Mui Wo

Mui Wo 梅窩
Town
Mui Wo, as viewed from the hills from the north in 2021
Coordinates: 22°15′52″N114°00′5″E / 22.26444°N 114.00139°E / 22.26444; 114.00139
District Council	Islands District
Government
• Member of the District Council	Randy Yu Hon-kwan (Independent)
Population  (2011)
• Total	5,485

History

Yuen's Mansion and one of its two watchtowers, in Chung Hau, Mui Wo.

Entrance of Silvermine Cave in 2016

The recorded history of Mui Wo dates back to the last days of the Southern Song dynasty. Fleeing south from the invading Yuan dynasty, in 1277 the Southern Song imperial court sought refuge in Silvermine Bay (at that time known as Mei Yu or 梅蔚). In March 1278, whilst attempting a further escape from the Mongols, the penultimate Song emperor Duanzong fell from a boat and almost drowned. After his rescue, he became ill and died a few months later at Mui Wo. Duanzong's successor, Zhao Bing, was enthroned at Mui Wo on 10 May 1278.

Mui Wo is one of five villages of Lantau that were resettled when the coastal restriction of the Great Clearance was lifted in 1669. The other villages are Tung Sai Chung, Lo Pui O, Shek Pik and Tai O. ^[4]

Mining

A silver and lead mine, close to the settlement of Pak Ngan Heung and Sivermine Waterfall, formally opened in March 1886. ^[5] It had closed by the time China leased the New Territories to Britain in 1898. ^[6] The main entrance is now called Silvermine Cave. People can only enter the first ten metres or so as the rest of the tunnels have been blocked off for safety reasons, and to prevent disturbance to the rare species of bats who live there. ^[7]

19–27 August 1945: Mui Wo massacre

Japanese soldiers killed at least nine people and arrested 300 Mui Wo villagers in the weeks after Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, ending the Second World War. ^{[8] [9]} Many victims were beaten and tortured. Some were beheaded.

Twelve Japanese soldiers who took part in the massacre were convicted of war crimes in 1946, and three of them hanged. The rest were sentenced to between two and ten years in jail. In their defence, the Japanese soldiers said they had been responding to a guerrilla attack after Japan's capitulation. Their actions were to maintain law and order until they could formally surrender to Allied forces. The judge rejected their arguments, stating that the Mui Wo residents were not responsible for the guerrillas' actions.

Villages

Man Mo Temple in Pak Ngan Heung, Mui Wo.

Villages in the vicinity of Mui Wo include:

• Luk Tei Tong
• Mui Wo Kau Tsuen (梅窩舊村)
• Pak Ngan Heung
• Tai Tei Tong
• Tung Wan Tau (東灣頭)
• Wang Tong (橫塘)
• Wo Tin

Sights

Silver Mine Waterfall.

Mui Wo's Silver Mine Bay Beach.

Nearby attractions include Silver Mine Bay Beach, Silver Mine Waterfall and a temple dedicated to Man Mo, originally built during the reign of Wanli, emperor of the Ming dynasty (1573–1620). ^[10] There is a small local museum with old photos of Mui Wo and rural artefacts located behind the Silvermine Bay Resort Hotel. The museum is open only on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Silver Mine Bay Beach

Main article: Silver Mine Bay Beach

The beach is one of the five gazetted beaches on Lantau. Leisure and Cultural Services Department life guards patrol it and there is a shark net to protect swimmers April through October. There were 69,580 visitors during the seven-month-long official bathing season in 2012—an average of 201 on weekdays and 461 on weekends and public holidays. There were 4,550 visitors on the busiest day, and 16,900 during the busiest month. ^[11]

Facilities include a fast food kiosk, BBQ pits(24nos), changing room, shower facilities, toilet, family changing room, babycare room and beach volleyball court. There is even a resort nearby.

Education

Heung Yee Kuk New Territories South District Secondary School

Closed in 2007. In 2009, residents protested against and blocked a plan ^[12] for a rehabilitation centre for drug offenders—the Christian Zheng Sheng College—to take over the site. There is a campaign to reopen the school for local students, but the school was still empty in July 2013. ^[13] Buddhist Fat Ho Memorial College attempted to obtain the site. ^[14]

Mui Wo Primary School The school celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2009. ^[15]

Most of Lantau Island, Mui Wo/Silver Mine Bay included, is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 98, which contains multiple aided schools on Lantau Island, including two in Tung Chung; no government primary schools are in this net. ^[16]

Future development

The First-term Work Report of the Lantau Development Advisory Committee (LanDAC) was released in early 2016. The report proposes a new expressway linking Kennedy Town to Mui Wo, and the development of an "East Lantau Metropolis" at Mui Wo. In all, the report proposes housing up to one million residents on Lantau Island, up from the current figure of approximately 100,000. ^[17]

Notable residents

The cartoonist Larry Feign, who wrote and drew The World of Lily Wong , lives in Wang Tong (橫塘), a village in Mui Wo. ^[18]

Transport

Silvermine Bay Ferry Pier in Mui Wo

Mui Wo bus terminus

Sea

Mui Wo is connected by ferry to Central (Central ferry pier number 6). Other ferry services link Mui Wo to Discovery Bay, Peng Chau, Chi Ma Wan and Cheung Chau.

Land

Buses operate from Mui Wo to other places on Lantau, including Tung Chung (3M) and thus Hong Kong Airport (A35) and the rail network. The major road South Lantau Road begins with Mui Wo and ends in Tai O, with Tung Chung Road branching from Cheung Sha to Tung Chung.

The South Lantau and Tung Chung Roads connect Mui Wo to the rest of Hong Kong's road network. They are closed to private vehicles but local residents and businesses can apply for permits to use them. ^[19]

Numerous hiking trails lead from Mui Wo to other parts of the island. The long hiking trail on the island, Lantau Trail, starts from Mui Wo. A much-frequented route leads north-east from Mui Wo to Discovery Bay via a pagoda, the Trappist Haven Monastery, and then either up the mountain via the Discovery Bay golf course or by the ocean via Nim Shue Wan.

Air

The Hong Kong Air Cadet Corps operate a helipad at the end of Mui Wo Ferry Pier Road that is close to the sewage plant. ^[20]

In popular culture

MIRROR's reality show 'Be a Better MIRROR' by ViuTV is filmed in Mui Wo. ^[21]

See also

• List of places in Hong Kong

References

1. 2011 Population Census – Fact Sheet for Tertiary Planning Units 961 – 962, http://www.census2011.gov.hk/en/district-profiles/tpu/tpu961.html Accessed 24 June 2013. NB The census takers combine statistics for Mui Wo (Tertiary Planning Unit 962) with the sparsely populated area to the north and northwest (TPU 961) that includes Tai Ho
2. https://www.facebook.com/LantauBuffaloAssociation/info ^{[ user-generated source ]}
3. "CNN Travel | Global Destinations, Tips & Video".
4. Siu, Anthony Kwok-kin (1989). "Tai Yu Shan from Chinese Historical Records" (PDF). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch . 29: 394–398. ISSN   1991-7295.
5. Sacramento Daily Union, 29 April 1886, page 2
6. Hongkong Government Gazette, 8 April 1899, Appendix No. 2, Report on the Geology of the New Territory by Mr. Ormsby
7. Written reply from the then-Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, to a question from a Legislative Council member, Cheung Hok-ming: "LCQ15: Improvement works in Mui Wo", 4 March 2009, http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200903/04/P200903040157.htm, accessed 8 July 2013
8. Hong Kong's War Crimes Trials Collection Website, compiled by Suzannah Linton and Hong Kong University Libraries. http://hkwctc.lib.hku.hk/exhibits/show/hkwctc/documents/item/58 Accessed 24 June 2013.
9. UK National Archives reference: WO235/993.
10. Exploring Islands. Man Mo Temple, Mui Wo. Archived 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
11. Beach Water Quality in Hong Kong, 2012, http://www.beachwq.gov.hk/UpFile/en/bwq_report2012.pdf, accessed 28 June 2013.
12. Siu, Beatrice (11 June 2009). "Mui Wo rejects drug school move". The Standard. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011.
13. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Re-open-Mui-Wo-Secondary-School/371829458727 ^{[ user-generated source ]}
14. Zhao, Shirley (5 January 2014). "Competition hots up for vacant Lantau school site". South China Morning Post . Retrieved 23 June 2021.
15. http://www.mws.edu.hk/doc/S01.pdf ^{[ bare URL PDF ]}
16. "POA School Net 98" (PDF). Education Bureau . Retrieved 12 September 2022.
17. "Lantau Development Advisory Committee". Development Bureau. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
18. Feign, Larry (3 February 2024). "Book extract: 32 bucolic years in a car-free island village in Hong Kong". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
19. Transport Department , Lantau Closed Road Permit, http://www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/licences_and_permits/lantau_closed_road_permit/ Accessed 24 June 2013
20. Chairman's Report, 2012 AGM – Hong Kong Air Cadet Corps, http://www.aircadets.org.hk/web/form/Chairman's%20Report%20AGM%202012(2).pdf
21. "【調教你Mirror】跟隨Mirror的足跡 細數成員們的梅窩打卡點". marie claire hk magazine. 3 July 2021.

External links

• Delineation of area of existing village Chung Hau (North) (Mui Wo) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)
• Delineation of area of existing village Chung Hau (South) (Mui Wo) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)
• Lantau Buffalo Association
• Discovery Bay to Nim Shue Wan Hike – Travel Blog
• The Toilet Bar, a blog by local resident and cartoonist Larry Feign.
• Mui Wo and Me, a blog by a resident using the pseudonym 'Lantau Waterbuffalo'.
• MW8 and MKT, a blog by a resident family who live and work in Mui Wo and Man Kok Tsui.
• Mui Wo, a ghost town another blog, by a resident of Hong Kong island

Mui Wo
Traditional Chinese	梅窩
Simplified Chinese	梅窝
Literal meaning	plum nest
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Méi wō Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Mùih wō Jyutping Mui4 wo1

v t e Lantau Island
Divided between Islands District and Tsuen Wan District
Areas	Cheung Sha Chi Ma Wan Discovery Bay Fan Lau Luk Keng Village Luk Wu Mui Wo Nim Shue Wan North Lantau New Town Ngong Ping Penny's Bay Sha Lo Wan Shek Pik Tai Ho Wan Tai O Tung Chung Yam O
Landmarks	Citygate Novotel Citygate Fu Tung Estate Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Template Lantau Peak Nei Lak Shan Novotel Citygate Old Tai O Police Station Our Lady of Joy Abbey Penny's Bay Power Station Po Lin Monastery The Big Buddha Shek Pik Prison Tung Chung Battery Tung Chung Fort Beaches Lower Cheung Sha Beach Pui O Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach Tong Fuk Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach Former Ta Shui Wan
Transport	MTR stations Disneyland Resort Sunny Bay Tung Chung Ngong Ping 360 Ngong Ping Terminal Tung Chung Terminal Bus New Lantao Bus Ferry piers Discovery Bay Ferry Pier Disneyland Resort Pier Luk Keng Pier Silvermine Bay Ferry Pier Tung Chung Development Pier
Education	Buddhist Fat Ho Memorial College Caritas Charles Vath College Christian Zheng Sheng College (Lantau facilities) Discovery Bay International School Discovery College HKFEW Wong Cho Bau Secondary School YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College
This list is incomplete. Hong Kong SkyCity (including AsiaWorld–Expo) and Hong Kong International Airport (Template) are on adjacent Chek Lap Kok though have addresses for Lantau Island.