Sha Tau Kok
Template:Short description Template:For Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox settlement
Sha Tau Kok (Template:Zh) is a closed town in North District, Hong Kong. It is the last remaining major settlement in the Frontier Closed Area and is Hong Kong's northernmost town. Its residents are mostly descendants of Hakka farmers and Hoklo fishermen who settled the area as a consequence of the Qing dynasty's "Great Clearance" in the 17th century.
The town can be accessed via Sha Tau Kok Road and public transit beginning in Sheung Shui. However, visitors who do not possess a valid Closed Area Permit and identification are turned away at the police checkpoint guarding the entrance to the town. There are additional restrictions on access to Chung Ying Street, which separates the Hong Kong portion of Sha Tau Kok from the mainland Chinese portion in Shenzhen (Shatoujiao Subdistrict). Although the Hong Kong government now promotes tourism in the historically isolated town, Chung Ying Street remains closed off to most outsiders, including Hong Kong residents without permits.
Etymology
The English name Sha Tau Kok is transliterated from the Cantonese pronunciation of the Chinese name Template:Lang, which first appeared in the genealogy of the Ng (Template:Lang) Hakka clan of Sha Lan Ha (Template:Lang) in 1863. The Ngs of Sha Lan Ha wrote that Sha Tau Kok was originally the name of the bay.<ref name=":1">"Heritage Appraisal of Hip Tin Temple – Shan Tsui, Sha Tau Kok, the New Territories", Antiquities and Monuments Office, Hong Kong.</ref> Italian Catholic missionary Simeone Volonteri labelled the northwestern part of Mirs Bay as Sha Tau Kok in his 1866 map of Sun On District.<ref>Template:Cite map</ref> SathewkokTemplate:Snda transliteration from Hakka ChineseTemplate:Sndis sometimes used in English works relating to the Hakka people.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
According to local legend, the name Sha Tau Kok is derived from a poem written by Qing officials when they inspected the area: "The sun rises from the beach (Sha Tau), the moon hangs above the cape (Kok)" (Template:Lang).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The poem is written in red traditional Chinese characters on a stone tablet at the Cape of Sha Tau Kok, the town's easternmost point.<ref name="timeout">Template:Cite web</ref>
History
Prehistory
Stone tools such as hammers, pounders, axes, and adzes dating to the Neolithic period were excavated from San Tsuen, Sha Tau Kok, in 2001.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pottery dating to the Han dynasty was also found there.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
17th–18th century
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.<ref name=":3">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.</ref>
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.<ref>“EASTERN PEACE: SHA TAU KOK MARKET IN 1925.” p. 149.</ref>
19th century
The Sam Heung village alliance (Template:Zh) occupied the original shoreline of Sha Tau Kok, which was called Tai Tan Tung (Template:Lang). The three villages included Shan Tsui, Tong To, and Tam Shui Hang.<ref name=":1" />
During the early 1800s, five wealthy villagesTemplate:SndShan Tsui, Tam Shui Hang, Wo Hang, Nam Chung, and Luk KengTemplate:Sndinvested in the reclamation of Sha Tau Kok to provide more farmland for the growing population.<ref name=":1" />
Around the 1830s, leaders from 10 or so villages formed an alliance called the Shap Yeuk (Template:Lang) 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.<ref name=":3" /> The market was later named Tung Wo Market (Template:Zh) and described in 1848 by Basel missionary Theodore Hamberg as "a great market, quite given over to trade, newly built, and bustling with business".<ref>"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.</ref> In the 1850s there were approximately 50 shops.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
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.<ref name=":6" />Template:Reference page 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.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Reference page
20th century
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. The census recorded that, at home, 95.5% of the population spoke Hakka, 4.0% Cantonese ("Punti"), and 0.5% Hoklo (Hokkien).<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref group="notes">The exact boundary of Sha Tau Kok District and Sha Tau Kok village during the 1911 census is unknown. However, the modern district encompasses 46 villages under the List Of Recognised Villages Under The Small House Policy.</ref>
The present-day area of Sha Tau Kok Chuen and Yim Liu Ha was at that time 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.<ref name=":0" /> The total population of Sha Tau Kok District was 8,357 in 1921, growing to 8,941 in 1931.<ref>"Report On The Census Of The Colony Of Hong Kong, 1931.", Hong Kong Government. p. 105.</ref><ref group="notes">As defined by the area of Sha Tau Kok Police District</ref> During the 1920s, there were around a hundred shops in Tung Wo Market, with some moving across the border to San Lau Street.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Battle of Hong Kong and Japanese occupation
During the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941, a regiment of Japanese troops entered Hong Kong through Sha Tau Kok. The Sha Tau Kok Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall, originally built in 1930 as a residence, was converted to a museum for "patriotic education."<ref name="STK war museum">Template:Cite news</ref>
1967 Hong Kong riots
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
21st century
On 27 January 2005, it was announced that street maps would be put up to assist tourists.Template:Citation needed
In 2022, a pilot scheme was announced, under which limited areas of the town would be opened to tourists.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:As of, 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Although tourists can visit most parts of Sha Tau Kok, Chung Ying Street remains off limits.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Although some residents are supportive of the opening up, the move has also led to concern from some residents that tourists might affectTemplate:How the historically closed community.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Geography
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 (Template:Lang).Template:Citation needed
The Cape of Sha Tau Kok (Template:Lang) is the easternmost point of Sha Tau Kok. It is the location of a sign and stone stone tablet; the sign displays the cape's coordinates, while the Chinese text on the tablet is a poem which translates to "The sun rises from the beach (Sha Tau), the moon hangs above the cape (Kok)" (Template:Lang).<ref name="timeout"/>
A section of Starling Inlet located offshore of Sha Tau Kok is one of the 26 designated marine fish culture zones in Hong Kong.<ref name="fisheries culture">Template:Cite web</ref>
Border with mainland China
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Sha Tau Kok Control Point is one of Hong Kong's border crossings 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sha Tau Kok is bordered by the Shatoujiao Subdistrict of Shenzhen; Template:Transliteration is the pinyin romanisation of Template:Lang, while Template:Transliteration is the Hong Kong Government Cantonese Romanisation. A border wall separates what was formerly one town, with Chung Ying Street being the only unwalled section of the Sha Tau Kok–Shatoujiao border. 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.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=":2" />
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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> These traffickers would then unload their burden to collect their pay inside Shatoujiao, or sell further inland in the mainland for greater profits.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.Template:Citation needed
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.<ref name=":2" /> Attempted drugs trafficking is common to the present day, with cocaine, methamphetamine, and cannabis being intercepted at the Sha Tau Kok border.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Illegally imported pet animals such as cats and dogs, are also common.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The control point of access to Shenzhen is located northwest of the hill in Shan Tsui (Template:Lang). 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 (Template:Lang), 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 (Template:Lang) border checkpoint without a permit search, then head directly to the Sha Tau Kok Control Point.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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 for entry into China.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Public housing
Sha Tau Kok Chuen is a public housing estate within the Sha Tau Kok Closed Area<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> built to accommodate the residents affected by the clearanceTemplate:When of the area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Demographics
Most residents are descendent from Hakka-farming or Hoklo-fishing backgrounds. As both farming and fishing have declined in the past few decades, better-educated young people tend to move out to live and work in urban areas and overseas. However, older villagers remain, most of whom live in Sha Tau Kok Chuen or in nearby villages.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Many working families return to visit on the weekends, during festivals or on holidays to attend ceremonies, such as the deity-thanking ceremony at the Tin Hau temple in Yim Liu Ha.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref>
As of the 2021 census, Sha Tau Kok has a population of 4,056 people. The male-to-female ratio is about 1.19, i.e. 835 females for every 1,000 males. The median age is 46.7 years old. The median monthly household income is HK$27,650.<ref name="Centamap">Template:Cite web</ref>
Government
Sha Tau Kok District is a rural committee district encompassing 46 villages within North District.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Education
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 (formerly the Shan Tsui Public School) and Sha Tau Kok Central Primary School. No government schools are in the net.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2013, 90% of the roughly 200 students were Hong Kong residents living in Shenzhen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other schools include Kwan Ah School, Sha Tau Kok Central Primary School, and Tai Wah Public School.Template:Citation needed
Hong Kong Public Libraries operates the Sha Tau Kok Public Library in Sha Tau Kok Chuen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Transportation
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.<ref>"Fanling – Sha Tau Kok Branch Line", Hong Kong Heritage Museum.</ref> The area formerly occupied by the terminus is still known colloquially as "train station terminus" (火車頭).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Alternatively, visitors can also travel by taxi.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=":4" />
Public pier
The Sha Tau Kok Public Pier is located at the town's northeast coast and is the longest pier in Hong Kong. It spans 280 meters to reach the deeper waters of Starling Inlet, allowing larger vessels to berth at Sha Tau Kok. The pier is used to load and unload goods and berth kaito (Template:Lang) ferries operating between Sha Tau Kok, Kat O, Sam A, Ap Chau, and other northeast rural areas. The original pier was built in the 1960s and renovated from 2004 to 2007.<ref name=":5"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Previously, non-residents of Sha Tau Kok could not make use of kaito ferries departing from the pier for purposes of tourism to islands in Mirs Bay, and instead had to take a much longer journey from Ma Liu Shui pier via Tolo Harbour. As part of the Northern Metropolis development strategy, the government proposed to open Sha Tau Kok Public Pier to tour groups starting from mid-2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Island hopping for tourists is now possible, with trips to other islands taking 20 to 30 minutes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Notable people
- Brothers Lee Hong Lim and Lee Wai Lim, former professional footballers who competed in the Hong Kong First Division League<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Alan Yau, restaurateur who was born in Sha Tau Kok and moved to the United Kingdom when he was 12<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
See also
Notes
<references group="notes" />
References
Further reading
- Template:Cite journal (includes a translation of a description of that year)
- Template:Cite journal
External links
- Delineation of area of existing village Sha Tau Kok Market (East) (Sha Tau Kok) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)
- Delineation of area of existing village Sha Tau Kok Market (West Lower) (Sha Tau Kok) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)
- Delineation of area of existing village Sha Tau Kok Market (West Upper) (Sha Tau Kok) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)
- Details of Sha Tau Kok from HK-place.com
- Details of the rural area of Sha Tau Kok from HK-place.com Template:Webarchive