Architectural heritage

Liu Man Shek Tong, located between the Mun Hau Tsuen and Chung Sum Tsuen inside Sheung Shui Heung, is the largest ancestral hall of the Liu clan settled in Sheung Shui. It was built during the Qing Dynasty (1751), and has a history of more than 300 years. Legend has it that the ancestors of the Liu’s, Liu Gong and his four sons, were appointed as officers during the Northern Song Dynasty, each with a salary of 2000 shek (the unit of currency in Ching Dynasty). The family made 10000 shek in total, the ancestral hall therefore was named as Liu Man Shek Tong for commemoration as “Man” means ten thousand in Chinese. In order to advocate education and cultivate the talented, the Liu Man Shek Tong was transformed into Fung Kai Primary School during 1932 - 1974. The hall was renovated in 1984 and 1994, and declared as a monument in 1985.

Liu Man Shek Tong is one of the few architectures in Hong Kong that still retain the three-hall-two-courtyard arrangement. The building is richly decorated, with plaster mouldings, wood carvings, frescoes and clay sculptures of traditional auspicious motifs. The first hall is the “front hall”, with a relatively low foundation for welcoming guests and storing odds and ends. In the centre of the front hall is a "Dong Chuen" consisting of a pair of doors with high lintels to protect the privacy of the temple, which was opened only when the guest of honour is visiting. The second hall, the “lobby”, is a place for meeting, celebrating and feasting, where decorated with a wooden board inscribed “Chak Min Man Shek”, the continuous grace of the Liu clan. The inner room with four upright columns is called the “Ming Gaan”. Murals and poems were painted on the ceiling of the lobby. The third hall with the highest foundation is called the “back hall” where the altar enshrined the ancestral tables is located. The two wings are “Pui Yin Temple” and “Pui Heung Temple” where worshiping the ancestors with fame and glory and the people who built the temples.

Nowadays, the Liu family still has a variety of traditional events in Liu Man Shek Tong, such as the lighting lanterns event every year, the Spring and Autumn Ancestral Worship, and so on. This temple filled with historical value allows us to trace the scenery of the surrounding village back to the past.