(Research/photo/translation: Edwin Hou 2002)

(Excerpt) Lying at the southern end of Stanley Main Street are eight, small connected houses of rather unique design. They are joined together as a whole unit, but local villagers call them the "Baat Gaan" (Cantonese, meaning eight units). Others simply call it Pak Kan "Village". It is said that in the 1930s when the government was planning to strengthen coastal defences by building the barracks at Stanley [Stanley Fort], chicken and pig farmers on the Wong Ma Kok Hill were compensated and resettled to these specially built houses. The uniform red-brick walls, tiled gable roofs, as well as the green wooden doors and windows, are all consistent with the old village style; The bonus of the shade and protection of the several old Fung Shui trees in front, plus the gentle sea breeze, provides additional charm that is rarely found in Hong Kong today.

Everything changes with time, however as most of the buildings have changed hands, or the houses have been leased . . . the roof tiles were covered with cement in the last major repair work and the window frames changed to aluminium. However, visitors can still enjoy the idyllic scene and atmosphere of the area.

Only recently has the site been identified and promoted in tourist information published by the HK Tourism Board. Since 2000, road signs and tourist maps of the Stanley Area published by the HKTB (note 1) and interactive TV programmes shown on the ground floor of the reconstructed Murray House include Pak Kan as one of the "Key Attractions".

Adjacent to Pak Kan, just a hundred steps away, are several other low-profile heritage sites are waiting for you to explore. By combining them, you can design your own mini heritage walk for studies and/or a family day exploration. Here are some recommendations:

1. The nearly 100-year old dock is still functioning and is used to repair fishing boats and Chinese style pleasure boats. How is it related to the development of Hong Kong?
2. Another few yards away, there is a public well. Locals still take water from it occasionally for watering plants and washing. The abandoned British style water pump may give you a hint as to its age. How is it related to the hydrology and water line of the hill and development of early Stanley?
3. The squatter area next to it is the only settlement of this style left in the whole of Stanley. It is actually one of three early settlements in Chek Chu.
4. The small Shui Tsein Temple (see separate page) is constructed on a rock beside the sea at neighbouring Pat Kan was built in the 18 century and dedicated to the water deity.

Foot-note:

1. To date , it is disappointing to note that there is still not any visitor info boards at this site to introduce such stylish relics with a history of nearly 3 quarters of a century (though a century may be argued as the benchmark). It leads the public to doubt the vision and enthusism of the government to promote tourism, heritage protection and civic education. It is even more funny to note that the sign boards hung up by the Leisure & Cultural Services Dept as well as the Southern District Council both rediculously label the area in front as the "Sun Pak Kan Sitting-out Area". Sun is the phonetic translation for the word "New". New for what ? Is it because merely the sitting-out area is newly renovated ? Tourist sign posts erected in 2000 by the HK Tourism Board, scattered around Stanley, once named the site rediculously as "Sun Pak Kan". Is the origin for such mystery generates from the Sitting-out Area signs, and people just blindly copy without consulting the locals ? Who knows ? It is lucky that the mistake was rectified after complaints from Stanley residents.
    
2. In March 2002, our web site is forced to become the only and first internet resources to research on the heritage of the Pak Kan area.

image taken from the reef in front of the Shui Tsein Temple, left side shows the century old dock and new sewage pumping station
dusk 2000/3/7