Tai Fu Tai Mansion — Attraction in Hong Kong

Tai Fu Tai was built in the 4th year of the Tongzhi reign (1865) of the Qing dynasty as the residence of Man Chung-luen. According to the genealogy of the Man clan, the Mans originated in Sichuan and migrated to Jiangxi and Guangdong during the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279). The Mans began to settle in San Tin, Yuen Long in the 15th century. Man Chung-luen, the 21st generation ancestor of the clan, was bestowed the title of dafu (or tai fu, which means senior official).

Tai Fu Tai is a fine example of a traditional dwelling of the scholar-gentry class in southern China and one of the most beautifully embellished historic buildings in Hong Kong. The main building of Tai Fu Tai is a two-hall, three-bay structure with side chambers flanking the courtyard. There is a one-bay ancillary building on each side of the main building. Attached to the east side are a parlour and an internal courtyard, and on the west side, separated by a corridor, are a kitchen, a side chamber and a...

I came here expecting to see an old mansion typically found in HK. Kinda rundown, sort of restored, nothing spectacular. What I found instead was very a very good experience.

The mansion itself is interesting in that there was a fusion of eastern and western cultures, which I have never seen before in a site like this one.

But more importantly, the security guard on duty gave us a very detailed and fun tour of the place, and we ended up learning a lot more than we anticipated. What we thought would be a 30 minute visit soon became am hour, and still there was more left to learn.

Highly recommended for those who love archaeology...

This actually belongs to one of my ancestors and he was a court official during the Ching Dynasty. "Tai Fu" is actual his official title, while Tai is superfluous since it means mansion.

The building is a grade 1 listed historical buildings and has been beautifully restored. They have plaques written in Manchurian so it is worth a visit. Having said that, it is too far from any public transport infrastructure so it is not visited frequently by individual...