The So Lo Pun Haunted Village

The village of So Lo Pun is one of my most looked-forward to journeys on the bucket list. Well, readers wouldn’t be surprised because this is another so-called haunted village in the Sha Tau Kok area, and I am all for Angkor Wat sceneries in Hong Kong. The Journey: Luk Keng ⇒ Kai Kuk Shue Ha (10 minutes) ⇒ Fung Hang (half hour) ⇒ Kuk Po (50 minutes) ⇒ Yung Shue Au (1.5 hours) ⇒ So Lo Pun (total of 2.5 hours, 1 hour between Yung Shu Au and So Lo Pun ). There are rumors that So Lo Pun is haunted. Some people say that the villagers disappeared overnight. Some others say that compasses stop working at the village. Perhaps this rumor about the compass originates from the name. For in Chinese, So Lo Pun means “the locking of the compass.” However, the name of So Lo Pun is actually a recent acquisition. According to entries in the San On County Register of the Qing Dynasty (a few hundred years ago), there was a village called So No Pun. The middle name “No” in Chinese means “brain.” In those days, “brain” could refer to mountain ranges. Therefore the old name simply refers to a low valley plain surrounded by mountains. When the British came in 1898, the place name was mistakenly recorded as So Lo Pun, and thus the place became “compass locked” in Chinese. Perhaps this could dispel rumors of compasses not working in the village. On entry into the village, I first came across some really old-fashioned recreational facilities. The monkey bars wear a layer of moss, looking aged, and perhaps a bit tired. Life must have been vibrant once here, if villagers cared enough to build a playground for their children. On entry into the village, I first came across some really old-fashioned recreational facilities. The monkey bars wear a layer of moss, looking aged, and perhaps a bit tired. Life must have been vibrant once here, if villagers cared enough to build a playground for their children. #hongkonghike #shataukok #solopun #hongkongnature #ruins #hauntedplace #naturalwonders #hongkonghistory #newterritories #village #china