Residents of historic Hong Kong village run out of options as eviction looms

Tin Sam Tsuen in northern Hong Kong, marked by small houses built with bricks in a traditional colour and an ancestral hall with green and white walls, has been home to generations of residents for hundreds of years. From traditional rituals to celebrate newborns to flowing banquets during festive occasions, the village of about 50 households in far-flung Hung Shui Kiu holds many memories for its residents. Villagers would come together, moving in and out of the clan hall to share meals laid out across 20 to 30 tables. Chan Ho-yee, who is in her forties, has been living in a house built by her late father since she was born. She said the Chan clan had been settled in the village for more than 360 years. “In the past, during Chinese New Year, all neighbours would visit our grandfather here at our ancestral house,” she recalled. “When one of our uncles got married, we cooked poon choi here and held a flowing banquet for three days,” said Chan, referring to a traditional Cantonese festive meal composed of many layers of ingredients – often including prawns, scallops and abalone – in one large bowl. But the houses dating back to the Qing dynasty, along with the ancient wells and the clan’s ancestral altar, may soon be levelled by bulldozers to make way for modern towers, as the government pursues its vision of building a services and logistics hub. Residents told the South China Morning Post that they were anxious about the move as the government had not set a clear final deadline, while some also remained hopeful that the entire village could be relocated nearby. Tin Sam Tsuen falls within the government’s proposed Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area, which has since become part of its Northern Metropolis. The megaproject aims to turn 30,000 hectares (74,132 acres) of land bordering mainland China into a technology and housing hub. Chan, who lives with her 80-year-old mother, said residents had been trying to engage the government over compensation plans since 2015, when they first learned their village was included in the redevelopment plan. Their demands included allocating an idle plot near the village for their resettlement, an option authorities had rejected. The government instead offered land in Kai Pak Ling in Lau Fau Shan – in the northwestern New Territories near the border with the mainland – a location residents considered too remote. Authorities also proposed a site at Nai Wai in Tuen Mun, which Chan said would be surrounded by bus stops and exposed to an exhaust vent. “We have been saying that since there are idle lots near the village, we want to be resettled here, so that we indigenous residents can maintain our traditional lifestyle and our connections,” she said. “We are not just neighbours, but also family members. Forcing us off the land would terminate our connections.” Homeowners were also given the option of monetary compensation, but Chan said the offer of about HK$7 million (US$893,980) was 30 to 40 per cent lower than market rates, which was unacceptable. According to Lands Department guidelines, such compensation is calculated on the market value of the structure in addition to a home purchase allowance, which is calculated as the difference between a property’s market value and the notional price of a seven-year-old property of a similar size. Villagers raised the issue with the Chief Executive’s Office, which referred their case to the department. But before the department replied, the villagers received what they described as threats of eviction. Under the government’s earlier plan, the land was supposed to be taken over by authorities on August 9, 2025. Chan Ho-yee said she first learned about the department’s eviction plan on May 7. She and other residents repeatedly called government departments to complain about the short notice, and it was not until 6pm on May 11 that they were informed the operation would be postponed. However, the department declined to provide a firm deadline to avoid giving “false hope”. Despite the reprieve, villagers rushed to pack their belongings in case they were forced to leave at any moment, Chan said. Her elder brother removed their ancestors’ altar overnight after learning of the impending eviction. “We are traditional and would not easily move altars, and even if we do so, we would have to choose an appropriate day,” she said. “But we have no choice. Our house could be torn down at any moment. We have to remove it first before someone storms in and damages it.” Chan hoped the government would at least extend the deadline for moving, so she could settle her properties and take care of her mother. “I have been working hard and paying taxes on time. Why should my properties suddenly be taken away, and why should I have to move into a temporary shelter?” she said. Tenants in the village were also facing difficulties. Tsui Su-ying, 70, said the Lands Department called her on April 15, telling her to move out by April 28. She said she would be out of town and could only return on May 3, and asked for an extension. “They said they would evict me as planned. When I came back, I found my home locked, and the water and power supplies cut,” she said. Now Tsui, who has lived in the village for four decades, can only stay at her daughter’s home, returning every day to retrieve her belongings. In response to inquiries from the South China Morning Post, the Development Bureau said that it had told residents in September 2024 to move out by that December. Then in April last year other residents were told to prepare for a deadline the following July, but the date was extended to this May at its discretion. “The Lands Department had also reached out to individual households through in-person visits or phone calls to discuss compensation and relocation matters in early 2024,” the bureau said, adding that compensation offered to affected residents was “ex-gratia” and usually more than statutory ones. The bureau also said that Chan’s village fell under Tin Sam San Tsuen, which was not considered indigenous by authorities.

Residents of historic Hong Kong village run out of options as eviction looms

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Tin Sam Tsuen set to be levelled to make way for Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area as part of Northern Metropolis megaproject

Tin Sam Tsuen set to be levelled to make way for Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area as part of Northern Metropolis megaproject