How one Hong Kong village has adapted a rural lifestyle for the 21st century

Karim Rushdy and Nicholas Gordon say the improbable revitalisation of a village in northeastern Hong Kong should serve as a role model to preserve our rural culture – by making village life economically viable

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Karim RushdyandNicholas Gordon

Published: 3:19pm, 12 Aug 2016Updated: 12:03pm, 15 Aug 2016

Villages must continue to be a vital part of Hong Kong, but in a way that preserves their rural heritage and potential for sustainable economic models. Illustration: Craig Stephens

It may be hard to talk about anywhere in Hong Kong being in the “middle of nowhere”, but Lai Chi Wo village would probably come pretty close. Nestled within Plover Cove Country Park, and next to the Yan Chau Tong Marine Park, it is over an hour’s walking distance from the nearest major road.

And yet the village is lively. Farmers are seeding the surrounding fields with rice. Villagers are hawking handicrafts and snacks. And, finally, there are bemused and interested people from the city, exploring Lai Chi Wo’s heritage and even, perhaps, helping to farm the fields. The village has even been featured in the most recent Lonely Planet guide for Hong Kong. Given its relative remoteness, Lai Chi Wo’s success is heartening.

But the village’s success is the exception, rather than the norm. Hong Kong’s villages are fading – and unless the city acts quickly, an integral part of our heritage could be lost forever. The villages were here long before Hong Kong exploded as an international port and financial centre, and are a link back to the region’s rural heritage.

Women of Lai Chi Wo gather together in this photo taken in 1972. Hong Kong villages are a link back to the region’s rural heritage. Photo: SCMP Pictures

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Villages help Hong Kong in numerous ways, and so should be preserved. First, villages remind city-dwellers of the systems and structures that provide their food – and the privileges that come from living in urban areas where utilities and services are easy to come by.