Sha Tau Kok
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2008) |
Sha Tau Kok
沙頭角 | |
---|---|
Pier of Sha Tau Kok and Starling Inlet with Tin Hau Temple on the left | |
Coordinates: 22°33′N 114°13′E / 22.550°N 114.217°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Special Administrative Region | ![]() |
District | North District |
District Councillor | Mr WAN Wo-fai |
Sha Tau Kok | |
---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin | Shātóujiǎo |
Hakka | |
Romanization | Sa1tiu2gok5 |
Yue: Cantonese | |
Yale Romanization | Sā tàuh gok |
Jyutping | Sa1 tau4 gok8 |
Sidney Lau | Sa1 Tau4 Gok3 |
Sha Tau Kok is a closed town in Hong Kong. It is the last remaining major settlement in the Frontier Closed Area and is Hong Kong's northernmost town.
Geography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/cd/Chung_Ying_street.jpg/220px-Chung_Ying_street.jpg)
The small rural village of Sha Tau Kok is located on the northern shoreline of
A section of Starling Inlet located offshore of Sha Tau Kok is one of the 26 designated marine fish culture zones in Hong Kong.[1]
History
At the time of the 1911 census, the population of Sha Tau Kok was 14.[2]
On 8 July during the
In 2022, a pilot scheme was announced, under which limited areas of the town were opened to tourists.[4] In July 2023, it was announced that the government was working on a feasibility study to redevelop the border Control Point between the town and mainland China.[5] Starting in 1 January 2024, a daily quota of 1,000 individual visitors (700 group visitors and 300 individual travellers) were permitted visit, as long as they had a Tourism Closed Area Permit. Individual travellers were only allowed to enter the area by public transport. [6]
Town
Sha Tau Kok on the Hong Kong side of the border is a rural town located in the North District. The town has a post office, a bank and a few shops. Most of its residents are from Hakka farming or Hoklo (Hokkien) fishing backgrounds. As both farming and fishing have declined in the past few decades, better educated younger people tend to move out and live and work in urban areas. Older villagers, however, remain, most living in the government housing complex in Sha Tau Kok or in other nearby villages. Many working families return to visit at weekends, during festivals or on holidays.
Border
The border between mainland China and Hong Kong runs along Chung Ying Street. There is a perception of it being a notorious point of goods trafficking. When the checkpoint opened, a flow of Chinese nationals entered Chung Ying Street with visiting permits. Some make several trips a day, acquiring goods and abusing the custom tariff limits on goods. These traffickers then unload their burden to collect their pay inside mainland Shatoujiao. Although there are a lot of goods leaving Hong Kong from Sha Tau Kok via Chung Ying Street, there is also an inflow of foodstuffs and other commodities that come through from China into Hong Kong throughout the day, only limited by the closure of the Chinese customs post.
The control point of the access to Shenzhen is located northwest of the hill in Shan Tsui (山咀).
An influx of mainland China workers flow into Chung Ying Street from 7am onwards when the custom post opens. Residents from the Chung Ying Street area are free to pass in and out of the Chinese border post as they have residency passes. Other non-residents must be issued permits to enter from the Chinese authorities. Since the early 1990s Chung Ying Street has been an established tourist site famous for imported products via Hong Kong, where prices may be higher than within China.
It is possible to travel into
Here, passengers alight, go through customs, and have their documents processed, before reboarding the coach to be driven to the mainland border immigration checkpoint. They alight and take all their belongings through the mainland Chinese customs and again have their documents processed. Travellers from outside China are advised to obtain entry visas from the appropriate authorities, or via a travel agent before attempting the entry. Hong Kong residents
On 27 January 2005, it was announced that street maps for tourists would be put up to aid tourists' navigation. A museum situated near the harbour in Chung Ying Street was built to celebrate the
Public housing
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Sha_Tau_Kok_Chuen.jpg/220px-Sha_Tau_Kok_Chuen.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Tin_Hau_Temple%2C_Yim_Liu_Ha_01.jpg/220px-Tin_Hau_Temple%2C_Yim_Liu_Ha_01.jpg)
Sha Tau Kok Chuen (
Transport
The terminus of
Today, Sha Tau Kok has a bus station served by the KMB Route 78K service as well as the smaller sixteen-seater minibus or public light bus service route number 55K. Both begin in Sheung Shui and pass through Luen Wo Hui before terminating at Sha Tau Kok. However, passengers may not proceed through the Closed Area border checkpoint if they do not carry a valid permit. Police personnel will board the bus at the checkpoint to check the ID Card or identification documents and the required Frontier Closed Area permit of each passenger. If passengers do not possess these documents, they will be asked to leave the bus by police personnel.
Education
Sha Tau Kok is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 83. Within the school net are two aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money): Fuk Tak Education Society Primary School and Sha Tau Kok Central Primary School. No government schools are in the net.[11]
Shan Tsui Public School (山咀公立學校) is in Sha Tau Kok. In 2013 90% of the about 200 students were Hong Kong residents living in Shenzhen.[12]
Other schools:
- Kwan Ah School
- Sha Tau Kok Central Primary School
- Tai Wah Public Schools
Notable people
- Lee Hong Lim – Hong Kong First Division footballer
- Lee Wai Lim – Hong Kong First Division footballer
See also
- Kuk Po
- Lai Chi Wo
- List of places in Hong Kong
- List of villages in Hong Kong
- MacIntosh Forts
- Shatoujiao Subdistrict
- Yim Liu Ha
References
- ^ "Marine fish culture, pond fish culture and oyster culture". Fisheries Branch. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ISSN 1991-7295.
- ^ "HONG KONG (BORDER INCIDENTS)". api.parliament.uk. 10 July 1967. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ Yeo, Rachel (3 June 2022). "Hong Kong frontier town grants tourists limited access as part of pilot scheme". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ Chan, Irene (18 July 2023). "Planned Hong Kong tech hub may apply 'innovative' immigration arrangements to facilitate cross-border travel". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "A day trip to Sha Tau Kok". Hong Kong Tourism Board. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ Service Boundary of Integrated Home Care Services Teams (Ordinary Cases) in North District
- ^ Sha Tau Kok Chuen (Chinese)
- ^ Sha Tau Kok Chuen
- ^ Housing Society Continues to Freeze Rents for Another Year
- ^ "POA School Net 83" (PDF). Education Bureau. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ Yau, Elaine (21 June 2013). "Hong Kong's village schools make a comeback". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
Further reading
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Delineation of area of existing village Sha Tau Kok Market (East) (Sha Tau Kok) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)
- Delineation of area of existing village Sha Tau Kok Market (West Lower) (Sha Tau Kok) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)
- Delineation of area of existing village Sha Tau Kok Market (West Upper) (Sha Tau Kok) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)
- Details of Sha Tau Kok from HK-place.com
- Details of the rural area of Sha Tau Kok from HK-place.com