Beautiful Little Village

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By Stephen WAN

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Yung Shue Au Village is the "beautiful little village" in my heart.

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In early May 1962, I followed my parents from Guangzhou to my father's hometown, Yung Shue Au Village, in Sha Tau Kok, New Territories, Hong Kong.  It was a British colony then, and a Hakka village of the Wan clan.  At that time, the village had only one or two hundred villagers, but the environment was very peaceful, harmonious and beautiful.

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I had grown up in a big city.  The first time I stepped into my ancestral home, I felt an indescribable fear in my heart.  The red auspicious paper on the door lintel, the pair of door gods on the two doors, the frog croaking and dog barking at night, and the flickering light from the kerosene lamp that looked like a bean, all made me feel uneasy and out of place.  But now looking back, those were actually the unique charm of the countryside!  The quaint stone houses, the quiet country lanes, the charming natural scenery, and the interesting ponds and beaches, all made up a wonderful pastoral landscape painting.  Here, there was no hustle and bustle of the big city, nor the bustle of the commercial street, only tranquility, comfort, and the intoxicating banyan tree style.

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The dense banyan trees surrounded the village, and the fresh air had a hint of saltiness.  The place was quiet and beautiful, with flowers and trees set off against the blue sky and white clouds, and birds singing, a harmonious natural scene!

Due to various circumstances, we were forced to abandon the village in the 1990s.  Since then, the houses and buildings have fallen into ruin or collapsed, with no one to inhabit or maintain them.  The fields, once cultivated, are now overrun by weeds and trees.  The narrow paths that used to connect the village are blocked by mud and stones, with no one to clear them.  The water and electricity supply have been either cut off or contaminated, with no one to use or manage them.

Fortunately, in recent years, we have received the support of the villagers and their children who have moved to various parts of the world, and established the Yung Shue Au Village Management Committee, which has carried out the work of protecting and restoring the village, hoping that the "beautiful little village" in my heart can reappear in the world soonest.

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「美麗小村莊」很快能夠重現人間

"Beautiful little village" can reappear soonest.

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