Po Toi (commonly , originally ) is the main island of the

Po Toi Islands The Po Toi Islands are a small group of islands with a population of around 200, south-east of Hong Kong Island, off Stanley, in Hong Kong. The main island of the group is Po Toi Island. Administratively, they are part of Islands District. Th ...

and the southernmost island of Hong Kong, with an area of 3.69

km² Square kilometre ( International spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures) or square kilometer (American spelling), symbol km2, is a multiple of the square metre, the SI unit of area or surface area. 1 km2 is equ ...

Name

It is said that the island used to produce dried

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

s (), which were shaped like the

cattail ''Typha'' is a genus of about 30 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. These plants have a variety of common names, in British English as bulrush or reedmace, in American English as reed, cattail, or punks, in A ...

hassock () used by the monks for sitting; therefore the island was originally called 蒲苔島, the present common name being a

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

. Another explanation states that Po Toi looks like a floating platform () when viewed from a distance on sea. 蒲 is another character meaning "to float" in the local dialect, thus giving the island its name.

History

The island historically had a maximum of about 1,000 fishermen and farmers, whose economic activity consisted mainly of fishing, farming and seaweed harvesting. The population lived mainly in two villages, Chang Shek Pai () and Shan Liu (). The population decreased sharply over the past decades, with the younger generations moving to the city.

Features

Po Toi is famous for its rock formations, such as the Buddha's Palm Cliff (), the Coffin Rock (), the Tortoise Rock () and the Monk Rock (). Ancient rock carvings on the island, believed to date back to the

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 ...

(around 1500–700 BC), were discovered in the 1960s. They have been listed as

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 ...

since 1979.Environment Protection Department – List of Declared Monuments as on 1 January 1999
(archive) These may be viewed on a spur-track on the track that runs between the main harbour (Tai Wan), and the lighthouse. 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: ...

is located on Po Toi, facing the bay of Tai Wan (). While its construction date is unknown, it is documented that the temple was renovated in 1893.Brief Information on proposed Grade Nil Items. Item #1254. Tin Hau Temple
Mo's Old House, or the "Deserted Mansion of Family Mo" (), usually referred to as the "Haunted House", is a popular venue of "adventure" for the young visitors. The existing house was built in the 1930s at Chang Shek Pai and has fallen into ruins.Brief Information on proposed Grade Nil Items. Item #1207. Mo's Old House
There is a lighthouse on Po Toi also known as Nam Kok Tsui Lighthouse.

Administration

Po Toi 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 ...

Transport

The island is accessible by

kai-to The kai-to, sometimes kaito or kaido () is a type of small, motorised ferry that operates in Hong Kong. They are usually used to serve remote coastal settlements in the territory's outlying islands.: "Cargo junks of the type still known as k ...

or water taxi.

Tsui Wah Ferry 250px, Tsui Wah Ferry's kaito for Aberdeen to Yung Shue Wan. 250px, Tsui Wah Ferry's kaito for Tap_Mun.html"_;"title="Wong_Shek_Pier_to_Tap_Mun">Wong_Shek_Pier_to_Tap_Mun. image:Tsui_Wah_Ferry_at_Aberdeen.JPG.html" ;"title="Tap_Mun..html" ; ...

provides scheduled ferry services connecting Po Toi Island with

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

and

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

Education

Po Toi Island is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 96, which contains a single aided school, Northern Lamma School on

Lamma Island Lamma Island, also known as Y Island or Pok Liu Chau or simply Pok Liu, is the third largest island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Islands District. Name Lamma Island was named Lamma only because of a chart reading error by ...

; no government primary schools are in this net.

In fiction

The climax of

John le Carré David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 193112 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré ( ), was a British and Irish author, best known for his espionage novels, many of which were successfully adapted for film or television. ...

's novel ''

The Honourable Schoolboy ''The Honourable Schoolboy'' (1977) is a spy novel by British writer John le Carré. George Smiley must reconstruct an intelligence service in order to run a successful offensive espionage operation to save the service from being dismantled by ...

'' (the second in the 'Karla trilogy', featuring

George Smiley George Smiley OBE is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Smiley is a career intelligence officer with "The Circus", the British overseas intelligence agency. He is a central character in the novels ''Call for the Dead'', '' A Mu ...

) takes place on Po Toi.

References

External links

Delineation of area of existing village Po Toi (Lamma South) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)
* Pictures of Po Toi Island

CentaMap map of Po Toi Island
* *

Hong Kong Bird Watching Society The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS) is an environmental non-governmental organization dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats in Hong Kong, a territory on the southern coast of China. It is a BirdLife International affil ...

Proposal for a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Support for Country Park Designation on Po Toi Island
October 2012 {{Coord, 22, 10, 8.8, N, 114, 15, 48.2, E, display=title, type:isle Islands of Hong Kong Islands District Po Toi Islands