Home
So Lo Pun
History
According to the Gazetteer of Xin'an County published in the Jiaqing era, So Lo Pun was originally named So Nou Pun, which means "basin surrounded by mountains" in Hakka (In Hakka, "盆" and "盤" are pronounced as "PUN2" and "PAN2" respectively, hence So Lo Pun and "Luopan" (羅盤) are unrelated). Established in the mid-Qing Dynasty, So Lo Pun was a branch of the Hakka Wong's clan and descendants of Wong Kung Wai Hing who migrated from Lai Chi Wo. As documented in the Pedigree of So Lo Pun Wong's Clan, Wong Kung Wai Hing, the founding ancestor of Lai Chi Wo Wong's Clan, was a governor from the late Ming Dynasty. When the Ming Dynasty fell, Wong moved from Yong'an Guangdong (Now Zijing County), to Sha Tau Kok area, and finally settled at Lai Chi Wo.
Environment
Flanked by mountain ranges on three sides, So Lo Pun sits at a narrow stretch of valley. Terrace fields were cultivated halfway up the mountains, while polders were constructed on the seafront for farming. In addition to farming, villagers also fish for a living, thus there used to be seven to eight piers in So Lo Pun.
Relocation and Aspiration of Village Revitalisation
Similar to other villages in the Sha Tau Kok area, most So Lo Pun villagers migrated overseas or moved to urban areas in the 1960s to 1970s due to transportation difficulties and livelihood opportunities. In the hope of reviving So Lo Pun, villagers have volunteered to clear up the vegetation and replant hundreds of mandarin trees in the village since 2007. Every Lunar New Year, villagers would return to So Lo Pun for refurbishments and decorate the village with new "mundui" [1].
Village chief Wong also sails back to So Lo Pun and attends to the village every Sunday .
[1] Spring Festival Couplets, a pair of poetry lines written on red paper, usually pasted on both sides of the door during Lunar New Year.
How To Get There
1 | Ma Liu Shui Kaito Ferry + Hiking |
• Take Kaito Ferry to Lai Chi Wo, and hike for about an hour to So Lo Pun
• Every Saturday, Sunday, and Public Holidays
• Departure: Ma Liu Shui No.3 Pier at 09：00
• Return: Lai Chi Wo Pier at 15：30
2 | Tai Shui Hang Kaito Ferry + Hiking |
• Take Kaito Ferry to Lai Chi Wo, then hike for about an hour to So Lo Pun
• Every Tuesday and Thursday (excluding Public Holidays)
• Departure: Tai Shui Hang at 09：00
• Return: Lai Chi Wo Pier at 15：40
3 | Sha Tau Kok Kaito Ferry + Hiking |
• Closed Area permit needed
• Take Kaito Ferry to Lai Chi Wo, then hike for about an hour to So Lo Pun
• Daily (No service on Tuesday (except Public Holidays))
• Departure: Sha Tau Kok Pier at 08：30、10：30、12：30、15：15
• Return: Lai Chi Wo Pier at 09：00、11：30、13：00、16：15
4 | Minibus + Hiking |
• Take green minibus No. 20R from Tai Po Market MTR Station to Wu Kau Tang, then hike for about 2 hours and 15 minutes to So Lo Pun
o Reference Route: Wu Kau Tang → A Ma Wat → Fan Shui Au → Lai Chi Wo → So Lo Pun
• Take green minibus No. 56K from Fanling MTR Station to Luk Keng, then hike for about 2 hours and 40 minutes to So Lo Pun
o Reference Route: Luk Keng → Kai Kuk Shue Ha → Kuk Po → So Lo Pun