Tai Tam or ''Tytam'' is an area in Southern District on

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island () is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island, known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong", had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of , . It is the second largest island in Hong Kon ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. Tai Tam means a ''big pool'' in the

Chinese language Chinese ( or ) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and List of ethnic groups in China, many minority ethnic groups in China, as well as by various communities of the Chinese diaspora. Approximately 1.39& ...

which illustrates a triangular bay, namely Tai Tam Bay between Stanley Peninsula, D'Aguilar Peak and Tai Tam Tuk (, lit. innermost of Tai Tam, also known as ''Tytam Took''). The meaning of Tai Tam varies greatly between the early colonial days and the present day.

Current usage

Tai Tam Bay has been documented as early as January 1843, after the

Convention of Chuenpi The Convention of Chuenpi (also "Chuenpee", ) was a tentative agreement between British Plenipotentiary Charles Elliot and Chinese Imperial Commissioner Qishan during the First Opium War between the United Kingdom and the Qing dynasty of Ch ...

, by HMS Sulphur commanded by Sir Belcher and Sir Kellett. The area was romanized as Tytham (see image). The present-day Tai Tam is the area around Tai Tam Tuk, the location of Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir. It is covered by the

Tai Tam Reservoirs The Tai Tam Reservoirs, also known as Tai Tam Reservoir Group, is a group of reservoirs located in the Tai Tam Country Park in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The four reservoirs have a total storage capacity of 6.2 million c ...

, the

Tai Tam Country Park Tai Tam Country Park () is a country park in the Tai Tam area in the south end of Hong Kong Island. At , the park consists of one fifth of Hong Kong Island's land mass. During World War II, the Japanese encountered strong resistance from British ...

and

Tai Tam Country Park (Quarry Bay extension) Tai Tam (Quarry Bay Extension) Country ParkCountry Parks (Designation) (Consolidation) Order (Chapter 208B) (Sinitic languages, Chinese: 大潭（鰂魚涌擴建部份）郊野公園), also known simply as Quarry Bay Country Park (鰂魚涌郊� ...

. Along

Tai Tam Road Tai Tam Road in Hong Kong links the districts of Chai Wan and Stanley, Hong Kong, Stanley on Hong Kong Island. This road connects Chai Wan Road, the northern end of Shek O Road, Turtle Cove, Tai Tam and Stanley. The Tai Tam Reservoirs, Tai Ta ...

are some luxurious apartment towers and houses, such as the Manhattan. The innermost of Tai Tam Bay is

Tai Tam Harbour Tai Tam Harbour () is a harbour in the innermost part of Tai Tam Bay in the southeastern part of Hong Kong Island, in the Southern District, Hong Kong, Southern District of Hong Kong. It is located at the estuary of Tai Tam Tuk. Geography ...

, close to Tai Tam Tuk. The Red Hill in the southern part of Tai Tam Tuk is an area primarily consisting of low-rise upmarket residences, including the

Redhill Peninsula Redhill Peninsula () is a low rise private housing estate in Tai Tam, Hong Kong. It is built at a round-shaped peninsula situated in Southern District towards Tai Tam Harbour and Turtle Cove. The peninsula includes a 113 metres hill named ' Red H ...

, Red Hill Park, Turtle Cove, Le Palais and Villa Rosa. Tai Tam Scout Centre is a Scout campsite of

The Scout Association of Hong Kong The Scout Association of Hong Kong is the largest scouting organisation in Hong Kong. Scout training was first introduced in Hong Kong by Rev Spink of St Andrew's Church, Kowloon in 1909 and 1910 by the Protestant based Boys' Brigade, Chums (pa ...

on the shore of Tai Tam Harbour. From the campsite to the foot of the dam of

Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir The Tai Tam Reservoirs, also known as Tai Tam Reservoir Group, is a group of reservoir (water), reservoirs located in the Tai Tam Country Park in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The four reservoirs have a total storage capacit ...

is the Tai Tam Tuk Village. The shore outside the village is mudland with some

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

plants. The high school and middle school campuses of the

Hong Kong International School Hong Kong International School (HKIS) is a Mixed-sex education, co-educational Private school, private international school in Hong Kong with campuses in Tai Tam and Repulse Bay, serving students from All-through school, Reception 1 to Grade 1 ...

are also in Tai Tam. The Tai Tam Tuk Eco Educational Centre is a visitors centre run by the Tai Tam Tuk Foundation with the aim to educate and inspire action for sustainable development in Hong Kong through hands on interaction with the outstanding nature and culture of Tai Tam. Organising a number of

Citizen Science The term citizen science (synonymous to terms like community science, crowd science, crowd-sourced science, civic science, participatory monitoring, or volunteer monitoring) is research conducted with participation from the general public, or am ...

events to engage and involve the public, the site was one of the first

BioBlitz A BioBlitz, also written without capitals as bioblitz, is an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area. Groups of scientists, naturalists, and volunteers conduct an intensive ...

events organised in Hong Kong.

Historical usage

In 1845, Tai Tam was a small habitat east of the market of

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

, facing Tai Tam Bay. (It still uses the postal address of Tai Tam Village, Stanley). Later, the Stanley Peninsula was also known as Tai Tam Peninsula. The southeast cape of the peninsula is Tai Tam Head. Tai Tam Tuk, the site of Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir, was a

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

habitat with extensive cultivation. The village of Tai Tam Tuk was moved to Tai Tam Harbour due to the construction of the reservoir. The Tai Tam area was the scene of heavy fighting between Commonwealth and Japanese forces in December 1941.

Places in Tai Tam

American Club Hong Kong American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

has its main, larger location in Tai Tam *

Hong Kong Parkview Hong Kong Parkview is the largest private housing estate in Tai Tam, Hong Kong. It is located at 88 Tai Tam Reservoir Road, Hong Kong Island, between Jardine's Lookout and Violet Hill. To its west is the Wong Nai Chung Gap. It is surrounded b ...

* Red Hill Plaza * Tai Tam Scout Centre * Pacific View *

Tai Tam Waterworks Heritage Trail The Tai Tam Waterworks Heritage Trail is a Heritage Trails in Hong Kong, heritage trail in Hong Kong that comprises 22 waterworks structures with historical value near the Tai Tam Reservoirs, Tai Tam group of reservoirs. The Trail is about 5& ...

* The Manhattan, 33 Tai Tam Road

References

{{Coord, 22.23789, 114.22368, format=dms, display=title Places in Hong Kong Southern District, Hong Kong