Abandoned villages of Hong Kong
In one of the world’s densest cities, Hong Kong still contains extensive undeveloped hills, forests and even fully abandoned rural villages and islands, a legacy of migration from hard farming and fishing life to urban factory jobs in the mid‑20th century. Commenters highlight how land-use policy, male-heir land rights and powerful property developers help keep much of this land idle even as urban housing remains extremely expensive, while locals fiercely protect country parks and “remote” areas that can still take hours to reach by bus and ferry. The thread branches into related themes like depopulating villages across East Asia, the impact of low birth rates, and the appeal of hiking, ruins and car‑free or nearly deserted settlements near major metros.
Population density vs. abandoned villages
- Commenters are struck that one of the world’s densest territories has empty villages.
- Explanations: Hong Kong is very mountainous; only ~24% is built-up, the rest is forests, parks, wetlands, etc.
- Because most people live in a small fraction of the land, effective density in urban areas is far higher than headline stats.
Land use, policy, and property markets
- Large portions of land are undeveloped or protected; nature parks are widely valued by residents.
- Some argue government policy and property developers have long restricted land supply to keep prices high.
- Legacy systems give male indigenous heirs rights to build small houses in villages, complicating redevelopment.
- Debate over sovereign-wealth-type funds: one side claims a long-standing de facto fund via the Exchange Fund; another says the official SWF is new and small.
Why villages emptied and stay empty
- Many rural villagers left in the mid‑20th century for city factory jobs or emigrated abroad (UK, Canada, Australia, etc.).
- Families kept land rights, but heirs living overseas see little reason to return or organize redevelopment.
- Selling to developers is hard: fragmented ownership, need to aggregate many plots, legal limits tied to “one house per male heir,” and unclear incentives.
- Some suggest adverse possession or lease expiry could eventually free up land, but specifics are unclear.
“Remote” in a small city
- “Remote” means hard to reach: mountainous terrain, weak transport links, or separate islands accessible only by long bus rides plus ferries.
- In Hong Kong culture, even 1–2 hours of intra-city travel is considered onerous, despite being a normal commute elsewhere.
Nature, hiking, and wildlife
- Many recommend hiking trails (e.g., MacLehose) above dense urban areas; people reminisce about abandoned sites, graves, and old batteries.
- Abandoned villages host feral dogs and non-native monkeys; advice ranges from “never feed them” to using bright flashlights or pepper spray, though legality is questioned.
Comparisons and media skepticism
- Similar abandoned villages exist in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the US, and islands near Boston.
- Some see this linked to rural depopulation and low birth rates; others debate the role of economics vs. demographics.
- A few distrust CNN’s reporting and note heavy tracking / network requests on the article page.
Community spin-offs
- Thread sparks interest in Hong Kong hacker meetups, hackerspaces, and a Facebook group focused on abandoned villages.