weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Another day trip brings us to SAI KUNG, one of our most preferred and much visited settings in the "New Territories", we actually visited this area repeatedly on this trip and my images will be intermingled. The trip starts out on a double decker bus from Diamond Hill bus station in Kowloon, where I always race to get the much sought-after upstairs front seat of the bus, in order to get the best position for photography enroute. Right after the bus departure, I got a good profile shot of the "Lion Rock Hill" separating Kowloon from the New Territories, which I show right after the title image. I will have a total of 11 posts covering various interesting aspects of Sai Kung. Today's initial post will cover a potpourri of first impressions of a very Chinese place that nevertheless possesses quite a few "Western" components due to the rather large population of expats living in this scenic area. - But first, as it is my custom, a bit of background information on the Sai Kung District and Sai Kung Town, substantially condensed from an article in Wikipedia, and it will serve as a reference page for the subsequent posts.

SAI KUNG DISTRICT is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong, covering about 130 km²/50 sq mi with a population of about 500,000, mainly concentrated in the new town of Tseung Kwan O (see my posts #205-206). The district comprises the southern half of the Sai Kung Peninsula, the Clear Water Bay Peninsula in the New Territories and a strip of land to the east of Kowloon. Areas in the district include Sai Kung Town, Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark, Tseung Kwan O and over 70 islands of different sizes. In 2011, the district had the third youngest population, with a median age of 39.3 years. Known as the "Back Garden of Hong Kong", Sai Kung has been able to retain its natural scenery. Many traditional customs and cultures are still retained in the rural villages.

A water route from the northern Sai Kung Peninsula to Tai Po existed at least since the Qing dynasty. For this historical reasons, the northern portion of the Sai Kung Peninsula is not part of the Sai Kung District but belongs to the neighboring Tai Po District. - Sai Kung was a local industrial center already before the 1900s: In Sheung Yu villagers produced mortar and fertilizer from their own lime kiln. Villages also lie scattered on the adjacent islands, peninsulas and other land areas of the District. A temple located on High Island dates back to 1741. Sai Kung market town was expanded into the local town center of the district after the 1950s. However, the District's population are now concentrated around the new town of Tseung Kwan O.

In contrast to the densely populated areas of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, Sai Kung District's heartland is a coastal area characterized by its scenery, small villages and seascapes. The area is known for its pristine beaches and quiet living. Sai Kung remains only partly urbanized and is known as the "Last Back Garden" of Hong Kong.

SAI KUNG TOWN is a former fishing village and market township. The name dates back to the early days of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and means "tributes from the West". The designation of the country park areas during the 1970s was a huge boost to the local tourist industry. The town of Sai Kung underwent significant expansion during the 1970s when the High Island Reservoir and associated water schemes required some villagers and fishermen to be rehoused in Sai Kung. This provided a core of government-funded new development, both housing and commercial, in the town center, which now has a high concentration of seafood restaurants, attracting many tourists. In addition, there are golf courses and nature trails. Before the relocation of the airport of Hong Kong from Kai Tak to Chek Lap Kok in 1998, the town was a popular residential area for airport staff from all over the world.

In recent years, the government has again invested heavily in Sai Kung, with improvements being made to the town seafront, such as the Waterfront Park. An attractive mix of small boutique-style shops has sprung up as well, due to the sizeable expat population and increasing numbers of local visitors. Alternative lifestyle stores that offer items like surfboards, candles, incense, seashells have also proliferated.

TRANSPORT - Clear Water Bay Road, which already for a long time connected Kowloon to Clear Water Bay, now links the new town of Tseung Kwan O with Sai Kung Town. The nearest MTR (underground train) station to Sai Kung Town is Hang Hau in Tseung Kwan O. There is no MTR link to Sai Kung Town. Sai Kung Town is primarily served by double-decker buses, public light buses and green taxis. Ferry services are available to the neighboring islands and isolated coastal villages in the Sai Kung "Sea", as well as to the public golf course on one of the nearby islands. Some isolated parts of the Sai Kung Peninsula have no road access and can only be reached on foot or by boat. Where a destination is accessible by public transport, it is usually served via a network of bus routes, public light buses (i.e. minibuses) and taxis.


Notes
TRIP INFO: Set # 1 provides a brief introduction to THIS SERIES on SOUTH & EAST ASIA. See it at
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-724330-1.html

HONG KONG COUNTRY INFO in set # 196: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-762698-1.html

EARLIER POSTS of this series: Access my topic list at UHH, the new posts are listed in reverse chronological order:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user-topic-list?usernum=45105

Thanks for visiting, for improved clarity please view the downloads. I look forward to your comments and questions.

.

1 - My album title for Sai Kung with the bay at Sha Ha north of the Sai Kung town center

(Download)

2 - Starting our trip to Sai Kung on a double-decker bus at Kowloon's Diamond Hill station, at the foot of the imposing "Lion Rock Hill" - with a bit of imagination you might recognize the head of the lion facing left at the image's left edge

(Download)

3 - A testimony to Sai Kung's close relation to the ocean: Sculpture of a boat seemingly made of newspaper "floating" in a fountain basin near the Sai Kung bus terminal

(Download)

4 - Congratulatory message boards in the town center

(Download)

5 - Street sign in the village topped by bougainvillea flowers

(Download)

6 - Small streetside shrine with incense sticks

(Download)

7 - Village scene: A typical small roof strikingly covered in green ceramic tiles

(Download)

8 - Another ceramic masterpiece at a roof's edge

(Download)

9 - Evidence of western influences: The GSIS (German Swiss International School) maintains a German language kindergarten in the town center, its main school compounds are near the peak on HK Island (which our children attended when we lived in HK)

(Download)

10 - The French contribute to the international ambiance with a certainly very welcome gourmet shop and wine cellar

(Download)

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

For your reference:

11 - Trip map of the Hong Kong segment of our tour, you can find Sai Kung in the center right side of the map

(Download)

12 - Map of the Sai Kung District showing the mainland and the substantial number of islands, the new high-density town of Tseung Kwan O at the bottom left is connected by the old road to Clear Water Bay with Sai Kung at the left top of the map

(Download)

angler Loc: StHelens England

Excellent set Joe.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Informative and nicely photographed, Joe.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Clyde 13 Loc: Valpariso, Indiana

Great set of pictures of Back Garden of Hong Kong
Thank you for posting them.

NMGal Loc: NE NM

Looks like the “start of something wonderful “.

Bigmike1 Loc: I am from Gaffney, S.C. but live in Utah.

Very interesting. I can't help but wonder, since the Communists took over Hong Kong how has the life style changed?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Thanks for that.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

You mean how much better has life gotten?

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Nice graphic details.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Your opening shot and the paper boat are my favs, Joe! Interesting village so close to Hong Kong.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you Jim, glad you liked this set.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you Ken, happy to hear that you liked the info and the potpourri of images.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you Bill for the thumbs up!