Hansen's Hikes
| ... photographing Hong Kong's other side... |
Shau Kei Wan & Lei Yue Mun
Located on either side of the eastern entrance to Victoria Harbour, Shau Kei Wan
and Lei Yue Mun were already well-established villages by the time the British
arrived in Hong Kong. Though only a few miles from Central, both villages were
always hard to get to because of the surrounding terrain and, as a consequence,
were long unaffected by development elsewhere. For us, this means that every
street, lane and waterfront is still awash with history and traditional photo
opportunities.
We begin our discovery of Hong Kong’s eastern end bright and early in order to
catch the activity at Shau Kei Wan’s bustling wet and fish markets.
Setting out from the MTR station, we first check out the fresh vegetables at the
outdoor market, before making our way past the beautiful Tam Kung Temple down
to the old shipyards and the very busy wholesale fish market.
Having negotiated a way through the maze of alleys and lanes that make up the
shanty town of A Kung Ngam, we next find ourselves on Shau Kei Wan’s old main
street where we check out the nice smoky Tin Hau Temple and the eastern
terminus of the Hong Kong Tramways.
The last leg of the Hong Kong island part of this photo shoot is a sampan trip
around the Shau Kei Wan typhoon shelter. This will allow us a close-up view of life
on the water and the fishing fleet.
Crossing Victoria harbour, we then arrive at Lei Yue Mun. Dating back to the 17th
century, this small fishing village was once the haunt of the descendants of the
Ming dynasty General Cheng Jian. His seven sons all became pirates and include
the notorious Cheng I.
In more recent times, Lei Yue Mun flourished with small scall industries. Pottery
factories, candy factories, shipyards and quarries turned it into an important
industrial area in the 1960’s. Remains of the quarrying can still be found near the
coast and along the hills east of the traditional Tin Hau Temple. The pirate Cheng
Lian-Chang built this temple in 1753 for the protection of his descendants.
To most Hong Kong people, however, Lei Yue Mun is famous for its seafood
market and waterfront restaurants. In typical Hong Kong style, you choose your
seafood/fish from the brimming tanks outside the restaurant. This is then taken
into the kitchen to be killed and prepared according to your wishes.
Until 1998, an extra attraction of eating at Lei Yue Mun was the fact that you were
sitting at the end of the solitary runway of Hong Kong’s International Airport, Kai
Tak. You would have been amazed at just how close you were to the planes’
landing gear…
The sights above plus a few more will be included in our walk around Lei Yue Mun.
We suggest finishing the Photo Shoot with a (shared) lunch at one of the
waterfront restaurants.
Located on either side of the eastern entrance to Victoria Harbour, Shau Kei Wan
and Lei Yue Mun were already well-established villages by the time the British
arrived in Hong Kong. Though only a few miles from Central, both villages were
always hard to get to because of the surrounding terrain and, as a consequence,
were long unaffected by development elsewhere. For us, this means that every
street, lane and waterfront is still awash with history and traditional photo
opportunities.
We begin our discovery of Hong Kong’s eastern end bright and early in order to
catch the activity at Shau Kei Wan’s bustling wet and fish markets.
Setting out from the MTR station, we first check out the fresh vegetables at the
outdoor market, before making our way past the beautiful Tam Kung Temple down
to the old shipyards and the very busy wholesale fish market.
Having negotiated a way through the maze of alleys and lanes that make up the
shanty town of A Kung Ngam, we next find ourselves on Shau Kei Wan’s old main
street where we check out the nice smoky Tin Hau Temple and the eastern
terminus of the Hong Kong Tramways.
The last leg of the Hong Kong island part of this photo shoot is a sampan trip
around the Shau Kei Wan typhoon shelter. This will allow us a close-up view of life
on the water and the fishing fleet.
Crossing Victoria harbour, we then arrive at Lei Yue Mun. Dating back to the 17th
century, this small fishing village was once the haunt of the descendants of the
Ming dynasty General Cheng Jian. His seven sons all became pirates and include
the notorious Cheng I.
In more recent times, Lei Yue Mun flourished with small scall industries. Pottery
factories, candy factories, shipyards and quarries turned it into an important
industrial area in the 1960’s. Remains of the quarrying can still be found near the
coast and along the hills east of the traditional Tin Hau Temple. The pirate Cheng
Lian-Chang built this temple in 1753 for the protection of his descendants.
To most Hong Kong people, however, Lei Yue Mun is famous for its seafood
market and waterfront restaurants. In typical Hong Kong style, you choose your
seafood/fish from the brimming tanks outside the restaurant. This is then taken
into the kitchen to be killed and prepared according to your wishes.
Until 1998, an extra attraction of eating at Lei Yue Mun was the fact that you were
sitting at the end of the solitary runway of Hong Kong’s International Airport, Kai
Tak. You would have been amazed at just how close you were to the planes’
landing gear…
The sights above plus a few more will be included in our walk around Lei Yue Mun.
We suggest finishing the Photo Shoot with a (shared) lunch at one of the
waterfront restaurants.
Download Reservation Form here or click here to request more information.
| Hansen's Hikes 38 D, Tower 2, Sham Wan Towers 3, Ap Lei Chau Drive Ap Lei Chau Hong Kong Tel: (+852) 9552 0987 E-mail: info@hansens-hikes.com |
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