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Tung Ping Chau

Coordinates:22°32′36″N114°25′50″E/ 22.54333°N 114.43056°E/22.54333; 114.43056
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(Redirected fromPing Chau)
Not to be confused withPeng Chau.

Tung Ping Chau
Đông bình châu
Aerial view from Northeastern tip
Location of Ping Chau in the Northeast corner of the territory.
Geography
LocationMirs Bay
Coordinates22°32′36″N114°25′50″E/ 22.54333°N 114.43056°E/22.54333; 114.43056
Area1.16 km2(0.45 sq mi)
Highest elevation48 m (157 ft)
Administration
RegionNew Territories
DistrictTai Po District
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited
Tung Ping Chau
Traditional ChineseĐông bình châu
Simplified ChineseĐông bình châu
JyutpingDung1ping4zau1
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinDōngpíng Zhōu
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationDūng pìhng jāu
JyutpingDung1ping4zau1
View of the village of Sha Tau, on Ping Chau.
Ping Chau
Awave-cut platformon Ping Chau.
Lung Lok Shui (Long lạc thủy)
Tam Kung Temple in Sha Tau

Tung Ping Chau(Chinese:Đông bình châu) is an island inHong Kong,part ofHong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark.It is also known asPing Chau(Bình châu).Tung(Đông,meaningeast) is prepended to the name at times so as to avoid possible confusion withPeng Chau,another island in Hong Kong with an identically pronounced name inCantonese.Administratively, the island is part of theTai Po Districtin theNew Territories.[1]

Geography

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Geographically, Ping Chau is an offshore island located in the northeast corner of Hong Kong inMirs Bay,[2]close to the border withGuangdong Provinceinmainland China.The island has an area of 1.16 km2[3]and consists ofshalerock. The island is the most easterly point of the Hong Kong territory and is much closer to mainland China (4 km) than to the main landmass of Hong Kong. It is close toNan'aoofDapeng.

The island has the shape of akidney beanwith its concave side facing northeast. Its name "Ping Chau" means "flat island" in Chinese.[4]The highest points on the island are 48 metres (157 feet) in the south and 37 metres (121 feet) in the north. The eastern inner shore of the crescent hugs Ping Chau Hoi (Bình châu hải) witha few beaches,including Cheung Sha Wan (Trường sa loan) in the northeast. In contrast, the western coast of the island is fairly rocky as a result of the greater wave action taking its toll on the inclinedsiltstonethere.

The island's largest village, Sha Tau (Sa đầu), is something of a ghost town, with many cottages boarded up. A large part of the island iscountry parkland,[5]with footpaths overgrown with orchids, wild mint andmorning glory.[6]

History

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Ping Chau has a checkered history. Guns and opium were once smuggled from here, and during theCultural Revolutionmany mainlanders swam in hopes of reaching Ping Chau and the freedom of Hong Kong.[6][7]

The now virtually deserted island was once home to a thriving fishing and farm community of 3,000 people,[8]with over 100 fishingjunks.[9]Historical villages of Ping Chau included the five oldest: Chau Mei (Châu vĩ), Chau Tau (Châu đầu), Nai Tau (Nãi đầu), Sha Tau (Sa đầu) and Tai Tong (Đại đường), as well as five other smaller family villages, which were subsequently developed: Chan Uk (Trần ốc), Lam Uk (Lâm ốc), Lei Uk (Lý ốc), Tsau Uk (Trâu ốc) and Tsoi Uk (Thái ốc).[10]The village of Chau Mei was settled by fishermen who sold their catch atTai Po Marketand at Shayuchong (Sa ngư dũng), a coastal village now part of theLonggang DistrictofShenzhen.[9]

During theJapanese occupation of Hong Kong(1941–1945), Ping Chau was used as a logistics base for the supply of military resources, including petrol, to theChinese army.Several allied military leaders were transported to the mainland via the island.[9]

In the 1950s, there were about 1,500 people living in the ten villages on the island.[8]Two primary schools were built: Kwan Ying School (Quần anh học giáo) in Tai Tong and Wai Sun School (Duy tân học giáo) in Chau Tau.[11]At that time, the economy of the island deteriorated due to the depletion of fishery resources and the termination of trade with the mainland as a consequence of theKorean War(1950–1953).[9]During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), political turmoil cut off commerce with the mainland and most villagers moved away.[8]By the early 1970s, only a few elderly people remained on the island.[12]In 2004, the last permanent resident moved out of Tung Ping Chau.[citation needed]Some may return on weekends.[8]In 2013, theDistrict Officesestimated that Tung Ping Chau had a population of 8.[13]

Villages

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The villages of Ping Chau Chau Mei (Bình châu châu vĩ), Ping Chau Chau Tau (Bình châu châu đầu), Ping Chau Nai Tau (Bình châu nãi đầu), Ping Chau Sha Tau (Bình châu sa đầu) and Ping Chau Tai Tong (Bình châu đại đường) are recognized villages under theNew TerritoriesSmall House Policy.[14]

Geology

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Ping Chau is unique in the fact that it is the only sizeable island in Hong Kong made up of sedimentary rock. Hong Kong is mostly formed of extrusiveigneous rocks,after a series of majorvolcanoeserupted during theJurassic Period.Following the volcanic activity, a basin formed in the northeast, with deposition in a brackish lake—producing thesiltstonesandchertof Tung Ping Chau, which have been dated from the earlyPaleogeneperiod. It is also home to some spectacular cliffs andwave-cut platforms.Landforms such as these are very rarely found in the rest of Hong Kong.

Cham Keng Chau ( trảm cảnh châu, "Chop Neck Islet" ), in the northwest, is a chunk of land that has broken away from the island;[15]the Chinese say it represents the head of a dragon.[6]Another notable rock formation is Lung Lok Shui ( long lạc thủy, "Dragon Descend into Water" ), on the southwestern coast, thus named because it resembles the spine of a dragon entering the sea.[4]At the island's southeastern end are two large rocks known as the Drum Rocks, or Kang Lau Shek ( canh lâu thạch, "Watchman's Tower Rocks" ).[6]They are 7-to-8-metre (23-to-26-foot)sea stackson a wave-cut platform.[4]Lan Kwo Shui ( nan quá thủy, "Difficult-to-cross Waters" ) features a long vertical cliff located along the southern coast, where several caves were formed there as a result of long term wave actions. Lan Kwo Shui can be reached by foot from Kang Lau Shek, at low tide and in calm sea conditions.[2]

Demographics

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In the 1950s and 1960s, about 2000 were estimated to live on the island. Over the years the number of residents has dwindled to a mostly elderly population of about 50–60 total people.[16]Many early residents of Ping Chau were fromShantou(Swatow) and they kept the tradition of worshiping Tam Kung after they settled on the island.[17]The island even had its own dialect, the Ping Chao dialect. Nowadays no longer spoken by many, you may still hear this dialect in the conversations between the villagers inside the restaurants.

Tourism

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The island has a temple dedicated toTin Hau,built in 1765,[11]and a temple dedicated toTam Kung:the Tam Tai Sin Temple (Đàm đại tiên miếu), built before 1877.[10]Both temples are located in the village of Sha Tau. Several other old buildings can be found on the island. On one side of the island there are steep cliffs, below which is an amazingwave-cut platform,with jagged rocks, set at a 30-degree angle, like a staircase. Here there are many rock pools containing all manner of marine life, such assea urchinsand crabs. On the island's coastline at the pier side, there are over 60 different species ofcoral,and 35 species ofalgae.

During the weekends, many people visit the island. These include those who have come to dive[18]and those who have come to see the cliffs and wave-cut platforms. Some people also use it as a weekend home. 57,000 people visited Ping Chau in 2005.[8]

There is a camping site as well as picnic and barbecue sites on the island, managed by theAgriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.[19]A few basic restaurants can be found at Tai Tong, a short distance north of Tung Ping Chau Public Pier. Basic dorms are available at Tai Tong Wan (Đại đường loan) and A Ma Wan (Á mụ loan).[20]

Conservation

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Tung Ping Chau Public Pier viewed from Tai Tong Wan.

Three buildings of Ping Chau are listed asGrade III Historic Buildings:the Tin Hau Temple, the Tam Tai Sin Temple, both in the village of Sha Tau, and the Old House, built in the 1940s in Chau Mei by Lee Mou-you (Lý mậu hữu).[21]

Ping Chau has been designated as aSite of Special Scientific Interestsince 1979.[22]

With the exception of an area of old villages along its east coast,[5][8]Ping Chau is part of thePlover Cove (Extension) Country Park,designated in 1979.[4]

TheTung Ping Chau Marine Parkwas designated in 2001 as the fourthMarine Park in Hong Kong.It occupies a sea area of about 270 hectares which encloses the island of Ping Chau.[2]

Ping Chau is one of the eight Geo-Areas of theHong Kong Global Geopark,[23]which was inaugurated in November 2009.[24]

Transportation

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The island is reachable by ferry fromMa Liu Shuiferry pier, near theChinese University of Hong Kong.The landing point is the Tung Ping Chau Public Pier (Đông bình châu công chúng mã đầu), the only public pier on Ping Chau, located near the centre of the island at Wong Ye Kok (Vương gia giác). Improvement works on the pier were completed in 2007.[25]The ferry service is operated byTsui Wah Ferryon Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only.[26][27]The journey takes 1 hour 40 minutes.[28]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"District Council Constituency Boundaries – Tai Po District (Sheet 2)"(PDF).Electoral Affairs Commission.Retrieved17 September2021.
  2. ^abcAFCD:Tung Ping Chau Marine Park
  3. ^Survey and Mapping Office, Lands Department:Hong Kong geographic data sheet
  4. ^abcdAFCD:Plover Cove (Extension) Country Park
  5. ^abAFCD:Map of Ping Chau showing the area covered by the Plover Cove (Extension) Country Park
  6. ^abcd"Hong Kong Island Hopping".Archived fromthe originalon 6 February 2009.
  7. ^Film Services Office:Tung Ping Chau (Plover Cove (Extension) Country Park)
  8. ^abcdef"Out of sight".South China Morning Post.27 October 2006.
  9. ^abcdBrief Information on proposed Grade III ItemsArchived22 September 2013 at theWayback Machine.Item #935.
  10. ^abBrief Information on proposed Grade III ItemsArchived22 September 2013 at theWayback Machine.Item #800.
  11. ^abBrief Information on proposed Grade III ItemsArchived22 September 2013 at theWayback Machine.Item #1022.
  12. ^"Bygone Day Tung Ping Chau was once the home of a bustling island community".27 October 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 27 October 2009.
  13. ^Legislative Council:"Remote villages without treated water supply and their estimated population in 2013"
  14. ^"List of Recognized Villages under the New Territories Small House Policy"(PDF).Lands Department.September 2009.
  15. ^"Corridor of Cham Keng Chau (Chopped Head Island) and Tung Ping Chau trảm cảnh châu hòa chủ đảo đông bình châu thông đạo".31 October 2010 – via Flickr.
  16. ^"Villagers on Hong Kong's remote Tung Ping Chau island set to finally get drinking water... from the sea".South China Morning Post.5 January 2020.
  17. ^Island Time,HK Magazine[dead link]
  18. ^"Tung Ping Chau – Scuba Diver's Paradise in Hong Kong".www.ohmycourse.net.
  19. ^AFCD:Tung Ping Chau CampsiteArchived31 December 2015 at theWayback Machine
  20. ^Griffiths, Nigel (21 August 2014)."Tung Ping Chau".Sai Kung & Clearwater Bay Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon 8 September 2014.Retrieved7 September2014.
  21. ^List of the 1,444 Historic Buildings in Building Assessment (as of 27 December 2013)
  22. ^EPD:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Hong Kong
  23. ^"Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark".www.geopark.gov.hk.
  24. ^"Chief Executive opens Hong Kong National Geopark (with photos)".www.info.gov.hk.
  25. ^Film Services Office:Tung Ping Chau Public Pier
  26. ^Transport Department:Kaito Ferry Services
  27. ^"Tsui Wah Ferry Service (H.K.) Ltd".Archived fromthe originalon 7 September 2014.Retrieved8 September2014.
  28. ^"Tung Ping Chau ( đông bình châu ) – The Rocky Island in Hong Kong".3 November 2007.

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toPing Chau.
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