Yan Wah Lo, Grade III historic courtyard house in Kwu Tung, Sheung Shui, Hong Kong

Yan Wah Lo is a two-hall courtyard house built in 1933 in Kwu Tung, Sheung Shui, with a traditional Chinese gabled roof. Its main door is flanked by a couplet reading 'Ren duan tong si, Hua zhu duo san', and the door rings bear the inscriptions 'Jia guan' and 'Jin lu'. The Grade III historic building now serves as the residence of the Yang family descendants.

Yang Yanyou, a Mei County-born overseas Chinese merchant who traded between Indonesia and Hong Kong, built Yan Wah Lo in 1933 as a study hall. Unable to buy land in Mei County, he built in Kwu Tung instead and had the main hall converted into a classroom; the school opened to pupils in 1938. Around 1945 it housed the private Ai Hua School, offering free education to Kwu Tung villagers. In 1960 the government granted land for a new Ai Hua school building, and in 2006 that school closed for lack of pupils.

The gate couplets read "Ren duan tong si, Hua zhu duo san": the upper line refers to Mencius's four beginnings of benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom, the lower to the three abundances of fortune, longevity and descendants. The door rings are inscribed "jiaguan" and "jinlu", promotion and advancement in office, hinting at the owner's standing.

Yan Wah Lo stands in Kwu Tung, Sheung Shui, in Hong Kong's North District, and is a private residence of the Yeung family, not a site open to visitors. The west wing is occupied by Yang Yan You's grandson Yeung Ching-king and his wife. View the Grade III building from the outside only.

The door rings are inscribed with the characters for "promotion in rank" and "advancement in salary", hinting that the owner held, or aspired to, an official rank. The couplet flanking the main door reads "Ren duan tong si, Hua zhu duo san": the upper line refers to Mencius's four beginnings of benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom, the lower to the three abundances of fortune, longevity and descendants.