The Ghost in Red at Ping Shan Tat Tak School

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Some of the most haunted places in the world are easily old schools. The empty hallways seem different after school. Empty classrooms seem wrong and if the school has a dark background, it is most certainly connected to a ghost story or two. This is the case with Ping Shan Tat Tak School in Hong Kong that had more than one haunted legend behind it before it closed down.

In the New Territories north on mainland Hong Kong there is a haunted school called Ping Shan Tat Tak School (達德學校). The original school that was established in 1931 was set up in the centuries old Yu Kiu ancestral hall in Ping Shan, Yuen Long and was the first school institution to teach the nearby villagers children in the New Territories.

In 1974 the primary school reached more than 700 students and needed bigger space. The school moved location to North-South Road before closing completely in 1998, 67 years after it opened it was abandoned and people now claim the place is haunted.

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The deserted school is occasionally utilized as eerie shooting sites for television and film productions, featuring frightening and spine-chilling props left behind by the crew. The two-story main building is structured in a U-shape, with the central hall flanked by classrooms in the other two wings. The encompassing open area comprises a basketball court, encircled by trees planted around the premises.

Ever since the opening and well after Ping Shan Tat Tak School closed it has been the subject of haunting ghost stories. But what made it go from one of the first and biggest schools to this abandoned place said to be haunted?

**Tat Tak School:** Abandoned building of Tat Tak School, Ping Shan, Hong Kong, in February 2024. The trees and bushes are taking over it all and the courtyard is empty except those seeking the paranormal rumors. This school with a long institutional history is thought to be haunted by multiple ghosts. // Source: Wikimedia

The Ghost from the War at the Haunted School

There are a couple of different stories circulating about exactly what is haunting the school. One is from war times. During the Second World War and the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong classes were suspended. It is said that the school was used as a burial ground as it was believed that it was a place where a horrible massacre happened during the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941.

There is worth noting though that these are stories told, not verified facts.

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There are also a few stories about the ghosts of the original residents of the New Territories when the British came and took over the area in 1899. At the time, the Six Day War of the New Territories broke out where around 500 people died.

The bodies of the villagers from Ping Shan were buried on the side of the mountain that became a mass grave according to these stories and the school is surrounded by these visible graves. These victims are the ghosts that are thought to haunt the school, although, they are not the most told about ghosts at all.

The Ghost in the Red Dress at Ping Shan Tat Tak School

After a while of retelling of things in the past there started to evolve a proper ghost story from Ping Shan Tat Tak School that was original to the school and the rumors of the abandoned haunted school was complete.

A legend goes that one of the schoolmistresses, perhaps even the principal committed suicide and hang herself in the school toilets, wearing a red dress. In many of the variations she is said to have been raped.

She is now said to haunt the school. A woman haunting the bathroom in schools are widely told across Asia, and also the fact that she is wearing red like in these stories:

Read More: Check out more ghost stories about Women in Red Ghosts like The Lady in Red of Bang Pakong River or The Haunted Bela Vista Villa

**The Woman in Red**: One of the ghosts said to haunt the Ping Shan Tat Tak School in Hong Kong is the woman in red. It is said that a headmistress hanged herself in one of the toilets and has ever since been haunting the school.

Since there are no police reports or even a news article about this, it is impossible to confirm that such a rumor is true. A former student claims it was the headmaster’s wife who died at her home. Nevertheless, this story has become one of the most told about from Ping Shan Tat Tak School.

Student Ghost Investigation Gone Wrong

Because the haunted rumor about an abandoned school exists, there will naturally thrill seekers that are attracted to the stories, especially for other students wanting to test their bravery and spook their friends. Normally the explorations come from the famous stories, but this time, one of the fateful explorations turned the story about the haunted school and the ghost wearing red to new heights.

On September 10th in 2011, 12 students from a middle school visited Ping Shan Tat Tak School and came back with haunted tales. They claimed to have heard footsteps in the abandoned building as well as hearing an ominous scraping noise from the walls.

**Paranormal Investigations**: The school has in later years been the subject of paranormal investigations by various groups of people. Many of them are school children themselves and not ready to deal with the horror that awaits them. Be it psychological or paranormal. // Source: Wikimedia

According to reports, three of the girls kept fainting and one completely lost control of himself, pinching his own neck and biting so he needed the friends to help stop him and they called the police for help.

One of them claimed to have had visions of people dying in horrific ways. But visions were not the only thing the students claimed they saw. Worst was the sighting of a female ghost dressed in all red and long hair. The chilling whispers of her presence sent shivers down the spines of those who dared to cross her path.

And all the while the building sits there abandoned with its secrets. And while the local villagers claim that they have never seen a ghost in these parts, and the thing with the students losing control has been said to be a case of acute reactive psychosis, the legend says otherwise.

The Haunted Tat Tak School

In conclusion, Ping Shan Tat Tak School in Hong Kong remains an intriguing and haunted place with a rich history and mysterious legends. While the truth about the reported supernatural occurrences is difficult to ascertain, the stories surrounding the school continue to captivate the imagination of locals and visitors alike.

Whether it’s the restless spirits of the villagers from centuries ago or the ghostly presence of the woman in the red dress, Ping Shan Tat Tak School has become synonymous with tales of hauntings and eerie encounters. The abandoned school’s dilapidated halls and eerie atmosphere only amplify the sense of unease that surrounds it.

**Empty Classrooms:** Only graffiti on the walls and broken windows are left of the once big school that housed over 700 students. Could it be that only the ghosts remain? // Source: Wikimedia

To this day, Ping Shan Tat Tak School stands as a cautionary reminder of the power of urban legends and the allure of the paranormal. Whether the haunting stories are true or not, the school continues to fascinate those with a penchant for the supernatural and a love of abandoned school corridors.