Enquiry Question: How do we find the imprints related to the
historical development of Hong Kong region?
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Part 1: Major groups and great clans in Hong Kong
Pre-lesson Preparation
Key Terms Meaning
four major groups
Cantonese
Hakkas
Fuklos
boat people
five great clans
walled village
ancestral hall
ancestral worship
dialect
Activity 1 Exploring Hong Kong history through the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb
Source A-Interior of the Tomb
1. As shown in source A, the Han Tomb at Lei Cheng Uk was built with _____________. Source
A is a _______________ and __________________ source.
2. Explain how Source A help you to understand ancient Hong Kong.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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A. History of early Hong Kong region
The history and cultural origins of Hong Kong region were closely related to those of the
mainland. In 214 BC, Hong Kong was under ____Panyu Xian__________ of Nanhai County
during the ____Qin dynasty_______. Since then, Hong Kong has always been part of
__China__.
During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, many people from the mainland moved to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong became more prosperous. In the late __Ming dynasty__, the name '__Hong
Kong____appeared for the first time.
According to historians, at that time, __Dongguan _ was famous for growing __incense
trees___. The incense wood collected from these trees was sent to Shek Pai Wan on Hong
Kong Island, which was a trading centre for incense products. Thus, this area was named
'Hong Kong' (fragrant harbour).
During the early Qing dynasty, Hong Kong only meant present-day ___Abierdeen___. Later,
Hong Kong became the name of the whole region.
B. Four major groups in early Hong Kong and their lifestyles
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1.Hakkas
2.Cantonese
3.Fuklos
Activity 2
Please complete the following table during the presentation of your classmates.
The Cantonese/ The Fuklos/ The Tankas/
The Hakkas
Puntis Hoklos Boat people
When did Song Dynasty Mid-17th Century 11th Century Not known
they first
settle in
Hong
Kong?
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Where did Guangdong and Mainland China Funjian Their ancestors were
they come Guangxi perhaps the
from? aborigines in
southern China, as a
branch of the ancient
Yue People.
Dialect Cantonese Cantonese Chinese Dialect Cantonese Dialect
Standard Chinese
Occupation Farmers Farmers Fishermen or seamen Fishermen or
& Place of seamen
living New Territories They lived and They lived on boats.
farmed on the They lived on boats.
hillsides
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More about the Cantonese
1. Five great clans in the New Territories
• The family names of the five great clans are __Tangs__, ___Hau_____, ___Pangs__, ___Liu____
and ____Man___. All of them are ___Cantonese___, and they speak
______Cantonese______. They have been settling in Hong Kong since the Song dynasty.
Five great clans in the New Territories
Clan Ancestor Time and regions of settlement
Tang Tang Hon Fat They settled in Kam Tin during the Northern Song dynasty.
Their later generations moved to Lung Yeuk Tau, Ping
Shan, Ha Tsuen and Tai Po Tau.
Hau Hau Ng Long They settled in Ho Sheung Heung of Sheung Shui during
the Northern Song dynasty.
Pang Pang Kwai Kung They settled in Lung Shan of Fanling during the Southern
Song dynasty.
Liu Liu Chong Kit They moved to Tuen Mun during the Yuan dynasty, later
settled in Sheung Shui.
Man Man Mang Sheung They settled in Tai Po and San Tin during the Yuan
dynasty.
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2. Living environment
2.1 Walled villages
• In the late Ming and early Qing times, _Pirates__ often came ashore and robbed the people.
For ___protection_______, the Puntis belonging to the same clan usually lived together in
walled villages.
🡺 A walled village is surrounded by _____tall brick wall_____.
🡺 There is a ____wooden or an iron gate______ at the entrance.
🡺 Sometimes, it is even surrounded by a ___moat___.
• Today, some walled villages are still standing in the New Territories, such as Kat Hing Wai in
Kam Tin and San Wai in Fanling.
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2.2 Ancestral halls
• The clans in the New Territories built their own ancestral halls to show great ___respect___
for ancestors.
• Clan members placed the ___soul tabelets____ (靈位) of ancestors in the ancestral hall and
worshipped them regularly. The ancestral hall was also a place for ceremonies, festivals and
meetings. Sometimes, it was a __a study hall___ as well.
• Among the oldest ancestral halls, the Tang Ancestral Hall in Ping Shan and the Man Lun
Fung Ancestral Hall in San Tin are still standing.
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Activity 3
How much do you know about traditional architecture like ancestral halls? Two ancestral hall
layouts are shown below. Study them carefully and answer the questions.
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1. According to the diagrams, what kind of design did the two ancestral halls have?
The ancestral hall in picture A has a□ three-hall, two-courtyard design (三進式).
□ two-hall, one-courtyard design (兩進式).
The ancestral hall in picture B has a □ three-hall, two-courtyard design (三進式).
□ two-hall, one-courtyard design (兩進式).
2. An ancestral hall is used for ancestral worship. In which part of the hall can you find the
soul tablets? Where do you think the soul tablets will be placed (take the ancestral hall in
Figure A as an example)? Explain your answer. (Hint: Imagine being in a ancestral hall
yourself, what atmosphere should the hall have?)
The soul tablets are usually placed in the main hall. By placing in the deepest part of the
ancestral hall, it demonstrates respect for ancestors.
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3. Choose one of the following for roof design of an ancestral hall. Why do you choose it?
2.3 Study halls
• To nurture talents, the richer clans in the New Territories built study halls for the education of
their __boys____. They wanted their boys to pass the __eivin service examinations___and
become officials.
• A clan member who passed the examination brought great __honour__to the whole clan.
● A study hall usually stood on its own. Sometimes, an ancestral hall was used as a study hall,
such as the Liu Man Shek Tong Ancestral Hall built by the Lius in Sheung Shui.
● Others like Kang Yung Shu Uk (built by the Lees in Sha Tau Kok), Yi Tai Study Hall (built
by the Tangs in Kam Tin), King Law Ka Shuk (build by the Tangs in Tai Po Tau) are now
declared monuments.
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Activity 4
Can you identify the differences between the education system of 19th century Hong Kong and
that of today? Complete the table below.
Rural education in the 19th century
Present-day education
1. At what age did children go to school?
✔ All children must receive twelve years of
✔ At the age of 7-9. Most children in __Compulsory education______. Children
must be enrolled in _Kindergarten___ from
rural schools could only receive an
the age of 3, and elementary education
average of three years of education.
starts at the age of 6.
2. How many students were there in a class and in a school?
✔ In a school: ___30______
✔ Usually one class in a school
✔ In a class: ___40_______. The total number
✔ In a class: 10-30 of students in a school can reach more than
1,000.
3. How many teachers were there?
✔ One teacher in a school ✔ Around __50________
4. How were classes divided? Was there a timetable?
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✔ No class division, students of
✔ There is ______class division_____, and
different ages attended classes
together. students enter different classes according to
their age.
✔ No timetable, The end of class time ✔ There is a __fixed________ class
was different for everyone, and it timetable, and students will attend about 8
depended on everyone's learning to 10 classes a day.
progress
5. What did the children study?
✔ The purpose of education was to
help children learn how to read and
write.
✔ Everyone had to study The classics ✔ It includes a broad range of subjects, such as
(古文). Textbooks included Three ___Chinese, English, Mathematics, History,
Character Classic (三字經), Art,Sports,etc.__
Hundred Family Surnames (百家姓)
, Thousand Character Classic (千字
文) and Four Books and the Five
Classics (四書五經).
6. What was the teaching method?
✔ Pupils were divided into three groups.
✔ Different teachers are responsible for
They took turns to practise
different subjects. __Students are taught
calligraphy (書法), recite passages by
together.__________ .
themselves and learn new passages.
7. What kind of fees did students pay?
✔ Education fees are low, but students
must bring their own desks and
chairs. ✔ The government provides ______12 years
of free education______ for primary
✔ The tuition was paid to the teacher, and secondary one to six students.
and it could also be replaced by
items (such as rice).
Through the above comparison, would you like to study in traditional rural schools or in today's
schools? Explain your answer.
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______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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3 Beliefs and customs
3.1 Ancestral worship
• The great clans even had their own ancestral halls. They held big ancestral worship
ceremonies in the halls regularly to remember their ancestors.
3.2 Gods and spirits
• People also worshipped _______________ gods and spirits, such as the Jade Emperor, the
Buddha, Kwun Yam, Kwan Tai, Lui Cho and Wong Tai Sin.
• People often paid _______________________to say prayers and ask for the gods'
_______________________protection. This is called _______________.
• Today, people in the New Territories still have dajiao regularly.
3.3 Traditional festivals
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• The Cantonese valued traditional Chinese festivals, such as the Chinese New Year,
Mid-Autumn Festival, etc.
• Among all the festivals, the ______________________________ was the most important
one.
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Activity 5
As time passes, Hong Kong’s traditional rural areas are gradually disappearing. Many aborigines
of the New Territories have moved to the urban areas. At the same time, both the government
and the developers have plans to redevelop the New Territories to meet the social and economic
needs.
How would you feel if you were one of the aborigines? Complete the proposal below by
expressing your opinion on keeping the farmland, old architectures, customs and traditions of
walled villages.
Proposal
Choice Opinion
1. Keeping farmlands. For／Against
Reason:
2. Keeping the old structures of walled For／Against
villages, such as ancestral halls, study Reason:
halls and tall defensive walls.
3. Keeping the traditional customs of the For／Against
walled villages, such as ancestral Reason:
worship.
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Part 2: Understanding the life of local residents
through Hong Kong’s intangible cultural heritage
Pre-lesson Preparation
What local intangible cultural heritage do we usually encounter in our daily life?
Key Terms Meaning
cultural heritage
intangible cultural heritage
plague
Cheung Chau Jiao Festival
Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance
Chiu Chow Yu Lan Ghost Festival
Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade
Activity 6
Answer the questions according to the following source.
Source A Source B
Source C
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1. Observe the above photos related to Hong Kong traditional festivals and complete the table
below.
Name of the festival Festive activities (give two examples)
Source A
Source B
Source C
2. Which of the above Hong Kong traditional festivals do you like the most? Explain your
choice.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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A What is intangible cultural heritage?
• Cultural heritage refers to _______________________ kept by a local community. Intangible
cultural heritage includes traditional customs, festivals, songs, techniques, etc.
• In 2003, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation passed the
Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in order to protect
various cultural traditions of individual nations.
• Intangible cultural heritage is passed through generations. Not only does it unite the
communities, but also reflect the unique culture of a place.
B Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory of Hong Kong
• In June 2014, the Hong Kong government released the Intangible Cultural Heritage
Inventory of Hong Kong with 480 items included as the basis for protection measures.
Examples of Hong Kong intangible cultural heritage
● Lion dance ● Cantonese ● Cheung Chau
● Dragon dance ● Hakka dialect ● Jiao Festival
● Puppetry (木 ● Riddles (謎語) ● Yu Lan Festival
偶戲) ● Oral legends of ● Traditional funeral rites
● Cantonese lineages (宗族) ● Tin Hau Festival
opera (粵劇)
Knowledge and practices concerning nature and Traditional craftsmanship
the universe
● Herbal tea(涼茶) ● Chinese dim sum making
● Bone setting (跌打) ● Moon cake making
● Jade stone knowledge ● Flower board crafting
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● Traditional Chinese Calendar ● Bamboo shed theatre building
Case Study-Cheung Chau Jiao Festival
• Also known as the _______________________, the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival is an
example of _______________ , which is a Hong Kong traditional religious custom. It aims at
cleansing the community and praying for peace and health.
● In the fourth lunar month every year, the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival is celebrated for three
days, of which the last day is the day of the festival.
● Since 2001, the day of the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival has been fixed on the 8th day of the
fourth lunar month, which is also the Birthday of the Buddha holiday.
1 Origins
• According to _______________, the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival began 200 years ago.
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● A _______________ broke out in Cheung Chau at that time and killed many.
● To stop the plague, the local people prayed to _______________. Receiving instructions, they
set an altar to release the wandering souls, as well as inviting gods to parade through streets.
● Thereafter, Cheung Chau people would fast to worship the gods during the fourth and fifth
lunar months, and the custom lasts till today.
Activity 7
The following picture and video are related to a festival for the people of Cheung Chau. Study
them and answer the following questions.
Source A Source B
1. What is this festival?
______________________________________________________________________________
2. Why do people hold this festival?
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Look at the three towers in Source A. What are they made of?
______________________________________________________________________________
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4. Name 3 festive activities of this festival.
______________________________________________________________________________
(Enhancement) Do you think people should keep this festival? Explain with two reasons.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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