“What does ‘new fields’ mean to you?” That’s the literal translation of San Tin Village. This area shows a unique blend of history, culture, and geographical significance in Hong Kong’s New Territories. Today, we will explore San Tin Village together.
San Tin Village is near Lok Ma Chau. It is strategically positioned near the Shenzhen River, which separates Hong Kong from mainland China. The area has expansive, shallow wetlands. These wetlands were partially converted into brackish rice paddy fields. This transformation happened after the Man clan arrived in the 14th century.
Let’s delve into the history of San Tin Village. The Man clan largely settled this area. They claim descent from Man Sai-ko. He settled near San Tin in the 14th century. For almost six centuries, the Man clan grew a specialized crop. This was red rice. They grew it on brackish-water paddies along the Sham Chun River. The name San Tin reflects the development of marshy lands into these paddies. It means “new fields.”
In the 1860s, the Tai Fu Tai Mansion was built in San Tin. It served as a large study hall. It is considered an outstanding example of a 19th-century multi-courtyard residence for scholars.
The Man clan became one of the five major surname groups. They dominated political life in the New Territories until the 1960s. In that decade, residents of San Tin saw themselves as part of a regional elite. They adopted local neo-Confucian models of “proper” behavior. These models were roughly based on principles from the 12th-century scholar Zhu Xi.
The agriculture in San Tin faced a serious crisis in the early 1950s. The markets for their specialized rice were across the river. This was in the newly communist People’s Republic of China. Unlike other areas in the New Territories, San Tin farmers could not convert their brackish paddies. They could not change them to white rice paddies or vegetable farms.
Before July 1, 1962, many men left San Tin for the United Kingdom. They worked in British factories, foundries, railways, buses, hotels, and restaurants. By the 1970s, many old villages were abandoned. This was due to large-scale emigration to urban Hong Kong and overseas.
In 2004, an estimated four thousand people from over 20 countries claimed descent from Man Sai-go. They were part of the San Tin diaspora.
San Tin has eight hamlet-like settlements. Each consists of one or two lanes of compact brick houses. The settlement Wing Ping Tsuen contains the Tai Fu Tai Mansion.
Several historic village temples are scattered around the area. There is also a park dedicated to Man Tin Cheung.
San Tin Public Transport Interchange is next to the San Tin Interchange. It serves the Hong Kong border Lok Ma Chau Control Point. It also serves its counterpart, Huanggang Port in Shenzhen. This border crossing operates 24 hours per day and 365 days per year.
As we conclude our visit to San Tin Village, remember its story. From its origins as “new fields” cultivated by the Man clan to its modern role as a border town. San Tin stands as a testament to Hong Kong’s dynamic history.