Kam Tin

Kam Tin (zh-t|t=錦田), or Kam Tin Heung (錦田鄉), is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It is at the north of Tai Mo Shan and east of Yuen Long. It was formerly known as Sham Tin (岑田).

Many of Kam Tin's residents are from the Tang Clan, who are of the Punti culture, not Hakka as is often misattributed. Kat Hing Wai, is the most famous walled settlement located in Kam Tin. It is a compact village comprised mainly of narrow row-houses and temples separated by small winding alleys. The wall was erected to fend off pirates and bandits who were common in the area in the last millennium.

There is also the Yi Tai study hall in Kam Tin. It was built by the Tangs for the local students to study for the Chinese civil servants qualifications. It also houses a temple to the god of study, Man Cheung.

History

Kam Tin is the origin of the biggest indigenous Tang Clan (鄧) in Hong Kong. The ancestor of indigenous Tang, Tang Hon Fat (鄧漢黻) settled his family from Jiangxi to Sham Tin in 973.

During the reign of Shen Chung (1572 - 1620) of Ming dynasty, Sham Tin was renamed Kam Tin.

Further reading

*Lee Ho Yin and Lynne D. DiStefano, "A Tale of Two Villages: The Story of Changing Village Life in the New Territories" (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press), 2002.