Lamma Island

Lamma Island
南丫島
Aerial photo of Yung Shue Wan, Lamma Island
Lamma Island is located in Hong Kong
Lamma Island
Lamma Island
Geography
LocationSouthwest of Hong Kong Island
Coordinates22°12′N 114°07′E / 22.200°N 114.117°E / 22.200; 114.117
Area13.55 km2 (5.23 sq mi)
Length7 km (4.3 mi)
Highest elevation353 m (1158 ft)
Highest pointMount Stenhouse
山地塘
Administration
Hong Kong
RegionNew Territories
DistrictIslands District
Demographics
Population≈7,000[1]
Ethnic groups55% Chinese

23% White

11.4% Filipino
Lamma Island
Traditional Chinese南丫島
Simplified Chinese南丫岛
Pok Liu Chau
Chinese博寮洲
Pok Liu
Chinese博寮

Lamma Island, also known as Y Island or Pok Liu Chau or simply Pok Liu, is the third largest island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Islands District.[2] Lamma Island is a rural area.

Name

Lamma Island was named Lamma only because of a chart reading error by Alexander Dalrymple in the 1760s. He had acquired a Portuguese chart to the entrances to the Pearl River and, close to the west of the island, the Portuguese owner had written "Lama". Dalrymple misinterpreted that as the name of the island. However, it was a Portuguese notation as to the holding (consistency of the seabed from the point of view of anchoring there), which was (and is) mud – in Portuguese "lama". In all the early charts the name was spelled with only one "m". So the island acquired a British name by error and one that subsequently was sinicised by its name being rendered phonetically in characters ("Lam a" can mean "south fork" in Cantonese), with the original muddle being all but forgotten. At some point, things became further obscured by the addition of the second "m" in the English spelling.

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.

Mount Stenhouse (山地塘, Shan Tei Tong) is the tallest mountain in Lamma at 353 metres (1,158 feet) above sea level, situated between Sok Kwu Wan and Sham Wan. Unusually shaped rocks can be found all over this mountain, but a grueling hike is necessary to access these.

  • Example of a naturally formed rock found near the summit of Mt. Stenhouse.
    Example of a naturally formed rock found near the summit of Mt. Stenhouse.
  • Walking the trail between Sok Kwu Wan and Yung Shue Wan
    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,[5] the Middle Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Yung Shue Ha, one of Lamma's earliest villages, was settled in the early 19th century by a clan from China's Bao'an County.

Demographics

Yung Shue Wan.

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

Hongkong Electric's Lamma Power Station

Yung Shue Wan (Banyan Bay) is the most populated area on Lamma Island. Several decades ago, it was the centre of the plastics industry. The factories have now been replaced by seafood restaurants, pubs, grocery stores and shops which sell oriental and Indian-style handicraft. Hung Shing Yeh Beach, Lamma Power Station, North Lamma Island Public Library and Lamma Winds are also located in the northern part of the island.

Sok Kwu Wan

Overlooking the fish farms and restaurants at 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 during the war, to store munitions alongside the suicide boats. When the British Navy reclaimed Hong Kong, they discovered rows of speedboats with explosives rigged to the bow in Sok Kwu Wan.[8]

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 Bronze Age settlement which was unearthed by archaeologists in the 1970s. It yielded evidence of people living on Lamma during the "Middle Neolithic" phase (c. 3800–3000 BC).

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]

  • Sham Wan
    Sham Wan
  • View of Mount Stenhouse
    View of Mount Stenhouse

Traditional festivals

Tin Hau Temple in Yung Shue Wan.

Tin Hau temples are typical places of worship in Hong Kong's coastal communities because Tin Hau is believed to be the goddess of the sea and of fishermen, protecting them and ensuring full nets. There are three Tin Hau temples on Lamma, located in Yung Shue Wan,[13] Sok Kwu Wan,[14] and Luk Chau Village.[15]

The Tin Hau Festival (twenty-third of the third month of the Lunar Calendar) is widely celebrated by the fishermen's communities in Lamma. Cantonese opera and floral paper offerings known as Fa Pau at both Sok Kwu Wan and Yung Shue Wan are the highlights of the celebration.

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

An aerial view of South Lamma

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]

Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island

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

References

  1. ^ a b Wong, Olga. "Population of Lamma Island will double under new housing plan". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  2. ^ Hon-kwan, Yu. "Islands District Council - Welcome Message". www.districtcouncils.gov.hk. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  3. ^ Exploring Lamma – History and Geographical Conditions [1] Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry
  4. ^ Survey and Mapping Office, Lands Department: Hong Kong geographic data sheet
  5. ^ Meacham, William (2008). The Archaeology of Hong Kong. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-9622099258.
  6. ^ Steinecke, Julia (24 May 2008). "Peaceful origins of actor Chow Yun-Fat". Toronto Star. Hong Kong. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  7. ^ Gotterson, Annie (9 November 2010). "Lamma Island will be a hippie haven no more". CNN Travel. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  8. ^ Scenes in Hong Kong Following the Re-occupation of the Crown Colony after the Japanese Surrender. September 1945 [2] Imperial War Museums
  9. ^ Japanese Tunnel, Ling Kok Shan No. 2 [3] Gwulo
  10. ^ Japanese Tunnel, Stenhouse [4] Lamma Gwulo
  11. ^ Conservation of sea turtles in Hong Kong
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ Exploring Islands – Tin Hau Temple, Yung Shue Wan Archived 13 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Exploring Islands – Tin Hau Temple, Sok Kwu Wan Archived 10 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ Exploring Islands – Luk Chau Tin Hau Temple Archived 10 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ Dunn, Alice (30 March 2022). "The joy of car-free islands". The Spectator. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  17. ^ "List of the 39 deceased in the Lamma ferry disaster". South China Morning Post. 11 January 2013.
  18. ^ "POA School Net 96" (PDF). Education Bureau. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  19. ^ "Chow Yun-Fat". Biography.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  20. ^ Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, The (14 May 2018). "Chow Yun-fat". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 15 May 2018. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ "'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

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lamma Island.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Lamma Island.
  • 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
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