Heung Fan Liu derives its name from its former incense-making industry.[1] Incense milling may have been conducted in Heung Fan Liu as early as the late Ming dynasty.[2] It would have been processed in Heung Fan Liu and nearby Pak Tin. This local industry ceased at the time of the Great Clearance in the second half of the 17th century.[3] Early 20th century maps show sandalwood mills in the area. This industry was made possible thanks to the presence of a fast flowing stream with a substantial year-round flow of water to power the water-wheel. Sites with similar characteristics also existed in Pak Kiu Tsai (Шаблон:Zh) in Tai Po and Шаблон:Ill (Шаблон:Zh) in Tsuen Wan.[2]
In 1932, Herbert Edward Lanepart (Шаблон:Zh), a Latvian believed to be of German origin, set up a nudist club by the river in Heung Fan Liu. The club moved to Wok Tai Wan in 1936, because the lease on Heung Fan Liu was expiring and the building of Shing Mun Reservoir in 1935 had lowered the level of the river and made the water murky.[1]
Fauna
The first recorded sighting of a ashy woodswallow (Artamus fuscus) in Hong Kong took place in Heung Fan Liu on April 23, 2011.[4]
