small holes for small
woks, to cook separate meals for spoiled children who did not want
adult food, Nevin said.
Man Mo Temple, a century-old temple dedicated to Man, the god
of literature, and Mo, the god of martial arts.One of hundreds of temples in greater Hong Kong, it is popular
with locals and tourists partly because of its location on
Hollywood Road in downtown Hong Kong Island.
Two gargantuan figures represent the gods, but the most notable
feature is the smoke, produced by visitors who burn incense sticks
as part of a visit that might be more focused on the
fortune-teller.
My guide Nevin supplemented the sightseeing by playing tapes to
illustrate various types of traditional Chinese music. He discussed
Feng Shui (the need -- in order to have good luck -- to be
well-positioned in relation to wind and water) and I Jing (a system
for divination).
The HKTA's revised five-hour heritage tour includes the Man Mo
Temple and the Tai Fu Tai Mansion.
An ancestral hall and walled villages are included, too, but
they are the Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall and the walled villages
of Lo Wai.
In addition, the new itinerary visits the Tai Po Market, near
the Man Mo Temple, and the Lam Tusen Wishing Tree, to learn about
beliefs associated with spirit trees.
It operates four days a week and costs about $39.50 net, or
$34.25 net for kids and seniors.
Gray Line Tours of HK Ltd. operates the heritage tour.