by Aqua Chiu

For a lot of Central residents, the New Territories seems as alien and as far away as Mongolia. On the 3rd day of the Chinese New Year, I was invited for a visit to a traditional village in Yuen Long, a place even Hong Kong Chinese locals consider remote. On the map, Yuen Long is indeed practically one of the furthest places away from Hong Kong Island. No wonder in some Hong Kongers’ imagination, Yuen Long represents farmland, nature and old Chinese culture. However, this is only partially true.

At noon, we start our trip by taking bus No. 968 outside Standard Charter Bank Building in Central. It seems the journey would take forever but 30 minutes later, we arrive at the Sun Yuen Long (Shopping) Center. Thanks to the high-speed Ting Kau Bridge, Route 3 highway and Tai Nam Tunnel, with only a few stops in Central and Sheung Wan, the trip to Yuen Long Town Center is almost like a non-stop express ride which is short and pleasant. Gosh, sometimes it takes more than 30 minutes to travel from Central to Causeway on a racing Wednesday.

After around 5 minutes' walk, we finally arrive at Shan Pui Village, where my friend Lam grew up. Shan Pui Village is one of the traditional villages in Yuen Long where native locals have been living in for centuries. There are many historical buildings that people still reside. In Shan Pui, many villagers keep special customs that are lost in other parts of Hong Kong. Like today, we are having a Punchoi meal, a special treat during Chinese New Year which is unique in these traditional villages.

Not uncommon to many village boys, my friend Lam spent his childhood in Yuen Long and studied abroad. Now working in a major food importing company, Lam has clients and friends from all over the world. Therefore, many of the guests today are non-Chinese locals. Like other villagers, I am surprised by the scene of many gweilos hanging around in a traditional Chinese village. Like many other modern village boys, Lam now no longer lives in Shan Pui but spends most of his time in DB or Soho and only returns "home" during important festivals.

Before the feast, super-host Lam has arranged a lion dance for us. Lion Dance is a tradition during the Chinese New Year. It is believed that the drum sound, music, movement and noise are a good sign for a new start as this would scare away all the evil spirits. I've seen this many times on TV but this is really the first time I am seeing it live. It is quite fun as you are closely impacted by the drum beats and dance movement. Moreover, it is a special private show - we are so proud of this when other villagers pass by and we show off by rushing to the Lion Dancers to give them lai-sees (the red packets with money in them) once the spectacular performance is over.

Now it is time to eat. We sit at 4 large round tables and Lam's family has prepared some rice for us to eat with the Punchoi. Punchoi is basically layers of food piled up in a bucket. Usually the bottom layers are veggies such as turnip slices, bean-curd sheets and mushrooms so they can absorb all the gravy. At the middle bottom layer is seafood including fish, shrimps and octopus while the top is layered with roasted pork, chicken and duck. Back in the old days, people didn't have much chance to eat meat. Hence, only during the Spring Festival, people could afford Punchoi. Nowadays, meat is no longer an expensive delicacy but having time for get-togethers is the new luxury. Sitting at the front yard (another luxury!) with old buddies and new friends from various parts of the world is a typical cosmopolitan Hong Kong experience, yet the traditional village background is not something you can get all the time.

After the meal, Lam suggests taking a walk. So 4 dozens of Chinese and gweilo tourists are taking a private tour to Lam's ancestral home and the Yuen Long nature which really blows my mind. Walking through the narrow road between modern 3-story buildings, we finally arrive at Lam's ancestral home. We asked Lam's 80-year-old dad how old this building is and he said that it'd be there since he was born. This small house must have gone through the two world wars. The old bricks, wooden furniture, altar and old pictures has turned it into a private museum displaying the family history of the Lam's. Now this place is no longer resided by Lam's family. But villagers usually keep their ancestral home because it is important for them to keep their roots.

After this exciting historical tour, we continue our walk. We arrive at the Shan Pui River, a once popular site because few years ago a crocodile was found there. Today the old Pui Pui (crocodile) is gone but the old village vibe is still there. We took a boat ride to cross the river the old-school style. $5/person. The guy is making 50 bucks/ride and around 200HKD in half an hour as the ride practically takes only 30 seconds! We are joking that Lam is secretly the owner of the operation. See what global tourism and capitalism has done to this innocent old village!

Once we cross the river, we can see a big green field. I can't really believe that I am in Hong Kong. It is not like Hong Kong has no nature. We do have many country parks. But here it really feels differently as the field is not yet re-touched by government gardening and maintenance. I feel like being in a remote village in Mainland China. We are also told that on a clear sunny day, we can see Shenzhen from here. But today, the cold and the cloud has captivated us in the romance and beauty of this decadent nature which secretly resides in Hong Kong.

After returning to Lam's modern villa, we've decided to hit town. After all, how often do we actually go to Yuen Long. So we take a 5-minute cab ride to the city center. Central Yuen Long is very different from the natural environment we see from Lam's traditional village. The city center is very modern. It is crowded and there are many shopping malls just like other parts of Hong Kong. In fact, the main street actually looks like a mini Nathan Road in Mongkok. And believe it or not, certain parts of this remote New Town actually feels like Soho.

How do we know? Because at 5pm, like some Chinese tourists looking for Chinese food in an American Chinatown, we are now, shamefully, gweilo tourists craving for a gweilo happy hour drink. We Iphone-search for bars in Yuen Long and find an oyster bar . It is very close to a legendary spot we plan to visit later in the evening. So Oyster Plus (Shop 67, Yee Fung Garden, 38 Ma Tin Road, Yuen Long), here we go.

Tucked at the corner in a fairly quiet neighborhood which is just two blocks away from the main road, Oyster Plus is a small bar and restaurant with a simple and stylish design themed with blue and white colors. The place has an open front setting and an outdoor dining table for cigar smokers. On the way to Yuen Long, I saw a big banner ad of a real estate area called YoHo Midtown. Funny name we thought – and now I know why. A Yuen Long Soho for Yuen Long yuppies.

Upon entering the bar, we are greeted by their very friendly staff. At first we were really just looking for a drink. But upon sitting we are immediately lured by the fresh oysters displayed right in front of us, especially when an Oyster Plus Seafood Platter is only $368 which includes oysters of the day and other seafood sashimi. Not only is the food fairly cheap compared to Soho prices but also the wines. The oysters are so fresh and sweet and totally comparable to Central standard. We order a bottle of Chardonnay. $186/bottle. A very good price for an Australian wine. We were quite skeptical at the beginning as it is almost half the price of the same sort in Central. But it tastes quite fine. Not exquisite but safe. Oyster Plus also has a Tapas menu for diners looking for something more filling but this time we have to save some room in our stomach.

Across Oyster Plus is another attractive, Soho-ish restaurant called Savours Café (Shop 3-4, G/F, Wah Kin Building, 3 Tat Fai Path, Yuen Long). Unfortunately, after a big punchoi feast and some oysters, we are not ready for another big meal yet. We ask the locals at the next table if Savours is any good, and they say that place is actually pretty famous in Yuen Long as it is one of the very few restaurants that does authentic Italian and French cuisine there which costs around 200/person for a dinner. So when you happen to be in Yuen Long (for whatever reason), bear this restaurant in mind if you want a budget fine-dining experience.

Yuen Long has many restaurants because rent is fairly inexpensive compared to downtown Hong Kong. On our way back to the main road, we find many sushi restaurants starting to get packed already in this early evening. We even see people lining up. Obviously sushi is a very popular cuisine here. I remember when I was in collage, some of my dorm-mates actually go all the way to Yuen Long just for sushi because of their high quality at very low prices. Yuen Long really seems to be diners' paradise.

Not tempted by sushi, we finally arrive at our final destination, B Jai Dessert. It is a large shop tucked at the corner of a side street just a few meters from the main road, B Jai is a legendary establishment all Hong Kongers know. Many people would drive all the way just for their signature dish - B Jai Herbal Jelly. It is actually herbal Jelly with all kinds of fruits. To be honestly I don't understand why people make such an effort for this simple dish that you can easily make at home. (Well, now that I remember, it actually only takes 30 minutes.) But it is still interesting to check this place out. As today is Chinese New Year, the place is packed by families who probably have just finished New Year visits to their friends and relatives. The vibe here is definitely totally different from the commercial districts like Central or Causeway Bay where you only see office gentlemen and ladies or Mongkok where you see mostly youngsters. All in all, B Jai is a good people-watching spot to be if you want to know more about the local culture here which is a lot more residential and family-oriented.

I know Yuen Long also has a lot of other special traditional delicacies such as Wife's Cafe (Winter melon crisp), and hand-made noodles. But today, after B Jai Dessert, we are so full and tired and ready to go back to Central. But thanks to capitalist expansion, the famous Wife's Cafe is now sold in Wing Wah (http://www.wingwah.com/wingwah//pp/WingWah.asp) and Hang Heung chains all over Hong Kong and the world. Ho To Tai Shrimp Noodle Shop (http://htt.com.hk/) which is famous for its hand-made noodles, has also opened branches in Tsuen Wan, Shatin, Mongkok and Wanchai. There are rumors that the Wife's Cake sold in Yuen Long is still made in Yuen Long instead of the central kitchen in China, hence, especially fresh and tasty. Although Ho To Tai has opened retail branches in other parts of Hong Kong, the Yuen Long Shop is the only with an eatery. Suppose I have to take another Yuen Long adventure very soon to satisfy my curiosity and appetite - well, it is definitely worth that 30 minutes bus ride.