Ap Chau

{{Short description|Island in the Crooked Harbour of Hong Kong}} {{Use Hong Kong English|date=April 2019}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}} {{Infobox islands |name = Ap Chau |native_name = 鴨洲 |native_name_link = Chinese language |image_name = Ap Chau.JPG |image_size = 250px |image_caption = Ap Chau viewed from the West |map = Hong Kong |coordinates = {{Coord|22|33|04.5|N|114|16|10|E|display=title,inline|type:isle}} |area_km2 = 0.04 |country = {{HKG}} |country_admin_divisions_title = Districts |country_admin_divisions = [[North District (Hong Kong)|North District]] |population = |population_as_of = }} [[File:The Duck Head in Ap Chau.JPG|right|thumb|The "Duck Head" Ap Chau is part of the [[Double Haven Special Area]].]] [[File:Ap Chau 2019 14.jpg|thumb|Ap Chau.]] [[File:鴨洲鴨眼.jpg|thumb|The Duck's Eye Sea Arch]] [[File:鴨洲漁民村 2018.jpg|thumb|Ap Chau Fishermen's Village.]] [[File:鴨洲耶穌會.jpg|thumb|Village office and church building in Ap Chau.]] '''Ap Chau''' ({{zh|t=鴨洲|l=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]] ({{zh|t=鴨洲海|labels=no}}; Ap Chau Hoi). 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 is considered as the smallest inhabited island in Hong Kong.<ref name=":0" />

==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, Hong Kong|North District]]. It is a recognized village under the [[New Territories]] [[Small House Policy]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.landsd.gov.hk/doc/en/small-house/rv0909.pdf |title=List of Recognized Villages under the New Territories Small House Policy |last= |first= |date=September 2009 |website= |publisher=[[Lands Department]] |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>

==History== Until the early 20th century, Ap Chau had been an uninhabited island. In the 1920s, [[Tanka people|Tanka]] fishermen, an originally non-Chinese ethnic minority, came from various places to anchor their boats to the island, using the land for drying nets and boat repairs.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark |url=https://cloud.3dissue.net/14524/14544/14615/19551/index.html |title=鴨洲的故事 |date=April 2019 |publisher=Cosmos Books Ltd. |language=zh |translator-last=Paskewitz |translator-first=Paul |trans-title=The Story Of Robinson Island}}</ref>

In the 1940s, some fishermen started to settle permanently on Ap Chau by building informal settlements.<ref name=":2" />

Due to the shift in power in mainland China in 1949, The True Jesus Church moved their operations to [[Sha Tau Kok]], and eventually to Ap Chau by constructing a wooden church in 1952. Since the church was constructed, converted fishermen moved from their boats to reside on the island to gather for prayer.<ref name=":1" /> The church was replaced by a concrete church in 1965.

After receiving financial aid from the United States [[CARE International|CARE]] program, a fresh water supply was installed in 1960. Water was sourced from a newly constructed reservoir in [[So Lo Pun]] using underground pipes. The pipes were constructed by Ap Chau locals, with assistance from the British Military.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Common Map |date=1 August 2024 |title=World geopolitics and the birth of Ap Chau |url=https://ruralcommon.hk/en/story/world-geopolitics-and-the-birth-of-ap-chau/ |website=Rural Common}}</ref>

Ap Chau Fishermen village ({{Zh|t=鴨洲漁民村}}) the official village on the island, was constructed in 1961. Set up by local fishermen and their families, It was financially aided by the [[United States]] [[CARE International|CARE]] program, and the [[British Hong Kong|British Government]].<ref name=":3" />

The single primary school on the island "FMO Ap Chau Primary School" opened in 1958.

At its peak Ap Chau had over 700 inhabitants, but during the 1960s-1970s most have moved over to cities in the [[United Kingdom]]<ref name="HK mag">[https://www.scmp.com/magazines/hk-magazine/article/2033571/isle-be-back][http://hk.asia-city.com/travel/article/ap-chau "Ap Chau", ''HK magazine'', Jun 19, 2008]{{Dead link|date=October 2019|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref>[http://members.tjc.org/sites/en/uk/mychurch.aspx History of the True Jesus Church in the United Kingdom]</ref> such as [[Newcastle upon Tyne]],<ref>{{cite book |author=Li Wei |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xcim-FFhvy4C&pg=PA64 |title=Three Generations, Two Languages, One Family: Language Choice and Language Shift in a Chinese Community in Britain |publisher=Multilingual Matters |year=1994 |isbn=978-1-85359-241-6 |pages=64}}</ref> [[Leicester]], [[Sunderland, Tyne and Wear|Sunderland]], [[Elgin, Moray|Elgin]]<ref name="half century" /> and [[Edinburgh]].

Being so close to mainland China, before the [[Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gwulo.com/node/12037#11/22.5184/114.1725/Map_by_ESRI-Markers/100|title=Ap Chau [????- ] {{!}} Gwulo: Old Hong Kong|website=gwulo.com|access-date=2018-05-13}}</ref><ref name="half century">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B-IZBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA425|title=The Last Half Century of Chinese Overseas|author=Liu|first=Garland|publisher=Hong Kong University Press|year=1998|isbn=978-962-209-446-8|editor-last=Sinn|editor-first=Elizabeth|location=Hong Kong|pages=425–446|chapter=The Role of the True Jesus Church in Communal Development of the Chinese People in Elgin, Scotland}}</ref> The church on the island is still active.<ref>[http://www.tjc.org.hk/Eng/contactus.asp True Jesus Church. Church in Hong Kong] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007122632/http://www.tjc.org.hk/Eng/contactus.asp |date=October 7, 2011 }}</ref> The island has 3 permanent residents as of October 2017.<ref>{{Cite news |last=李 |first=慧筠 |date=5 October 2017 |title=【剩下三人的島嶼．一】鴨洲遷徙記漁民、基督徒、全港最小的島 |url=https://www.hk01.com/%E7%A4%BE%E5%8D%80%E5%B0%88%E9%A1%8C/123195/%E5%89%A9%E4%B8%8B%E4%B8%89%E4%BA%BA%E7%9A%84%E5%B3%B6%E5%B6%BC-%E4%B8%80-%E9%B4%A8%E6%B4%B2%E9%81%B7%E5%BE%99%E8%A8%98-%E6%BC%81%E6%B0%91-%E5%9F%BA%E7%9D%A3%E5%BE%92-%E5%85%A8%E6%B8%AF%E6%9C%80%E5%B0%8F%E7%9A%84%E5%B3%B6 |work=HK01 |language=zh}}</ref>

==Features== To promote tourism, in April 2018 the Ap Chau Story Room opened for public visits on Sundays and public holidays.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Ap Chau Story Room of Hong Kong Global Geopark opens_Global Network of National Geoparks |url=http://www.globalgeopark.org/News/News/11313.htm |access-date=2018-05-13 |website=www.globalgeopark.org}}</ref> The Story Room was repurposed from the site of the abandoned FMO Ap Chau Primary School by the Government.<ref>"[https://www.devb.gov.hk/filemanager/en/content_1054/Paper_02_2018.pdf TASK FORCE ON LAND SUPPLY - Paper No. 02/2018]", the Government of Hong Kong, 13 February 2018.</ref>

The Duck's Eye Sea Arch ({{Zh|t=鴨眼}} - also called Ap Chau Sea Arch), located on the northern end of the island, is a 2m tall and 10m wide natural arch formed by concentrated seawater erosion. It is the only sea arch in Hong Kong that is safe to walk through as stands above sea level, and is a popular sightseeing destination.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Ap Chau - Hidden Paradise - Geology |url=https://www.geopark.gov.hk/en/discover/attractions/ap-chau# |website=Hong Kong Geopark}}</ref>

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

==Conservation== The northern part of Ap Chau is part of the [[Double Haven Special Area]] ({{zh|t=印洲塘特別地區|labels=no}}) that covers 0.8 hectare and was designated in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/country/cou_lea/cp_sa.html| publisher=[[Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department]] |title=Country Parks & Special Areas}}</ref> The [[Conservation in Hong Kong|Special Area]] includes the islets [[Pak Ka Chau]], [[Yan Chau]] (both within [[Double Haven]]) as well as the islet of [[Ap Lo Chun]] and a part of Ap Chau (both within [[Crooked Harbour]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr10-11/english/subleg/brief/137_brf.pdf |title=Double Haven and Others (Special Areas) Order 2010 |last= |first= |date=20 October 2010 |website= |publisher=[[Legislative Council of Hong Kong]] |access-date= |quote=}}</ref> The geology of the area is characterised by [[sedimentary rock]]s of the [[Jurassic]] and [[Cretaceous]] periods.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201012/31/P201012310121.htm |title=Five geologically important sites designated as special areas |last= |first= |date=31 December 2010 |website= |publisher=[[Government of Hong Kong]] |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>

==Transport== Kut O Village Rural Committee (Tung Lok House) Limited operates a daily [[Kai-to|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.td.gov.hk/en/transport_in_hong_kong/public_transport/ferries/kaito_services_map/service_details/index.html#k05|title=Kaito Ferry Service Details - Sha Tau Kok - Ap Chau/Kat O|website=[[Transport Department]]}}</ref>

Best Sonic Industrial Limited operates [[kaito]] services to Ap Chau and Kat O from [[Ma Liu Shui#Transport|Ma Liu Shui pier]] on weekends and public holidays from 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.td.gov.hk/en/transport_in_hong_kong/public_transport/ferries/kaito_services_map/service_details/index.html#k19|title=Kaito Ferry Service Details - Ma Liu Shui – Kat O/Ap Chau|website=[[Transport Department]]}}</ref>

==See also== {{portal|Islands}} *[[Islands of Hong Kong]] *[[Outlying Islands, Hong Kong|Outlying Islands]] *[[Fishermen villages in Hong Kong]]

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Ap Chau}} * [https://www.had.gov.hk/rre/images/village_map1922/N/n-stk-36.pdf Delineation of area of existing village Ap Chau (Sha Tau Kok) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)] * [https://www.flickr.com/groups/366848@N24/pool/ Pictures of Ap Chau] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20121109104127/http://picasaweb.google.com/kaisingchan/ApChauChurch Pictures of Ap Chau church] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf-Yz77wA-Q RTHK program about Ap Chau] * [https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ap-chau-kat-o-hong-kong-cmd/index.html How to visit two of Hong Kong's most remote islands in one day] CNN.com

[[Category:Islands of Hong Kong]] [[Category:North District, Hong Kong]] [[Category:Populated places in Hong Kong]]