薄扶林村是港島歷史最悠久的鄉村之一 (Pokfulam Village is one of The Last Village on Hong Kong Island) Pokfulam Village 薄扶林村

薄扶林村的發展當有兩百年以上的歷史。1819年靳文模所編成的<新安縣志>, 已記載了薄鳧 (音扶)林這個名字。 又因歷史悠久舞火龍習俗, 及多條大小不一的火龍為中秋起舞面有火龍村之稱。

一些史學家和文化遺產專家把薄扶林村視為"香港島唯一的傳統鄉村" 。這也許是因為現今只有在薄扶林村才能發現原居民的後裔聚居的原因。   薄扶林村是薄扶林文化風景的一部分。除那些法定/暫定古跡以外(杜格拉斯堡、Bethanie 修道院、 Jessville (薄扶林道128號的Jessville, 等。) 在薄扶林, 還有不少有無形和有形的遺產在薄扶林村。

有形的遺產包括傳統村莊房子, 村莊設置, 李靈仙姐塔, 火龍, 牛屎湖等。無形的遺產包括李靈仙姐誕, 舞火龍, 等。

Pokfulam Village: The Living Link of the Unique Cultural Landscape in Hong Kong

Pokfulam Village – home to more than 7 generations of families, witness to almost 300 years’ worth of history, and living proof of the earliest settlements in Hong Kong; it is said to be a miracle that this village still exists to this day. It has become a prime example of a cultural landscape, which is formed when the combined results of nature and man evolve into a part of culture. Its unique location has allowed the small village to prosper under the influence of the Missions Étrangères de Paris  (MEP) and Dairy Farm.

A famous saying among the villagers goes thus, “Before Hong Kong was even born, Pokfulam Village was already here.”  Physical evidence dates the founding of Pokfulam Village back to the Qing Dynasty, when Hong Kong was merely a fishermen’s island. There are two mountains by the shore where Pokfulam is situated, and a range of mountains extends behind them. According to Chinese Feng Shui , the area enclosed by the mountains is considered to have good fortune; this is most likely the reason why the first settlers of Hong Kong decided to build their homes here, and began to lead simple lives as farmers. When Hong Kong was colonised by the British Empire, the area surrounding Pokfulam Village flourished and underwent drastic changes: the first Dairy Farm was built nearby, causing population to increase more than threefold; the Maison de Béthanie  and Nazareth were built in aid of the MEP in its quest to spread Christianity in Asia; people flocked to the area for jobs and, as a result, Pokfulam Village became one of the most densely populated areas in Hong Kong.

A Haven for French Missionaries
During the colonisation, French missionaries were sent from the MEP to spread Christianity in the Far East.  By 1857, however, the tensions between the Chinese and Westerners have risen enough to prompt a mass poisoning of foreigners by the locals; at the same time, hygiene was almost non-existent due to poor living conditions in the Chinese community, and there were no civil hospitals or sanatoriums. The idea of establishing a sanatorium for missionaries in the Far East has been among the MEP since 1856, but it was only when Fr Pierre Marie Osouf, Procurator of the MEP in Hong Kong, raised the issue again in 1873 with a 5000-word essay that it was gradually turned into reality.

However, the location of the sanatorium had yet to be decided. There was much support for Yokohama, Japan, whose healthy environment and European connections gained approval among Fr Osouf’s colleagues. Nonetheless, Fr Osouf underwent meticulous deliberation and discovered that Japan’s climate is not at all milder than other Asian countries, as most Europeans believed; and almost every doctor who has worked in Yokohama noted that patients coming for treatment for anaemia, fever, dysentery and consumption  are more likely to die than recover – Yokohama is far from ideal.

At that time, Fr Osouf coincidentally came across three articles in The Daily Advertiser that lead him into recommending Pokfulam, Hong Kong, for the sanatorium. Two were petitions for a sanatorium to improve the unhealthy environment of the city of Victoria; the third proposes how invalids might retreat to a breezy hill to escape hot weather and clammy surroundings.  Consequently, in his letter to the MEP, he suggested that the sanatorium should be built in Pokfulam, where it could receive southerly breezes from the sea, creating a climate similar to southern France. Soon, the French Mission Directors in Paris gave their approval with little hesitation, and, with the help of Fr Charles Edmond Patriat, the Maison de Béthanie was completed and opened in 1975.