Mang Gui Kiu is a small bridge situated in Tsung Tsai Yuen, Tai Po District, Hong Kong. For being frequently overflown by heavy rains, the bridge was originally named “Hung Shui Kiu” which literally means “The Bridge of Flooding” in Chinese.
For many years, people living in Hong Kong find Tsung Tsai Yuen to be a great picnic destination due to its convenient transportation and picturesque woods and the zigzag river that expands to miles away. Especially, the Tai Po Kau forest which is filled with a variety of flora and fauna is a very popular ecotourism site.
The Tragic Accident In “Mang Gui Kiu” Bridge:
On the eve of the Ghost Festival, on August 28, 1955, at around 1:30 in the afternoon, a group of teachers and students from St. James’ Settlement were having a picnic at Tsung Tsai Yuen. They were on a week-long camp in the nearby Tai Po Rural Orphanage and it was their final picnic before returning home. But it was not to be!
Suddenly it started to rain in the region that they didn’t expected at the time. Therefore, they had to take shelter under the Mang Gui Kiu bridge in the hope that they will leave for home soon after the rain stops. However, the heavy rain didn’t stop in that way.
More or less forty minutes after the rain had started, a terrible flash-flood hit the bridge and most of them were washed away to the lower course of the river by a sudden landslide. Unfortunately, 28 of them had died in the accident with only a few alive. The tragedy shocked everyone in the country.
The Victims Of The Tragedy:
The Mang Gui Kiu tragedy took 28 lives within minutes and most were the children. The names of the victims are cited below:
Wu Zhuomin, Zhang Dingjia, Qiu Hua Jia, Liang Guoquan, Wu Shulian, Xie Yihua, Zhang Fuxing, Xu Huanxing, Ou Decheng, Pan Hongzhi, Zhang Zhiyong, Ma Renzhi, Mo Zuobin, Lin Xinggen, Liang Baozhu, Wu Xueqiang, Zhou Zhenxing, Li Baogen, Zheng Yihua, Jin Bi, Mai Huansheng, Liang Niu, Wang Xiaoquan, Li Jingyi, Liang Jinquan, Huang Liqing, Tan Limin, Liang Hai.
The Ghost Stories Behind The “Mang Gui Kiu” Bridge:
Since the tragic accident took place, the ghost haunting stories related to the event have never stopped at the cursed site. The bridge area is said to be extremely haunted by those victims’ unrest spirits. Legend has it that, at the dead of night, ashen-faced children often wave to passing cars and hikers.
Drivers also claim to see white shapes flitting across the road nearby and many bus drivers also assert that some of their passengers vanish into the thin air once they got off the bus. Some families living in the area also claim to see their children often holding hands and playing with air, as if they know them very well.
A Hauntingly Creepy Legend Of The “Mang Gui Kiu” Bridge:
Still, in traditional Chinese culture, it is believed one needs not to be afraid of supernatural if he is an upright man who has never affront any spirits. One such a creepy story about the Mang Gui Kiu bridge is often circulated through the local folklores that is:
A bus driver was driving past the Mang Gui Kiu without any passengers on board. A woman with long hair and pale face got on the bus. But the driver only found “joss paper” in the cashbox. In Chinese culture, “joss paper” is said to be ghost money that is burnt in offerings for spirits to have a comfortable afterlife. The angry driver shouted “Lady, please pay the fee!” but received no answer. He found that there was nobody on the bus. He realized the woman was a ghost but stayed calm and kept on driving not to offend the spirit. When he drove to the next bus stop, the signal light was on. He stopped the bus and opened the door but suddenly heard a voice saying, “Thank you.”
The Dark History Behind The “Mang Gui Kiu” Region:
It is said that Dan Kwai Village near Mang Gui Kiu was an execution ground during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The blood of the deceased washed into the sea and the water became red. Therefore, the bridge was named Hung Shui Kiu, in which “Hung” means “flood” and sounds the same as the word “red” in the Chinese language. Years later, villagers still hear the marching sound of soldiers and witness the ghosts of those war victims.
The Memorial Of The Mang Gui Kiu Tragedy:
After the accident, the Tai Po Tsat Yeuk Rural Committee erected a stone plaque to commemorate the tragedy and to placate the restless spirits.
Later, the Hong Kong Government built a dam on the head-stream to reduce the effects of the flash floods so that similar accidents never happen there again.
The original Mang Gui Kiu bridge and the connected road were repaired and renewed many times over the years. Yet, constant car accidents on Tai Po Road close to the original Mang Gui Kiu site continues to bring more para-normality to the haunting place.
