Tsung Tsai Yuen (Mang Gui Kiu)

In the 1950s, Tsung Tsai Yuen was a picturesque mountain park and popular weekend picnic spot known for its pine forests, clear mountain streams, and cool swimming pools. On Sunday, August 28, 1955, hundreds of visitors gathered at the park, including a large group of students, teachers, and family members from the Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) Workers' Children School who were celebrating the end of summer vacation.

Around 3:00 PM, a sudden violent thunderstorm struck the Tai Po Kau catchment area. Seeking refuge from torrential rainfall, dozens of picnickers huddled together underneath a low concrete bridge spanning the stream bed. Unbeknownst to them, massive rainwater accumulation upstream created a sudden landslide and flash flood. A wall of muddy water, uprooted pine trees, and heavy boulders swept down the river channel without warning, instantly washing away everyone taking shelter beneath the bridge structure.

Emergency rescue workers and police spent days recovering bodies washed down into Tolo Harbour. A total of 28 lives were lost, including 22 young children. In 1956, local community leaders and government officials erected a stone memorial tablet (the 'Calamity Commemorative Stone') near the stream to appease the victims' souls. The original bridge was later demolished during Tai Po Road widening works, but the site remains deeply embedded in Hong Kong memory.

The urban legends surrounding Tsung Tsai Yuen center on the spirits of the 22 children who drowned in the 1955 flash flood. According to local Cantonese folklore, drivers traveling along Tai Po Road past midnight frequently see groups of wet children dressed in 1950s school uniforms standing along the roadside or waving from the stream banks. Drivers who stop to offer assistance report that the children vanish into thin air, leaving behind wet footprints on the asphalt. According to local feng shui masters, the sudden traumatic nature of the flood trapped their young souls permanently at the site.

Another famous legend involves 'Ghostly Passengers' and 'Mang Gui Kiu' (鬼橋). Bus drivers operating the late-night KMB routes along Tai Po Road report stopping at the Tsung Tsai Yuen bus shelter after seeing passengers signaling with their hands. When the bus doors open, no living person steps on board, yet the onboard passenger bell rings repeatedly throughout the journey until reaching Tai Po Market Station.

Hikers and visitors walking near the memorial tablet late in the afternoon report hearing disembodied laughing, children singing nursery rhymes in chorus, and desperate splashing sounds coming from the tranquil stream bed when no people are present. Local elders believe the souls of the drowned children remain bound to the riverbank seeking their missing schoolmates and lost teachers.

Hikers, motorists, and local residents have documented numerous unexplained occurrences at Tsung Tsai Yuen over the past six decades. The most frequently reported phenomenon is the sudden appearance of wet handprints on car windows and windshields when vehicles are parked near the picnic site after dark.

Visitors standing near the 1956 memorial tablet frequently experience sudden drops in ambient temperature, cold shivers, and the overwhelming feeling of invisible hands tugging lightly on their clothing or backpacks. Electronic equipment, including handheld flashlights and smartphones, frequently suffers unexplained battery drain when taken near the stream bed.

Taxi drivers in Tai Po frequently share stories of picking up young passengers near Tsung Tsai Yuen late at night who pay their fare with dry banknotes, only for the driver to find that the paper money has turned into wet leaves or hell bank notes upon reaching the final destination. Audio recorders left near the monument frequently capture faint child murmurs.

Tsung Tsai Yuen is a public natural recreational site situated within the Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve area in the eastern New Territories. The scenic site features a mountain stream, dense pine and camphor forestry, stone staircases, picnic tables, footbridges, outdoor barbecue pits, walking trails, and shaded park benches for park visitors.

The original concrete bridge where the tragic 1955 disaster occurred was replaced during modern road expansion projects. Today, the site features a stone memorial monument engraved with Chinese calligraphy commemorating the 28 flood victims, surrounded by protective iron railings, garden planters, and commemorative plaques along Tai Po Road.

Tsung Tsai Yuen is situated along Tai Po Road (Kau To Shan / Tai Po Kau section) in Tai Po, New Territories. It is easily accessible via public franchise buses (KMB Route 72 or 73A) or green minibuses running between Shatin and Tai Po Market, dropping off directly at the Tsung Tsai Yuen bus stop.

The public picnic grounds, nature trails, and memorial monument are open 24 hours daily with free entry. Visitors are advised to pay respects at the memorial tablet, stay on designated hiking paths, and strictly avoid entering the stream bed during heavy rainstorms due to flash flood risks.

Tsung Tsai Yuen earned its dark reputation as 'Mang Gui Kiu' due to the tragic 1955 flash flood disaster that claimed 28 lives, mostly young children. Decades of haunting driver accounts, ghost passenger stories, and persistent sightings of spectral school children cemented its standing as one of Hong Kong's most poignant and famous haunted landmarks, dark tourism sites, and paranormal folklore locations.