!"#$%&'()* !"#$%&'()* !"#$#%&'() !"#$!%&'()*+, - !"#$ !"#$%&'()*+,-. !"#$%&'( )*+,-. !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()'*+,-. !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+,-. !"#$%&'()*+,-. !"#$%&!'()*+,-.' !" ! !"#$%&' ! !"#$%&'() !"#$%&'() !"#$ ! !"#$%& !" !" !"#$%&'!( !"#$%&'() !"#$%&' NUP Section 2 Islands Chapter 2 he Islands District provides Hong Kong with a vast green space. In Tearly times people inhabited only a few islands. Among them the best-known are Cheung Chau and Tai O on Lantau Island; Mui Wo and Peng Chau are also important. Mr. Charles Mok, former CLP Organization Development Manager, and Mr. Cheng Ka Shing, former CLP Regional Manager, have been serving the people of the Islands District for many years. During the early years of the 1960s, Lord Lawrence Kadoorie initiated the expansion of the Rural Electrification Scheme to Lantau Island. At that time there were very few people (less !"# !"#$%&'() than 30 families) living in Ngong Ping and Ngong Ping, where the great Buddha Statue is situated, is the centre of Hong Kong’s Buddhism around Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island. Ngong Ping got its electricity supply between 1964 and 1965, while the bungalows at Tai O had received electricity supply earlier. Since the bungalows were mainly built with iron sheets, the installation of electricity was very difficult. The people there used a kind of wood named “Kun Dian” as posts to hold the electric cables. NUQ !" ! Tai O was famous for its “bungalows” !"#$%&'()* !"#$%&'()* !"#$%&'()* !"#$%&'()*+,-./0 !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$% &'(&)*+' !"#$%&'()*+",-. !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+,-!. !"#$%&"'() *+, !"#$%&'()*+,-. !"#$%&'()*+,-$. !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"# !"# Village scene of Tai O NUR he town of Tai O already has over 200 years’ history. According to Section 2 TMr. Lee Chi Fung of the Tai O Rural Committee, the Tai O Kwan Tai Temple was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). There is also an old herbal shop named “Kwong Chung Wo” with a long history in the Tai O Market. Tai O is one of the four great fishing ports in Hong Kong Chapter 2 with fishing and salt as its main industries. In the 1940s and 1950s, fishermen could catch several hundred catties of fish a day. The different kinds of fish were then transferred to the Wholesale Fish Market at Aberdeen for sale. There were also some seafood restaurants which bought fresh fish from Tai O directly. During the 1950s, tungsten ore was found in Sha Lo Wan, and following this, three companies came to mine the ore. At that time many rural people (as many as 3,000 to 4,000 in the peak period) went to these areas to mine the ore and sold it to buyers. The price was 16 dollars per catty. This made Tung Chung and Sha Lo Wan very busy towns. Later, the police came in to stop the collection of tungsten ore and the rural areas became tranquil again. !"#$%&'()*+,- Power supply for the construction of Shek Pik Reservoir, 1963 NUS !"#$%&'()* !"#$%&'"()* !"#$%&'()* !"#$%&'(()* !"#$%&'(!)*+,-. !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*()+, !"#$%&' ()*+,-. !"#$%&'()*+,-. !"#$%&'()*+,-#./ !"#$%&'()*+,-. !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+,-./ ! !"#$%&'()*+,- !"#$%&'()*+,-. !"#$%&'()*+,-. !"#$%&'()*+,-". !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+',- !"#$%&'()*+,-. !"#$% !"#$%&' NUT CLP accounts office at Tai O, 1955 !"#$%&'()*+,-./01234*256789: A new cash register for the Company’s accounts office at Tai O on Lantau Island arrived by sampan in 1960 he “bungalows” have given In September 1955, CLP acquired the Tai O Tai O the name of “Venice of Union Electric Company. Thereafter people Section 2 THong Kong”. These houses were living there enjoyed whole-day electricity first built by the local inhabitants and the supply. The fishing people in Tai O love immigrants from Panyu, Dongguan and Cantonese opera. When the electricity Taiping in mainland China. Later in the supply became sufficient, it was easier to 1960s, because of the increasing number of arrange such opera shows. The opera such houses, the government had to control players no longer needed to carry with them Chapter 2 them through the issuing of licences. The the large, heavy and noisy electricity design of the bungalows varied at different generators. In 1968 the government gave as times, first from dome-shaped to pyramid- a gift a 20-inch television set to Sha Lo Wan shaped, then flat-roofed. The waterways Village of Tai O. On that occasion hundreds between bungalows are called “fire of people rushed to watch television and emergency passages”. In the 1940s and created a memorable scene. Upon the 1950s, an electric company supplied request of the Tai O Rural Committee to electricity to Tai O from one small power raise safety standards, CLP changed the station. The company was named “Tai O originally unified set of electricity meters Union Electric Company”. But the output into individual meters and installed them was small and electricity could only be separately in each house. This not only supplied to the restaurants during daytime. helped prevent fire, but also made the People living there had to wait until night electricity supply more convenient to time when the electricity supply shifted to manage. domestic use. This power station lasted only for seven or eight years. !"# $%&' ()*+ ! The CLP Substation at Tai O was the first on Lantau Island NUU !"#$%&'()* !"#$%&'()*+ !"#$%&'()* !"#$%&'()*+, !- !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&$'()*+,-. !"#$%&'()*+,-+. !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+,-. !" !"#$%&'()*()+() !"#$%&'()*+, !"#$%&'()*$%+, !"#$%&'()*+!,- !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+,-. !"#$%&'()*+,)- !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'"()*+," !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'() !" !"#$%& The Cheung Chau Tai Ping Ching Chiu is one of the island’s most famous events NUV hile Tai O is famous for its In the 1950s, there were small factories of bungalows, the island of leather, incense, paper, ice, ship-building Section 2 W Cheung Chau is widely known and plastics on the island. Most of the for its Bun Festival in the “Tai Ping Ching inhabitants worked on the island and Chiu” and paying their tributes to “Pak Tai” electricity was supplied by the Cheung Chau ( God of the North ). Cheung Chau is the Electric Company. Kerosene was the fuel most populated among the places in the for electricity generation and thus the cost Islands District. Mr. Kwong Kwok Wai of was high. Representing the inhabitants, Mr. Chapter 2 the Cheung Chau Rural Committee Kwong Bing Yau, Mr. Kwong Kwok Wai’s describes how he witnessed the change of father, called on the government to improve Cheung Chau from a small fishing village the electricity supply on the island. Sir to a favourite scenic spot for tourists: In the Edward Youde was at that time the 1920s and 30s, the people living on Cheung Governor of Hong Kong. He received Mr. Chau, Peng Chau and also Lamma Island Kwong Bing Yau’s appeal and was eager to and Mui Wo were closely related through solve the problem. In 1984, CLP acquired marriage and trading activities. Later, due the Cheung Chau Electric Company and to the individual development of the islands reinstalled new machines to improve the and the small number of inter-island sailings, supply to Cheung Chau. The tariff was communication between Cheung Chau and unified with that of customers in Kowloon other places was reduced. and the New Territories. This helped the Cheung Chau people save over a million dollars every month. This improvement of the electricity supply brought prosperity to !"#$%&'()* Cheung Chau. It also attracted many Lord Kadoorie attending the ceremony to supply power to foreigners who enjoy the atmosphere of a Cheung Chau fishing port, to live on the island. !"#$%= !"#$ Cable-laying at Cheung Chau, 1983 NVM !"#$%&'()* !"#$%&'()" !"#$%&'()* !"#$%&'()*!+,- !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()*+", !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"# $%&'()*+,-. !"#$%&'()*+)%,- !"#$%&'()*+,-./ !"#$%&'()(*+ NVN s Mr. Lam Wai Keung, GBS JP, of the Islands District Council Section 2 Apoints out, it is often foggy in the islands and hence a stable supply of electricity is extremely important to provide sufficient lighting to guide ships. Besides, the electricity supply helped the development of small scale industries and provided jobs Chapter 2 for the inhabitants. Take the island of Peng Chau as an example, the light industries on the island include rattan work, chinaware and weaving. During the 1950s and 1960s industrial developments were flourishing. The working population reached a total of 2,000-3,000. Electrification not only raised people’s living standards, it also brought more variety to the cultural and entertainment activities on the islands. !"#$%&'()*"+,-./ Young faces light up when Peng Chau receives its power supply, 1955 NVO.