Kuk Po: The Revival
Kuk Po village, located on the remote border between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, was once known as a ghost village since the 1970s, when residents moved away for urban life.
Once a vibrant Hakka community with over 500 residents a century ago, Kuk Po village turned into a no man’s land in the 70s, marked by decaying mansions and abandoned ancestral homes. This stark transformation pushed 73-year-old villager Ho Sui Ting to embark on an ambitious project - to revive the empty village.
But it’s a tough job for just one man, but he insists. Ho was the very first batch of villagers to start the project, restoring the vegetation on poor soil and rebuilding the stonewall more than a century ago. He also built a “museum,” collecting artifacts that reflect the Hakka community's collective memories.
“Some people think I’m strange, like the foolish old man (Yugong) in the well-known Chinese fable who moved mountains?,” said Ho.
His works inspired other villagers and even residents from nearby semi-empty islands to join the revival, including Gen Z member Lilian.
Lilian did not grow up in the village, but her family has deep roots in Kuk Po. She returned during the COVID pandemic to escape the chaos and started to fall in love with her hometown. She then collaborated with a university to restore her ancestral home, which was built a century ago.
This episode begins with Ho reciting a poem about the journey home, followed by villagers from different generations as they faced the decline of their once-thriving community. How can they revive Kuk Po and restore its spirit and legacy to prevent it from fading into oblivion?
