Chan Yuk-kei, also known as Kei Gor, is a ninth-generation indigenous
resident of the Chan clan living in Shui Hau Village. A renovation
contractor by profession, he studied and worked in the city in his early
years and moved back to Shui Hau later. Kei Gor is the go-to person for
many villagers who need help with chores around the house and smallscale
repair work. In 2011, with the support of villagers, he was elected as
the indigenous inhabitant representative, a position he has been holding
for 14 years. He is actively involved in both major and minor affairs in the
village, helping villagers solve various day-to-day issues. Additionally, he
formed Fook Yuen Tong Lion Dance Team with his nephews. Every Lunar
New Year, the troupe performs lion dances and the “plucking the green”
ceremony in the village, keeping rural festival traditions alive.
I was born in 1969. My father Chan Kam-fat was a native of Shui Hau Village and my mother
Chi Shu-lan moved to Shui Hau from Shek Pik after she got married. I’m the youngest of
six siblings. In the mid-1970s, my dad stopped farming and started working in Central as a
construction worker. Later, my mum also went to work in the city doing odd jobs. My elder
sisters took care of me. In 1960, the
government built Shek Pik Reservoir.
Many of our relatives moved to Shek
Pik New Village in Tsuen Wan. My
eldest sister (Chan Yuk-lin)1 was the
first to move there with my mum’s
brother. She later became a primary
school teacher.
I studied at Shui Hau School for a year when I was seven. Then I moved to Tsuen Wan to attend primary school and lived with my elder sisters. Since Primary Three, I would take the ferry back to Shui Hau on my own every Friday after school. On weekends, I played with other kids in the village. I left school after Form Three. Then I worked in a garment factory and became a renovation contractor. At the time, my parents were still living in Shui Hau. I often went back there to see them.
I got married at 28. My wife is also a Shui Hau villager. We grew up together and have been close since we were kids. After we got married, we lived in Tsing Yi with our son. After dad passed away, I moved back to Shui Hau to take care of Mum. My wife and my son also moved back later. Our youngest daughter grew up in Shui Hau. We now live in a two-storey village house, which my dad built when I was three.
After moving back to Shui Hau, I started taking on small-scale projects on Lantau and got to know many villagers. When someone put up a place for rent or looked for a house, they would come to me for help. My work hours were flexible. Whenever something urgent happened in the village, I could drive back to offer help at any time. Once, an elderly villager was home alone and didn’t answer her children’s calls for half a day. Her children asked me for help. I went over and knocked on the door but no one responded. So I climbed up the water pipes to the second floor and found the elderly villager sitting on the floor and looking dazed. I immediately took her to the hospital.
In 2011, the village head (indigenous representative) didn’t want to run for re-election. Other villagers persuaded me to stand. They said I had lived in Shui Hau for a long time and was well-connected, and I could handle emergencies. They encouraged me and said: “You have our backing!” I’ve been the village head for 14 years. Every month, I go to Pui O to attend the South Lantao Rural Committee meeting. Over the last eight years, different groups have come to Shui Hau to do conservation work, like Urban Diary, WWF-Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society and CUHK’s School of Architecture. I would join the discussions and consult the villagers for their opinions.
The workload for the village head isn’t that heavy, although I often have to deal with small but urgent issues, like a tripped circuit breaker, a leaky pipe, a blocked road, or someone forgetting their key and needing help to get back in. Whenever someone calls, I try my best to help. I am not that into social gatherings. I just want to help keep Shui Hau Village in good order and build good things — like paving a small footpath with concrete and clearing out construction waste. Last year, I installed solar panels on the roof of the Shui Hau Village Office. I also joined the Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff scheme, so CLP buys back the electricity we generate.
Village affairs depend on villagers working together. In Shui Hau, the indigenous residents are grouped into sets of four households. Each group takes turns managing things during festivals, such as organising food catering. On the 26th day of the 12th lunar month, we hold Weiya ceremony to thank the deities, help pick up the roast pig and share out the meat among the villagers. On the 20th day of the first lunar month, the native villagers hold a meeting called “the 20th Day Meeting” at the village office. That’s when we go over village admin and finances, and officially hand over village affairs to the next committee for the coming year.
I studied at Shui Hau School for a year when I was seven. Then I moved to Tsuen Wan to attend primary school and lived with my elder sisters. Since Primary Three, I would take the ferry back to Shui Hau on my own every Friday after school. On weekends, I played with other kids in the village. I left school after Form Three. Then I worked in a garment factory and became a renovation contractor. At the time, my parents were still living in Shui Hau. I often went back there to see them.
I got married at 28. My wife is also a Shui Hau villager. We grew up together and have been close since we were kids. After we got married, we lived in Tsing Yi with our son. After dad passed away, I moved back to Shui Hau to take care of Mum. My wife and my son also moved back later. Our youngest daughter grew up in Shui Hau. We now live in a two-storey village house, which my dad built when I was three.
After moving back to Shui Hau, I started taking on small-scale projects on Lantau and got to know many villagers. When someone put up a place for rent or looked for a house, they would come to me for help. My work hours were flexible. Whenever something urgent happened in the village, I could drive back to offer help at any time. Once, an elderly villager was home alone and didn’t answer her children’s calls for half a day. Her children asked me for help. I went over and knocked on the door but no one responded. So I climbed up the water pipes to the second floor and found the elderly villager sitting on the floor and looking dazed. I immediately took her to the hospital.
In 2011, the village head (indigenous representative) didn’t want to run for re-election. Other villagers persuaded me to stand. They said I had lived in Shui Hau for a long time and was well-connected, and I could handle emergencies. They encouraged me and said: “You have our backing!” I’ve been the village head for 14 years. Every month, I go to Pui O to attend the South Lantao Rural Committee meeting. Over the last eight years, different groups have come to Shui Hau to do conservation work, like Urban Diary, WWF-Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society and CUHK’s School of Architecture. I would join the discussions and consult the villagers for their opinions.
The workload for the village head isn’t that heavy, although I often have to deal with small but urgent issues, like a tripped circuit breaker, a leaky pipe, a blocked road, or someone forgetting their key and needing help to get back in. Whenever someone calls, I try my best to help. I am not that into social gatherings. I just want to help keep Shui Hau Village in good order and build good things — like paving a small footpath with concrete and clearing out construction waste. Last year, I installed solar panels on the roof of the Shui Hau Village Office. I also joined the Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff scheme, so CLP buys back the electricity we generate.
Village affairs depend on villagers working together. In Shui Hau, the indigenous residents are grouped into sets of four households. Each group takes turns managing things during festivals, such as organising food catering. On the 26th day of the 12th lunar month, we hold Weiya ceremony to thank the deities, help pick up the roast pig and share out the meat among the villagers. On the 20th day of the first lunar month, the native villagers hold a meeting called “the 20th Day Meeting” at the village office. That’s when we go over village admin and finances, and officially hand over village affairs to the next committee for the coming year.
There are two voluntary groups formed by villagers in Shui Hau Village. One is the Lantau Shui
Hau Sports Club, which was really active back in the 1980s and 1990s. The villagers formed a
football team to represent Shui Hau in sports competitions on Lantau. Ah Wing (Chan Chau-wing)
2 and I were part of the team and we won quite many trophies! The association hosts a poon
choi feast outside of the village office every year, so everyone can get together to have some fun.
The other group is the Fook Yuen Tong Sports Association, which I founded in 2000 with six of my nephews. Together, we also formed Fook Yuen Tong Lion Dance Team and trained under Master Lee Yun-fook, who founded Yun Fook Tong (HK) Martial Arts, Lion & Dragon Association. His lion dance team has represented Hong Kong in many lion and dragon dance competitions and martial arts events. Back then, we took five lessons with the master and practised frequently. Before long, we were already performing at celebrations in nearby villages. Fook Yuen Tong Lion Dance Team currently has more than 20 members. Lunar New Year is an especially busy time. On the first day, we perform in Tai Long Wan Village on Lantau; on the second day, in Shui Hau Village; and on the third day, at Po Lin Monastery and Ling Yan Temple. We also get invited by villagers to perform lion dance at the poon choi banquet in Tong Fuk Village and at Pak Tai Festival at Tai Tei Tong Village in Mui Wo. We get the chance to have some fun.
On the second day of Lunar New Year, the lion dance team plays drums and gongs all day. You can hear it throughout the whole village. Compared to other villages in South Lantau that just hold worship rituals, Shui Hau feels especially lively. For the past decade, our lion dance performance has been drawing in many villagers from nearby areas.
Our team starts by tying a red ribbon on the lion’s head and performing the eye-dotting ceremony outside the Chan Ancestral Hall. Then we carry the roast pig to the Stone Gate, Tai Wong Yeh and the Earth God Altar, to make offerings to the deities and pray for good luck for the whole village. After that, the villagers gather outside the ancestral hall, cut the roast pig and exchange New Year greetings before returning home for a New Year meal. If a household has lettuce hung on the door, the lion dance team will come by to “pluck the green”. It’s a symbol of delivering good fortune. A few foreigners living in the village love the traditional culture and follow the local customs — they put up lettuce on their doors as an auspicious symbol.
Shui Hau Village is able to preserve the festive atmosphere. This helps the younger generation learn about the village’s festive traditions. I think that’s nice.
The other group is the Fook Yuen Tong Sports Association, which I founded in 2000 with six of my nephews. Together, we also formed Fook Yuen Tong Lion Dance Team and trained under Master Lee Yun-fook, who founded Yun Fook Tong (HK) Martial Arts, Lion & Dragon Association. His lion dance team has represented Hong Kong in many lion and dragon dance competitions and martial arts events. Back then, we took five lessons with the master and practised frequently. Before long, we were already performing at celebrations in nearby villages. Fook Yuen Tong Lion Dance Team currently has more than 20 members. Lunar New Year is an especially busy time. On the first day, we perform in Tai Long Wan Village on Lantau; on the second day, in Shui Hau Village; and on the third day, at Po Lin Monastery and Ling Yan Temple. We also get invited by villagers to perform lion dance at the poon choi banquet in Tong Fuk Village and at Pak Tai Festival at Tai Tei Tong Village in Mui Wo. We get the chance to have some fun.
On the second day of Lunar New Year, the lion dance team plays drums and gongs all day. You can hear it throughout the whole village. Compared to other villages in South Lantau that just hold worship rituals, Shui Hau feels especially lively. For the past decade, our lion dance performance has been drawing in many villagers from nearby areas.
Our team starts by tying a red ribbon on the lion’s head and performing the eye-dotting ceremony outside the Chan Ancestral Hall. Then we carry the roast pig to the Stone Gate, Tai Wong Yeh and the Earth God Altar, to make offerings to the deities and pray for good luck for the whole village. After that, the villagers gather outside the ancestral hall, cut the roast pig and exchange New Year greetings before returning home for a New Year meal. If a household has lettuce hung on the door, the lion dance team will come by to “pluck the green”. It’s a symbol of delivering good fortune. A few foreigners living in the village love the traditional culture and follow the local customs — they put up lettuce on their doors as an auspicious symbol.
Shui Hau Village is able to preserve the festive atmosphere. This helps the younger generation learn about the village’s festive traditions. I think that’s nice.
