Once commonly believed to be sacred spots unaffected Countryside, by urbanization, Hong Kong’s valuable countryside is now on the verge of creeping Destroyed destruction. By Winnie Yeung. Photos by WWF. ne of the first facts that newcomers to Hong Kong often learn ponds, an organic garden and a tennis court. Lo’s workers have flattened is, despite being better known as a skyscraper-laden concrete the farmlands, and had started digging for construction. It didn’t take long Ojungle, Hong Kong is mostly green, with almost 70 percent of our for the press to find out that the countryside Lo was building on was in fact total area made up of countryside. To protect the rural areas from being a government archeological site. Environmentalists also suspected that part consumed by rapid development, strict legislation and laws have been of Lo’s site belonged to the Sai Kung East Country Park and that workers imposed so that 40 percent of our land, at 400 square kilometers, is had been driving heavy-duty trucks into the country park illegally. The classified as “protected areas.” They include country parks, special sites construction was halted, and last week the government quickly rezoned and conservation areas. For a very long time we have been proud of the the area to stop any further development from taking place for at least fact that, even though most of us live in a claustrophobic environment three years. But the damage has been done. day-in, day-out, we can always escape into the unspoiled, protected Sadly, this is not the only case. The World Wildlife Fund recently countryside for a breath of fresh air. found that at least 43 other sites throughout the Hong Kong countryside But the recent case of destruction at Tai Long Sai Wan in Sai Kung has have been exploited and destroyed; some illegally so. Trees have been proven otherwise. Originally a scenic beach with a small village neighboring felled, construction waste dumped, land excavated, ponds filled, Sai Kung East Country Park, the farmlands at Sai Wan have recently been and illegal roads built—in short, some beautiful areas of our countryside bought out by businessman Simon Lo Lin-shing. Costing Lo $16 million have been quietly ruined. to acquire, the plot was to be turned into his extravagant private retreat, Over the next three pages we present all the at-risk sites. It makes for which would have included a private lodge, swimming pools, artificial some pretty disturbing reading. If you feel like fighting back, turn to p.13. Mui Tsz Lam Tin Fu Tsai Nan Sang Wai, Yuen Long Considered by many a back Lau Fau Shan, garden of Hong Kong, Nan Sang Yuen Long Wai is suffering from illegal Landowners can’t wait dumping, with ponds and land to develop this fishing being filled up for development village which already suffers and road building. from landfilling. Where is it? Tin Fu Tsai is private land located inside the Tai Lam Country Park, which is north of Sham Tseng. What was it? Tin Fu Tsai was a 300-year-old village for the Choi clan. It was once an Where is it? important village in Pat Heung. Mui Tsz Lam is a village area located at Ma What’s happening now? On Shan Peak, 130m above sea level. It is Despite being in the country park, the private land of Tin Fu Tsai is not surrounded by the Ma On Shan Country Park. protected. Last year, it was found that trees in the area have been felled, What was it? land excavated and illegal roads built. The practice has disturbed the Villages alongside two hectares of feng shui Nam A, habitat of the country park, and has polluted the natural stream there. woodland which had 160 species of trees. Sai Kung It was the largest in the city and had the About 150 trees, most species. all located inside What’s happening now? the green belt, Tung Tsz, Tai Po A major part of Mui Tsz Lam was owned by have been felled in Despite being a hiking hotspot, you can Long Keng, the government, and it is zoned as a green this village. see evidence of land excavation. Sai Kung belt area. However, most of the government Trees have land was sold to private developers in the been felled and 1990s, but no development has started due Lung Ku Tan, Tuen Mun construction to the green belt restrictions. However, it has waste has been This hilltop has been been found that some land in Mui Tsz Lam illegally dumped. has been excavated and filled recently and excavated into a the two sides of a natural stream have been columbarium that is built paved with concrete. like a cemetery. 10 HK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 2010 Tai Long Sai Wan Ha Tei Ha, Photo Credit: Felix Ng Tai Po An illegal road was built through this tiny, little- known village. Lung Mei, Tai Po Pak Lap, This mudflat, despite Sai Kung having high conservation Trees were Fung Yuen, Tai Po value, will be turned into chopped down in The butterfly reserve is threatened by an artificial beach by this 300-year-old land excavation all around and as close as the government. Hakka village. 50 meters away (seen in this picture). Lo Lau Uk, Tai Po Luk Keng An illegal road was built near a natural stream with high conservation value. Trees were also felled and land excavated. San Tin, Yuen Long San Tin is an area largely comprising villages. The Ramsar Where is it? Convention declared local Tai Long Sai Wan is a beach located in Sai Kung. It is one of the four fish ponds as “wetland with beaches of Tai Long Wan and is adjacent to the Sai Kung East Country international importance.” Park. It is also located at Stage 2 of the MacLehose Trail. However, some of the farmland was What was it? filled to become container storage Tai Long Sai Wan was once used as a typhoon shelter for fishing boats. vareas resulting in pollution. It is hard to get to on foot so the beach has been unpolluted for decades and is famous for its white sand and clear water. It was even named number one of the government’s “Hong Kong Best 10 Scenic Sites Ngam Tau Sha, Election” in 2006. The site is also an archeological site for the Antiquities Clearwater and Monuments Office. Bay, Sai Kung What’s happening now? Trees were felled; It was discovered in July that businessman Simon Lo Lin-shing paid land was excavated $16 million for 10,000 square meters of land. The land falls just outside Where is it? and filled, then of the country park area and is not covered by any zoning plans. Luk Keng is located near Sha Tau Kok and concrete paths were Lo planned to built a private retreat there, which would have included is a hiking hotspot with a shoal facing illegally built across a private lodge, garden, tennis court and swimming pools. Vegetation mainland China. the country park area. had been cleared and land excavated. Green groups voiced their What was it? Mong Tung Wan, opposition towards the construction, which resulted in Lo stopping the Partly surrounded by woods, Luk Keng Lantau Island Pak Ngau construction. The government finally zoned the area last week, and was well known for its natural beauty and This almost untouched Shek, Tai Po all development will be banned for the next three years. uninhabited environment. Rare birds such as part of Lantau is now Part of a vegetated black-faced spoonbills can be seen here. You being considered hillside has been can also find wetlands and waterfalls. as the site of a new excavated and trees What’s happening now? columbarium. felled for construction. In 2009, the WWF discovered illegal land and pond filling. The filled land was subsequently used as an illegal dumping site for So Lo Pun construction waste which resulted in the loss of freshwater wetland habitat. Pak Shui Wun, Sai Kung The harbor close to the Shan Liu, Tai Po University of Science and Large-scale illegal construction Technology features a 40-meter has taken place in this waterfall. However, land abandoned village, including excavation has altered the a bridge. Many trees have also natural environment. been chopped down. Where is it? Located in Sha Tau Kok, the Northeastern-most corner of Hong Kong, Ma Shi Chau, Tai Po So Lo Pun is an uninhabited village that can only be accessed on foot. Nam A, It is also located next to the Plover Cove Country Park. Sai Kung This protected “special area” has suffered from tree felling and land excavation. What was it? About 150 trees, So Lo Pun is a village that was first inhabited as early as 1,100 years ago. all located inside A lot of the people living there were Hakka and belonged to the Wong the green belt, clan. It was built in a traditional village setting, with feng shui trees have been felled planted for the benefit of the villagers. But around 30 years ago the in this village. village became deserted. Some say people moved away or emigrated while local ghost stories claim the entire village died on the same day, after a boating accident. Chuk Kok, What’s happening now? Sai Kung Former villagers (well, we guess not everyone died according to that This road is urban legend) cut down over 400 feng shui trees to build a “tourist believed to To Kwa Peng, Sai Kung attraction” in 2008.