A once-deserted Hakka village in Hong Kong has opened to visitors as part of a two-weekend festival to create awareness about its history and way of life. The last two days of the Countryside Harvest Festival: Kuk Po ‘Sound-Sight-Taste Fusion’ Tour will be on January 25 and 26, 2025. During this time, attendees will get the chance to check out exhibitions, performances, and workshops at the 300-year-old Kuk Po Village, which is near Hong Kong’s border with Mainland China.
What is Kuk Po Village?
Kuk Po is located in the northeastern part of the New Territories near Sha Tau Kok — a restricted township near the border with Shenzhen that recently opened to tourists. It was once home to about 500 residents and the centre of the poultry and rice trade between Sha Tau Kok and Hong Kong. However, farming activities here came to a standstill once the Plover Cove Reservoir was built and the village was abandoned.
However, some structures in the area have been preserved such as the western-inspired Kai Choi School and Hip Tin Temple, which have been accorded Grade III historic building status. In 2021, the village and its surrounding areas were revitalised thanks to a government conservation project in collaboration with the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Polytechnic University. These efforts have resulted in a 90-year-old mansion and school being restored, and a 1.4km-long pathway being created between key locations like Kai Choi School, San Wai, Tin Sum, Hoi Ha, and the dam in Kuk Po.
What is at the Kuk Po festival?
One of the main attractions of the coming weekend is a Luminescence Unicorn Performance on January 26, during which Sha Tau Kok’s first luminous unicorn will dance through the village, starting at the Kai Choi School. World Harmonica Festival champion Gordon Lee and internationally renowned musician Vincent Liauw will perform together during the Countryside Melodies Outdoor Concert on both days. Visitors can also browse through local produce, speciality foods, and Hakka crafts at the Good Day Market.
While the coming weekend will be the last chance for non-residents to see certain performances, visitors can return to Kuk Po to see two exhibitions that will continue until February 16. The Kuk Po Art Exhibition – Find the Lights features more than 20 art installations that have been set up along the 1.4km pathway that are illuminated at night. The photography display for A Stroll through Kuk Po: The Beauty of Return is a showcase of the works of four photographers along the Kuk Po dam.
How to get to Kuk Po
Visitors must first apply for a permit to go to Sha Tau Kok. These free permits are valid for one day and are issued to a maximum of 2,300 individual tourists and 700 group tour members on weekends and public holidays. To get to the village, they can sign up for free ferry tickets between Sha Tau Kok and Kuk Po. Alternatively, they can board a green minibus from Fanling MTR Station (Exit C) to Luk Keng Terminus and embark on a one-hour-long walk along Bride’s Pool Road towards Kai Kuk Shue Ha, and onwards to Kuk Po.
For more information, visit the event’s official website.
Image credits: Countryside Harvest Festival: Kuk Po ‘Sound-Sight-Taste Fusion’ Tour