Lantau Peak or Fung Wong Shan (literally "

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

Mountain") is the second highest peak in Hong Kong and the highest point on

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 ...

, with a height of above sea level.

Name origin

The mountain is actually made up of a pair of peaks, one is known as "Fung Shan" (male phoenix mountain) and the other is "Wong Shan" (female phoenix mountain), together they form "Fung Wong Shan".

Location

Lantau Peak is located near the center of Lantau Island, west of Sunset Peak, and within

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 ...

. It is reachable by the

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 ...

. At the foot of Lantau Peak, a tourist spot called the ''Wisdom Path'' () can be found.

Geology

Lantau Peak is formed by

Volcanic rock Volcanic rock (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) is a rock formed from lava erupted from a volcano. In other words, it differs from other igneous rock by being of volcanic origin. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic r ...

s, including porphyritic rhyolites, like many of the tallest mountains in Hong Kong, such as

Tai Mo Shan Tai Mo Shan is the highest mountain, peak in Hong Kong, with an elevation of . It is located at approximately the geographical centre of the New Territories. The Tai Mo Shan Country Park covers an area of around Tai Mo Shan. It is located ...

. Some shorter mountains in Hong Kong are formed by older Granitic rocks. Lantau Peak is also the source of water for

Tung Chung River The Tung Chung River is a river on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It is designated by the governmental Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department as one of the "Ecologically Important Streams" within the territory. It is 4.31 km in length. Ec ...

, a major river on Lantau Island. HK_geological_map_revised_version_3

Climate

Lantau Peak is located in central Lantau Island, with an elevation of 934 meters above sea level (23 metres shorter than

, Hong Kong's highest peak). Under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

, Lantau Peak features a

subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

. Due to its elevation, strong winds and fog occur throughout the year. Winter is cold with temperatures often dipping below 0 °C; summer is warm with temperatures reaching tops of 18-22 °C; spring is cool and humid; autumn is cool and dry. Because there is no weather station at the top of Lantau Peak (934m), the Ngong Ping Weather Station of the

Hong Kong Observatory The Hong Kong Observatory is a weather forecast agency of the government of Hong Kong. The Observatory forecasts the weather and issues warnings on weather-related hazards. It also monitors and makes assessments on radiation levels in Ho ...

(593m) can be used as reference for the temperature at the summit. Lantau Peak and Kau Nga Ling

References

Lantau Island Mountains, peaks and hills of Hong Kong {{HK-geo-stub

Name origin

Location

Geology

Climate

See also

References