Noah's Ark is a tourist attraction located on Ma Wan Island in Hong Kong. [1] [2] It is an evangelical Christian theme park centred, according to its own materials, on the themes of nature, art, education and love. The overarching theme of the park is a creationist narrative. [3] It was built by Thomas and Raymond Kwok, Hong Kong real estate developers who own the real estate company Sun Hung Kai. [4]
Part of Ma Wan Park, planning of Ma Wan Park began in 1997, after the Government agreed to subsidise the construction by 800 million HKD. The park was part of SHK's plan for developing the Ma Wan area generally, including the nearby Rosedale residential development. Construction began in 2005, with targets for phased openings in 2006 being missed. [5]
The first phase of the park, originally scheduled for opening in 2006, opened in 2007, not including Noah's Ark. This phase included a nature park, which is free to visit. The rest of the park was completed in December 2008, with a limited opening in March 2009 and a full opening in May of that year. [6] [7] [8]
In 2012, the two Kwok brothers were charged with bribing Rafael Hui, the former Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong from 2005 to 2007 who was in charge of the Ma Wan Park project (which included Noah's Ark) at the time of its construction, [9] to be their "eyes and ears in government" in a case said to highlight "the cozy relationship between the city's powerful developers and government." [10] Revealed in the court case was a memo by Thomas Kwok in which he wrote "We all know this park is only an excuse for village relocation, and our main target is only on the residential development plus the village relocation." [11] The bribes from Thomas Kwok to Rafael Hui amounted to a total of HKD$8.5 million. [12] The two brothers were arrested by the Independent Commission Against Corruption [13] [14] In December 2014, Thomas Kwok was convicted by the Court of Final Appeal of "conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office," while his brother Raymond Kwok was cleared of all charges. [15] Thomas Kwok was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of $500,000. Rafael Hui, Sun Hung Kai executive Thomas Chan and businessman Francis Kwan were also jailed. [16]
The park's centrepiece is a multi-story building with a facade built to resemble Noah's Ark, where visitors may book a stay in either a hotel or a youth hostel located on the top floor.
Alighting from the ark are sculptures of 67 life-size pairs of exotic animals, birds and creatures.
Within the park is a nature garden alongside the existing natural landscape, where native trees have been preserved along the terraced paths. The park features amusements designed for young children together with a menagerie of small animals (mostly reptiles) in small display cages. There is also an obstacle course, climbing, and Outward Bound type courses.
Inside Noah's Ark the main attraction is a multimedia experience, including a 180-degree wide-screen theatre. The multimedia experience begins with an introduction to Judeo-Christian teaching from the time of Moses and features an imagined 'reconstruction' of the Holy of Holies complete with the Ark of the Covenant. There are guides who lead the audience through a series of theatres and galleries designed to convey messages about the challenges that the Earth and humanity are facing today. [17]
The suggested solution to said problems is an acceptance of the Christian God and Biblical teaching. The multimedia experience concludes with a history of the Bible with emphasis on the dissemination of the Bible in China. Elsewhere within the park visitors are likely to come across staff playing the role of the Holy Family being pursued by others dressed as Roman legionaries.
Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach is a gazetted beach near Noah's Ark on Ma Wan island, Hong Kong. The beach is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Government. The beach is 140 metres long and is rated as Grade 4 by the Environmental Protection Department for its water quality. It is the only gazetted beach in Ma Wan and offers views of Ting Kau Bridge as well as Tsing Ma Bridge.
Quarry Bay is an area beneath Mount Parker in the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Quarry Bay is bordered by Sai Wan Ho to the east, Mount Parker to the south, North Point to the west, and Victoria Harbour to the north.
Walter Kwok Ping-sheungJP was a Hong Kong real estate developer. He was the eldest son of Kwok Tak-seng, founder of Sun Hung Kai Properties, and his wife Kwong Siu-hing. Following their father's death in 1990, he and his brothers Thomas and Raymond inherited Sun Hung Kai Properties.
Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited (SHKP) is a listed corporation and one of the largest property developers in Hong Kong. The company's businesses include property sales, property rental, telecommunications, hotel operation, transport and logistics, and others. The company is controlled by the Kwok family trust, largely the Kwok brothers.
Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong is a Hong Kong billionaire, and the former joint chairman and managing director of Sun Hung Kai Properties, the largest property developer in Hong Kong. He received a five-year prison sentence for bribery in 2014.
Raymond Kwok Ping-luenJP is the chairman and managing director of Sun Hung Kai Properties, the largest property developer in Hong Kong. He is the chairman of SUNeVision Holdings Ltd. and SmarTone Telecommunications Holdings Limited. He is the youngest son of Kwok Tak Seng, and the youngest brother of Walter Kwok, and Thomas Kwok.
Rafael Hui Si-yan is a former Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong and career civil servant. Hui has been dubbed "Old Master Hui" (許老爺) and "Fat Dragon" (肥龍). Hui was appointed as a Justice of the Peace on 1986 and received the honour of Gold Bauhinia Star in 1998. On 19 December 2014, he was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for misconduct in public office and bribery, and stripped of his honours and titles in March 2018. He was released in December 2019.
Wing On Department Stores Limited, often shortened to Wing On or Wing On Department Stores, is a department store company in Hong Kong, a subsidiary of Wing On Company International Limited.
The Legend of the Condor Heroes is a Hong Kong wuxia television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel of the same title. It was first broadcast on TVB Jade in Hong Kong in 1983. The 59 episodes long series is divided into three parts.The serial was re-aired in 1990, 1995, 2012, and 2024 on TVB Jade.
Kwok Kin Pong is a former Hong Kong professional footballer who played as a defender or a midfielder. As he resembles Hong Kong artist and singer Edison Chen, he was given the nickname 'Edison'.
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Ma Wan Park is a park on Ma Wan island, New Territories, Hong Kong. It is operated by Sun Hung Kai Properties with investment from the Hong Kong Government. Ma Wan Island is connected to Tsing Yi Island by the Tsing Ma Bridge.
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Since the British colonialisation in 1841 after the First Opium War, Hong Kong has grown from a stony outcrop on the southern coast of China to a territory whose property prices are among the highest in the world. The territory has a land mass of 1,111 km2 (429 sq mi). According to government figures as at 2018, most of the land in Hong Kong is woodland, shrubland and grassland – much of which designated as country parks such as Lion Rock, Plover Cove Country Park and Sai Kung East Country Park, and only approximately 25% of the land mass out of the total territory is classed as "built-up". Most of the 7.3 million people in Hong Kong inhabit an area measuring 78 km2 (30 sq mi). Excluding rural settlement housing, which represents 7% of the city's total domestic households, the remainder of the population is effectively squeezed into an area of 42 km2 (16 sq mi). Property developers play a direct role in housing in Hong Kong, including the hoarding of approximately 1,000 hectares of agricultural land which could otherwise be used for housing.
Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union Pok Fu Lam Road Cemetery or Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union Pokfulam Road Cemetery is a cemetery in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong. It is managed by The Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union (香港華人基督教聯會). It lies on the slopes east of Victoria Road between Tung Wah Coffin Home and Pok Fu Lam Road, facing Sandy Bay.
The 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival is the 2023 edition of the Hong Kong International Film Festival, which took place from 30 March to 10 April 2024, both online and in-person in Hong Kong. HKIFF selected Soi Cheang as the Filmmaker in Focus for this edition and featured masterclasses led by Tsai Ming-liang and Lee Kang-sheng.
