Ngau Shi Wu Chuen

Did the name Ngau Shi Wu Chuen ever make you giggle? It translates to “cow turd lake”. Thankfully, the name is the only unpleasant thing about this fascinating spot. Ngau Shi Wu Chuen sits on the coast of Sam A Tsuen in the northeast New Territories. We’re standing before the remnants of a Hakka village, one of seven that formed the Hing Chun Yeuk, or Hing Chun Alliance. Imagine this tranquil area bustling with over a hundred people. They farmed the land and fished the nearby waters. Ngau Shi Wu Chuen was once a thriving community, connected to Lai Chi Wo, its parent village. The villagers shared an ancestral hall with the Tsang Clan of Lai Chi Wo. A single daily boat linked them to Sha Tau Kok, a fifty-minute journey across the water. Think about the isolation, the reliance on that single boat for connection to the wider world. The village met a tragic end in March 1965. A shipwreck, combined with the decline of local agriculture and fishing, forced the remaining eight families to abandon Ngau Shi Wu Chuen for Shau Tau Kok. Today, nature has reclaimed the village. Dense vines cloak collapsed houses, leaving only ruins. Yet, amidst the decay, you can still find unique wine-cooking stoves and remnants of the irrigation systems that once supported the village’s farms. A clear stream still flows through the area, a testament to the life that once flourished here. Ngau Shi Wu Chuen may be a ghost of its former self. But its unusual name and poignant story make it a truly unforgettable place.