Lantau Island
Overview
Location
Lantau Island is outside the entrance of Pearl River in Outlying Islands.
History
Artifacts unearthed on the island show human activities dated back to the Neolithic Age and the Bronze Age. For instance, rock carvings at Shek Pik are thought to date back to the Bronze Age, while a stone circle at Fan Lau is probably from the Neolithic Age. Both sites are located on the southwestern coast of the island. Lantau has registered few blips in the annals of Hong Kong’s history. In the thirteenth century, towards the end of the Song Dynasty, two boy emperors fleeing Mongol invaders sought refuge there — an uncle who tried to protect them is honoured at the island’s two Hau Wong temples. Lantau was important in guarding shipping routes through the Pearl River to Guangzhou (Canton). But its waters also harboured pirates ranging from brigands in small boats to the infamous Cheung Po-tsai, whose fleet was eventually defeated in a sea battle off Chek Lap Kok, the island that has been sacrificed for the airport platform.
Under British rule, Lantau mostly remained a rural backwater. It was a place where even the construction of a road along the southern coast proved no simple matter; the village politics and shenanigans involved inspired a novel by colonial administrator Austin. To urban Hongkongers, Lantau became a holiday island, offering hiking, beaches, and open spaces. Lately, some commuters have moved in. Especially to Discovery Bay, a development on the east coast which, with its lack of roads to elsewhere, its golf carts, and its rules and regulations handed down from the controlling company. Thanks to its seclusion, Lantau also attracted monks. In the late 1970s, there were 500 monks living in 135 Buddhist monasteries, and Lantau was sometimes called the Island of Prayer.
Attraction
There are many distinctive attractions on Lautau Island:
On Ngong Ping Plateau, where the Tian Tan Buddha (or "Giant Buddha"), an 85-foot-high bronze Buddha statue, various monastery buildings and a vegetarian restaurant can be found. Walkers can ascend from Tung Chung to the monastery in two hours. Visitors can also take a 25 minutes ride on Ngong Ping Cable Car from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping Plateau. Ngong Ping 360 is a dynamic new tourism experience, which combines a stunning 5.7km cable car journey with an impressive cultural themed village and easy access to the Tian Tan Buddha Statue, the world’s largest, seated, outdoor, bronze Buddha statue. The Ngong Ping Cable Car travels between its Tung Chung and Ngong Ping Cable Car Terminals. It is a visually spectacular 25-minute experience providing panoramic views of the Tian Tan Buddha Statue, the flora and fauna of the beautiful North Lantau Country Park, Tung Chung Bay and the Hong Kong International Airport.
Tai O is a fishing town located in the northwest of Lantau Island and more than three centuries old. Tourists visit Tai O for its several hundred stilt houses, though many of those houses were damaged in a fire in July 2000. Tai O retains most of its historical setting such as waterways, stilt houses and fishing boats and it is famous for its fishing village scenery. Traditional Chinese food like salted fish and shrimp paste - locally produced - can be found there.
Tung Chung Fort was built in 1817 to thwart the opium trade and defend the coast from pirates. There are 6 old cannons and the enclosures are made of granite. During World War II, the Japanese army occupied the fort. In 1979, it was listed as one of the historical monuments and was refurbished in 1988. The ruins of the Tung Chung Battery, also a historical monument, are located nearby.
The Trappist Haven Monastery at Tai Shui Hang, home to a number of Roman Catholic monks, sits on the east coast of Lantau Island, approximately halfway between the towns of Mui Wo and Discovery Bay.
Features
Artifacts unearthed on the island Many distinctive attractions
