Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park () is a marine park located on the west waters of

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. With an area of , the Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park has a variety of sea life due to the richness of nutrients in the water. The islands of

Lung Kwu Chau Lung Kwu Chau (; also previously transliterated as ''Tung Koo'', ''Tung Koo'', ''Toon Oo'' or ''Toon-quoo'') is an island at the northwest water of Hong Kong. It is off the shore of Lung Kwu Tan near Tuen Mun in the mainland New Territories, separ ...

Sha Chau Sha Chau (, formerly transliterated as ''Saw-Chow'') is an island in the northwest waters of Hong Kong. It is off the shore of Lung Kwu Tan near Tuen Mun in the mainland New Territories, separated by the Urmston Road waterway. Geography Sha Cha ...

and

Pak Chau Pak Chau () or Tree Island is an island at the northwest water of Hong Kong. It is offshore of Lung Kwu Tan near Tuen Mun in the New Territories. Conservation Since 1996, the island, Lung Kwu Chau, and Sha Chau are within the boundaries of the Sh ...

(Tree island) are located within the boundaries of the park.

Description

The Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park is located off Hong Kong to the west of New Territories and was protected starting on 22November 1996. An area of about has been protected. Yellow buoys on the four corners of the marine park are used to mark itsboundaries.

Fauna and flora

Under the influence of the

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-all ...

on the west, the water has a low salinity level and high organic nutrients. This is also increases the diversity of marine fauna and flora, and also provides the perfect area for sea creatures to live in. The Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Parks is for its richness in marine resources and its habitat for the rare

Chinese white dolphin The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (''Sousa chinensis'') is a species of humpback dolphin inhabiting coastal waters of the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans. This species is often referred to as the Chinese white dolphin in mainland Chi ...

(''Sousa chinensis chinensis'').

Sha Chau

On Sha Chau, a noted scenic spot is the

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: ...

. This temple was built 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 ...

in the year 1846. Fishermen and other people who worked at sea came to this temple to pray to Mazu, Goddess of the Sea.

Antiquities Advisory Board The Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) is a statutory body of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with the responsibility of advising the Antiquities Authority on any matters relating to antiquities and monuments. The AAB was establish ...

. Historic Building Appraisal
Tin Hau Temple, Sha Chau
/ref>

References

External links

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (; formerly the Agriculture and Fisheries Department () before 2000, of the Hong Kong Government is responsible for agriculture and fisheries in Hong Kong, conservation projects and issu ...

Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sha Chau And Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park Marine parks of Hong Kong Tuen Mun District