Tai Long Wan () is a 3 kilometer-wide bay on the east coast of the Sai Kung Peninsula in Sai Kung District, Hong Kong. Considered one of the most beautiful places in Hong Kong, it is a popular surf destination.
Geography
Natural Formations
There are four main beaches along the bay:
Sai Wan (), also informally called Tai Long Sai Wan
Ham Tin Wan () Tai Wan () Tung Wan ()
None of the beaches in the Tai Long Wan area is suitable for swimming because of the presence of strong rip currents year-round, which means swimmers could be pulled into the open sea when caught in a rip current. The beaches are not gazetted and do not offer lifeguard services or shark nets that are common elsewhere in Hong Kong. Numerous drownings have occurred over the years because of the rip currents.
Three tiny islands, Tsim Chau (), Tai Chau () and Lan Tau Pai (), sit picturesquely near the centre of the bay.
Villages
There are several small villages in the area, including:
Tai Long Tsuen (), the oldest one, the largest in scale
Ham Tin Tsuen () Lam Uk Wai () Cheung Uk Wai () Tai Wan Tsuen ()
The latter three have become ruins. Tai Long, including Lam Uk and Ham Tin, are recognized villages under the New Territories Small House Policy.
History
Artifacts of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages have been found in an archaeological site at Ham Tin. Tai Long Tsuen (), a village near Ham Tin Wan, was established over 250 years ago.
Tai Long Village, Lam Uk Wai, Cheung Uk Wai and Ham Tin Village are the four old villages in Ham Tin. According to the survey conducted by Antiquities and Monuments Office, the villages have more than 200 years of history and about 90% of the village houses have more than 100 years of history. The genealogy of the Li family of Tai Long Sai Wan mentions that their ancestors settled in Tai Long Wan and the surrounding areas during the period from 1465 to 1487. There were about 600 to 700 villagers living in 10 surnames, including Zhan, Zhang, Li, Dai, Kong, Lin, etc.
Tai Long Village was the largest of the four villages so the village office was set up there. It is lucky to see that there is a village that still retains the traditional architectural structure so completely in Hong Kong. For Ham Tin Village, the surname of the villagers is mainly Wan. The villagers have stayed in Ham Tin for 7 to 8 generations and most of the buildings were built in the pre-war period. Lam Uk Wai and Cheung Uk Wai were on a smaller scale so they have been left abandoned, and part of them was covered by plants for a period of time.
The four villages were once a big village group and the villagers were mainly farmers and fishermen. Most of the villagers moved out to the urban area to make a better living during the industrial development period of Hong Kong since there was a lack of job opportunities in the villages and the transportation was inconvenient. Along with the lower population, the villages became deserted.
Tai Long Village
Tai Long Village has a history of 250 years and is the oldest village in the area of Tai Long in Sai Kung East, facing Tai Long Wan. In the past, the people in Tai Long mainly relied on fishing and farming (e.g. rice and sugarcane) to earn a living. Lives were simple and tough; many of them walked 4 or 5 hours to Ngau Chi Wan in Kowloon in order to sell their crops and fish. Some of them transported timber to Shau Kei Wan and Aberdeen by boat and sold them in exchange for daily necessities. Today, Tai Long still does not have a ferry pier. The villagers are of several surnames, namely, Chan, Cheung, Cham, Tai, Lai and Ngai. The ancestor of the Cham clan, Cham Kai-ming, came from Xintang in Guangdong province and settled in Tai Long Tsuen during the Qing Dynasty. Xin’an County Gazetter records that Tai Long Village came under the management of Guanfu magistrate. Nowadays, many villagers in Tai Long Tsuen have emigrated to Britain and there are only less than 10 villagers in total.
Geology
Columnar-jointed volcanic rocks characterize the coastline in the south of Tai Long Wan, formed by the cooling and contraction of hot ash during the volcanic eruption in Cretaceous Period. Cliffs in Tai Long Wan are formed in the columnar-joint fine-grained tuffs. These give rise to high, steep cliffs that are commonly penetrated by sea caves and natural sea arches.
Conservation
Tai Long Wan is located within the Sai Kung East Country Park. It was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1979. It also forms an important part of Hong Kong Global Geopark, High Island volcanic rock region.