Supported by the Countryside Conservation Funding Scheme, the project of Kuk Po Get Together, led by Prof. Michael Chan, Associate Professor of Practice and Senior Teaching Fellow at School of Design at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), hosted a community activity “Pop-up Village in City” on 10 January in Sham Shui Po. The event brought the cultural essence of Kuk Po, a historic Hakka village in Sha Tau Kok, into the urban landscape, allowing citizens to experience the pulse of New Territories villages within the city.
The event featured a 1.5-kilometre cultural route in collaboration with ten local retail outlets. Participants enjoyed signature Hakka dishes and explored exhibits, stories, and interactive installations celebrating Hong Kong’s rural heritage. Workshops and interactive experiences further fostered community engagement and cultural appreciation.
Prof. Chan highlighted that the project focuses on walking alongside villagers. Through oral history collection and community tours, former village school buildings and ancestral halls have been transformed into platforms for exhibitions, dialogue, and social gatherings. The project closely integrates design, education, and community engagement to establish a sustainable conservation model that respects cultural heritage while addressing contemporary living needs.
Under rapid urbanisation and globalisation, villages such as Kuk Po face challenges including population loss, building abandonment, and fading cultural identity. The PolyU team aims to embed heritage education into daily life and school curricula, helping citizens, teachers, and students understand the importance of cultural conservation. This approach seeks to strengthen rural identity and help the younger generations reconnect with their ancestral roots, ensuring Hong Kong’s Hakka heritage continues to thrive.
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PolyU project Co-Building Kuk Po awarded the Countryside Conservation Funding Scheme to revitalise village
