Hong Kong Photo Gallery
Wang Chau

Wang Chau has appeared on the news over the years as the government tried to turn the village and nearby brownfield sites into a residential area. Disagreements over compensation or relocation with villagers over the expropriation have kept bulldozers away. Meanwhile, there is a hiking trail through the hills here that lead to a wide lookout point facing the agricultural lands in this part of the city as well as Shenzhen in the background. Past the protest signs, continue north along Long Ping Road. To your right are the towers of Long Ping Estate. To the left, you will see a path cross a bridge and twist into the countryside. Take it and head uphill. This would be the beginning of a series of hills. This part of the New Territories has many lowrises and plenty of land for redevelopment in land-starved Hong Kong. However, the indigenuous communities here yield a lot of power, so the government would rather fill in the sea at an astronomical cost than to expropriate all this space to ease the housing shortage. Shenzhen's skyline rises behind the water. The paths are generally dirt and rock and may get slippery at times. You will pass through many graves from the local communities, a sign that the area has good fung shui. With Yuen Long's towers behind you, the new town of Tin Shui Wai will emerge ahead of you on the left. Despite an unpaved path, the route is well-trodden and there are marked rest areas every now and then. There are even chairs and benches planted en route. While the route was not overly steep up until this point, although sandy and rocky, the last ascent up Kai Shan is more difficult and may need some scrambling. Again, the path is well-trodden but not paved but this stretch is worth it for the ultimate view of the city and China. The final look-out opens up with unobstructured views towards the north. The wetlands and agricultural pools on the Hong Kong side and the rising skyline across the Shenzhen are all for you to absorb. While the maps showed a path back downhill from here, I didn't see anything obvious but a fairly steep drop ahead. To access the trains back to the city, it is best to return the way you came towards Yuen Long or Tin Shui Wai. The entire roundtrip would take about 3 hours.