Kat Hing Wai 2.19

Kat Hing Wai is a well known Punti walled village in the Yuen Long District of Hong Kong. It is often mistakenly believed to be Hakka, whose people have similar traditions. However the Punti people were from Southern China and the first to settle in Hong Kong. Kat Hing Wai's residents speak the Weitou dialect, a Yue dialect, rather than Hakka. Popularly known as Kam Tin, from the name of the area, the village is home to about 400 descendants of the Tang Clan, one of the "Five Great Clans" of the territory that built the village in the 17th century. Three other walled villages, Wing Lung Wai, Tai Hong Wai, and Kam Hing Wai are located nearby and were built around the same time.HistoryKat Hing Wai was established during the reign of the Ming Chenghua Emperor (r. 1464–1487). The walls enclosing Kat Hing Wai were built by Tang Chue-yin and Tang Chik-kin in the early years of the Kangxi reign (1661–1722) of the Qing dynasty.In April 1899, the residents of Kam Tin rebelled against British Colonial rule. They defended themselves in Kat Hing Wai. After several unsuccessful attacks by British troops, the iron gates were blasted open. The gates were then shipped to London for exhibition. Following demands from the Tang Clan in 1924, the gate was eventually returned in 1925 by the 16th governor, Sir Reginald Stubbs.