Before the Chinese invaded Hong Kong around 220 BC, an exotic aboriginal tribe known as the Yao people inhabited the area.It is said that they tattooed every inch of their bodies, worecanine head-dresses, sported tails, and claimed to be descendedfrom a heroic dog.
Legend tells of an emperor who offered his daughter's hand inmarriage to anyone who could bring him the head of an enemy chieftain. When his pet dog turned up carrying the villain's headand laying it at his feet, the emperor, rather reluctantly, feltobliged to honour his promise. The fruit of this unorthodox marriage was a litter of little Yao people.
The Tangs arrived during the Sung (Song) Dynasty in about 973 AD. They were the first of the Five Great Clans and were by far the largest and richest to inhabit the New Territories. They settled in Kam Tin, and by the time the Hau clan arrived 100years later, the Tangs had occupied most of the best arable land.The Haus were followed by the Pangs who settled in the Fanlingarea. The Lius and Mans appeared in the 13th century during the Yuan Dynasty.
In a Chinese clan everybody has the same surname, and thefive clans were all of Punti origin. There were other smaller clans.It is easy to confuse clans with ethnic and linguistic groups suchas the Hakkas, who were a wandering people from the north. The local boat people were called Tankas, but there were a few Hoklofishermen, mainly from China's east coast, who also lived aboardtheir boats.
During the Sung Dynasty the Tangs dominated the territory and owned Hong Kong Island. In 1127 the Mongol hordes broke through the Great Wall of China and their horsemen swept through the Middle Kingdom with relentless fury. They even cap-tured the Sung Emperor Kao Tsung (Gaozong) and all his family, except his ten-year-old daughter who managed to escape.
The ladies of the court fled south taking the royal child with them. After many adven-tures they were fortunate to run into a bandof loyalist militia commanded by Tang Yuen-lang, a senior member of the Tang family. He hid the little princess in Kam Tin, a famous walled village in the New Territories.
Legend has it that the little princess fell passionately in love with her rescuer's son,Tang Tzu-ming, and they got married. Meanwhile her father had established a truce with the Mongols and began to search for his missing daughter. He sent messengers allover China looking for her.
The Tangs became very frightened because the marriage had taken place without the Emperor's consent. However, the noble princess returned to court taking her terrified husband with her. The Emperor magnanimously forgave the loving couple. It seems that the princess disliked the artificiality and sophistication of court life and was allowed to move back to the tranquility of the New Territories. She returned to Kam Tin, where she was known locally as "Huang Ku", which means "Emperor's Aunt". In the twilight of her incredibly virtuous life, the princess was faced with the unpleasant task of selecting a gravesite for herself. She eventually descided on Lion Hill near Shek Lung. Her fung shui advisor told her that if she were buried at the head of the lion her descendants would become great men. However if she was buried at the tail, they were destined forever to be humble folk and eat rice and herrings. Predictably, she chose the tail. The fortunes of the Tang clan have gone downhill ever since.
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