Heritage exploration project connects primary schoolers with community
Despite multiple refurbishments, Lo Wai (In Chinese, Lo means “old” and Wai means “walled village”) has the most intact walls among all the walled villages in Lung Yeuk Tau. Catky Lam Ka-yi explains to the primary school students how villagers stationed themselves at the entry tower and on the fortified walls to defend themselves.
Joyce Chin Yuet-shan explains the meaning of the couplet “永承吉水，寧住龍山” at the entrance of the Wing Ning Wai (永寧圍). In Chinese, Wing Ning means “peaceful forever”, while Wai means “walled village”.
Fiona Chan Wing-sum explains the architectural features of the Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall (松嶺鄧公祠). It is the main ancestral hall of the Tang clan residing in Lung Yeuk Tau and one of the biggest ancestral halls in Hong Kong.
Andy Chan Kwun-wai shares the history of the Fanling Tsung Kyam Church with the students. The church, which reached out to Hakkas of Fanling in the past, is now part of the Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail.
On a sunny day in March, five EdUHK students from the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Sociology and Community Studies (BSocSc(SCS)) programme led 18 pupils from a primary school in Queen’s Hill to the Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail near the school, turning the outdoor space into an interactive classroom where they discussed the architectural features of the walled villages and other historical buildings along the trail and shared legends about the Tang clan who has populated these villages for almost one thousand years. During the one-hour walk, the participating primary school students were able to unearth many new secrets within the heritage trail and get a glimpse of Hong Kong’s past. The exploration provided more than just a learning experience as it also deepened the connection between the children and the Queen’s Hill and Lung Yeuk Tau community in Fanling.
The learning tour took up one session in the Lung Yeuk Tau Community Connection Project – the five-month long capstone project implemented jointly by five EdUHK students as their final-year assignment. “As part of graduation requirements for the BSocSc(SCS) programme, we must design and execute a community-based project that applies knowledge we have learnt from classroom,” Joyce Chin Yuet-shan explained. Joyce’s capstone project has four other members: Kelly Kwan Wai-lam, Fiona Chan Wing-sum, Catky Lam Ka-yi and Andy Chan Kwun-wai. The Salvation Army Centaline Charity Fund Queen’s Hill School (Queen’s Hill School or the school), which opened in 2021, is the local partner of the community project.
“From February through June, our students have taken on the role of mentors to organise community-based learning activities for primary school students from Queen’s Hill School. These activities include leading them on a day trip to Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail and delivering lessons to help the primary school students to gain a better understanding of the Queen’s Hill community. Under the guidance of our students, the primary schoolers were able to express their experience through artwork. They were able to relate more strongly with the community through these experiences and activities,” said Professor Stephen Chiu Wing-kai, Chair Professor of Sociology, Associate Dean (International Engagement) of FLASS, and BSocSc(SCS)’s programme leader.
Though it is a relatively new development area in the North District, Queen’s Hill is very rich in historical and cultural heritage. Some of the residential developments in the area were built on the site of the former Queen’s Hill Barracks. Original settlements along the 2.6km-long Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail can date back as early as the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279). The picturesque Lau Shui Heung Reservoir is just 40 minutes away by foot from the main bus terminal. There is even an abandoned hexagonal-shaped Hindu temple on the small hill behind the housing estate. In Queen’s Hill, there is no lack of interesting things to explore.
Wu Min-pok is very excited about the exhibition. The 10-year-old school boy likes history and old buildings. Among all the historical architectures of Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail, he likes Lo Wai the most for its special architectural features.
Cecilia Shi Yu-tung likes the Queen Hill’s community for its many heritage sites and buildings, and clean air. She talks to Professor Stephen Chiu about the models of traditional foods the primary schoolers have made with light clay.
Students from the BSocSc(SCS) programme put in a lot of creativity in designing the exhibition. The exhibit in the photo is an interactive game managed by Catky Lam (centre). Through the game, visitors learn about the cultural meanings behind various kinds of traditional food. For instance, as lettuce (生菜) and making money (生財) are pronounced similarly in Cantonese, the village folks like eating lettuce during clan gatherings and family celebrations.
“I had heard of the heritage trail after moving into my new home in Queen’s Hill. I hadn’t had the opportunity to visit the trail, even though it had almost been a year since I moved here,” said Wu Min-pok, a primary four student of Queen’s Hill School. To Min-pok and other primary four students joining the project, the visit to the trail was one of the most anticipated parts of the project. While the site visit gave the schoolchildren an idea of the historical, cultural and geographical features of the heritage trail, to deepen their understanding, they needed to translate their field experiences into a more tangible result.
The final event was an exhibition showcasing the results of what they had learnt. Held on 30 June at their school, the exhibition was divided into two parts. The first part reflected the five major sites of the trail with videos and panels, while the second part highlighted the cultural tradition of the trail through artwork created by the school children. “I and my groupmates from EdUHK put a lot of creative ideas in the final exhibition. We guided the primary school students to discuss and record what they had observed during the tour. We then worked together to brainstorm and design the final exhibition. In the end, it wasn’t just a showcase of artworks and exhibition panels. There were games, quizzes, and a sharing corner too,” Joyce said.
Joyce and her classmates also coached the kids on how to present the architecture, cuisine, and traditional culture of the Lung Yeuk Tau Community to visitors. “I like history and old buildings. I am happy that Goh-go and Tse-tse [Cantonese words for elder males and females] from EdUHK took us to the heritage trail. Among all the historical architectures, I liked Lo Wai (the old walled village) the most. There are many stories about Lo Wai. For example, its entrance is narrow and there are gun embrasures on its walls. There are tiny holes in the wood windows of houses inside Lo Wai too. These special architectural designs are for defending against invaders,” Min-pok said during his exhibition panel.
I really like this community for the many heritage sites and new buildings, and for the clean air it has.
Min-pok, the 10-year-old school boy who had lived in Kwun Tong all his life before moving to Queen’s Hill last year, is not the only newcomer to the community. Cecilia Shi Yu-tung had lived in Tuen Mun since she was six. She moved to an new public estate near her school one year ago. “There is a small mountain behind my home where my mum often takes me for a stroll. This area is very special because of Lung Yeuk Tau. I attended several lessons where university students taught us things about the heritage trail before taking us to visit it in person. Among all heritages, Lo Wai, Fanling Tsung Kyam Church and Tiu Hau Temple were the most impressive. I really like this community for the many heritage sites and new buildings, and for the clean air it has,” the 10-year old girl said.
Fung Ka-hei thanks his mentor Kelly for teaching him many presentation skills. He is telling his fellow schoolmates stories about the heritage trail he learnt from EdUHK students.
Cheung Nga-ting thanks her mentor Joyce for teaching her how to present her 3-D map and model of Lung Yeuk Tau Trail. Students participating in the Lung Yeuk Tau project were required to create artworks related to the trail to demonstrate their learning outcomes for the exhibition.
Food is a vital part of any culture. Joyce Chin gives a refresher on the traditional cuisine of Lung Yeuk Tau to the primary schoolers acting as docents.
Kelly Kwan Wai-lam explains the history of the Tin Hau Temple, which is next to the Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall.
To facilitate interactions, primary school pupils were divided into five small groups each led by an EdUHK student, whether it was classroom learning, visiting the trail, or exhibition making. Arranging them into small groups not only facilitated learning, but created more intimate memories for the group members too. Cheung Nga-ting thanked her mentor Joyce for teaching her how to present the 3-D map and model of Lung Yeuk Tau trail. “Joyce Tse-tse taught me where to stop and where to stress my points during my presentation,” she said. Fung Ka-hei said his mentor Kelly taught him many skills related to being an effective docent. “Kelly Tse-tse told me that if I could not memorise information of the exhibits, I could look at the board to refresh my memory,” he said.
Mr Ho Yik-kiu, or “Ho-sir”, acted as the representative of Queen’s Hill School when it came to coordinating the Lung Yeuk Tau project. He was highly appreciative of the effort made by our students. “EdUHK students arranged a trail visit for our primary schoolers to obtain first-hand experience with it. Throughout the project, they taught the small children knowledge about the community, and helped them to prepare artworks for the exhibition. In small groups, the kids were more ready to ask questions and learn too. This is how community-based learning is different from classroom education,” Ho-sir said.
The final exhibition was packed with other primary four students from the school and their parents. The parents were pleased to see how much their kids had learnt from the project. They thanked our students for the guidance to their kids throughout the project. Kelly and her classmates were delighted to be able to interact with kids’ parents too. “The BSocSc(SCS) programme gave us many opportunities to interact with people from different communities. Before this Lung Yeuk Tau project, I conducted a study on ethnic minority women living in Tin Shui Wai. Through visits, talks and observations in the field, I gained a first-hand understanding of concepts like multi-culturalism, a diversity-sensitive approach, community participation and empowerment, and so forth. Most importantly, through these community-based studies, I could get to the bottom of what people are thinking about and what they need,” Kelly said.
Everyone gives a big smile in a group photo of all academic staff members and students from SSPS involved in the project, including Professor Stephen Chiu (front row, far right) and teaching staff and pupils from the primary school; including Mr Daniel Lo (second row, far left), former principal of school; and Mr Ho Yik-kiu (second row, second left), coordinator of the project.
A team photo of the Long Yeuk Tau Community Connection Project. From left to right: Mr Frankie Yeung Kin-man from the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies (SSPS), Professor Stephen Chiu Wing-kai, BSocSc(SCS)’s programme leader, Kelly Kwan Wai-lam, Joyce Chin Yuet-shan, Fiona Chan Wing-sum, Catky Lam Ka-yi, Andy Chan Kwun-wai, and Dr Benjamin Li Yuet-man from SSPS.
Mr Daniel Lo Yiu-kei, former principal of The Salvation Army Centaline Charity Fund Queen’s Hill School, takes up the challenge of answering quizzes related to the trail.
As a parent watches one of the exhibition panels, a student participating in the heritage exploration project explains to her the customs still practised by village people at Lung Yeuk Tau.
The Lung Yeuk Tau Project showed once again that the community—in this case consisting of historical sites, villagers, century-old folktales, and all the primary school students joining the project—is the best purpose-built classroom where students can connect what they have learnt at the University with what they observe on the ground. The different elements of the Lung Yeuk Tau community also provide strong foundations upon which primary school students can construct their own sense of identity and belonging.
For this, experiential learning in the community will continue to be the centerpiece of the programme.
Professor Chiu said, “This is the second year that the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies (SSPS)* has run the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Sociology and Community Studies (BSocSc(SCS)) programme. Community-based and experiential learning are two of the major draws of the programme. Running the programme for two years has strengthened our belief that the community itself is a big classroom. For this, experiential learning in the community will continue to be the centerpiece of the programme.”
Note:
* The Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Sociology and Community Studies (BSocSc(SCS)) programme was originally managed by the former Department of Social Sciences (SSC). It is now run by the newly formed Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies (SSPC) after SSC was merged with the Department of Asian and Policy Studies to form the new department in July.
