San Tin

San Tin (Chinese: 新田), or San Tin Heung (新田鄉), is an area located near Lok Ma Chau area in the New Territories and belongs to the Yuen Long District, Hong Kong.

The area was largely developed by the clan with surname Man (文). According to their genealogical document, they are the descendants of the second cousin of folk hero Man Tin Cheung from the late Song Dynasty. Their ancestors came to Hong Kong with the young emperors to flee from Mongolian invaders.

The area was originally marshland and not suitable for cultivation; few people lived in the area. The Man clan decided to settle in the area in the 15th century. They dried the marshes and gradually filled them with soil, turning them into 800 hectare of rice paddies. This is reflected by the name San Tin, which means new fields.

The San Tin areas are divided into nine villages within the area most notable areas are Wing Ping Tsuen (永平村), which is close to the Tai Fu Tai Mansion, and Fan Tin Tsuen (蕃田村).

The areas around San Tin are covered in wetlands hence their main products are cabbages (like Chinese cabbage or kai-lan) and previously ducks, when the village was still a farming community.

Each village in the area has its own chieftain who takes care of ceremonial activities as well as tourist information. The chieftains also make decisions on any change in the area, for example whether a new house should be allowed to be built or if a building need to be demolished. They also represent the village when they go to gatherings with other villages from the New Territories.

New chieftains are chosen through voting from the local area of the village when the current chieftain decides to retire from duty. Chieftainhood is not hereditary and cannot be passed down to their children. Anybody from the village, regardless of status or personal finances can apply as long as the person's surname is the same as the village's. The system is to some extent democratic, however so far there has not been a female chieftain in any village around the New Territories.

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Wikipedia