Mirs Bay (also known as Tai Pang Wan, Dapeng Wan, Dapeng Bay, or Mers Bay; ) is a bay in the northeast of

Kat O Kat O () also named Crooked Island, is an island in Northeast Hong Kong. Administration Administratively, Kat O is part of North District. It is a recognized village under the New Territories Small House Policy. Geography Kat O is located in ...

and

Sai Kung Peninsula The Sai Kung Peninsula () is a peninsula in the easternmost part of the New Territories in Hong Kong. Its name comes from Sai Kung Town in the central southern area of the peninsula. The southern part of the peninsula is administrated by Sai ...

of Hong Kong. The north and east shores are surrounded by

Yantian Yantian District () is one of the nine districts of the city of Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It is adjacent to Shenzhen River and Hong Kong to the south, and is surrounded by Luohu, Longgang and Pingshan districts of Shenzhen. Before 1960s, th ...

and

Dapeng New District Dapeng New District () is an administrative area under the jurisdiction of Longgang District in Shenzhen, Guangdong. It has a land area of , a coastline of and a total population of about 180,000. The district was created on 30December 2011 wi ...

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

Ping Chau Tung Ping Chau () is an island in Hong Kong, part of Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark. It is also known as Ping Chau (). ''Tung'' (, meaning ''east'') is prepended to the name at times so as to avoid possible confusion with '' Peng Chau' ...

stands in the midst of the bay.

History

Mirs Bay, along with other waterways near Hong Kong, was once was home to various coastal defences (e.g.

Dapeng Fortress Dapeng Fortress (; Dapeng dialect ) or Dapengsuocheng is a walled village in the subdistrict Dapeng, district Longgang, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China. The village lies 55 kilometers from the center of Shenzhen. History Dapeng Fortress ...

) used against pirates during the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

. Mirs Bay was used by then American

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

(later Admiral) George Washington Dewey during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

as a refuge and repair facility for the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. In 1949, the colonial government imposed a curfew under the

Public Order Ordinance The Public Order Ordinance () () (’POO’) is a piece of primary legislation in Hong Kong. It codifies a number of old common law public order offences. It imposes notification requirements for public processions and meetings which resemble a ...

forbidding movement of

watercraft Any vehicle used in or on water as well as underwater, including boats, ships, hovercraft and submarines, is a watercraft, also known as a water vessel or waterborne vessel. A watercraft usually has a propulsive capability (whether by sail, ...

in Mirs Bay between 10 PM and 6 AM without written permission of the

Hong Kong Police Force The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Police Force (RHKPF) reverted to its former name after the t ...

. The order remains in force after the 1997

handover of Hong Kong Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony. Hong Kong was established as a special admini ...

. For purposes of the order, the dividing line between

Tolo Channel Tolo Channel or Chek Mun Hoi Hap () is a channel south of Plover Cove in Hong Kong connecting Tolo Harbour to Mirs Bay. At Mirs Bay end, it is named North Channel. The Chinese name ''Chek Mun'' means Red Gate. ''Hoi Hap'' is the modern term for ...

and Mirs Bay runs from

Wong Chuk Kok Tsui Wong may refer to: Name * Wong (surname), a Chinese surname Places * Wong Chuk Hang, an area to the east of Aberdeen on Hong Kong Island * Wong Chuk Hang Estate, a public housing estate in Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong * Wong Chuk Hang Road, a ma ...

to Ngo Keng Tsui (; ).

Features

Within the bay are numerous smaller harbors and inlets on the Hong Kong side: *

Starling Inlet Starling Inlet or Sha Tau Kok Hoi () is a harbour in northeast New Territories, Hong Kong. The whole body of water falls within the Closed Area and generally restricted to local residents. Features Settlements around the harbour include: Sha T ...

* Tai Po Hoi * Kat O Hoi * Tai Tan Hoi * Sha Tin Hoi * Hoi Ha Bay The bay includes a number of islands, with an extensive group lying in the northwestern part of the bay, including: * Double Island * Crescent Island * Crooked Island * Grass Island, at the western side of the entrance to Mirs Bay * Round Island To the south of Mirs Bay, water flows out to the

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 Phi ...

References

External links

* showing Mirs Bay and major islands * {{HongKong-geo-stub Bays of Hong Kong Geography of Shenzhen Bays of Guangdong Dapeng New District