Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [89]
DISCOVERY BAY Map
Discovery Bay
Lying on the northeastern coast of Lantau, what locals have dubbed ‘DB’ is very much a world of its own (with not a little similarity to the cult ’60s TV series The Prisoner). A dormitory community for professionals who commute to Central, Discovery Bay (Yue Ging Wan in Cantonese) has a fine stretch of sandy beach ringed by high-rises and more luxurious condominiums clinging to the headland to the north – but there is no pressing need to visit except to ogle at residents in their converted golf carts, which cost $200,000 a pop.
There is a handful of decent restaurants in Discovery Bay Plaza, just up from the ferry pier and the central plaza, and the 27-hole Discovery Bay Golf Club (see Click here) perched in the hills to the southwest.
Buses make the run to and from Tung Chung and the airport at Chek Lap Kok via the Discovery Bay Tunnel and the North Lantau Hwy. A trail leading from the golf course will take you down to Silvermine Bay and the rest of Lantau in a couple of hours.
TUNG CHUNG Map
Tung Chung; 3M from Mui Wo, 11 from Tai O, 23 from Ngong Ping
Change has come to Tung Chung, on Lantau’s northern coast, at a pace that can only happen in Hong Kong. This previously all-but-inaccessible farming region, with the small village of Tung Chung at its centre, has seen Chek Lap Kok, the mountain across Tung Chung Bay, flattened to build Hong Kong’s international airport and a New Town rise up, served by the MTR.
As part of the territory’s plans to solve its housing crisis, Tung Chung New Town has now become a 760-hectare residential estate. The expected population of Tung Chung and the neighbouring New Town of Tai Ho is 330,000 by 2012.
These developments and transport improvements have put an end to Tung Chung as a peaceful and secluded spot. But efforts have been made to protect Tung Chung Old Village. Buildings may rise no higher than three storeys and each floor can be no larger than 70 sq metres. In truth though there’s not much ‘old villlage’ atmosphere left.
Annals record a settlement at Tung Chung as early as the Ming dynasty. There are several Buddhist establishments in the upper reaches of the valley, but the main attraction here is Tung Chung Fort (Tung Chung Rd; admission free; 10am-5pm Wed-Mon), which dates back to 1832, when Chinese troops were garrisoned on Lantau. The Japanese briefly occupied the fort during WWII. Measuring 70m by 80m and enclosed by granite-block walls, it retains six of its muzzle-loading cannons pointing out to sea.
About 1km to the north are the ruins of Tung Chung Battery, which is a much smaller fort built in 1817. All that remains is an L-shaped wall facing the sea, with a gun emplacement in the corner. The ruins were discovered only in 1980, having been hidden for about a century by scrub.
Facing Tung Chung Bay to the southwest in the village of Sha Tsui Tau is double-roofed Hau Wong Temple, founded at the end of the Song dynasty. The temple contains a bell dating from 1765 and inscribed by the Qing-dynasty emperor Qian Long.
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CHEUNG CHAU
Eating Click here; Sleeping Click here
Once a refuge for pirates, Cheung Chau (Long Island; Map) occupies less than 2½ sq km of territory, its modest dimensions containing temples, beaches, fishing boats and mini chandleries, which make it a delightful destination for a day trip.
Fishing and aquaculture are important industries for a large number of the island’s 30,000 inhabitants, a few of whom still live on junks and sampans anchored in the harbour. Bring your camera for some of the best shots of traditional maritime life on the South China coast.
Archaeological evidence, including a 3000-year-old rock carving uncovered just beyond the Warwick Hotel, suggests that Cheung Chau, like Lamma and Lantau, was inhabited at least as early as the Neolithic period. The island had a thriving fishing community at the time, and the early inhabitants