Footpath Connecting Lai Chi Wo, Mui Tsz Lam and Kop Tong

Mui Tsz Lam and Kop Tong are two Hakka villages with a history over 300 years. Due to inconvenient transportation and the hardships of agricultural life, most villagers have moved out of the villages by the 1970s, leaving the villages abandoned. Situated north of Tiu Tang Lung Hill, the two villages are primarily accessed via a footpath connecting them to Lai Chi Wo.  The villagers use this footpath to transport household goods and supplies to the two villagers from Lai Chi Wo. However, due to a lack of proper maintenance over the years, most sections of the footpath has become dilapidated, with structural defects and damaged surfaces.  This has made access to the villages significantly more difficult for both the villagers and visitors.

In order to promote the revitalisation of Mui Tsz Lam and Kop Tong, Countryside Conservation Office (CCO) carried out the improvement works for the footpath connecting Lai Chi Wo, Mui Tsz Lam and Kop Tong in late 2020 and early 2021. These improvement works eased the transportation of household goods by the villagers, encouraged hikers to visit the two Hakka villages, and facilitated the overall revitalisation of the two villages.

The successful implementation of this 1-km long footpath improvement works was not as easy as it sounds. In view that the improvement works had encroached on some 20 private land lots, the CCO collaborated closely with the village representatives of Mui Tsz Lam and Kop Tong, as well as Lands Department and Home Affairs Department to seek the necessary consent from the relevant land owners. Since most villagers had already moved out of the villages and some had even emigrated, a strenuous effort was spent in finding the land owners, explaining the works to them and finally obtaining their consent. This project presents a successful case of collaboration with the local stakeholders, in particular the villagers.