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Sha Tau Kok

Coordinates: 22°33′N 114°13′E / 22.550°N 114.217°E / 22.550; 114.217
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the adjacent district of Shenzhen with the same Chinese name, see Shatoujiao Subdistrict.

Sha Tau Kok
沙頭角
Sathewkok
Closed town
View of Starling Inlet
View of Starling Inlet
Sha Tau Kok is located in Hong Kong
Sha Tau Kok
Sha Tau Kok
Location in Hong Kong
Coordinates: 22°33′N 114°13′E / 22.550°N 114.217°E / 22.550; 114.217
CountryChina
Special administrative regionHong Kong
DistrictNorth District
District councilNorth District Council
Sha Tau Kok
Traditional Chinese沙頭角
Simplified Chinese沙头角
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinShātóujiǎo
Hakka
RomanizationSa1tiu2gok5
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationSā tàuh gok
JyutpingSa1 tau4 gok8
Sidney LauSa1 Tau4 Gok3

Sha Tau Kok is a closed town in Hong Kong. It is the last remaining major settlement in the Frontier Closed Area and is Hong Kong's northernmost town. Sha Tau Kok District is a rural committee district encompassing 46 villages within North District.[1]

History

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Prehistory

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Stone tools such as hammers, pounders, axes, and adzes dating to the Neolithic Period were excavated from San Tsuen, Sha Tau Kok, in 2001.[2][3] Pottery dating to the Han dynasty was also found there.[4]

17th–18th century

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Not much is known about settlements in the area before the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). The provincial imperial government expressed interest in the Mirs Bay area because of its salt flats and pearl beds, in the 5th century and 8th century, respectively.[5]

The "Great Clearance" of the 17th century expelled most of the area's original settlers, who immigrated to locations such as present-day Yuen Long and Shenzhen. At the same time, the first Hakka settlers of Sha Tau Kok arrived to settle the northern shoreline of Mirs Bay, with more Hakka villages being established in the 18th century.[6]

19th century

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The Sam Heung village alliance (Chinese: 三鄉, lit. Alliance of Three Villages) occupied the original shoreline of Sha Tau Kok, which was called Tai Tan Tung (Chinese: 大坦洞). The three villages included Shan Tsui, Tong To, and Tam Shui Hang.[7]

During the early 1800s, five wealthy villages – Shan Tsui, Tam Shui Hang, Wo Hang, Nam Chung, and Luk Keng – invested in the reclamation of Sha Tau Kok to provide more farmland for the growing population.[7]

Around the 1830s, leaders from 10 or so villages formed an alliance called the Shap Yeuk (Chinese: 十約) to establish a new market at the newly reclaimed Sha Lan Ha, that would allow the Sha Tau Kok area to operate independently from older markets in Shenzhen.[5] The market was later named Tung Wo Market (Chinese: 東和墟, lit. Eastern Peace Market) and described in 1848 by Basel missionary Theodore Hamberg as "a great market, quite given over to trade, newly built, and bustling with business".[8] In the 1850s there were approximately 50 shops.[9]

The name "Sha Tau Kok" first appeared in 1863, in the genealogy of the Ng (Chinese: 吳) Clan of Sha Lan Ha (Chinese: 沙欄吓). According to the Ngs, Sha Tau Kok was originally the name of the bay.[7] It was also used as a general name for the northwestern part of Mirs Bay in Volonteri's map of Sun On District in 1866.[10]

Tung Wo Market in 1898

As a result of the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory, Sha Tau Kok was leased to the British in 1898. Within the lease, Tung Wo Market was not included, leading to the problem of shopkeepers in Tung Wo being cut off from their ancestral villages in Hong Kong. On 19 April 1899, the elders of Shap Yeuk petitioned the district magistrate and begged that the lease not go forward, fearing excessive taxation and practical problems if they lived in British territory while their market was in Chinese territory.[11] This petition failed to change the lease, leading to a host of problems in the 20th century which led to the decline of Tung Wo Market.[12]

20th century

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At the time of the 1911 government census, the population of Sha Tau Kok District was 8,570, while the population of Sha Tau Kok Village (British territory) was 14.[13][notes 1] The population was mostly Hakka, with a small minority of Punti and Hoklo. At the time, the present-day area of Sha Tau Kok Chuen and Yim Liu Ha was covered with marshes and salt fields. A sizable Hoklo population worked at those salt fields; they were the largest community of Hoklo speakers in the North District.[13]

The total population of Sha Tau Kok District was 8,357 in 1921, growing to 8,941 in 1931.[14][notes 2] During the 1920s, there were around a hundred shops in Tung Wo Market, with some moving across the border to San Lau Street.[15]

On 8 July 1967, amid the 1967 Hong Kong riots, several hundred demonstrators from the People's Republic of China (Mainland China), including members of the People's Militia, crossed the border at Sha Tau Kok and attacked the police post there. The police attempted to disperse the crowd using tear gas and wooden bullets. They then came under fire from several points, including automatic fire from Chinese territory, prompting an exchange of gunfire. Five police officers were killed and eleven were injured. Gunfire stopped with the arrival of a battalion from the British garrison.[16]

21st century

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Sha Tau Kok, Hong Kong (left), and Shatoujiao, Shenzhen (right), in 2024

On 27 January 2005, it was announced that street maps would be put up to assist tourists.

In 2022, a pilot scheme was announced, under which limited areas of the town would be opened to tourists.[17] In July 2023, it was announced that the government was working on a feasibility study to redevelop the border control point between Sha Tau Kok and mainland China.[18]

As of 1 January 2024, a daily quota of 1,000 individual visitors (700 group visitors and 300 individual travellers) are permitted to visit Sha Tau Kok, as long as they have a Tourism Closed Area Permit. Individual travellers are only allowed to enter the area by public transport.[19] Although tourists can visit most parts of Sha Tau Kok, Chung Ying Street remains off limits.[20] Although some residents are supportive of the opening up, the move has also led to concern from some residents that tourists might affect[how?] the historically closed community.[21]

Geography

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Cape of Sha Tau Kok sign

Located within the Mirs Bay area, Sha Tau Kok is located on the northern shoreline of Starling Inlet, 10 km northeast of Fanling. The town centre is by the sea and the northern part of the town encompasses the hill known as Yuen Tuen Shan (元墩山).

A section of Starling Inlet located offshore of Sha Tau Kok is one of the 26 designated marine fish culture zones in Hong Kong.[22]

Overview

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Sha Tau Kok on the Hong Kong side of the border is a small town located in the North District. The town has a post office, a bank and a few shops. Most of its residents are from Hakka-farming or Hoklo (Hokkien)-fishing backgrounds. As both farming and fishing have declined in the past few decades, better-educated younger people tend to move out and live and work in urban areas. Older villagers, however, remain, most of whom live in the Sha Tau Kok Chuen public housing estate or in other nearby villages.[23] Many working families return to visit at weekends during festivals or on holidays to attend ceremonies, such as the deity-thanking ceremony at Yim Liu Ha Tsuen Tin Hau Temple.[24]

Sha Tau Kok has the longest pier in Hong Kong, Sha Tau Kok Public Pier. Built in the 1960s and redeveloped in 2004, it spans 280 meters to reach the deeper waters of Starling Inlet, allowing larger vessels to berth at Sha Tau Kok.[24]

Border crossing and Chung Ying Street

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See also: Sha Tau Kok Control Point and Chung Ying Street
The main border crossing on Chung Ying Street
Sha Tau Kok–Shatoujiao border wall from Sha Tau Kok, with buildings in Shatoujiao in the background
Chung Ying Street, the famous street of Sha Tau Kok. The high rise buildings are located in Shatoujiao.

Sha Tau Kok Control Point is one of Hong Kong's border crossing points along the geographical land border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The others are Man Kam To Control Point, Lo Wu Control Point, Lok Ma Chau Control Point, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point, Heung Yuen Wai Control Point and Shenzhen Bay Control Point.[25]

In Sha Tau Kok, the border between Hong Kong and mainland China runs along Chung Ying Street. Before the implementation of the "open door" policy in the 1980s, both sides exercised strict control over cross-boundary activities on the street. Even in the present day, non-residents must have a permit to visit Chung Ying Street.[26]

After the "open door" policy was put in place to allow freer travel between the two sides, mainland Chinese travelers flocked to Chung Ying Street to purchase goods unavailable in mainland China for personal use.[27][28] However, it simultaneously became a notorious point of goods trafficking, attracting businessmen and unemployed individuals looking to capitalize on the market opportunities created by the policy. Hawking and touting, smuggling, unlawful import and export of goods, and illegal employment became prominent on Chung Ying Street.[26]

Traffickers would enter Chung Ying Street with visitor permits, some making several trips a day acquiring goods and abusing the custom tariff limits on goods such as baby formula, soaps, electronics, and fabrics.[29] These traffickers would then unload their burden to collect their pay inside mainland Shatoujiao, or sell further inland in the mainland for greater profits.[30] Although there are a lot of goods leaving Hong Kong from Sha Tau Kok via Chung Ying Street, there is also an inflow of foodstuffs and other commodities that come through from China into Hong Kong throughout the day, only limited by the closure of the Chinese customs post.

A variety of items have been smuggled through the border. In 1996, 2,511 kilograms of raw uninspected meat was seized in a single case. In 1997, counterfeit trademarked clothes and imported garments without license valued at over $4.5 million were seized. Live chickens, pirated CDs, animal products of protected species as pangolins, owls, eagles and tigers have also been seized.[26] Attempted drugs trafficking is common to the present day, with cocaine, methamphetamine, and cannabis being intercepted at the Sha Tau Kok border.[31][32][33] Illegally imported pet animals such as cats and dogs, are also common.[34][35]

The control point of access to Shenzhen is located northwest of the hill in Shan Tsui (山咀). It is possible to travel into Shatoujiao on the China side, via the Sha Tau Kok border. A dedicated coach line, the Sha Tau Kok express (Chinese: 沙頭角快線), runs at a regular schedule from Sheung Shui MTR station, Fan Ling MTR station, Kowloon Tong, and Yau Ma Tei. Travellers are taken through the Shek Chung Au (石涌凹) border checkpoint without a permit search, then head directly to the Sha Tau Kok Control Point.[36]

Here, passengers disembark, go through customs, and have their documents processed, before reboarding the coach to be driven to the mainland border immigration checkpoint. There, they disembark and take all their belongings through the mainland Chinese customs and again have their documents processed. Travellers from outside China are advised to obtain entry visas from the appropriate authorities, or via a travel agent before attempting the entry. Hong Kong residents of Chinese nationality should hold Home Return Permits (回鄉證) for entry into China.[37]

Public housing

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Main article: Sha Tau Kok Chuen
Sha Tau Kok Chuen

Sha Tau Kok Chuen (Chinese: 沙頭角邨) is a public housing estate within the Sha Tau Kok Closed Area[38] built to accommodate the residents affected by the clearance[when?] of the area.[39] It consists of 51 low-rise blocks completed in 1988, 1989 and 1991, and it is the public housing estate with the most number of blocks in Hong Kong.[40]

Education

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Sha Tau Kok is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 83. Within the school net are two aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money): Fuk Tak Education Society Primary School and Sha Tau Kok Central Primary School. No government schools are in the net.[41]

Shan Tsui Public School (山咀公立學校) is in Sha Tau Kok. In 2013, 90% of the roughly 200 students were Hong Kong residents living in Shenzhen.[42]

Other schools:

  • Kwan Ah School
  • Sha Tau Kok Central Primary School
  • Tai Wah Public Schools

Transport

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Main article: Sha Tau Kok Road
Sha Tau Kok Road – Shek Chung Au

Before there were roads to access Sha Tau Kok, a branch of the Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR), Sha Tau Kok Railway, served as the town's main transport. Completed in 1912, this service had three stops, linking Fanling Station to Sha Tau Kok Station. It was built from the original narrow gauge of the KCR British Section, and later replaced by standard gauge. After Sha Tau Kok Road was completed, the Sha Tau Kok Railway and its terminus ceased operations on 1 April 1928.[43] The area formerly occupied by the terminus is still known colloquially as "train station terminus" (火車頭).[44]

Sha Tau Kok bus terminus

Currently, there are both Kowloon Motor Bus and minibus services in Sha Tau Kok. The town has a bus terminus served by the KMB route 78K service as well as the smaller sixteen-seater minibus or public light bus service route number 55K.[45][46] Both begin in Sheung Shui and pass through Luen Wo Hui before terminating at Sha Tau Kok. Travelers can also board the KMB route 277A from Lam Tin station to Sha Tau Kok.[47] Alternatively, visitors can also travel by taxi.[48] However, passengers will not be allowed to proceed through the Closed Area border checkpoint if they do not carry a valid permit. Police personnel will board the bus at the checkpoint to check the identification documents and the required Frontier Closed Area permit of each passenger. If passengers do not possess these documents, they will be asked to leave by police personnel.[48]

Notable people

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  • Lee Hong Lim – Hong Kong First Division League footballer
  • Lee Wai Lim – Hong Kong First Division League footballer

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The exact boundary of Sha Tau Kok District and Sha Tau Kok village during the 1911 census is unknown. But the modern district encompasses 46 villages under the List Of Recognised Villages Under The Small House Policy.
  2. ^ As defined by the area of Sha Tau Kok Police District

References

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  1. ^ "Hong Kong Market Town boundary for Rural Representative Election of Sha Tau Kok Rural Committee". Esri China (HK).
  2. ^ "Hong Kong Archeological Archive System".
  3. ^ "Sha Tau Kok San Tsuen Site of Archaeological Interest". Geographical Information System on Hong Kong Heritage.
  4. ^ "2001.004.01506 – Hard pottery box with tripod and lid". Hong Kong Archeological Archive System.
  5. ^ a b HASE, P. H. “EASTERN PEACE: SHA TAU KOK MARKET IN 1925.” Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, vol. 33, 1993, pp. 147–202. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23890097. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
  6. ^ “EASTERN PEACE: SHA TAU KOK MARKET IN 1925.” p. 149.
  7. ^ a b c "Heritage Appraisal of Hip Tin Temple – Shan Tsui, Sha Tau Kok, the New Territories", Antiquities and Monuments Office, Hong Kong.
  8. ^ "Jahresberichte der Easier Mission 1849", pp 141–143. Reprinted in: Hase, P. H. “SHA TAU KOK IN 1853.” Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, vol. 30, 1990, pp. 281–97. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23889758. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.
  9. ^ Basel Mission Archive, Document A-1,2 Nr. 44, "Half-Yearly report of the Missionary Rev. P. Winnes, from 1st January to 1st July, 1853." Reprinted in: Hase, P. H. “SHA TAU KOK IN 1853.” Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, vol. 30, 1990, pp. 281–97. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23889758. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.
  10. ^ "Map of the San-On district (Kwangtung Province)" (Map). Hong Kong Historic Maps – Reference 1866.
  11. ^ “EASTERN PEACE: SHA TAU KOK MARKET IN 1925.” p. 157.
  12. ^ “EASTERN PEACE: SHA TAU KOK MARKET IN 1925.” p. 158.
  13. ^ a b Hase, Patrick (1996). "Traditional Life in the New Territories: The Evidence of the 1911 and 1921 Censuses" (PDF). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch. 36: 81. ISSN 1991-7295.
  14. ^ "Report On The Census Of The Colony Of Hong Kong, 1931.", Hong Kong Government. p. 105.
  15. ^ "Historic Building Appraisal – Nos. 14–16 San Lau Street, Sha Tau Kok, N.T." (PDF). AAB.
  16. ^ "HONG KONG (BORDER INCIDENTS)". api.parliament.uk. 10 July 1967. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  17. ^ Yeo, Rachel (3 June 2022). "Hong Kong frontier town grants tourists limited access as part of pilot scheme". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  18. ^ Chan, Irene (18 July 2023). "Planned Hong Kong tech hub may apply 'innovative' immigration arrangements to facilitate cross-border travel". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  19. ^ "A day trip to Sha Tau Kok". Hong Kong Tourism Board. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  20. ^ "CE officiates at Second Phase Opening-up of Sha Tau Kok Launching Ceremony (with photos/video)". www.info.gov.hk. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Residents' worries over influx of tourists to Sha Tau Kok". Varsity. 22 December 2023.
  22. ^ "Marine fish culture, pond fish culture and oyster culture". Fisheries Branch. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  23. ^ "A historic town straddling Hong Kong-China border begins a modest tourism transformation". Hong Kong Free Press. 12 May 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Unmissable adventures in Sha Tau Kok". Hong Kong Tourism Board.
  25. ^ "Check Points, Boundary Control Points and Villages of the Frontier Closed Area". Hong Kong Police Force.
  26. ^ a b c "Policing Chung Ying Street". Offbeat Online. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  27. ^ "Director of Sha Tau Kok Story House recounts tales of Hong Kong's border town". South China Morning Post (Morning Studio). Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  28. ^ "Upgraded zones on Chung Ying Street to celebrate Lunar New Yr". China Daily. 26 January 2024.
  29. ^ "Hong Kong's Chung Ying Street, den of smugglers and thieves: the story behind its name". SCMP. 17 June 2016.
  30. ^ "Shenzhen mum arrested for allegedly using daughters to smuggle 80 iPhones out of HK". Hong Kong Free Press. 3 November 2015.
  31. ^ "Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected cocaine worth about $4.5 million (with photo)". 7 April 2023.
  32. ^ "A man was arrested near the Sha Tau Kok border crossing yesterday for attempting to traffic 2kg of methamphetamine into the city. The action follows several high-profile drug seizures by police and the Customs and Excise Department". SCMP. 25 August 2013.
  33. ^ "Police seize over HK$760k worth of cannabis products, arresting one in Sha Tau Kok". 4 February 2024.
  34. ^ "Hong Kong customs arrests 2 for allegedly smuggling pedigree pets worth HK$210,000 from mainland China". SCMP. 5 April 2024.
  35. ^ "Hong Kong Customs detects suspected illegal importing animals case (with photos)". Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department. 1 December 2023.
  36. ^ "【跨境直通巴士攻略】超過50條大灣區巴士路線，連接中港多個省內路線". Trip.com (in Chinese). 9 July 2024.
  37. ^ "Access to Sha Tau Kok Control Point (Cross-boundary cargo clearance service only, cross-boundary passenger transport service remains suspended)". Transport Department. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  38. ^ "Service Boundary of Integrated Home Care Services Teams (Ordinary Cases) in North District".
  39. ^ Sha Tau Kok Chuen (Chinese)
  40. ^ "香港房屋協會". www.hkhs.com. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  41. ^ "POA School Net 83" (PDF). Education Bureau. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  42. ^ Yau, Elaine (21 June 2013). "Hong Kong's village schools make a comeback". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  43. ^ "Fanling – Sha Tau Kok Branch Line", Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
  44. ^ "The Sha Tau Kok railway". The Industrial History of Hong Kong Group. 20 November 2021.
  45. ^ "Route Search – 78K". KMB. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  46. ^ "New Territories GMB Route – 55K". 16 Seats.net. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  47. ^ "Route Search – 277A". KMB. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  48. ^ a b Chan, Shelby (4 April 2024). "Sha Tau Kok: Hong Kong's last frontier". Cathay Pacific.

Further reading

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