Sam Tung Uk Museum Unique Prize Cultural Treasure Found
Cantonese heritage at Sam Tung Uk Museum
Dancing lion heads on display, Sam Tung Uk Museum
Intangible heritage at Sam Tung Uk Museum
Delving into highlights of Hong Kong’s many cultural touchstones, our recent visit to the Sam Tung Uk Museum gave us a newfound appreciation for the diversity of Hong Kong’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
An intense interior display of a festival setup, Sam Tung Uk Museum
History is not a passive exercise confined to textbooks or documentaries. Sam Tung Uk Museum is impossible to miss.
The only one-storey complex in the neighbourhood, Sam Tung Uk Museum, is dwarfed by residential complexes and multilevel parking lots.
200-year-old Hakka walled village
Its outer wall is painted pristine white, except for the colourful mural decorating the wall beside the entry point. Chinese banyan trees provide much-needed shade. At their feet, broad-leafed monstera and Indian laurels crowd and compete for soil space.
A replica of an auspicious plaque bestowed upon the clan by the Qing court
The original structures, which stand to this day and make up the interior buildings, were built under the supervision of clan patriarch Chan Yam-shing.
Mural beside entrance of Sam Tung Uk Museum
Built in 1786 during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), this over 200-year-old Hakka walled village owes its existence to the eldest branch of the Chan clan.
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The clan was originally based in China’s Fujian province. The family then migrated to Guangdong before settling in Tsuen Wan in the mid-eighteenth century.
Chan clan from China’s Fujian province
Their choice of settlement location was not arbitrary, but strategic. Located along the coast, the district’s original name, Tsin Wan, directly translates to shallow bay.
A diorama of an outdoor Chinese theatre
In the Hakka dialect, the district was also formerly referred to as Tsak Wan, meaning pirate bay. The Chan clan reclaimed land along the coast to make the most of their farming efforts, a fact the modern visitor would easily miss.
Sam Tung Uk Museum is 2,000 square metres
Land reclamation is a tried-and-true land development strategy in Hong Kong, with coastal lines being pushed farther and farther every year. Sam Tung Uk Museum now covers an area of 2,000 square metres, making it all too easy to get lost.
It’s easier to orient yourself if you have a bird’s eye view
However, much like a chessboard, the layout of the grounds is perfectly symmetrical in design.
Sam Tung Uk built in 3 sections
As the dwellings of the oldest branch of the family, the four individual dwellings set in the centre were the first to be constructed.
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Moving through the central axis, visitors pass through the Entrance, Assembly and Ancestral halls. Due to their configuration along the central axis, these three sections were named Sam Tung Uk, a building with three ridge purlins.
Gigantic lantern in the middle hall, at Sam Tung Uk Museum
Before stepping into the Hakka village, I encourage visitors to lift their heads and look up.
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At the very top of the entryway, a rectangular wooden fascia board is intricately painted with chrysanthemums (white with pink hues) and golden butterflies – both auspicious symbols of longevity.
Chinese calligraphy and decorations
Directly below, a caiman-shaped wooden plate imitates a large festive lantern and continues the theme of chrysanthemums and butterflies.
Caiman-shaped wooden plate, at Sam Tunk Uk Museum
The background colours (red, turquoise and sea foam green) make the details stand out to the viewer. A human-sized vertical wooden plank – painted red, flecked in gold and decorated with Chinese calligraphy – frames either side of the open entrance.
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The Assembly Hall, the plainest of the three, was where the family gathered. A heavy pair of screen doors painted maroon-red shields the ancestral altar from direct sunlight.
A Chinese opera gown, Sam Tung Uk Museum
On top of the screen doors sits a replica of the original plaque given to Chan Kin-sheung by the Qing court to honour his character and contributions to the locality. The inscription appropriately translates to greatly respected patriarch.
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As sequence is significant in traditional Chinese architecture, there is meaning behind the dwellings that surround the Ancestral Hall.
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Upon entering, eyes are immediately drawn to the substantial paper lantern hanging in the middle. This brings to mind traditional lantern-lighting rituals.
Celebration of newborn sons
At Sam Tung Uk, the community celebrates a ritual each first lunar month to welcome newborn sons into their clan.
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After admiring the gigantic lantern, marvel at the altar. Fitted at the very back of the village’s central axis, auspicious motifs appear in droves, with phoenixes, a rising sun, gourds, bats and longevity roundels enshrining all of the Chan clan’s ancestors.
A festive lantern to welcome the birth of a son, Sam Tung Uk Museum
Open courtyards are a common sight. Serving the double purpose of ventilation and daylight access, rainwater runs across and over Hakka-style tiles; during rainy days, the water gathers into the sunken square in the centre.
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This allows people to navigate the courtyard during rainstorms without getting drenched.
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Visitors to the museum don’t just explore history; they experience it. If the caimen won you over, so too will the array of decorative stamps that encourage you to make paper replicas you can keep.
Do you want to build a tiled roof?
After you pore over the different tile examples, a neat pile of replicate grey bricks is located beside a half-finished brick wall you’re encouraged to help complete.
An immersive exhibition on Chinese festivals, outdoor Chinese theatre, and the art of crafting lion dance heads is closely located in a room that demonstrates the ins and outs of festive lantern making and lets you create a miniature lantern of your own.
If you love stamped buns, you can make a bookmark in their likeness!
Stamps that help you create embossed logos reminiscent of dragon and phoenix cakes, as well as the patterns on fried rice biscuits, are closely located to mouth-watering displays of dim sum (not for eating, but definitely for appreciating).
Chinese traditional craftsmanship
At the heart of each display is a recognition of the masters behind the art. Many videos – all with English subtitles – show aficionados sharing their connection to the craft, its importance to them, and why they want to do their part to help preserve it.
Making of man – definite facial features and clothing flourishes slowly breathe life into the character
A traditional hand-painted porcelain master (Guangcai) said it best, “Chinese traditional craftsmanship is a result of a prolonged period of practice both day and night. I hope youngsters today can understand the spirit of craftsmanship and succeed in learning their predecessors’ attentive, strict and diligent working attitudes.”
Guangcai of fighting cocks
Sam Tung Uk Museum is a place that, if explored properly, will translate into several trips of excitement and wonder.
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With its interactive exhibitions set up by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre, the hardworking people behind the museum understand that it isn’t enough to be told about history.
Most people are visual learners by nature and appreciate tactile elements.
The lifecycle of wooden statues at Sam Tung Uk Museum
By encouraging visitors to make their own history and witness the step-by-step procedures behind the festivals, foods and decorations that make up Cantonese culture, they open themselves up to more fully appreciate the generations of work behind favourite parts of Hong Kong tradition.
Text and Photos by Victoria Mae Martyn
