History of Yung Shue Ha Village ( 2015/03/16 )
We have recently received an article from an indigenous villager providing additional insights on Lamma history. We sincerely express our gratitude and extract part of the content here. The original article is written in Chinese, you may view the full article here.
Extract:
Yung Shue Ha Old Village in Lamma has a settlement history dating back to Qing Dynasty, more than 370 years from now. The Chow Family settled and started farming and livestock raising there and the peak population had reached more than 300. When the Chows built their village in the area, the Yaos were also wanted to settle there. They designated the boundary between the two villages with carving on a rock. However, the Chows would not tolerate another clan in the area and the Yaos were eventually forced to move out to Luk Chau Tsuen.
With only one transportation mode to outside Lamma, villagers had to walk at least 30 minutes to the pier, thence to HK Island. Due to the inconvenience, many villagers chose to move out of the village to live in the urban area leaving mainly elderly and retired people behind. Due to lack of maintenance, the original village buildings crumbled leaving only relics to mark their once presence. .
Our thought:
Thanks to Mr. Chow’s article which let us know more about the history of Southern Lamma. BoL actually proposes, as part of the proposed development, restoration of the Yung Shue Ha Old village to its original layout and appearance to serve as a Visitors’ Centre to display Lamma’s 5,000 years of settlement history and way of living of the early settlers, including restoration of the abandoned farmland in front of the village for agricultural purposes. The Visitors Centre will also serve as a basis for eco-education and exploration/research of the ecological systems on southern part of Lamma Island.
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