In the 1930s, the Ho, Lee, Yeung, Sung, and Ng clans built houses in Tin Sum over time with funding from diaspora. Influenced by Western architectural styles, the houses were no longer traditional terraced houses but independent mansions. A project organisation of the Countryside Conservation Funding Scheme has revitalised the Lee's Mansion, built in the 1930s, along with its associated farmhouse. The restored architectural environment is now used to co-create a cultural ecological living experience with various stakeholders, while also supporting multi-disciplinary research, conservation management and sustainable planting.
The old coastline of Kuk Po lies at present-day Tin Sum. In the past, villagers built embankments and reclaimed land from the sea to expand farmland, while protecting the village and fields from seawater intrusion.
Nestled along the coast of Sha Tau Kok, Kuk Po is home to a unique brackish wetland supporting rich biodiversity. Villagers historically adapted to the terrain by reclaiming land, building embankments, and cultivating rice while raising fish and shrimp. These practices reflect profound fishing and farming knowledge and the rural living wisdom. The wetland was both an ecological treasure and a living space, where people coexisted with nature, recording their adaptive responses to land and sea.
Farming was once a vital economic activity in Kuk Po, but much of the farmland has since been abandoned. With support from the Countryside Conservation Funding Scheme, a project team, together with volunteers, has piloted the experiment cultivation of low-energy consumption, low-carbon crops on farmland around Tin Sum to revive farming activities. Using these crops, the team has also organised a variety of workshops to promote local sustainable farming practices.
Built in 1933, the Ho's Mansion features three bays, two stories, and a pitched roof with traditional Chinese tiles. A plaque reading 'Lan Kwai Tang Fong' adorns the front parapet, symbolising virtuous and flourishing descendants. Inside, couplets and a painted 'Descendants Beam' decorated with floral motifs express Hakka design aesthetics and the enduring family values.
The Lee family built their mansion in Tin Sum in the 1930s, featuring three bays, two stories, and a pitched roof. The house includes a threshing ground, a cloud-shaped gable wall, and an open terrace, reflecting architectural aesthetics and family pride. Inside, the main hall displays a family motto emphasising harmony, diligence, and thrift. A 'Longevity' plaque and couplets symbolise long life and prosperity, while the painted 'Descendants Beam' on the main roof features the phrase 'Hundreds of sons, thousands of grandsons' alongside floral motifs, symbolising family prosperity.
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