Kat O () also named Crooked Island, is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...

in Northeast

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 List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

Administration

Administratively, Kat O is part of North District. It 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 ...

Geography

Kat O is located in the west of Mirs Bay.Hong Kong Geopark
Kat O Nature Trail
/ref> With an area of 2.35 km², it is the largest island in North District, the second largest being

Wong Wan Chau Double Island or Wong Wan Chau () is an island located in the north-eastern part of Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of North District. Geography Double Island has an area of 2.13 km². It is the second largest island in North Di ...

(Double Island).K.W. Lai, S.D.G. Campbell & R. Shaw, ''Geology of the Northeastern New Territories'', p. 15, Civil Engineering Dept, Geotechnical Engineering Office, December 1996
/ref> Neighbouring islands include:

Ap Chau Ap Chau (), also known as Robinson Island, with a size of 0.04 km² is an island in the Crooked Harbour, in the north-eastern New Territories of Hong Kong. It is located in Ap Chau Bay (; Ap Chau Hoi). Islets located close by include A ...

, Ngo Mei Chau (Crescent Island), and Pak Sha Chau (Round Island). The village of Tung O () is located on its northwest coast. Its highest point is Kai Kung Leng (), which is 122 m above sea level. O Pui Tong () is a bay surrounded by the crook-shaped Crooked Island and Yeung Chau. O Pui Tong, together with the northwestern waters of Kat O, are two of the 26 designated marine fish culture zones in Hong Kong.

History

Kat O was once a major fishing market in Hong Kong,

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, Sai O, Kat O
and long served as an important stopover for boats travelling between Hong Kong and the rest of China.HKFP Venture: Kat O, Hong Kong’s forgotten island – once its international gateway
HKFP, by Rhoda Kwan. 6 Sept 2020 During 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 ...

, a decree required all inhabitants to leave the island. Then in the 1660s, soon after the end of the dynasty, it was re-settled by

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...

people. Other residents were

Tanka is a genre of classical Japanese poetry and one of the major genres of Japanese literature. Etymology Originally, in the time of the '' Man'yōshū'' (latter half of the eighth century AD), the term ''tanka'' was used to distinguish "short ...

fishermen. The Tin Hau Temple at Kat O was estimated to be built in 1763. It is listed as a Grade III historic building. Part of the temple building was used for the Tat O School until the school was moved to a new location in 1957. A Pak Kung Shrine is also located in the vicinity. The island is home to three cannons. These are thought to have been made in the west, during the 19th century.

Conservation

Kat O was part of the Plover Cove (Extension) Country Park since 1979. The Kat O Nature Trail spans 1 km long, stretching from the Kat O Ferry Pier to Ko Tei Teng (). The Kat O Geoheritage Centre (at No. 142 Kat O Main Street) was opened in 2010 by Kat O villagers, volunteer groups and the government to raise public awareness of geo-conservation, as part of the Hong Kong Geopark.Hong Kong Geopark
Kat O Geoheritage Centre
/ref>

References

External links

Delineation of area of existing village Kat O (Sha Tau Kok) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)

Kut-O Chinese Association (Kent area) Website
* Pictures of Kat O

* Hong Kong Geopark

* ttp://www.hktrampers.com/FactFile/CrookedIsland/ Webpage about Kat O
Pictures of Tin Hau Temple, Sai O, Kat O

CNN.com {{Coord, 22, 32, 28, N, 114, 17, 43.9, E, display=title, type:isle Islands of Hong Kong North District, Hong Kong Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark