With its unique blend of Chinese culture and British influence, we return to Hong Kong to visit the ethereal ghost villages in the New Territories, reveal a ‘royal cover-up’ to de-colonize Hong Kong and sample the fading delicacy of freshly made snake soup.
Narrated by Will Yun Lee.
Crowded. Jam-packed. Chock-a-block. All are apt descriptions of life in Hong Kong. More people means a greater demand for housing.
Hong Kong’s skyline (view of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island)
The push to build is an ever-present force. Any vegetation quickly disappears beneath a layer of concrete. New glass-and-steel structures blot out the sky. Even Victoria Harbour, perhaps Hong Kong’s most treasured resource, is endangered. Land reclamation has reduced a ferry trip across its waters from fifteen minutes to only five.
Look in any direction and a new building is going up.
So it may come as a surprise that places exist in this dense, congested, concrete metropolis where the sky is blue… trees thrive… and people are non-existent. 
Entire towns in fact… with no inhabitants.
These are Hong Kong’s ghost villages.
Join Dr. Steven Gallagher as he explores what happened to the inhabitants, why these vacant villages still exist and what their future holds.
Sham Shui Po… it’s a noisy and chaotic area on the Kowloon side. And it’s amongst this hustle and bustle that you’ll find an authentic, traditional snake restaurant… Sheh Wong Hip.
Snake… the star ingredient
It’s all about snake… and exotic delicacies. Fried snake liver. Deep-fried King Cobra skin. Snake gall bladder tonic. Stewed turtle. And… baby mouse wine.
A libation for the adventurous
But Sheh Wong Hip is best known for its fresh “sheh gung” or snake soup.
Sheh Wong Hip’s signature dish… a piping hot bowl of snake soup
The Chinese consider snake soup an elixir with medicinal benefits. Numerous Hong Kong restaurants serve the robust chowder. All of them use frozen snake meat.
A Sheh Wong Hip advertising postcard (circa 1976)
Founded in 1960, Sheh Wong Hip is the last remaining place that prepares it the old fashion way… by using live snakes.
Ms. Chau Ka Ling learns how to handle poisonous snakes at a young age.
Second Generation Owner, Chau Ka Ling has been involved in the family business since age thirteen.
Ms. Chau Ka Ling and her brothers. Behind them are boxes filled with poisonous snakes
With the aid of her brothers, she keeps the tradition alive using a family recipe that demands the freshest of ingredients.
Chau Ka Ling handling two cobras
Ms. Chau reveals the trials and tribulations of creating this delicious serpent elixir, the challenges that the future presents…. and discover what snake tastes like.
Even with all the technology around them, people in Hong Kong still post letters. The Hongkong Post handles over 3.3 million letters, parcels and packages per day. So they’re pretty good at it.
Hong Kong’s first official postmark
In fact, Hong Kong’s post office has been officially delivering the mail since August 24th 1841. That’s one year before Great Britain took formal possession of the territory.
So after more than 175 years, what could possibly threaten the postal service?
This…
‘GRV’ crest honoring King George the Fifth (circa 1910)
… a British Royal insignia.
In 1997, Great Britain returned Hong Kong to China. One of the changes that occurred was the introduction of modern non-colonial style postboxes.
Post-1997 modern block-style letterboxes in the new green color
Today, of the 1,100 active letterboxes scattered throughout Hong Kong, 59 are vintage. And each classic postbox still bares the royal insignia of the prevailing monarch.
An original colonial postbox in its original red color (QEII crest)
Of those remaining, 7 still display “GRV” for King George the Fifth during his reign from 1910 to 1936.
Pillar-style vintage postbox honoring King George the Fifth (circa 1910) in the new green color (located in Sok Kwu Wan on Lamma Island)
Another 7 showcase “GRVI” for King George the Sixth’s reign from 1936 to 1952. And a final 45 sport an “ERII” crest… honoring Queen Elizabeth the Second and her reign beginning in 1952.
An operational vintage postbox with ‘ERII’ crest honoring Queen Elizabeth II repainted in the Post-1997 green color (located on The Peak)
Now, two decades later, the Hong Kong Postmaster General announced that the royal cyphers had to go. It was decided that a metal plate would be bolted over the insignia to hide it.
The reason… according to the official statement, the vintage postboxes are “inappropriate” and may cause “confusion.”
Conspiracy theories abound. Some call it a plan to hide history. Many point to China’s discomfort with Hong Kong’s colonial past.
Dr. Steven Gallagher, an expert on cultural heritage law
“That’s been a big issue. People have become upset about this. You do see these old postboxes that are a legacy of the old colonial era.” – Dr. Steven Gallagher (Professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong)
And what of other reminders of Hong Kong’s colonial past? What should happen to them? Should one just erase history? Is it a conspiracy? Or a tempest in a teapot?
The very colonial Noon Day Gun continues to be fired daily
It’s all revealed in Episode 5 – Hong Kong: Part 2 in “Vanishing ASIA.”
© 2018 The Atlantis Group Limited / All Rights Reserved
