Mui Tsz Lam is located on the northern slope of Tiu Tang Lung Hill (吊燈籠山) in the northeastern part of the New Territories of Hong Kong. Due to its remote location and inconvenient transportation, villagers have gradually moved out and the village was left desolate. Incidentally, for that reason, the natural environment and the historical buildings of Mui Tsz Lam have been preserved.
Mui Tsz Lam was established about 400 years ago by the Hakka Tsang’s clan. The 1960s was the heyday of Mui Tsz Lam, with about one hundred inhabitants. The villagers mainly planted rice and fruit trees such as plum and tangerine to make a living. However, due to inconvenient transportation and tough agricultural life, most villagers emigrated overseas for better livelihoods since the 1970s, and the village was abandoned.
Since 2017, local villagers and volunteers have started to revitalize the village by restoring the terrace fields and ponds, and replanting a few dozen madarin trees. The first revitalisation project, “Nature, Earth and Human – Mui Tsz Lam Art Revitalization Project”, was launched in 2019, which led to the establishment of “Mui Tsz Lam Story House” and the creation of various artworks and murals.
(The above information are excerpted from the website of Mui Tsz Lam Kop Tong sustainable village programme)