geo.wikisort.org - Island

Ap Chau (Chinese: 鴨洲; lit. 'duck island'), 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 (鴨洲海). Islets located close by include Ap Chau Pak Tun Pai, Ap Chau Mei Pak Tun Pai, Ap Lo Chun, Ap Tan Pai and Kau Tau Shek.

Ap Chau

Native name: 鴨洲
Ap Chau
Geography
Coordinates	22°33′04.5″N 114°16′10″E
Area	0.04 km2 (0.015 sq mi)
Administration
Hong Kong
Districts	North District

Name

Robinson Island was named after Hercules Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead, who was the 5th Governor of Hong Kong from 1859 to 1865.

Administration

Ap Chau is under the administration of North District. It is a recognized village under the New Territories Small House Policy.[1]

History

The village on the island was set up by American preachers from the then Taiwan-based True Jesus Church in order to shelter fishermen and their families who converted to Christianity in the 1960s.[2] Being so close to mainland China, before the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong the island was a magnet for illegal immigrant swimmers, one reason being that the well lit public lavatory block was something of a beacon at night.[3] The single primary school on the island opened in 1958.[4] There used to be over 700 inhabitants called the Tanka, an originally non-Chinese ethnic minority who were mostly fishermen but most have moved over to cities in the United Kingdom[2][5] such as Newcastle upon Tyne,[6] Leicester, Sunderland, Elgin[4] and Edinburgh. The church on the island is still active.[7] The island had 8 inhabitants as of June 2008.[2]

Features

To promote tourism,[8] in April 2018 the Ap Chau Story Room opened for public visits on Sundays and public holidays.

Fresh water in Ap Chau is obtained from mainland China using an underground pipe.

Transport

Kut O Village Rural Committee (Tung Lok House) Limited operates a daily kaito service to both Ap Chau and Kat O from Sha Tau Kok. But since the Sha Tau Kok Public Pier is in a restricted area, only restricted area pass holders are permitted to access the pier and take the kaito.[9]

Best Sonic Industrial Limited operates kaito services to Ap Chau and Kat O from Ma Liu Shui pier on weekends and public holidays from 2018.[10]

See also

• Islands of Hong Kong
• Outlying Islands
• Fishermen villages in Hong Kong

References

External links

• Delineation of area of existing village Ap Chau (Sha Tau Kok) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)
• Pictures of Ap Chau
• Pictures of Ap Chau church
• RTHK program about Ap Chau
• How to visit two of Hong Kong's most remote islands in one day CNN.com

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