Peng Chau Island, Hong Kong

Peng Chau Island, Hong Kong

Peng Chau is a small island located in the eastern part of Lantau Island. The shape of Peng Chau resembles a Chinese character “凹” (concave), with the indented area being Tung Wan (East Bay). The southern and northern parts are called Nam Wan (South Bay) and Bak Wan (North Bay), respectively. Finger Hill is the highest point on the island, standing at 95 metres above sea level, offering views of Hong Kong Disneyland and Discovery Bay. There is a path on the island connecting to Tai Lei Island, where there is currently a sewage treatment plant. At the northeastern tip lies “Fishing Rock.”

The island has almost no beaches or major tourist attractions, so it rarely sees vacationing visitors. Serving as a stopover on the way to Cheung Chau and Lantau Island, although it lacks beaches or sightseeing spots, Peng Chau still possesses a unique charm of tranquillity and timelessness. Near the pier, remnants of once-thriving pottery shops can still be seen. From the old pier of Peng Chau, one can take a ferry to the Trappist Monastery, which used to have a small pasture run by the monks. Though the pasture has been relocated, homemade cookies are still sold there.

History

As early as the Tang and Song dynasties, fishermen — mostly from the Hailufeng community — lived on Peng Chau. Later, Hakka people came to trade and settled here. By the mid-Qing Dynasty, clans with surnames such as Lui (from Buji, Bao’an), Chung (a branch from Tin Liu Ha, Lam Tsuen, Tai Po), and Lam (from Nam Ling Wai) moved in successively. They settled in villages such as “Tai Lung Tsuen,” “Sheung San Tsuen,” “Wai Tsai Tsuen,” “Wai Tsai Zing San Tsuen,” and “Tai Wo Tsuen,” making a living through fishing, commerce, and some agriculture, with “Peng Chau Wan” serving as the commercial hub.

Surrounded by sea, Peng Chau had easy access to materials that could be burned into lime, such as oyster shells, clam shells, and coral. From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, the island developed a lime kiln industry, with as many as 11 lime kilns established. Notable ones included “Tung Hing,” “Tai Lei,” and “Victory,” employing hundreds of workers. This industry gradually declined in the 1930s and 1940s with the rise of cement production.

In 1937, the largest match factory in Southeast Asia at the time, the “Great China Match Factory,” commenced operations on Peng Chau, hiring 2,000 employees. By the 1960s and 1970s, Peng Chau’s industrial development peaked. In addition to the match factory, there were large-scale steel pipe factories, teak furniture manufacturers, shipyards, textile mills, leather factories, as well as ceramic painting workshops, rattan weaving shops, and other small handicraft industries. The island was home to over a hundred factories and workshops.