Lamma Island
南丫島 | |
---|---|
Geography | |
Location | Southwest of Hong Kong Island |
Coordinates | 22°12′N 114°07′E / 22.200°N 114.117°E |
Area | 13.55 km2 (5.23 sq mi) |
Length | 7 km (4.3 mi) |
Highest elevation | 353 m (1158 ft) |
Highest point | Mount Stenhouse 山地塘 |
Administration | |
Hong Kong | |
Region | New Territories |
District | Islands District |
Demographics | |
Population | ≈7,000[1] |
Ethnic groups | 55% Chinese
23% White 11.4% Filipino |
Lamma Island | |
---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin | Bóliáo |
Yue: Cantonese | |
Yale Romanization | Bok lìuh |
Jyutping | Bok3 liu4 |
Lamma Island, also known as Y Island or Pok Liu Chau or simply Pok Liu, is the third largest
Name
Lamma Island was named Lamma only because of a chart reading error by
In ancient times, Lamma used to be named as Pok Liu or Pok Liu Chau.[3]
Geography
Lamma Island is located to the southwest of Hong Kong Island. It is the third largest island of Hong Kong, with an area of 13.55 km2 (5.23 sq mi)[4] and a length of 7 kilometres (4.3 mi). The northern village is called Yung Shue Wan (Banyan Tree Bay) and the eastern village is called Sok Kwu Wan (Rainbow Bay, literally Cable Fishing Net Bay). Few people live on the southern part of Lamma. Access for much of this part is by hiking or private boat. Beaches along Lamma's south-facing edge include Yung Shue Ha Beach and Sham Wan.
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Example of a naturally formed rock found near the summit of Mt. Stenhouse.
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Walking the trail between Sok Kwu Wan and Yung Shue Wan
History
According to archaeological findings, human settlement on the northern and eastern part of Lamma Island can be traced back to around 4000–3000 BC,
Demographics
Lamma has an estimated population of 5,900 people as of 2014. However, with future developments such as a planned beach community in Sok Kwu Wan the population capacity is expected to double to 11,000 residents.[1]
Actor Chow Yun-fat (周潤發) grew up on the island in the village of Wang Long near Yung Shue Wan. His relatives used to operate a seafood/pigeon restaurant called "Shau Kee" in the main village.[6]
Lamma has a significant Western and international population. As of 2021 , the island is 55% Chinese , ethnic minorities include white (23%) and Filipino (11.4%).
The island has had a reputation for alternative lifestyles, hippies, and a relaxed attitude, but Lamma is being urbanised and property prices are increasing as a result of the attraction of this lifestyle.[7]
Description
In contrast to Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, Lamma is peaceful and tranquil with an abundance of natural scenery. Buildings higher than three storeys are prohibited and there are no automobiles but diminutive fire trucks and ambulances, as well as village vehicles; distinctive open-back vehicles to transport construction materials. The community's only means of transport is either by foot or bicycle.
Lamma provides an alternative to the hectic life in the city. Property and rents are cheap compared with those of central Hong Kong. These factors have attracted a significant expatriate community to Lamma Island. It is also popular with younger people and a haven for artists and musicians.
Yung Shue Wan
Yung Shue Wan (Banyan Bay) is the most populated area on Lamma Island. Several decades ago, it was the centre of the
Sok Kwu Wan
The big street of Sok Kwu Wan consists mainly of seafood restaurants. Sok Kwu Wan has the largest fish farming site in Hong Kong. Tourists can barbecue and fish at Lo So Shing Beach which is a ten-minute walk from the village. The trail between Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan is surrounded by grassland and offers a picturesque walk. From there one can see a nice portion of the coastline of the island. It takes roughly an hour to walk the trail.
Walkers may notice a few 'caves' on the trail near Sok Kwu Wan, labelled on tourist signs as 'kamikaze grottos'. These caves were dug out by the Japanese
In addition to the caves, the Japanese also dug tunnels into the island's peaks, including two known tunnels on Ling Kok Shan[9] and one on Mt. Stenhouse.[10]
Sham Wan
Sham Wan is one of the five most important archaeological sites in Hong Kong. The bay is the site of an important
Historically Sham Wan was also a place for green sea turtles to lay eggs. The endangered green turtles are a special group of marine organisms with distinctive navigation behaviour between their nesting, breeding, development and reproduction sites. As Sham Wan is the only existing nesting site for them in Hong Kong, every year there is a period of restricted access to it from 1 June to 31 October to allow the turtles to breed.[11] The breeding site is about 5,100 m2 (54,896 sq ft). The last known nesting at Sham Wan was in 2012.[12]
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Sham Wan
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View of Mount Stenhouse
Traditional festivals
The Tin Hau Festival (twenty-third of the third month of the
Lamma Island is also one of the few remaining places in Hong Kong where traditional Chinese New Year celebrations still take place: at the stroke of midnight, fireworks will be set off by the main families of the villages to frighten away the evil spirits, sending off a deafening thunder that can last up to 30 minutes.
Transportation
There are regular ferry services to Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan from Central on Hong Kong Island, as well as to Yung Shue Wan via Pak Kok, and to Sok Kwu Wan via Mo Tat Wan, from Aberdeen. It takes about 25 minutes by ferry between Yung Shue Wan and Central. There are no cars on Lamma Island.[16]
Two ferries collided off Yung Shue Wan on 1 October 2012 at 8:20 pm local time. With 39 killed and 92 injured, the incident was the deadliest maritime disaster in Hong Kong since 1971.[17]
As the island is not connected by road to the rest of Hong Kong, the only vehicles on the island are those used by the emergency services, and village vehicles, which are used to transport goods. The main method of getting around the island is on foot or by bicycle.
Education
Lamma Island is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 96, which contains a single aided school, Northern Lamma School; no government primary schools are in this net.[18]
Notable people
- Chow Yun-fat, actor; born and raised on Lamma Island[19][20][21]
- John D. Romer, a British veteran, discovered a new species of frog, Romer's tree frog (Liuixalus romeri), an endangered species, in a cave in 1952.
- Marli Siu, Scottish actress[22]
See also
- List of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong
- Skyluck
- Stone circles (Hong Kong)
- Tai Peng
References
- ^ a b Wong, Olga. "Population of Lamma Island will double under new housing plan". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- ^ Hon-kwan, Yu. "Islands District Council - Welcome Message". www.districtcouncils.gov.hk. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ Exploring Lamma – History and Geographical Conditions [1] Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry
- ^ Survey and Mapping Office, Lands Department: Hong Kong geographic data sheet
- ISBN 978-9622099258.
- ^ Steinecke, Julia (24 May 2008). "Peaceful origins of actor Chow Yun-Fat". Toronto Star. Hong Kong. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ Gotterson, Annie (9 November 2010). "Lamma Island will be a hippie haven no more". CNN Travel. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ Scenes in Hong Kong Following the Re-occupation of the Crown Colony after the Japanese Surrender. September 1945 [2] Imperial War Museums
- ^ Japanese Tunnel, Ling Kok Shan No. 2 [3] Gwulo
- ^ Japanese Tunnel, Stenhouse [4] Lamma Gwulo
- ^ Conservation of sea turtles in Hong Kong
- ^ "How to hike wild side of Hong Kong's Lamma Island: idyllic walk takes in beautiful hillsides and a cosy beach". South China Morning Post. 7 July 2018.
- ^ Exploring Islands – Tin Hau Temple, Yung Shue Wan Archived 13 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Exploring Islands – Tin Hau Temple, Sok Kwu Wan Archived 10 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Exploring Islands – Luk Chau Tin Hau Temple Archived 10 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Dunn, Alice (30 March 2022). "The joy of car-free islands". The Spectator. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ "List of the 39 deceased in the Lamma ferry disaster". South China Morning Post. 11 January 2013.
- ^ "POA School Net 96" (PDF). Education Bureau. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ "Chow Yun-Fat". Biography.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 15 May 2018.)
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has generic name (help - ^ "A man of melodrama: Action films made Chow Slightly-Fat famous, but 'The Corruptor' star says he's an actor". The Kansas City Star. 15 March 1999. p. D4. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
- ^ "'I spent six years working to get to this place': Everything I Know About Love actor Marli Siu". the Guardian. 12 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
Further reading
- Hamilton, Eric; Schofield, Walter; Peplow, S. H.; Tsui, Paul; ISBN 9789888028382.
- ISBN 9789629374419.
External links
- Lamma.com.hk News, Events, Lamma-zine, Stories, Pictures, Forums, Classifieds from & for the Lamma Community & Visitors.
- Lamma Island – Lamma Island page at the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
- More photos of Lamma Island
- "Archaeological Finds on Lamma Island", 1932–1936 article series in The Hong Kong Naturalist by Daniel J. Finn: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII