九龍宋皇臺

九龍宋皇臺遺址碑記

中文

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一九五九年香港政府立石

英文

SUNG WONG TOI

SUNG WONG TOI, OR TERRACE OF THE SUNG EMPEROR, WAS ORIGINALLY
SITUATED ON THE WESTERN SHORE OF KOWLOON BAY. THE SAMLL MOUND THERE WAS
KNOWN AS THE SACRED HILL, AND ON ITS SUMMIT THERE WAS A GREAT ROCK. DURING
THE YUAN DYNASTY THE THREE CHARACTERS "SUNG WONG TOI" WERE ENGRAVED
HORIZONTALLY UPON THE WESTERN FACE OF THIS ROCK; LATER A FURTHER SEVEN
CHARACTERS WERE ADDED VERTICALLY, RECORDING THAT REPAIRS HAD BEEN CARRIED
OUT IN 1807 A. D., IN THE TING MAU YEAR OF THE CHING EMPEROR KA HING.

IN 1915 PROFESSOR LAI CHAI-HEI (BETTER KNOWN AS LAI CHI-HSI) OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG APPEALED TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO RESERVE
FOREVER THIS AREA AND THIS TERRACE. MR. LI SUI-KAM, A LEADING HONG KONG CITIZEN,
LENT HIS SUPPORT AND PAID FOR THE ERACTION OF AN ENCIRCLING STONE BALUSTRADE.
WHEN THE JAPANESE ARMED FORCES OCCUPIED HONG KONG IN 1941-5 AND ENLARGED
THE AIRPORT, THEY BLASTED THE GREAT ROCK WHICH BROKE INTO THREE: ONE PART
RETAINED THE ORIGINAL INSCRIPTION INTACT.

AFTER THE LIBERATION IN 1945, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HELD TO ITS
FORMER DESIRE TO PRESERVE THIS ANCIENT MONUMENT. A PARK WAS CREATED TO
THE SOUTH-WEST OF THE AIRFIELD, ABOUT THREE HUNDRED FEET FROM THE SITE OF
THE ORIGINAL SUNG WONG TOI, AND THE INCRIBED ROCK WAS DRESSED AND PLACED
WITHIN THAT PARK. THIS, TOO, FULFILLED A PUBLIC WISH.

RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT, DURING THE MING AND CHING DYANSTIES, THIS
AREA WAS A PART OF THE SAN ON DISTRICT UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE
PREFECTURE OF KWONG CHOW. DURING THE SUNG DYNASTY, THIS AREA WAS PART OF THE
TUNG KWUN DISTRICT OF THE SAME PREFECTURE, AND WAS KNOWN AS KWUN FOO CHEUNG.

WHEN THE SUNG EMPEROR TUEN CHUNG ASCENDED TO THE THRONE IN FOO CHOW,
THE ARMIES OF THE MONGLS PRESSED UPON HIM AND HE FLED BY SEA TO CHEUN CHOW,
THENCE TO CHIU CHOW AND KAP TSZ MUN IN WAI CHOW. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
SECOND YEAR OF HIS REGIN (1277), THE EMPEROR ENTERED KWONG CHOW TERRITORY.
THENCE, IN THE SECOND MOON, HE SAILED TO MUI WAI, IN THE FOURTH MOON, HE
LANDED HERE AT KWUN FOO CHEUNG AND SET UP HIS TEMPORARY PALACE NEAR THE
PLACE NOW KNOWN AS THE SUNG WONG TOI. SOME SAY THAT THE EMPEROR TUEN
CHUNG FROM TIME TO TIME TOOK HIS REST IN A SPACE BENEATH THE GREAT ROCK,
AND THIS LEGEND IS GIVEN AS THE REASON FOR THE NAME "SUNG WONG TOI"

IN THE SIXTH MOON OF THE SAME YEAR, THE EMPEROR MOVED TO KWU TAP,
AND IN THE NINTH MOON, TO TSIN WAN, WHICH IS NOW KNOWN AS TSUEN WAN. IN
THE ELEVENTH MOON, THE MONGOL ARMIES ATTACKED, AND THE EMPEROR SAILED AWAY
TO SAU SHAN, THUS HAVING CAMPED IN KOWLOON FOR ABOUT TEN MONTHS.

THROUGHOUT THE SUNG DYNASTY, FOREIGN INVASIONS FREQUENTLY OCCURRED.
IN ALMOST EVERY YEAR THERE WAS WAR AGAINST NOT ONLY THE TANGUT, BUT ALSO,
IN TURN, THE INVADING KHITAN, NUCHEN AND MONGOLS. AT THE CLOSE OF THE
SUNG DYNASTY, THE EMPEROR HIMSELF HAD TO FLEE AND SEEK REFUGE BY THE
SHORES OF THE SEA, FROM WHERE HE ENDEAVOURED TO SECURE THE RESTORATION
OF HIS EMPIRE. BUT THIS MOUND AND THIS SPOT COMMEMORATE ONE OF THE
LAST PORTIONS OF SUNG TERRITORY ON WHICH THE EMPEROR STOOD.

THE CHRACTER "WONG" ON THE GREAT ROCK SHOULD BE THAT FOR "EMPEROR"
AND NOT THE CHARACTER FOR "KING". THE MISTAKE WAS FIRST MADE IN THE YUAN
(MONGOL) OFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE SUNG DYNASTY, WHERE IT WAS RECOREDED
THAT THERE WERE TWO KINGS. NOW THIS PARK IS CALLED THE "GRADEN OF THE
SUNG EMPEROR'S TERRACE" AND THE ROAD BEFORE IT IS NAMED THE "SUNG EMPEROR'S
TERRACE ROAD". THIS USE OF THE TITLE "EMPEROR" IS CORRECT.

WHEN THE EMPEROR TUEN CHUNG FLED TO THE SOUTH, MANY OF HIS CLANSMEN
FOLLOWED HIM. LATER THEY SCATTERED AND SETTLED IN VARIOUS DISTRICTS.
THE ANCESTRAL RECORDS OF THE CHIU CLAN CONFIRM THIS.

IT IS SAID THAT, TO THE SOUTH-WEST OF THE SUNG WONG TOI, THERE WAS
ONCE A VILLAGE CALLED "THE TWO KINGS' PALACE", WHICH WAS SO NAMED BECAUSE
THE EMPEROR TUEN CHUNG AND HIS BROTHER, WAI WONG PING WHO SUCCEEDED
HIM, VISITED THAT VILLAGE TOGETHER. TO THE NORTH THERE WAS THE TOMB OF
THE LADY KAM; IT IS RECORDED THAT THE PRINCESS OF CHUN, DAUGHTER OF THE
QUEEN MOTHER YEUNG, WAS DROWNED NEARBY AND A GOLDEN IMAGE OF HER WAS
BURIED IN THAT TOMB. TO THE NORTH-WEST IS THE TEMPLE OF HAU-WONG; A
TABLET ERECTED BY MR. CHAN PAK-TO OF TUNG KWUN DISTRICT PUTS FORWARD THE
THEROY THAT YEUNG LEUNG-CHIT, BROTHER OF THE QUEEN MOTHER, WAS BURIED AT
AT THIS SPOT AND THAT THE LOCAL PEOPLE BUILT THE TEMPLE IN MEMORY OF HIS
LOYALTY. THERE IS ALSO A STONE CALLED THE " ARMCHAIR STONE" NEAR YAU SIN
NGAM ON THE WHITE CRANE MOUNTAIN; A STORY TELLS HOW THE EMPEROR OCCASIONALLY
ESTABLISHED HIS COURT THERE. USING THE STONE AS THIS TEMPORARY
THRONE, ALL THESE LEGENDS CONNECTED WITH THE HISTORY OF THE SUNG WONG
TOI, ARE RECORDED HERE TO FACILITATE FUTURE RESEARCH.

IN 1957, DURING THE WINTER OF THE TING YAU YEAR, MR. KAN YAU-MAN OF
SAN WUI COMPOSED THE ORIGINAL CHINESE TEXT OF THIS RECORD, WHICH WAS
INSCRIBED BY MR. CHIU CHIU OF TOI SHAN FOR ENGRAVING. THE CHIU CLANMEN'S
ASSOCIATION OF HONG KONG, BESIDES PUBLISHING A SECIAL BOOK IN COMMEMORATION
OF THIS HISTORIC SPOT, ASSISTED IN SELECTING THE STONE AND SUPERVISING
THE PREPARATION OF THESE MEMORIAL TABLETS.

ERECTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG, 1959.