Jockey Club Tak Wah Park
This is the site of the former Hoi Pa Village, which was cleared in the 1980s to make way for the present park. Hoi Pai Village, literally "the village upon the seawall," was a mixed lineage village. It was inhabited by the Hakkas who settled here probably in response to the call for resettlement of the coastal areas after the Qing government rescinded the Evacuation Order of the 17th century.
The park features trees, ponds, bridges and paths between them. It is completely surrounded by a brick wall, originally protecting Hoi Pai village. A small oasis in busy Tsuen Wan, quiet thanks to the walls keeping most of the city noises out.
The park also features two historical buildings, that belonged to the old village:
Chan Yi Cheung Ancestral Hall, constructed to commemorate Chan Yi Cheung, the 27th generation ancestor of the Chan clan in Tsuen Wan. He led his people moving to the current Tsuen Wan area during the reign of the Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795). This building was constructed in 1876, and underwent renovation in 1909. Built of mud bricks red bricks and green bricks, the building reflected the humble condition of the Chan clan at the time of construction. The latest major renovation of the building took place in 2005.
The Hoi Pa village Old House, a traditional Chinese vernacular dwelling built in 1904 and declared a historical building in 1986. It now houses the Tsuen Wan Environmental Resource Centre.
Mr Yau Yuen-cheung (1865-1937), the owner of the Old House, was a learned scholar in the village who sat for the Imperial Examination in the Qing dynasty. In 1885, Mr Yau went to work in Jamaica, Africa. He came back to settle in Hong Kong afterwards and decided to build the Old House at Hoi Pa Village, Tsuen Wan.
The three-bay Old House is an example of vernacular architecture with two halls and an open courtyard in between. There is a forecourt in front of the building. In the main hall, characters which literally mean "hundred suns and thousand grandsons" is preserved. The walls of the building are built of rammed earth and green bricks, and the tiled pitched roof is constructed with traditional timber structure. Exquisite stucco mouldings and murals can be found on the front elevation of the building. The brick stove in the kitchen and the pestle and mortar in the left side-room are preserved to reflect the life of the old days.
When the village was cleared for construction of the park, the Old House was preserved in-situ. Restorations were completed in 1987. The building has been used as the Tsuen Wan Environmental Resource Centre since 1997. It was declared a monument on 25 July 1986.
Opening hours:, from 6:30 to 23:00 daily.
The cache is a square 400 ml transparent container, containing a log book and various small trade items. Please be stealthy, and re-hide carefully to prevent the cache from being muggled.
After visiting this park you are recommended to visit nearby Sam Tung Uk Museum, which is basically a mostly preserved walled village. See also the Wikipedia entry and the related multi-cache GC4JHE2.