Pui O (, or ), formerly Lo Pui O (), is an area 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 ...

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 villages in Pui O, they are Lo Wai (), San Wai (), Lo Uk (), and Ham Tin (). Pui O is located at the edge of

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 ...

Administration

Lo Wai, San Wai, Lo Uk and Ham Tin are recognized villages 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 ...

Geography

Pui O is a bay shaped by the

Chi Ma Wan Peninsula Chi Ma Wan () is a bay on southeastern Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong. Chi Ma Wan Peninsula () is where Chi Ma Wan, as well as Cheung Sha Wan, Tai Long Wan, Yi Long Wan and Mong Tung Wan are located. The Peninsula is located withi ...

and the lower slopes of Sunset Peak. A main river from a valley to the east and other small river gather at Pui O forming an

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

. Villagers enclosed the wetland and converted it into rice paddies. This is indicated by the name Ham Tin (). At the shore, a long beach (or spit) is formed by the interaction between the current of 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 Phil ...

and the rivers.

Pui O Beach

Pui O Beach () runs along almost the entire shoreline of Pui O. Due to the geological composition of surrounding area, the sand on the beach is mixture of black and yellow. The

Hong Kong Government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong Special administrative regions of China, ...

has constructed facilities on the upper beach for

wild camping Wild camping or dispersed camping is the act of camping in areas other than designated camping sites. Typically this means open countryside. This can form part of backpacking (hiking), or bikepacking, possibly along a long-distance trail. Cou ...

History

Lo Pui O is one of five villages of Lantau that were resettled when the coastal restriction of the

Great Clearance The Great Clearance (), also translated as the Great Evacuation or Great Frontier Shift, was caused by edicts issued in 1661, 1664, and 1679, which required the evacuation of the coastal areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangnan, and Shandon ...

was lifted in 1669. The other villages are Tung Sai Chung,

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 ...

Shek Pik Shek Pik () is an area located along the southwestern coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. When the Shek Pik Reservoir was built, villages at Shek Pik were demolished and the villagers were relocated to other parts of Lantau Island and to Tsuen ...

and

Mui Wo Mui Wo is a rural town on the eastern coast of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. The 2011 Census recorded 5,485 people living in Mui Wo and its environs. Mui Wo is located on Silvermine Bay, so named for the silver mines that were once worked along ...

. During the

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 ...

, villages near the shore in Hong Kong were frequently attacked by

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

s. Villages in Pui O were constructed as walled villages to assist in repelling these attacks, and several of the Lantau villages, though getting a living from the sea, were by design located at some distance from it.

Historical buildings

29 historical buildings and features of Pui O are listed by the

Antiquities and Monuments Office The Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) was established in 1976 under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance to protect and preserve Hong Kong's historic monuments. Housed in the Former Kowloon British School, the AMO is responsible for iden ...

.Environmental Impact Assessment Report for 132 KV Supply Circuit from Pui O via Chi Ma Wan Peninsula via Sea Crossing towards Cheung Chau. Cultural Heritage. 2001
/ref> In Ham Tin, at Chung Hau () there is 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: ...

. It was built in the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, rebuilt in 1798 and repaired in 1947, 1974 and 1995. It is surrounded by two feng shui trees, and an

earth god An Earth god is a deification of the Earth associated with a figure with chthonic or terrestrial attributes. In Greek mythology, the Earth is personified as Gaia, corresponding to Roman Terra. Egyptian mythology have the sky goddesses, Nut and ...

shrine is located at its right side. Other historical buildings include: * Lin Kong Tong in Ham Tin, probably built in the late Qing Dynasty, it serves the dual-purpose of ancestral hall and meeting place to the elder branch of the CheungsIntroduction to 1444 Historic Buildings, pp.809 & 1070
who settled in the village in the early 19th century. * Cheung Ancestral Hall, also known as Yue Tak Tong, in Lo Wai, probably built in the late Qing Dynasty. * Wing On Bridge and its associated earth god shrine in Ham Tin. * An archaeological site was discovered in Pui O in 1957.

Education

Most of Lantau Island, Pui O included, is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 98, which contains multiple aided schools on Lantau Island, including two in Tung Chung; no government primary schools are in this net.

Flora and fauna

Mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...

can be found on both sides of the estuary between Ham Tin and Pui O beach.Environmental Impact Assessment Report for 132 KV Supply Circuit from Pui O via Chi Ma Wan Peninsula via Sea Crossing towards Cheung Chau. Ecological Impact Assessment. 2001
/ref> A resident population of

water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...

es can be found in Pui O. It is one of the few remaining areas where they still occur in Hong Kong.

Nature

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 ...

passes through Pui O, and there are many other hiking routes in the vicinity. There are also several

Mountain Bike A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which ...

tracks which are located on the Chi Ma Wan peninsula, and are connected to many other tracks around the Island.

Transport

Pui O is on the

South Lantau Road The following is an incomplete list of roads in Lantau, Islands District/ Tsuen Wan District, Hong Kong. List See also * List of streets and roads in Hong Kong References {{Reflist Hong Kong Roads Roads A road is a linear way for the c ...

. All bus routes between

and other points pass through Pui O, with the

New Lantao Bus The New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Limited, commonly known as New Lantao Bus or NLB, is a franchised bus company operating in Hong Kong. It mainly operates bus routes on Lantau Island. History NLB was formed in 1973 through the merger of three b ...

running their route numbers 1, 2, 3M, 4 stopping at the Pui O Petrol Station, San Wai Tsuen and Lo Uk Tsuen. A branch road, Chi Ma Wan Road routes across Chi Ma Wan Peninsula to Chi Ma Wan.

References

External links

Delineation of area of existing village Ham Tin (South Lantao) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)

Delineation of area of existing village Pui O Lo Uk Tsuen (South Lantao) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)

Delineation of area of existing village Pui O Lo Wai (South Lantao) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)

Delineation of area of existing village Pui O San Wai (South Lantao) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)

Pictures of Pui O Tin Hau Temple and associated Fung Shui tree and Earth God Shrine

Pictures of Wing On Bridge and its associated Earth God shrine

Map showing the location of the Tin Hau Temple and of the Wing On Bridge

Location of Pui O archeological site
{{coord, 22, 14, 23.46, N, 113, 58, 36.03, E, region:HK, display=title Populated places in Hong Kong Lantau Island Spits (landform) Bays of Hong Kong