Hau Ku Shek Ancestral Hall

　　Hau Ku Shek Ancestral Hall is a traditional ancestral hall in Hong Kong, serving as a landmark building in Ho Sheung Heung, Sheung Shui, in the New Territories. It was built in the 27th year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty (1762) and has been a declared monument of Hong Kong since December 19, 2003.

　　The Hau Ku Shek Ancestral Hall is primarily used by villagers of Ho Sheung Heung for ancestor worship and traditional ceremonies, and also serves as a place for daily gatherings and discussions. Its roof ridges and gables are adorned with delicate decorations, while the beams and brackets inside the hall feature intricately carved auspicious patterns. The ancestral hall follows a three-hall, two-courtyard layout, consisting of a front hall, middle hall, rear hall, front courtyard, and rear courtyard. The middle hall houses an ancestral shrine dedicated to generations of forebears, while each side of the front courtyard features a wing room, with the right one functioning as a kitchen. The rear hall is a two-story structure that served as a school before the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong; the upper floor was used as a classroom, and the lower floor as the teacher’s living quarters.

　　The drum platforms and door frames at the front of the Hau Ku Shek Ancestral Hall are constructed from red sandstone, a precious material traditionally used in significant buildings. The roof ridges are decorated with exquisite stucco ornaments, and the carved auspicious motifs and folk tales on the dougongs, brackets, and tie beams—both inside and outside the building—are remarkably detailed and ornate.

　　Hau Ku Shek Ancestral Hall Must-visit reason: One of Hong Kong’s most renowned traditional ancestral halls