Law Uk is more than two centuries old and is described by the Antiquities and Monuments Office as the only intact Hakka village house left in Chai Wan. Its name comes from the surname Law of the original owners. The survival of one house amid a transformed district makes it a rare architectural witness to a settlement pattern that is no longer visible in the surrounding urban form.
From the journal
Law Uk and Chai Wan’s Hakka Household History
Law Uk is the only intact Hakka village house remaining in Chai Wan, preserving a courtyard once used for work and neighbourhood gatherings.
In this district · Eastern ↗
A house that outlasted a village landscape
The work of the courtyard
The house follows a three-bay, two-hall layout. Its forecourt was used for drying grain and laundry, and for neighbours to gather. Domestic work and social life shared the same open space. The courtyard connected the household to the lane beyond it, bringing everyday tasks into view while giving residents room to meet.
From home to folk museum
In 1976, the government decided to preserve Law Uk as a folk museum; restoration was completed in 1989. The change opened the house to visitors while retaining its domestic form. Its plan, courtyard and surviving rooms make the scale of household life visible amid the urban transformation of Chai Wan.