Ancestral antiquity: Chik Kwai Study Hall is a typical traditional Chinese study hall built before 1899.

Chik Kwai Study Hall at Sheung Tsuen, Pat Heung in Yuen Long, will be declared a historical building under the Antiquities & Monuments Ordinance from June 29.

The Antiquities & Monuments Office will carry out a full restoration of the study hall. The building will be opened to the public after a comprehensive conservation study and cartographic survey.

The typical traditional Chinese study hall was built before 1899 by Lai Kam Tai of the Lai clan, which had settled in the Pat Heung area for centuries.

The study hall is exceptional due to its well-preserved architectural components. Examples include the ornate wood carvings, the lively decorative plaster mouldings on the roof ridges and gable walls, and the vivid traditional Chinese murals, which are all said not to have been repainted or refurbished since the hall's construction.

It was originally built for educating young clansmen in traditional classics and was also used for ancestor worship starting from the 1930s. The school ceased operation during World War II, but resumed afterwards as Wing Hing School for modern education.