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Pok Fu Lam or Pokfulam is a residential area on Hong Kong Island, at the western end of the Southern District.

Pok Fu Lam is a valley between Victoria Peak and Mount Kellet, around Telegraph Bay.

Pok Fu Lam can claim several firsts in the history of Hong Kong: It was the place where Hong Kong’s floral emblem, Bauhinia blakeana, was first discovered; the site for Hong Kong’s first reservoir, Pokfulam Reservoir, (1883, now part of a country park); and the site for Hong Kong’s first dairy farm by five investors, including Sir Patrick Manson in 1885. The farm supplied not only milk, but cattle to Hong Kong, and later became Dairy Farm. However, it no longer exists in Pok Fu Lam.

History of Pok Fu Lam Village
Pok Fu Lam Village is a historic village, which has existed since the beginning of the 17th century. Local residents in the past have repeatedly asked the government to give indigenous inhabitants of Pok Fu Lam the same recognition as residents of the New Territories. These claims have been rejected by the government which also threatened demolition of the village.

In the Kangxi period (late 17th century) of the Qing dynasty, approximately 2,000 people seeking asylum from turmoils in mainland China reached this village. The early villagers, mostly with the surnames of Chen, Huang and Luo, were farmers. The “Xinan County Journal” of 1819 mentioned that Pok Fu Lam Village was one of three villages on Hong Kong Island (the other were at Stanley and Wong Chuk Hang). It was described as “built alongside the hill and the creek, its structures are quite elegant”. After the Second World War, the massive refugee influx seeking asylum from mainland China reached Hong Kong, resulting in the village population increasing from 20-odd households to more than 100 households. The original vegetable gardens were replaced by houses. It was not until the 1980s, when the Hong Kong economy experienced raid growth, that the village population began to decrease, but many villagers remain in the village today.

Fire Dragon Festival The villagers have their own festivals: the annual Fire Dragon Dance, the oldest of its kind in Hong Kong, is held during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and is organised entirely by the villagers, who strive to preserve the unique festival for the generations to come. Ng Kong-kin, master craftsman of the 73.3 metre long dragon, has been making these creatures for more than four decades, and continues to volunteer his time building the enormous beast every year; his brother Ng Kong-nan, supervises the training of the dancers and preparation for the annual celebrations. All villagers participate in the burning of incense and each household is blessed by the dragons as they dance through the village, making the festival a fundamental part of the village life.Many other less well known festivals include Bou Chun Tin , which commemorates Nüwa repairing the Wall of Heaven; Fa San Fuk, a ritual carried out on Lunar New Year’s Eve for good fortune throughout the year; and Jip Nin Gang, when villagers calculate the best time in Chinese Feng Shui to welcome the new year, and prepare celebratory procedures for the particular moment.

Construction
The forest village is divided into three parts: Middle is “Wai Chai”, Northern portion is “the vegetable garden”, the village tail is “Long Tzutu”. There are few types of village house. Some are made of stone and hay with Chinese tiled pitched roof. Some Chinese tiled pitched roof had been replaced with galvanised steel roof. Some village houses are made of brick with concrete flate roof or galvanised steel roofs. In addition the village has characteristic towers, named Li Ling Divine Pagoda, is approximately 5 meters high. The existing pagoda was rebuilt in 1916. The first pagoda was built of stone as advised by the elder villagers.

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[:zh]

 

薄扶林位於香港港島區，是香港島的市郊部份之一，通常指北至摩星嶺以南、南至瀑布灣的南區區域，其中薄扶林近南區部分的大部分私人屋苑（如置富花園）及別墅為香港中產階級至上層階級人士的集中地。

地理位置
薄扶林的北面為摩星嶺道，與中西區接壤。其範圍沿薄扶林道及香港島西岸一直向南延伸，直到華富邨一帶為止。所覆蓋的範圍，包括沙灣（大口灣）及鋼綫灣等地。

亦有人認為薄扶林的北面為譚雅士大宅，其範圍西面以域多利道為界，沿薄扶林道向南延伸至石排灣道為止，不包括位於西高山山麓的瑪麗醫院、沙灣、瀑布灣、鋼綫灣。

薄扶林本來僅指薄扶林村附近一帶，後來逐漸發展為薄扶林道沿線地區都是薄扶林的範圍，有時更會包括石塘咀以南的半山區的中西區地域，如蒲飛路、香港大學等，至薄扶林道與般咸道的交界為止。

地名來源
薄扶林地名來源的最普遍解釋，是由於該處一帶以前為茂密的樹林，有很多薄鳧（即棉鳧）棲息，因而又被稱為薄鳧林，而此名可見於清朝嘉慶年間由王崇熙纂輯的《新安縣志》。其後地名被寫成薄扶林，一直沿用至今。亦有指薄本來為泊（bok6），泊鳧林意指為棲息著鳧（即野鴨或棉鳧）的樹林。

另有解釋，指薄扶林的意思即是瀑布（水的出口），因為在壯語中，林和薄的古壯語字分為淰和咟，解作水和口的意思。也有指薄扶林古稱百步林。亦有指薄扶林於第二次世界大戰前亦曾被寫成樸湖林或博胡林。

歷史
位於薄扶林的薄扶林村，歷史可追溯至清朝康熙年間三藩之亂時，約有二千餘人從其他地區避難到此，成為香港島較早的原居民。清嘉慶二十四年（1819年）編纂的《新安縣志》，曾經提及薄扶林村是港島上的三條村落之一（另兩條為赤柱村及香港圍）。香港主權移交之後，當地居民過去曾多次要求政府給予跟新界原居民等同的權益，但被政府拒絕之餘，還面臨被清拆的命運。

1860年左右，薄扶林是英國商人的夏季避暑區，山腰、山頂別墅林立，山頂有守望者房屋數間，戶外有旗桿，凡有輪船到港，守望者升旗為號。薄扶林附近有跑馬場（現址薄扶林騎徑學校），每逢孟春賽馬，仕女如雲。港督還創建一所佔地百頃的公園。而當時舊香港八景的「扶林曲徑」，便是指薄扶林道一帶的景色。

1883年，香港第一個水塘——薄扶林水塘落成，為香港提供自來水，泉水來自太平山，由管道引至水塘。1885年，香港牛奶公司於薄扶林村附近，即今置富花園現址，興建牧場，稱為薄扶林牧場，是香港的第一個牧場。

1911年，香港大學在薄扶林北面成立，並在鄰近山麓興建行政大樓、教學大樓和大學宿舍，因而有不少大學職員和學生居住於薄扶林區。

1970年代，香港政府頒佈一項名為「薄扶林延期履行權」的行政措施，以區內交通基建設施未完善為理由，限制區內的發展，使薄扶林中低密度發展的格局維持至今。

著名地點
主要住宅區
碧荔道
碧瑤灣
貝沙灣
置富花園
薄扶林花園
薄扶林村

其他地點
譚雅士大宅
中華廚藝學院
薄扶林郊野公園

對於西高山山麓瑪麗醫院是否屬於薄扶林存在爭議。

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