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King Law Ka Shuk, the ancestral hall of the Tang clan in Tai Po, was today (Friday) gazetted a historical building under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance.

Situated at Tai Po Tau Tsuen, Tai Po, King Law Ka Shuk (King Law Family School) has served as the ancestral hall of the Tang clansmen in Tai Po Tau for over one hundred years.

The Tang clan, which originated from Kam Tin, Yuen Long, settled in Tai Po Tau in the 13th century and founded the walled village of Shui Wai. At the beginning of the 20th century, the construction of the Kowloon-Canton Railway running through the village split it into two halves - Shui Wai and Tai Po Tau Tsuen.

Like most historical buildings of this type, old written records are almost non-existent and the only source of information is the oral history passed down through the generations by the village elders.

Although the exact year of its construction cannot be ascertained, villagers believed it was built by the thirteenth generation Tang Yuen-wang in the Qing dynasty to commemorate his tenth generation ancestor Tang King-law, who was regarded as the first generation ancestor of Lau Kwong Tong (one of the lineages of the Tang clan in Tai Po Tau).

King Law Ka Shuk was once used as a study hall. Bok Bok Chai, the traditional teaching method emphasizing memorization of the Chinese classics and strict discipline, was practised in the study hall. In its heyday, it had a student body of 40 pupils.

The left side cockloft once accommodated the resident teacher and other unmarried Tang descendants.

Apart from being used for teaching, the building also served as a venue for clan members to hold town meetings and traditional functions, such as communal worship in spring and autumn, the Lantern Ceremony on the fifteenth of the first lunar month, wedding banquets and various festivities.

It once accommodated the Kai Chi School, which was relocated nearby in 1953. King Law Ka Shuk then reverted to its original role as an ancestral hall.

King Law Ka Shuk is a traditional three-hall building with two open courtyards. It is fronted by two drum terraces each with two granite columns supporting the roof. The main ridge of the roof is decorated with geometric motifs. Beautifully decorated mouldings are found in the building.

Above the main entrance is a large granite slab engraved with the Chinese characters of King Law Ka Shuk. The characters were written by the famous artist and calligraphist Tang Yi-nga (1883-1955).

It is interesting to note that Tang Yung-kang, father of Tang Yi-nga, was the descendant of the Tangs in Tung Kwun who became a government official (Hon Lam Yuen Shue Kat Sz) in the third year of Tongzhi reign (1864 A.D.) of the Qing dynasty. His title-tablets are still hanging in the Tang Ching Lok Ancestral Hall and the entrance tower of Wing Lung Wai in Kam Tin. At the central hall hangs a wooden board bearing the Chinese characters of Lau Kwong Hall.

A full restoration of King Law Ka Shuk will be undertaken by the Antiquities Group of the Architecture Services Department and monitored by the Antiquities and Monuments Office of the Home Affairs Bureau towards the end of this year.

End/Friday, August 21, 1998

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