Liu Ying Lung Study Hall is also known as Hin Shing Tong. It was built by the descendants of Liu Ying-Lung, the fourth generation ancestor of the second branch of the east ward of the Liu clan of Sheung Shui Heung, in the eighteenth year of Daoguang reign of Qing dynasty (1838). Initially used as a Bok Bok Chai study hall, the building was converted to a kindergarten and ran as Fung Kai Kindergarten from 1963 to 1988. When the kindergarten was inaugurated, Fung Kai Primary School had already been established in Liu Man Shek Tong Ancestral Hall, and Fung Kai Secondary School had been established on Jockey Club Road. The inauguration of the kindergarten extended the “through-train arrangement” in primary and secondary education established by the Liu clan in Sheung Shui Heung. Liu Wai-hong, the eighteenth generation ancestor of Hin Shing Tong, served as headmaster of Fung Kai Primary School and advocated the establishment of Fung Kai Secondary School. His eldest son, Dr. Liu Chak-wan, was the co-founder of the Macau University of Science and Technology. They bear testimony to the contribution of Hin Shing Tong to the educational endeavours of the Liu clan through the years.

Hin Shing Tong was both a study hall and one of three main ancestral halls built by the Liu clan after settling in Sheung Shui Wai, New Territories. The clansmen hold Spring Ancestral Worship, birthday celebrations and weddings in the ancestral hall. Inside the study hall, there is a plaque with the inscription, Ke Gong Ji Deng, which honours four clan members who obtained degrees in the Imperial Civil Service Examinations. They are Liu Gau-ngo, a zenggongsheng during the Yongzheng reign of Qing dynasty (1723–1735); Liu Yau-tsap, a juren, and Liu Hung, a lingongsheng, during the reign of Jiaqing of Qing dynasty (1796–1820); and Liu Yau-yung, a suigongsheng during the Daoguang reign of Qing dynasty (1821–1850). Ancestors of the clan who obtained degrees in the Imperial Civil Service Examinations and entered officialdom are revered on the Pui Yin Altar inside the study hall. They include juren Liu Yau-tsap, suigongsheng Liu Yau-yung, and Liu Yan-wun, a military official during the Jiaqing reign of Qing dynasty. This shows the Liu clan attached great importance to education, which has a long history of running schools and nurtured many great scholars.

Hin Shing Tong, with its two-hall-three-bay-one-courtyard layout, displays the style and aesthetics of Lingnan traditional architecture. At the main entrance are drum terraces, one on each side, and the roof is supported by granite columns on the drum terraces. The façade and interior of the study hall are adorned with mural paintings featuring motifs such as stories, birds and flowers, calligraphy and poetry. On the ridge are plaster mouldings with scroll grass patterns, and the interior is decorated with delicate wood carvings. During the restoration project in 2004, a comprehensive survey was carried out by a team of experts from the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. The project was awarded an Honourable Mention in the 2006 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. 

Opening Hours:
Sunday: 12 noon - 5pm

Address:
Po Sheung Tsuen, Sheung Shui Wai, Sheung Shui, New Territories.

Enquiry:
(852) 2670 1220