THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE EXHIBITION OF THE HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB HERITAGE X ARTS X DESIGN (H.A.D.) WALK PROJECT X YUEN LONG & TUEN MUN
Yuen Long has no fine harbours or bays, but it has a vast plain. Since the Song Dynasty, various clans had moved south to live off the land in this region. Today, the area of Yuen Long covers Ping Shan Heung, Kam Tin Heung, Ha Tsuen Heung, Pat Heung, San Tin Heung and Shap Pat Heung. Furthermore, Yuen Long New Town and Tin Shui Wai New Town have also been set up. It is now the third largest district in Hong Kong with a population of over 560,000.
Among all districts in Hong Kong, Tuen Mun is unique in the sense that, it has the longest traceable history. About six thousand years ago in the Neolithic Age, human activities in Tuen Mun already exist. At that time people lived a simple life, they made pottery and used stone to create the necessary equipment for life. During the Xia and Shang Dynasties, a group of ancient Yue tribesmen moved into this area and built their homes on the bay embankment equivalent to today's Yung Long. They used timber to make boats for fishing and transportation, so they knew how to live off the land and the sea. Tuen Mun in the Bronze Age was more advanced than before, when the activities of the settlers had extended from Yung Long in the northwest to the So Kwun Wat in the south. Unearthed cultural relics of this period included a number of exquisite and meticulous utensils, which indicates that during the Bronze Age Tuen Mun was already a highly civilized region.
The years have tiptoed past. After last year’s exhibitions in Shatin and Sai Kung districts, Hulu Culture has now arrived at our seventh Hong Kong Jockey Club Heritage × Arts × Design. This year we’ve come to Yuen Long and Tuen Mun, having begun a series of cultural and historical studies almost a year ago. Covering vast expanses in north-western New Territories, the two districts were the breadbasket of the area as well as a focal point of settlement for major clans. For centuries, this landmass nurtured an abundance of colourful native cultures and preserved a host of festivities, customs and rites—a true indigenous treasure trove.
