First documented during the Great Clearance of Xin’an County in 1661, Man Yee Wan and Sha Tsui villages were originally located eight kilometres east of Sai Kung town. After the Qing Dynasty’s Kangxi Emperor ordered the evacuation of the entire coast, over 16,000 people were driven from their homes leaving the villages derelict.
Once the order was lifted in 1669, Hakka families came to Hong Kong and began establishing new homes on the fallow land. The villages were home to several clans, which lived together in interconnected houses. Man Yee Wan revolved around temples dedicated to Tin Hau, the goddess of the sea, and Tai Wong Yeh, the patron saint of fishermen, while Sha Tsui Village was Catholic with a church.
The villages remained unharmed into the mid-20th century, even after the British leased the New Territories. But in 1950, many of the original inhabitants left, finding work abroad.
After World War Two, many migrants came to the city, putting a strain on the city’s water supply. By 1960 Hong Kong’s reservoirs began to dry up, causing a water rationing scheme for Hong Kong’s residents.
The government began planning more reservoirs, looking at areas including Shek Pik on Lantau, Plover Cove in Tai Po and Man Yee Wan in Sai Kung.
Construction on the High Island Reservoir began in 1970 and the historic Man Yee Wan and Sha Tsui villages were flooded in 1978. The reminding villagers were moved to new accommodation on reclaimed land in front of the Town’s Tin Hau Temple.
Remnants of these villages can be found at the Man Yee Wan Village Recreation Centre, with an exhibition featuring photos, furniture, ceremonial artefacts and everyday objects, showcasing the lives of two villages now lost underwater.
How to get there: Take bus 92 or minibus 1A to Sai Kung Bus Terminus and walk along Man Nin Street
Feature image courtesy of Chichuen Wong
