PLACES – Kuk Po, Part 4: Plover Cove Abandoned Ghost Town Revisited


What remains of Kuk Po took a battering from the elements this summer as floods and typhoons caused damage to the decaying remnants of a once-thriving community. The fate of the abandoned village remains up in the air as the government seek to rezone the the rural site, preventing ex-villagers from rebuilding.

Conservationists have been working to identify rare species in the area in the hope such findings will prevent redevelopment.

Click here to see part 1 of Hong Wrong’s photos from the ghost town, and here for the follow-up.

The only permanent resident of the borderzone village is Mark Sung, a videographer who grew up in Scotland but recently returned to HK and reclaimed his ancestral home.

Mark spent much of the summer months tending organic crops, battling the floods and even fighting swarms of hornets…

Few hikers ever make it out as far as Kuk Po – but enough visit to prompt a polite notice asking day-trippers to respect the countryside…

Unbeknownst to many who pass through, Kuk Po has a clear pool and waterfall just a few minutes away from the village stream…

The village was once home to about 160 people. Villagers’ animals used to graze in the area – people farmed, kept cows, chickens and pigs and also fished. Having mostly left for the city and opportunities abroad in the 60s and 70s, only a handful of residents remained by the end of the 20th century.

Some ex-residents maintain their links with the village – a few visit frequently, especially on the first and fifteenth of the lunar months. At this time, there are festivities to provide offerings to ancestors and the Gods.

The owners of some dwellings, however, cannot be identified as the paperwork is missing.

Bellow is Hong Wrong’s interview with Mark…

More highlights from HK’s abandoned corners below.

Exploring forgotten corners of HK where nature is winning…