San Wai is also known as Kun Lung Wai with the Chinese characters for “Kun Lung” and “the Jiazi year of the Qianlong reign” (1744) engraved on the stone lintel of the entrance to the village.
San Wai is a typical local walled village which is enclosed by grey brick walls with embrasures. A watchtower was constructed at each of the four corners of the enclosing walls to defend the village. The exterior of the gate tower was made of granite while two chained-ring iron gates were installed at the front entrance. The moat that originally surrounded the walled village has been filled in. Houses inside the village are laid out along the central axis with a communal shrine situated at the end of the main alley. Most of the old houses have been replaced by new buildings.
The gate tower and the enclosing walls, including the watchtowers, were declared monuments in 1988 and 1993 respectively.
To avoid disturbance to the residents, the interior is not open to the public.