Yellow Bamboo Mountain. That’s what Wong Chuk Shan means. We’re standing near what remains of a once-thriving village.
Let’s step back in time. Imagine this area in the mid-1950s. James Hayes documented 133 people living here then. He noted the men’s main job was construction, not just farming. They traveled around the New Territories. They built houses. Many employed their own relatives. They used other male villagers from the Sai Kung area.
Their skills are clear. Look at the good condition of the paths. Notice the stone terraces. See the walls around the village. These show their construction abilities.
But those same skills led to the village’s decline. Hayes said the village was abandoned in the 1970s. The shift to concrete killed Wong Chuk Shan. Traditional stone and brick skills were no longer needed.
The villagers didn’t go far, though. Follow the trail toward Sai Kung. You’ll soon reach Wong Chuk Shan New Village. That’s where they resettled.
Someone once wondered if a building still standing was a temple. Or perhaps a village hall that survived.
Now, consider the GeoInfo Map. It highlights the ruined buildings. The ruins are extensive. They are comparable to Sheung Tong village. Wong Chuk Shan’s story is etched in these stones. It is a testament to a changing world. A world where traditional skills faded. But the spirit of its people lives on, just down the trail.