Ping Shan Heritage Trail

Ping Shan has been settled by the Tang, one of the great clans of the New Territories, since the twelfth century, and the heritage trail links about a dozen of their surviving buildings in a walk of roughly a kilometre and a half. The Tang Ancestral Hall and the Yu Kiu Ancestral Hall stand side by side as the largest of their type in the territory, three halls deep with open courtyards; nearby are study halls where clan sons prepared for the imperial examinations, a temple, an old well and walled village gates. At the end stands Tsui Sing Lau, a hexagonal brick pagoda of three storeys and around six hundred years, the only ancient pagoda left in Hong Kong.

What to look for

• Tsui Sing Lau pagoda - the only surviving ancient pagoda in the territory.
• Two great ancestral halls - Tang and Yu Kiu, three halls deep.
• Study halls for the imperial examinations - the clan's education buildings.
• The old police station gallery - a viewpoint and exhibition above the village.

When to go

October to April; the walk is exposed and hot in summer. Half a day. Buildings have set opening hours and close on Tuesdays; some are locked outside them.

Things to know

Several buildings are closed on Tuesdays and the trail then loses much of its point. The route runs between village houses and residents value privacy. Interpretation panels vary in quality. The new town towers loom over everything.

Nearby

Hong Kong Wetland Park is north; Kat Hing Wai lies east.

Key facts