Hong Kong Sam Tung Uk Museum

Hong Kong Sam Tung Uk Museum

The Hong Kong Sam Tung Uk Museum is a patriotic education base.

The Sam Tung Uk Museum is a branch of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, located at No. 2 Kwu Uk Lane in Tsuen Wan, New Territories, near Tsuen Wan Station. It is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and offers free admission year-round. In 1981, the Hong Kong government declared Sam Tung Uk a statutory monument, and renovation work was completed in 1987, adding museum facilities for public free visits. The museum site covers approximately 2,000 square meters. In 1990, it was awarded the "Pacific Heritage Award" by the Pacific Asia Travel Association.

Originally one of the oldest walled villages in Hong Kong, Sam Tung Uk was established around the mid-18th century, in the 51st year of the Qianlong Emperor’s reign during the Qing Dynasty (1786), by a branch of the Chen family from Guangdong. The Chen clan were Hakka people. Despite enduring over a century of history, Sam Tung Uk has been well preserved. In the 1970s, due to the construction of the Tsuen Wan Line of the Hong Kong MTR, the villagers relocated away from the original site. In 1987, after restoration by the then Regional Council, the site of the former Sam Tung Uk village was converted into the Sam Tung Uk Museum and opened to the public.

Architectural Features

The Sam Tung Uk Museum is actually a Hakka village enclosed by protective walls. It consists of interconnected main halls, which serve as the living core of the village. The name “Sam Tung Uk,” meaning “Three Beam House,” comes from the fact that the structure is supported by three main beams. The ancestral hall is situated at the front of the house and is elaborately decorated, with its ornamentation restored to vibrant colors resembling the original appearance. The other two halls are more rustic and natural, serving as centers for the daily lives of the simple villagers.

The architectural style of Sam Tung Uk is unique and serves as a model for walled villages in the New Territories. The village is rectangular in shape, resembling a chessboard with symmetrical layout. Along the central axis are the front hall, middle hall, and ancestral hall, flanked by four independent living quarters, while the side and rear wing rooms enclose the entire village. This architectural feature reflects the Hakka people’s emphasis on clan heritage.

The museum displays farming tools, furniture, kitchen utensils, and various household items from the period for visitors to explore. Outside the house, there is a fish pond, a threshing ground, and a gatehouse that once guarded the entire village. It authentically portrays the old rural life of southern China.

With its long history and distinctive architecture laid out in a chessboard pattern—symmetrical along a central axis featuring the front hall, middle hall, and ancestral hall, with four independent living spaces and enclosing wing rooms—the meticulous restoration of Sam Tung Uk earned it the prestigious "Pacific Heritage Award" from the Pacific Asia Travel Association in 1990.

Transportation Guide

Location: No. 2 Kwu Uk Lane, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong.

How to get there: Exit from C or E at Tsuen Wan MTR Station, then follow signage to No. 2 Kwu Uk Lane.