According to oral history interviews with local villagers, these houses are reputedly the remnants that demonstrate the aftermath of the Japanese invasion during World War II. When the British army blew up what was then known as the “red bridge” that connects Fu Tei Au and Sheung Shui city centre in an attempt to block the Japanese from proceeding further into Hong Kong, the Japanese troops subsequently strategized to dismantle surrounding houses, and put the debris to use in making their way across the opposite river bank. Although some of these dwellings have since been vamped up, one may still see an obscure combination of bricks and iron sheets in certain part of these houses, suggesting how newer materials had been incorporated into the formerly destroyed structure.