Time seems to stand still in Luk Keng Chan Uk. This village nestled in the northeastern New Territories whispers tales of resilience. It’s a story etched into weathered stone and silent houses. Luk Keng Chan Uk is more than just a collection of buildings. It’s a living testament to the Chan clan’s enduring legacy.
The history of Luk Keng Chan Uk begins long ago. Records from the mid-16th century Ming Dynasty mention Luk Keng. The village thrived with the Chans and Wongs prominent clans. Four ancestral halls stand as silent witnesses. The Wong Chun Yu and Chan Nam Tak halls even hold Grade Three Historic Building status. Imagine Wong Nai Sau the ancestor of the Wong clan arriving in the Kangxi era. His descendants flourished. They believed however that expanding the village would disrupt the feng shui. So starting in 1917 many Wong clan members moved to nearby villages.
Luk Keng Chan Uk boomed in the 1950s with a population of about six hundred and twenty. Villagers farmed and fished in this once barren mountainous area. They cultivated the land created polders and made a life for themselves near the sea. The Japanese Occupation left its mark too. A Japanese gun fort and observation post now a Grade Two Historic Building stand as a somber reminder of that period.
Luk Keng Chan Uk’s Public School built in 1952 was quite large for its time. An irrigation water slope and the North District’s first artificial fish pond were also constructed in the mid-20th century. Then came the 1960s and 70s. The Sha Tau Kok Road was completed. The Plover Cove Reservoir’s construction changed everything. Paddy fields were taken. Water sources were cut off. Life became very difficult. Many villagers moved to urban areas or emigrated to the United Kingdom. The population plummeted.
Today only a few Chan and Wong families remain. Some are determined to stay. Others have returned after retirement. The Luk Keng Chan Uk continues to exist. It’s a community resilient in its face of change. A community that maintains its link to the past. The past is present here. The past is alive here. The past is you here. This is Luk Keng Chan Uk. Remember its story.