Ma Wan

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Ma Wan
馬灣
Ma Wan overview 201106.JPG
General view of Ma Wan from the north
Mawan.png
Location of Ma Wan within Hong Kong
Geography
LocationBetween Lantau Island and Tsing Yi Island
Coordinates 22°20′56″N114°3′35″E / 22.34889°N 114.05972°E / 22.34889; 114.05972
Area0.97 km2 (0.37 sq mi)
Highest elevation69 m (226 ft)
Highest pointTai Leng Tau

Geography

Kap Shui Mun Bridge crossing the Kap Shui Mun channel, with Tin Liu Village of Ma Wan in the foreground. Kap Shui Mun Bridge from Sham Tseng.JPG
Kap Shui Mun Bridge crossing the Kap Shui Mun channel, with Tin Liu Village of Ma Wan in the foreground.

Ma Wan has an area of 0.97 square kilometres (0.37 sq mi). [1] Its highest point is Tai Leng Tau (69 metres (226 ft)) in the southeast. [4] Two channels separate Ma Wan and other major islands.

Geology

Ma Wan surface rocks are mostly volcanic rocks called Yim Tin Tsai Formation. This is a coarse ash crystal tuff containing lapilli. Some layers of fine volcanic ash are found in the far north of the island. The contained mafic minerals are biotite and amphibole. The tuff contains mostly quartz and alkali and plagioclase feldspar. Other minerals include apatite, magnetite, monazite and zircon. [5]

The Ma Wan granite is fine grained. It contains microcline, and few feldspar phenocrysts. The main minerals are quartz, perthitic orthoclase, and plagioclase. The dark mineral is mostly biotite. Also contained is zircon, fluorite, and allanite. It is found on the south of the east coast. [6]

Dykes formed later with a mafic dyke injected first followed by a felsic material. A feldsparphyric dyke crosses the island east–west near the ferry pier. [7]

Several Cenozoic age quartzphyric rhyolite dykes cross the island. These are also injected with narrow dacitic dykes, and last of all very fine grained mafic basaltic dykes. [8]

A north east trending fault crosses Ma Wan from the typhoon shelter on the west side to the Tun Wan. The island is separated from Lantau Island by a fault under the channel called the Kap Shui Mun Fault. This is angled to the North West, and has its direction controlled by the major tectonic zone it is in called the Linhua Shan Fault System that extends from the coast of Guangdong to Fujian. [9]

Prominent joints are at 85° parallel to the dykes. Other joints are close to horizontal, can cause rocks to form sheets. [9]

History

Fong Yuen Study Hall. Fong Yuen Study Hall 2013.jpg
Fong Yuen Study Hall.
The vacated Ma Wan Main Street Village aka. Ma Wan Town in 2011, viewed from the breakwater of the typhoon shelter. Ma Wan Old Village1.jpg
The vacated Ma Wan Main Street Village aka. Ma Wan Town in 2011, viewed from the breakwater of the typhoon shelter.

Remains have been found from the Mid-Neolithic Age (about 3000 BC), the late Neolithic Age (about 2000 BC), the early to late Bronze Age of coastal South China (1500–500 BC), [10] the period of the Warring States to the Han dynasty (206 BC −220 AD), [10] the Tang dynasty (618–917 AD) and the Qing dynasty (1644–1911 AD).

In 1997, a joint excavation by the Antiquities and Monuments Office and the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences found complete Neolithic human skeletal remains in tombs at the Tung Wan Tsai North site. 20 tombs were found spanning from the late Neolithic to the early Bronze Age. [11]

The prehistoric island had late neolithic inhabitants as proved by recent excavations. There were also inhabitants here during the Han dynasty.

Foreign visitors first arrived on the island in 1794. [12]

Ma Wan once had a Customs house, [13] still recorded by a stone monument named "Kowloon Gate" monument. (near the old Rural Committee building). It ceased activity on 4 October 1899. [14] Similar customs stations had been established at Fat Tau Chau and Cheung Chau. [15]

In 1965 as part of the United States CARE program, 12 two storey housing units, and one communal house were donated and built on a top of a hill near the Fishermen's Association. The new village costed around HK$ 200,000 to build, and could house 24 families. [16] After naming it Ma Wan Fishermen's Village (馬灣漁民新村), it was officially opened on the 7th of December 1965 by Arthur Patrick Richardson (李作新), the Assistant Director of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. [17]

In the early 1970s, the island across from Ma Wan was occupied by three families. Their family names were Woo, Pang, and Woo. The children of these families attended the kindergarten and Fong Yuen School in Ma Wan. Water transportation to Ma Wan was signalled by waving a flag at the pier.

As of 1995, fish farming was the predominant economic activity on Ma Wan. [4]

Ma Wan had a population of 800 in 2000. [18] With the development of the Park Island apartment complex, villagers were rehoused in the northern part of the island. As part of the compensation package, they could choose either a 3-storey traditional village house of 2,100 square feet (0.048 acres) or 3 separate units, each of 700 square feet (65 m2) in one single block. [19]

Features

Blocks of the Park Island apartment complex. Park Island 03.jpg
Blocks of the Park Island apartment complex.
View of Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach with Park Island Ferry Pier in the middle right. The blocks on the left are part of the Park Island apartment complex. Ting Kau Bridge and the mainland Tsuen Wan District are visible in the background. Tung Wan.jpg
View of Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach with Park Island Ferry Pier in the middle right. The blocks on the left are part of the Park Island apartment complex. Ting Kau Bridge and the mainland Tsuen Wan District are visible in the background.
Noah's Ark attraction in Ma Wan Park, with the Tsing Ma Bridge in the background. Noah's Ark and Tshing Ma Bridge.JPG
Noah's Ark attraction in Ma Wan Park, with the Tsing Ma Bridge in the background.
Tin Hau Temple in Ma Wan Main Street Village. HK MaWanKapShuiMunTinHauTemple.JPG
Tin Hau Temple in Ma Wan Main Street Village.
Shrimp paste being sundried in Ma Wan, next to Kap Shui Mun. HK ShrimpPaste Sundried MaWan.JPG
Shrimp paste being sundried in Ma Wan, next to Kap Shui Mun.

Park Island

Park Island is a private housing estate that was mainly developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties as part of the Ma Wan Development joint venture project [20] and completed from 2002 to 2006 in six phases.

Villages

  • Ma Wan Town, [21] also known as Ma Wan Main Street Village, is a former fishing village with stilt houses (pang uk). It has been vacated.
  • Ma Wan Fishermen's Village (馬灣漁民新村) aka. Ma Wan CARE Village. It has been vacated.
  • 250-year-old village, quite empty as of 2007—The new Tin Liu Village has been built a bit on top of it.
  • The new villages are:
    • Ma Wan Main Street Village Central (馬灣大街村中)
    • Ma Wan Main Street Village East (馬灣大街村東)
    • Ma Wan Main Street Village South (馬灣大街村南)
    • Ma Wan Main Street Village (馬灣大街村北)
    • Tin Liu New Village (田寮新村)

Ma Wan Main Street Village and Tin Liu are recognized villages under the New Territories Small House Policy. [22]

Leisure

Religion

  • Annual traditional festivals, such as Tin Hau.
  • There are two Tin Hau Temples on Ma Wan. One has been rebuilt on the northern beach and is said to have been originally built by the local pirate Cheung Po Tsai, who often looked after the locals. Another one is located at the Ma Wan Main Street Village.
  • Ma Wan Alliance Church

Education

  • Kei Wai Primary School [26]
  • Creative Kindergarten [27]

Culture

Others

  • Clear water wells
  • Deep waters (for Hong Kong) surrounding – 30 metres (98 ft)
  • Popular photography site.
  • Small red crabs.
  • Cemetery on the south side.
  • The Salvation Army Ma Wan Youth Camp

Infrastructure

Ma Wan Tung Wan beach, with the Tsing Ma Bridge in the background. Ma Wan, Tung Wan Beach at night (Hong Kong).jpg
Ma Wan Tung Wan beach, with the Tsing Ma Bridge in the background.

Transport

A Dennis Super Pointer Dart operated by Park Island Transport. PIBus NR332.jpg
A Dennis Super Pointer Dart operated by Park Island Transport.
Park Island 8, a ferry operated by Park Island Transport Co., Ltd. Park Island Transport - Park Island 8.JPG
Park Island 8, a ferry operated by Park Island Transport Co., Ltd.

Road

Although the Hong Kong government originally claimed it would be "physically impossible" to give the island a road connection via the Lantau Link, this was disproved with the beginning of construction of Park Island. The island is now connected to Tsing Yi by the Tsing Ma Bridge (a suspension bridge), and to Lantau Island by the Kap Shui Mun Bridge (a cable-stayed bridge). Both bridges are part of the Lantau Link.

Park Island Transport Co., Ltd. operates bus services from Park Island to Tsing Yi MTR station, Kwai Fong Metroplaza, Hong Kong International Airport, Tsuen Wan West and Tsuen Wan (close to the Tsuen Wan MTR station).

Starting from 3 July 2008, urban taxis were permitted access into Ma Wan between 8 pm and 7 am the following morning to meet residents' transport needs. [28] Starting from 14 December 2012, urban taxi were permitted access into Ma Wan 24 hours daily. [29]

Private vehicles are generally not permitted to enter the island, an arrangement which also exists in Discovery Bay on the nearby Lantau Island; however a permit can be requested from the Transport Department of Hong Kong. Minibuses are not allowed, but the Park Island management company operates cars in case of emergency or special situations, though their availability is not guaranteed. Lorries may enter the island between 10 am to 4 pm daily without the need for a special permit.

Water

There are several ferry piers on the island: Park Island Ferry Pier on the northeast, one on the old Tin Liu village on the west (formerly hosting Sham Tseng ferries), Man Wan Public Pier on the southwest at Ma Wan Main Street Village, [30] [31] Tai Pai Tsui Pier on the south of the island facing Tang Lung Chau, [30] [31] one on the north of the island used for the garbage removal, one on the southeast side (but on a Government land not open).

Park Island Transport Co., Ltd. operates ferry services between Park Island and Central Piers (Pier 2). Another route to Tsuen Wan Pier (near West Rail Tsuen Wan West station) is also available.

Education

Ma Wan is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 62, which includes schools in Tsuen Wan and areas nearby. The net includes multiple aided schools and one government school, Hoi Pa Street Government Primary School. [32]

Related Research Articles

Hong Kong has a long coastline that is full of twists and turns with many bays and beaches. Many of them are well sheltered by mountains nearby, as Hong Kong is a mountainous place. As a result, large waves seldom appear at the bays, making them suitable for human swimming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsing Yi</span> Island in Hong Kong

Tsing Yi, sometimes referred to as Tsing Yi Island, is an island in the New Territories of Hong Kong, to the northwest of Hong Kong Island and south of Tsuen Wan. With an area of 10.69 km2 (4.13 sq mi), the island has been extended drastically by reclamation along almost all its natural shore and the annexation of Nga Ying Chau (牙鷹洲) and Chau Tsai. Three major bays or harbours, Tsing Yi Lagoon, Mun Tsai Tong, and Tsing Yi Bay (青衣灣) in the northeast, have been completely reclaimed for new towns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsuen Wan District</span> District in Hong Kong, New Territories

Tsuen Wan District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the New Territories and is served by the Tsuen Wan line of the MTR metro system. Its area is 60.7 km2. Its residents, who mostly live in Tsuen Wan Town, enjoy the highest income in the New Territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tung Chung</span> New town in Hong Kong

Tung Chung, meaning "eastern stream", is an area on the northwestern coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. One of the most recent new towns, it was formerly a rural fishing village beside Tung Chung Bay, and along the delta and lower courses of Tung Chung River and Ma Wan Chung in the north-western coast of Lantau Island. The area was once an important defence stronghold against pirates and foreign military during the Ming and the Qing dynasties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lantau Link</span> Road linking western and central Hong Kong

The Lantau Link, formerly known as the Lantau Fixed Crossing, is a roadway in Hong Kong forming part of Route 8 linking Lantau Island to Tsing Yi, from which other roads lead to the urban areas of Kowloon and the rest of the New Territories. Part of the Airport Core Programme centred on the new Hong Kong International Airport on Lantau. The link was officially opened on 27 April 1997, and it opened to traffic on 22 May the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penny's Bay</span> Area of Lantau Island, Hong Kong

Penny's Bay or Chok Ko Wan is a bay in north-eastern Lantau Island, and had been a port since the Ming dynasty. The bay has since been reclaimed and is the site of the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, which consists of the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park, Disneyland Hotel, and Disney's Hollywood Hotel, and the Inspiration Lake. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it became home to Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre. It is connected by a highway and a rail connection on the MTR Disneyland Resort line to Sunny Bay station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kap Shui Mun Bridge</span> Overpass in western Hong Kong

The Kap Shui Mun Bridge (KSMB) in Hong Kong, part of Lantau Link of Route 8, is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world that transports both road and railway traffic, with the upper deck used for motor vehicles and the lower deck for both vehicles and the MTR. It has a main span of 430 metres (1,410 ft) and an overall length of 750 metres (2,460 ft). It spans the Kap Shui Mun marine channel between Ma Wan and Lantau islands and has a vertical clearance of 47 metres (154 ft) above sea level. The bridge was completed in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ma Wan Channel</span>

Ma Wan Channel is a channel between Ma Wan and Tsing Yi islands in Hong Kong. The north end of the channel is Ting Kau where it joins the Rambler Channel. To the west it joins with the Kap Shui Mun channel running to the south of Ma Wan, leading into Urmston Road. To the east, it divides into the Tsing Yi Channel and the Rambler Channel, leading to Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung. To the south is the Western Working Anchorage of Victoria Harbour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sham Tseng</span> Town in Hong Kong

Sham Tseng is a coastal area in Tsuen Wan District, Hong Kong, between Ting Kau and Tsing Lung Tau.

Tsuen Wan Rural Committee (荃灣鄉事委員會) is a rural committee representing the interest of villages in Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung, Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ma Wan Viaduct</span> Bridge

Ma Wan Viaduct is a viaduct built over Ma Wan, an island in Hong Kong. The viaduct connects the Tsing Ma Bridge and Kap Shui Mun Bridge with an exit to Ma Wan Road, and is part of the Lantau Link and Route 8. It was opened on 22 May 1997 and was built to provide access to the Hong Kong International Airport as part of the Airport Core Programme.

Articles related to Hong Kong include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsing Chau Tsai Peninsula</span>

Tsing Chau Tsai Peninsula is the peninsula located at the northeast of Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong, including Yam O, To Kau Wan, Tai Tsing Chau, Tsing Chau Tsai and Penny's Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New towns of Hong Kong</span> Newly developed towns in the 20th century

The Hong Kong government started developing new towns in the 1950s to accommodate Hong Kong's booming population. During the first phase of development, the newly developed towns were called "satellite towns", a concept borrowed from the United Kingdom, of which Hong Kong was a colony. Kwun Tong, located in eastern Kowloon, and Tsuen Wan, located in the south-west of the New Territories, were designated as the first satellite towns, when the urban area in Hong Kong was still relatively small, restricted to the central and western parts of Kowloon Peninsula and the northern side of Hong Kong Island. Wah Fu Estate was also built in a remote corner on the southern side of Hong Kong Island, with similar concepts but at a smaller scale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishermen villages in Hong Kong</span>

Several fishermen villages were established in Hong Kong to house fishermen families.

References

  1. 1 2 Hong Kong Geographic Data, Lands Department, February 2011
  2. ↑ District council electoral boundaries: Tsuen Wan District, Electoral Affairs Commission, July 2003
  3. ↑ Town Planning Paper "Administration's paper on Ma Wan Park" (Press release) [CB(1)2195/07-08(01)], 18 July 2008
  4. 1 2 3 R.J. Sewell & J. W.C. James, Geology of North Lantau Island and Ma Wan (Chapter 1), Geotechnical Engineering Office, Civil Engineering Department, Hong Kong, November 1995
  5. ↑ R. J. Sewell; J.C.W. James (1995). "Sedimentary and Volcanic Rocks" (PDF). Geology of North Lantau Island and Ma Wan. pp. 21–23. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  6. ↑ R. J. Sewell; J.C.W. James (1995). "Intrusive Igneous Rocks" (PDF). Geology of North Lantau Island and Ma Wan. p. 27. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  7. ↑ R. J. Sewell; J.C.W. James (1995). "Intrusive Igneous Rocks" (PDF). Geology of North Lantau Island and Ma Wan. p. 28. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  8. ↑ R. J. Sewell; J.C.W. James (1995). "Intrusive Igneous Rocks" (PDF). Geology of North Lantau Island and Ma Wan. pp. 29–30. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  9. 1 2 R. J. Sewell; J.C.W. James (1995). "Structure" (PDF). Geology of North Lantau Island and Ma Wan. pp. 32–34. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  10. 1 2 "Midden Excavation in Theory and Practice: a Han period midden site at Tung Wan Tsai, Ma Wan Island, Hong Kong". Papers from the Institute of Archaeology. 7. 15 November 1996. doi: 10.5334/pia.96 . ISSN   2041-9015.
  11. ↑ "Tung Wan Tsai North, Ma Wan". Antiquities and Monuments Office, Hong Kong Government. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  12. ↑ J.L. Cranmer-Byng, A. Shepherd, "A Reconnaissance of Ma Wan and Lantao Islands, 1794", in Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch, Vol. 4, 1964. pp. 105–119
  13. ↑ "Ma Wan Village: The Commemorative Tablets". Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  14. ↑ Bard, Salomon (2002). Voices from the Past: Hong Kong, 1842–1918. University of Washington Press. ISBN   978-962-209-574-8.
  15. ↑ "Declared Monuments in Hong Kong. Site of Chinese Customs Station". Antiquities and Monuments Office.
  16. ↑ "先建兩層村屋十二間 - 馬灣漁民新村 - 興建已告完成". Wah Kiu Yat Po 華僑日報. 20 September 1965. p. 13.
  17. ↑ "助理漁農處長主持 - 馬灣漁民新村開幕". Wah Kiu Yat Po 華僑日報. 7 December 1965. p. 16.
  18. ↑ South West New Territories Development Strategy Review. Recommended Strategy Review. Final Report, chapter 4.4.4.b. "Economic Development", Planning Department, July 2001
  19. ↑ Dr Edward Cy Yiu, 3.2 Real Estate Development Finance (REDF) Archived 18 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine , Department of Real Estate and Construction, University of Hong Kong, January 2007, pp.24–30
  20. ↑ AsiaConstruct Team, "An Annual Report of the Construction Industry of China Hong Kong 2002–2003" Archived 11 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine , Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 8–9 December 2003, p.15
  21. ↑ Map of Ma Wan Town in 1901
  22. ↑ "List of Recognized Villages under the New Territories Small House Policy" (PDF). Lands Department. September 2009.
  23. ↑ Ma Wan Park website
  24. ↑ "Ma Wan Park: Heritage Centre". Archived from the original on 16 July 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  25. ↑ Leisure and Cultural Services Department: Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
  26. ↑ Kei Wai Primary School website
  27. ↑ "Creative Kindergarten" . Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  28. ↑ "Ma Wan taxi toll arrangements approved". Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
  29. ↑ Road Traffic (Traffic Control) Regulations (Chapter 374) Prohibited zones in Ma Wan, Tsuen Wan
  30. 1 2 Public Piers maintained by CEDD Archived 25 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  31. 1 2 Town Planning Paper "Administration's paper on planning and land lease arrangements regarding the private residential development and the provision of a theme park on Ma Wan" [CB(1)1668/07-08(01)], 18 July 2008 and 27 May 2008
  32. ↑ "POA School Net 62" (PDF). Education Bureau . Retrieved 12 September 2022.

Further reading

Ma Wan
Traditional Chinese 馬灣
Simplified Chinese 马湾
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Mǎwān
Hakka
Romanization Ma1 Van1
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization Máh wàahn
Jyutping Maa5 Waan4
Areas
Landmarks
Beaches
Transport
Islands
Education
This list is incomplete.
For the entirety of Lantau Island see Template:Lantau Island
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