Fan Lau () is a

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

and area in the southwest tip of

Lantau Island Lantau Island (also Lantao Island, Lan Tao) is the largest island in Hong Kong, located West of Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula, and is part of the New Territories. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands ...

in Hong Kong. It is also the southwest end the territory of Hong Kong. The very end of the tip is Fan Lau Kok (). The peninsula separates water into Fan Lau Tung Wan () in the east, and Fan Lau Sai Wan () and Fan Lau Miu Wan () in the west.

Fan Lau Tsuen

Fan Lau Tsuen () is a village on the flat land between the peninsula and the main trunk of Lantau Island. It is located on the west bank of Fan Lau, facing Fan Lau Sai Wan. The village was previously named Shek Sun Village (石筍村, "Village of Stone Shoots") and there were not more than 200 people in the village in the most busy days. Most of the villagers have moved out of the village and some stayed in

Tai O Tai O is a fishing town, partly located on an island of the same name, on the western side of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. The village name means ''large inlet'', referring to outlet for the waterways (Tai O Creek and Tai O River) merges as it ...

and

Pui O Pui O (, or ), formerly Lo Pui O (), is an area on Lantau Island in Hong Kong. It is a popular destination for holiday camping in Hong Kong. Visitors may also rent village houses for leisure. Located in the South Lantau, there are four main vill ...

of Lantau IslandBrief Information on Proposed Grade 3 Items, pp.738-739
In January 1997, only three people were still living in the village. Fan Lau is a recognized village under the

New Territories The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...

Small House Policy The Small House Policy (SHP, ) was introduced in 1972 in Hong Kong. The objective was to improve the then prevailing low standard of housing in the rural areas of the New Territories. The Policy allows an indigenous male villager who is 18 ye ...

Features

''Fan Lau'' is a

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

name that means separating water flows. The tip points to Lantau Channel dividing the current from

Pearl River The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-a ...

and the water of

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

. Due to its military strategic position,

Fan Lau Fort Fan Lau Fort is a former military fortification located on Lantau Island in Hong Kong. Named after the eponymous peninsula it is situated on, it was built in 1729 during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor, a hundred and twelve years before t ...

was built in

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

to defend the territory. Another archaeological founding on the peninsula is a

stone circle A stone circle is a ring of standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially in Britain, Ireland, and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being built from 3000 BC. The be ...

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

with unidentified purpose. The Stone Circle and Fan Lau Fort are both

declared monuments of Hong Kong Declared monuments of Hong Kong are places, structures or buildings legally declared to receive the highest level of protection. In Hong Kong, declaring a monument requires consulting the Antiquities Advisory Board, the approval of the Chief Exec ...

. There is also a

Tin Hau Temple Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong are dedicated to Tin Hau (Mazu). Over 100 temples are dedicated (at least partially) to Tin Hau in Hong Kong. A list of these temples can be found below. Famous temples Famous Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong include: ...

in Fan Lau Miu Wan. It was probably erected in 1820 and it is a Grade III historic building since 1985.Brief Information on Proposed Grade 3 Items, pp.1051
There is a lighthouse at Fan Lau Kok. In the late 1980s, the China Light and Power company sought to build a new electricity generating plant in Hong Kong. Many sites were examined, including Gruff Head in Sai Kung, Fan Lau, and Black Point in Tuen Mun. After Gruff Head was rejected by the government in 1989, CLP proposed to build a coal-fired plant at Fan Lau. The plant would have covered an area of 60 hectares, and would have incorporated chimneys, ash lagoons, pylons, and new roads. This was fiercely opposed by major environmental groups in Hong Kong. In 1990, the Fan Lau site was rejected by the government for its "unprecedented level of conflict with the Country Parks Ordinance" and air pollution concerns. Instead, the

Black Point Power Station Black Point Power Station () is a gas-fired power station in Lung Kwu Tan, New Territories, Hong Kong. The power station is operated by CLP Group. History In the late 1980s, China Light and Power (CLP) examined several potential sites for the ...

, a gas-fired station, opened near the existing

Castle Peak Power Station The Castle Peak Power Station () is the largest coal-fired power station in Hong Kong. It is situated in Tap Shek Kok, Tuen Mun District, on the north shore of Urmston Road. It was named after the nearby Castle Peak. The station consists of four ...

in 1996. As with other coastal locations in the region, the coastlines of Fan Lau are marred by accumulation of marine refuse.

Access

Fan Lau is part of the

Lantau South Country Park Lantau South Country Park () is one of two rural country parks on Lantau Island, Hong Kong, the other one being Lantau North Country Park and its extension. Lantau South Country Park is located on the south side of the island. It was designat ...

. The stage 7 of

Lantau Trail The Lantau Trail (), opened on 4 December 1984, is a long-distance footpath on Lantau Island in the New Territories of Hong Kong. The trail is a loop starting and finishing in Mui Wo. It is the third longest trail in Hong Kong, after MacLehose ...

passes near the peninsula. Following the Fan Lau Country Trail allows for the exploration of Fan Lau.Fan Lau Country Trail at hkwalkers.net
/ref>

References

External links

Delineation of area of existing village Fan Lau (Tai O) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)

Aerial image from Google Map
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