Cheung Chau


Cheung Chau is an island southwest of Hong Kong Island. It is nicknamed the 'dumbbell island ' due to its shape. It has been inhabited for longer than most other places in the territory of Hong Kong, and had a population of 22,740 as of 2011. Administratively, it is part of the Islands District.

Geography

Geographically the island is formed from two mostly granite masses joined by a tombolo. With an area of, the island is therefore "long", hence the name as translated from Cantonese is "Long Island". Thus, it is redundant to say "Cheung Chau Island". The island is dumbbell-shaped, with hills at the northern and southern ends and the settlements concentrated in between.

Economy

The central part of the island is well developed with shops and houses. The lane-ways are so narrow that normal motor traffic is impossible. Instead, there are small motorised trucks officially termed "village vehicles". For example, there are small specially designed mini-fire engines, ambulances and police cars. Residential areas also exist on the hills of the north and south.
Traditionally the island was a fishing village and there are still fishing fleets working from the harbour. However, in recent years the island has become a major tourist attraction, offering a mixture of sandy swimming beaches, seafood cafés, and traditional Chinese culture.

History

Under the terms of the 1898 Second Convention of Peking, the New Territories and 200 smaller islands including Cheung Chau were leased to the United Kingdom for 99 years. At that time, Cheung Chau was mainly a fishing village; it had more residents living on junks than on land.
Cheung Chau had already been settled by people from other places in Southern China; for example, Hoklo, they are mainly fishing people; Hakka people; Chiu Chau; and Yue Ca. The island slowly evolved into a commercial hub with merchants selling supplies to the local fishing people, boat repair and fishing gear as well as the place to do business for fishing people and small farmers of other nearby islands like Lantau Island.
From 2000, a spate of suicide cases took place inside rental holiday homes on the island. Hong Kong Chinese-language newspapers soon dubbed the island "Death Island" and stories concerning apparitions appeared in the wake of news about the succeeding suicides. In 2005 a local councillor Lam Kit-sing proposed a "suicide theme-park" to be built to capitalise on the island's now macabre reputation. Those plans were quickly ridiculed and subsequently rejected. Soon after, the choice of Cheung Chau for would-be suicides tailed off.

Sights

Temples

Temples on Cheung Chau include:
There is one local hospital providing basic care and one former hospital on the island.

Cheung Chau Fong Bin Hospital

Fong Bin Hospital was founded in 1872 to provide shelter for homeless, medical care and mortuary for those whom perish during typhoons.
The hospital was formed by locals on the island, but was eclipsed by the Haw Par Hospital and closed in 1988.

St. John Hospital

, also known as Haw Par Hospital, was founded in 1934 by Hong Kong St. John Ambulance and has been the island's main hospital since 1988.

Culture

Festivals

Date Festival
1st day of 1st monthLunar New Year
15th day of 1st monthLantern Festival
3rd day of 3rd monthYuen Mo's Birthday
18th day of 3rd monthBirthday of Tin Hau
8th day of 4th monthBun Festival
5th day of 5th monthTuen Ng Festival
24th day of 6th monthBirthday of Kwan Tai
15th day of 8th monthMid-Autumn Festival

Bun Festival

The annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival is a festival which includes a parade of floats, most famously including young children dressed as famous characters doing impossible balancing acts. It lasts three to four days and attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the island.

Education

There are currently three primary schools in Cheung Chau, including C.C.C. Cheung Chau Church Kam Kong Primary School, Cheung Chau Sacred Heart School, and Kwok Man School, and two secondary schools : Buddhist Wai Yan Memorial College and Cheung Chau Government Secondary School. Formerly there were 7 primary schools including the Fisheries Joint Association Public School, Shun Dal Primary School and The Cheung Chau Government Primary School and three secondary schools including the now closed Caritas Saint Paul's Secondary School. Although there are more people living on Cheung Chau now than ever, the fertility rate throughout Hong Kong has dropped significantly leading to many school closings throughout the city.

Notable people

Transportation

operates ferries service between Central pier number 5 and Cheung Chau. The ferries run approximately every 30 minutes depending upon time of day. Schedules on Sundays and public holidays differ from weekdays. The trip of about takes 55 minutes or 35 minutes for ordinary ferries and high speed ferries respectively. Ferries operated by Maris Ferry to Aberdeen were also available since 8 August 2015, but discontinued from 1 January 2020 due to sparse passenger numbers and high operating costs.
Due to inaccessibility to cars and other vehicles, most residents use bicycles for personal transportation, and a number of bicycle rental shops near the ferry pier rent bicycles to tourists. The only vehicles on the island are those used by the emergency services, as well as village vehicles used to transport goods.