“Transport head” estate in Hong Kong

Do you know that Wan Tau Tong Estate (運頭塘邨) is rumored to be one of the burial grounds in the past in Hong Kong?

…Actually lots of places in Hong Kong are rumored to be burial grounds in the past. People who spread the rumor probably just wanted to scare the others, or simply to look for fun, though.

Anyway, Wan Tau Tong Estate is the latest public housing estate in Tai Po, completed in 1991. This place holds so many residents and is so lively that you will think it has nothing to do with ghost stories…but it does. I mean, the name of the estate itself is spooky enough (運頭 literally means “transport head”)…

There were two versions of the story: one has it that in early 1900s, lots of natural disasters happened and killed many people. In order to prevent the spread of disease, the corpses had to be burnt, leaving the bones behind. Undertakers therefore had to transport the bones and skulls to the burial ground in Tai Po (which is supposed to be the Wan Tau Tong Estate today, hence the name) and had them buried.

The other version is that many civilians were killed and had their heads chopped off during Japanese occupation in 1940s. For some reason this yet-to-be estate became an excellent choice for the Japanese soldiers to ditch the heads.

Whatever the reason was, many people died and have to be buried in this place. Then there started to be rumors about how people would see headless figures pushing a wheelbarrow carrying many heads at night. There was also a spookily hilarious story about a construction worker finding out the headless ghosts using white glue to glue their loose heads on their necks…

If you really are interested in this spooky-name estate, you can give it a visit, preferably at night.

But you would definitely be disappointed. You would only find a modern yet peaceful residential area there. No burial grounds, no headless ghosts, no wheelbarrow carrying heads either.

…We already have them glued up, after all.

What? No, I didn’t say anything.

Don’t mind me…

Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees in Hong Kong

Do you know that there is a tree in Hong Kong that can grant your wish?

…Actually, not “a tree”, but “four trees”.

Yep, I am talking about the Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees (林村許願樹).

The wishing trees located in Fong Ma Po Village, Lam Tsuen. The wishing tradition used to be exclusive to the villagers only, but later got famous because of some TV drama series. Lots of visitors, including foreigners would come just to wish upon the trees.

The practice is simple. You write your wish on the wishing paper and tie it up with an orange. Then you throw it high so that it can hang on the trees’ branches. Legend has it that, the higher your wishing paper is hung, the more likely your wish will come true.

Originally, there were only two wishing trees; one is famous for praying for career, academic, health and wealth, the other for marriage and pregnancy. However, in 2005, one of the trees’ branches was broken due to the weight of the wishing papers and oranges. The villagers then planted another tree (imported from Guangzhou) in 2008 and had it as the third wishing tree, but throwing wishing papers on the trees has been forbidden since then in order to protect them. The villagers set up a wishing rack for the visitors to pray instead.

In 2009, to preserve the “throwing wishing papers” tradition, the villagers plant the fourth wishing tree, which is a fake plastic tree. The visitors can now throw all the wishing papers (tied with plastic oranges now) they want at the new wishing tree!

What about that tree with broken branches? Is it ok?

Don’t worry. Under experts’ three years of intensive care and nurture, the damaged wishing tree finally recovered in 2008.

I wonder if this would really grant you your wishes?

But I can’t even hang my clothes properly on a hanger, let alone the tree branches 10m off the ground…

I think I will pass.

Bride’s Pool in Hong Kong

Do you know there is a tragic story behind the beautiful Bride’s Pool (新娘潭)?

…Actually not so tragic. The story’s not long enough for you to get emotionally attached anyway…

The pool located in Tai Po, northeast New Territories, with several other waterfalls around. While the scene there looks pristine and calming, a well-known folklore surely adds melancholy and even eeriness to the place.

Legend has it that centuries ago, a bride passed throw here on the day of her wedding. While she sat on her comfy sedan chair carried by four men, happily waiting for the sedan to reach her lover and start her new page of life, an unfortunate accident happened. The chair-porters got slipped by the slippery rocks and the whole group, including the bride, fell into the pool. The bride, wearing heavy wedding dress (cheongsam, to be accurate), could not escape and…

Yeah, you can guess the rest. As a result, the pool is named “Bride’s Pool” in the memory of the drowned bride.

What’s creepy is that people seemed to have found some mysterious cremated remains and abandoned spirit tablets around there a few years ago; the road right above the pool is an infamous sport for fatal traffic accidents; lots of people have claimed seeing a womanly figure there at night and locals always warned others against visiting this place after dark.

Maybe that bride was lonely and tried to look for companion? Or maybe she was still waiting there, believing that her lover would come for her?

…Nah, people probably made these up for fun.

This place holds a popular hiking trail, and there are a few barbecue sites around as well.

You think ghosts dare show up at a crowded tourist attraction like this?

But, in case you are alone by the pool, and you saw a suspicious female wearing cheongsam, looking sad and, more importantly, soaked…

It may be a good idea to run away as fast as you can.

Just saying.

Hong Kong Railway Museum

Do you know that the Hong Kong Railway Museum was originally the Old Tai Po Market Railway Station?

The (old) Tai Po Market stop used to be one of the stops for the Kowloon-Canton Railway (British Section), which was opened in 1910, connecting Kowloon and Guangzhou. Later, since the trains started to be electrified, the station was out of service in 1983. It was then declared a monument in 1984. The railway company gave the abandoned station to the government and the museum was finally finished and opened in 1986.

What can you do inside?

Well, you can read about the detailed history of the museum and how Hong Kong’s railways were developed; you can admire the old train station’s unique and classic architectural style; you can walk along the rail tracks and be amazed by the display of locomotives, old station sign, old ticket samples…; you can also get on the old train compartments and experience what a train journey in the past feel like; there are also the exhibitions of Japanese Shinkansen and Eurostar. In simple words, you can do everything that makes a train lover’s blood boil!

The museum is in Tai Po Market, just a 10-minute walk away from the (new) Tai Po Market train station. And did I mention that it’s free to enter? Just don’t be like me and visit on Tuesday because it’s when it will be closed (on Christmas and Lunar New Year as well).

Oh man…I got so excited just from the talk. I was so crazy for trains when I was a kid, and the museum was more appealing than any theme park to me.

Right, let me go there and be reminiscent…

Dang it! It’s Tuesday again!