Epiphany of Our Lord Chapel (Sham Chung) 02

Sham Chung () is a

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hun ...

village

Antiquities Advisory Board The Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) is a statutory body of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with the responsibility of advising the Antiquities Authority on any matters relating to antiquities and monuments. The AAB was establishe ...

. Historic Building Appraisal
Old House, Ha Wai, Sham Chung Tsuen
/ref> and an area of

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several part ...

settlement in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. It is located in the south of Tolo Channel, beside Three Fathoms Cove on the

Sai Kung Peninsula The Sai Kung Peninsula () is a peninsula in the easternmost part of the New Territories in Hong Kong. Its name comes from Sai Kung Town in the central southern area of the peninsula. The southern part of the peninsula is administrated by Sai ...

. Administratively, it is part of

Tai Po District Tai Po District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. The suburban district covers the areas of Tai Po New Town (including areas such as Tai Po Market, , Tai Po Industrial Estate, Tai Wo Estate), Tai Po Tau, Tai Po Kau, Hong Lok Yuen, ...

Administration

Sham Chung is a recognized village under the

New Territories The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...

Small House Policy The Small House Policy (SHP, ) was introduced in 1972 in Hong Kong. The objective was to improve the then prevailing low standard of housing in the rural areas of the New Territories. The Policy allows an indigenous male villager who is 18 ye ...

History

Late Paleolithic and

Early Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...

have been excavated at the nearby Wong Tei Tung site. Sham Chung Village was first settled by members of the

Lee Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...

() clan and later by members of the Wong () clan. The Lees came from Wu Kau Tang, in today's northeastern

, during the reign of

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 ...

(1736-1795). It has been reported that the villages of Sham Chung, Lai Chi Chong and Pak Sha O had historically close social ties. In 1870, Father Luigi Piazzoli, who later became

Apostolic Vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles * Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Chu ...

of Hong Kong (1895-1904), left the mission station in Ting Kok and started his missionary work in Sham Chung, helping the farmers build a dam. In the late 1990s and 2000s,

Sun Hung Kai Properties Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited (SHKP; ) is a listed corporation and the largest property developer in Hong Kong as of 2019. The company is controlled by the Kwok family trust, largely the Kwok brothers. The Kwok family trust was set up by Kw ...

planned to build a golf course and a recreation centre in Sham Chung. In 1999, part of the natural wetland was converted into a grass field, but the application for the change of

land use Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as settlements and semi-natural habitats such as arable fields, pastures, and managed woods. Land use by humans has a long his ...

was eventually rejected by the Town Planning Board.

Features

Sham Chung can be sub-divided into five areas: Ha Wai (), Shek Tau King (), Pao Wai Tsai or Pao Nei Tsai ( or ), Wan Tsai () and Dui Min Tsuen (). The Epiphany of Our Lord Chapel () in Ha Wai, is a former Catholic church and one of the historic churches of Sai Kung Peninsula. It was established in 1879 and rebuilt in 1956. The Chapel housed a school called Kung Man School (), which had about 50 pupils and two teachers.

Fauna

It was reported in 2006, that Sham Chung was home to 27 bird species, 19 freshwater fish species and 28 butterfly species. A survey conducted by

Green Power Green Power is a non-governmental organisation in Hong Kong founded in 1988, concerned with the city's environmental issues. Activities and works Environmental education Green Power established the first Green Schools Network in Hong Kon ...

in 2011 listed rare species found in Sham Chung. They included the endemic Hong Kong paradise fish (''Macropodus hongkongensis''), dragonflies including the sapphire flutterer (''Rhyothemis triangularis''), at least 68 butterfly species (in Sham Chung and Yung Shue O), including the very rare

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...

(''Moduza procris'') and the rare

broadtail royal The ''broadtail royal'' (''Creon cleobis'') is a butterfly in the monotypic genus ''Creon'', in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Asia. Subspecies * ''Creon cleobis cleobis'' Godart, 1824 - South India, West Bengal, Assam - Thai ...

(''Creon cleobis'').

Conservation

In 2004, Sham Chung was listed as one of the 12 Most Ecologically Valued Conservation Sites by the Hong Kong Government.

Transport

Sham Chung is served by a scheduled

kai-to The kai-to, sometimes kaito or kaido () is a type of small, motorised ferry that operates in Hong Kong. They are usually used to serve remote coastal settlements in the territory's outlying islands.: "Cargo junks of the type still known as k ...

ferry service, along the route

Ma Liu Shui Ma Liu Shui is an area in Sha Tin District, in the New Territories, Hong Kong. The area faces Tide Cove (Sha Tin Hoi) and Tolo Harbour. The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Science Park are located in Ma Liu Shui. Na ...

– Sham Chung – Lai Chi Chong –

Tap Mun Grass Island or Tap Mun is an island in Hong Kong, located in the northeastern part of the territory. Its area is . Administratively, it is part of the Tai Po District. There are about 100 people living on the island, and feral cattle are kno ...

– Ko Lau Wan – Chek Keng – Wong Shek Pier. Sham Chung Pier was built in the 1960s. Hiking paths connect Sham Chung to Lai Chi Chong, Pak Sha O and Yung Shue O.

References

External links

Delineation of area of existing village Sham Chung (Sai Kung North) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)
*

Pictures of Old House, Ha Wai, Sham Chung Tsuen
* Blog entries about the history of Sham Chung

{{coord, 22.4426, 114.2885, display=title Areas of Hong Kong Villages in Tai Po District, Hong Kong Sai Kung North