Most village houses in Mui Tsz Lam are traditional single-storey Hakka dwellings constructed using natural materials such as rammed earth — a mixture of soil, gravel, straw, and other organic materials — together with bricks, stone, and granite. Some houses also incorporate traditional grey bricks, while others were rebuilt with concrete during the 1960s and 1970s.
The project restored one of these village houses to provide an indoor space for project work, activities, and exhibitions. The house underwent major reconstruction during the 1960s, transforming from a century-old Hakka row house into a two-storey building with a tiled pyramid roof, pebble-dash decorative walls, and embossed glass windows characteristic of the architectural style of that era. Inside, visitors can still find a traditional Hakka cooking stove and a wooden rice-pounding device beneath the staircase. In the past, glutinous rice grown within the village would be dehusked using bamboo tools before being pounded here into rice flour for making festive rice cakes.
In 2019, artist Human Ip and participants of the “Heaven, Earth, and Humanity — Mui Tsz Lam Arts Revitalisation Project” created the mural Leisurely Cattle on the wall outside the house, inspired by the water buffalo once left behind in the village. Since then, the building has become known locally as the “Cow House.”
Today, the restored house serves as the base of the “Forest Village” project and is open to the public as the Mui Tsz Lam Story House. It contains permanent and thematic exhibitions introducing village history and displaying old household objects, archival photographs, and other valuable cultural materials from the past. Visitors are warmly welcomed to explore the space.
Opening Hours
Date: Saturdays, Sundays, and Public Holidays (closed during Lunar New Year holidays)
Time: 11:00am – 3:00pm
Location: Mui Tsz Lam Village, Northeastern New Territories, Hong Kong
Route to Mui Tsz Lam Story House
Starting from the Lai Chi Wo Pier, visitors can reach the village in approximately 30 minutes on foot via the Hing Chun Alliance Heritage Trail.
