# Sham Chung

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sham_Chung
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sham_Chung.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sham_Chung
> Source revision: 1340157755
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|Village and area of Neolithic settlement in Hong Kong}}
{{for|the village in Yuen Long District|Sham Chung Tsuen}}
300px|thumb|Sham Chung, Hong Kong.
thumb|Sham Chung.
[[File:Epiphany of Our Lord Chapel (Sham Chung) 02.jpg|thumb|[Epiphany of Our Lord Chapel](/source/Historic_churches_of_Sai_Kung_Peninsula) in Sham Chung in 2022. The inscription on the facade reads "{{zh|t=公民學校|labels=no}}" (Kung Man School).]]
thumb|House in Sham Chung.
thumb|Coast at Sham Chung. Sham Chung Pier is visible in the background.
thumb|Sham Chung Pier.
'''Sham Chung''' ({{zh|t=深涌}}) is a [Hakka](/source/Hakka) village<ref name="Old House">[Antiquities Advisory Board](/source/Antiquities_Advisory_Board). Historic Building Appraisal. [https://www.aab.gov.hk/filemanager/aab/common/historicbuilding/en/1203_Appraisal_En.pdf Old House, Ha Wai, Sham Chung Tsuen]</ref> and an area of [Neolithic](/source/Neolithic) settlement in [Hong Kong](/source/Hong_Kong). It is located in the south of [Tolo Channel](/source/Tolo_Channel),<ref name="Old House"/> beside [Three Fathoms Cove](/source/Three_Fathoms_Cove) on the [Sai Kung Peninsula](/source/Sai_Kung_Peninsula).<ref name=HKAS1>{{cite web|url=http://www.hkarch.org/en_news.html |title=The Trial Excavation at the Archaeological Site of Wong Tei Tung, Sham Chung, Hong Kong SAR |publisher=[Hong Kong Archaeological Society](/source/Hong_Kong_Archaeological_Society) |date=January 2006 |accessdate=28 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227012021/http://www.hkarch.org/en_news.html |archivedate=December 27, 2010 }}</ref> Administratively, it is part of [Tai Po District](/source/Tai_Po_District).

==Administration==
Sham Chung is a recognized village under the [New Territories](/source/New_Territories) [Small House Policy](/source/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](/source/Lands_Department) |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>

==History==
[Late Paleolithic](/source/Late_Paleolithic) and [Early Neolithic](/source/Early_Neolithic) have been excavated at the nearby [Wong Tei Tung](/source/Wong_Tei_Tung) site.<ref name=HKAS1/>

Sham Chung Village was first settled by members of the [Lee](/source/Li_(surname_%E6%9D%8E)) ({{zh|t=李|labels=no}}) clan and later by members of the [Wong](/source/Wong_(surname)) ({{zh|t=黃|labels=no}}) clan. The Lees came from [Wu Kau Tang](/source/Wu_Kau_Tang), in today's northeastern [New Territories](/source/New_Territories), during the reign of [Qianlong Emperor](/source/Qianlong_Emperor) (1736-1795).<ref name="Old House"/> It has been reported that the villages of Sham Chung, [Lai Chi Chong](/source/Lai_Chi_Chong) and [Pak Sha O](/source/Pak_Sha_O) had historically close social ties.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Faure |first=David |year= 1982|title=Saikung, The Making of the District and its Experience during World War II |journal= Journal of the [Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch](/source/Royal_Asiatic_Society_Hong_Kong_Branch)|volume= 23|pages=207 |publisher= |location= |doi= |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23889664|issn=1991-7295|accessdate= }}</ref>

In 1870, Father [Luigi Piazzoli](/source/Luigi_Piazzoli), who later became [Apostolic Vicar](/source/Apostolic_Vicar) of Hong Kong (1895-1904), left the mission station in [Ting Kok](/source/Ting_Kok) and started his missionary work in Sham Chung, helping the farmers build a dam.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.examiner.org.hk/2020/09/18/government-funds-granted-for-redevelopment-of-sham-chung-chapel/news/hongkong/ |title=Government funds granted for redevelopment of Sham Chung chapel |last= |first= |date=18 September 2020 |website= |publisher=[Sunday Examiner](/source/Sunday_Examiner) |access-date= |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://thyway.catholic.org.hk/sham-chung/ |title=Chapel of the Epiphany of Our Lord |last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher=[Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong](/source/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Hong_Kong) |language=Chinese |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>

In the late 1990s and 2000s, [Sun Hung Kai Properties](/source/Sun_Hung_Kai_Properties) planned to build a golf course and a recreation centre in Sham Chung.<ref name="blow">{{cite news |last=Chan |first=May |date=4 February 2006 |title= Planning blow to Sham Chung golf course |url=https://www.scmp.com/article/535018/planning-blow-sham-chung-golf-course |work=[South China Morning Post](/source/South_China_Morning_Post) |location= |access-date=}}</ref> In 1999, part of the natural wetland was converted into a grass field, but the application for the change of [land use](/source/Zoning) was eventually rejected by the [Town Planning Board](/source/Town_Planning_Board).<ref>{{cite news |last=Kwok |first=Long-yin |date=18 November 2016 |title=A beautiful mistake in Sham Chung |url=https://www.ejinsight.com/eji/article/id/1434402/20161118-A-beautiful-mistake-in-Sham-Chung |work=[EJInsight](/source/EJInsight) |location= |access-date=}} </ref>

==Features==
Sham Chung can be sub-divided into five areas: Ha Wai ({{zh|t=下圍|labels=no}}), Shek Tau King ({{zh|t=石頭徑|labels=no}}), Pao Wai Tsai or Pao Nei Tsai ({{zh|t=包圍仔|labels=no}} or {{zh|t=包蘺仔|labels=no}}), Wan Tsai ({{zh|t=灣仔|labels=no}}) and Dui Min Tsuen ({{zh|t=對面村|labels=no}}).<ref name="Old House"/>

The Epiphany of Our Lord Chapel ({{zh|t=三王來朝小堂|labels=no}}) in Ha Wai, is a former Catholic church and one of the [historic churches of Sai Kung Peninsula](/source/historic_churches_of_Sai_Kung_Peninsula). It was established in 1879 and rebuilt in 1956.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archives.catholic.org.hk/Church%20Building/New%20Territories/NT-EOLC.htm |title=Epiphany of Our Lord Chapel |last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher=Hong Kong Catholic Diocesan Archives |language= Chinese |access-date= |quote=}}</ref> The Chapel housed a school called Kung Man School ({{zh|t=公民學校|labels=no}}), which had about 50 pupils and two teachers.<ref name="Old House"/>

==Fauna==
It was reported in 2006, that Sham Chung was home to 27 bird species, 19 freshwater fish species and 28 butterfly species.<ref name="blow"/> A survey conducted by [Green Power](/source/Green_Power) in 2011 listed rare species found in Sham Chung. They included the endemic [Hong Kong paradise fish](/source/Hong_Kong_paradise_fish) (''Macropodus hongkongensis''), dragonflies including the [sapphire flutterer](/source/Rhyothemis_triangularis) (''Rhyothemis triangularis''), at least 68 butterfly species (in Sham Chung and [Yung Shue O](/source/Yung_Shue_O)), including the very rare [Commander](/source/Moduza_procris) (''Moduza procris'') and the rare [broadtail royal](/source/broadtail_royal) (''Creon cleobis'').<ref>    {{cite web |url=https://www.greenpower.org.hk/butterfly/download/press/20110619_Survey_e.pdf |title=Sham Chung & Yung Shue O Butterfly Study |last= |first= |date=19 June 2011 |website= |publisher=[Green Power](/source/Green_Power) |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>

==Conservation==
In 2004, Sham Chung was listed as one of the 12 Most Ecologically Valued Conservation Sites by the Hong Kong Government.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202110/06/P2021100600586.htm |title=Government announces enhancements to New Nature Conservation Policy  |last= |first= |date=6 October 2021  |website= |publisher=[Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region](/source/Government_of_the_Hong_Kong_Special_Administrative_Region) |access-date= |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr04-05/english/panels/ea/papers/ea1122cb1-214-1-e.pdf |title=Legislative Council Panel on Environmental Affairs. New Nature Conservation Policy |last= |first= |date=22 November 2004 |website= |publisher=[Legislative Council of Hong Kong](/source/Legislative_Council_of_Hong_Kong) |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>

Sham Shung Coast, a belt of coast between Sham Chung Wan ({{zh|t=深涌灣|l=Sham Chung Bay|labels=no}}) and Tung King Pai (aka. Flat Reef or [Bun Sha Pai](/source/Bun_Sha_Pai)), located on the southern side of [Tolo Channel](/source/Tolo_Channel) and in the north-eastern part of [Sai Kung Peninsula](/source/Sai_Kung_Peninsula), covering an area of 26 hectares, was designated as a [Site of Special Scientific Interest](/source/Site_of_Special_Scientific_Interest_(Hong_Kong)) in 1985. The site has been described as containing rich assemblages of fossil, including [bivalve](/source/bivalve)s, micro fossils, plant fossils, [ammonite](/source/ammonite)s, [gastropod](/source/gastropod)s and [crinoid](/source/crinoid)s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_en/access/pec/SSSI.html |title=Register of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) |last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher=[Planning Department](/source/Town_Planning_Board) |access-date= |quote= |archive-date=2023-08-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816204514/https://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_en/access/pec/SSSI.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_en/access/pec/SSSI/plans/43.pdf |title=Site of Special Scientific Interest - Sham Chung Coast |last= |first= |date=30 September 1992 |website= |publisher=[Planning Department](/source/Town_Planning_Board) |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>

==Transport==
Sham Chung is served by a scheduled [kai-to](/source/kai-to) ferry service, along the route [Ma Liu Shui](/source/Ma_Liu_Shui) – Sham Chung – [Lai Chi Chong](/source/Lai_Chi_Chong) – [Tap Mun](/source/Tap_Mun) – [Ko Lau Wan](/source/Ko_Lau_Wan) – [Chek Keng](/source/Chek_Keng) – [Wong Shek Pier](/source/Wong_Shek_Pier).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.td.gov.hk/en/transport_in_hong_kong/public_transport/ferries/kaito_services_map/service_details/index.html |title=Kaito Ferry Service Details |last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher=[Transport Department](/source/Transport_Department) |access-date= |quote=}}</ref> Sham Chung Pier was built in the 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/register/profile/latest/dir092.pdf |title=Reconstruction of Sham Chung Public Pier, Sai Kung North, Tai Po. Project Profile |last= |first= |date=November 2003 |website=[Environmental Protection Department](/source/Environmental_Protection_Department) |publisher=[Civil Engineering Department](/source/Civil_Engineering_and_Development_Department) |page=3 |access-date= |quote=}}</ref><ref>    {{cite web |url=https://www.pierimprovement-76-2019.gov.hk/en/Sham-Chung-Pier.html |title=Sham Chung Pier |last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher=[Civil Engineering and Development Department](/source/Civil_Engineering_and_Development_Department) |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>

Hiking paths connect Sham Chung to [Lai Chi Chong](/source/Lai_Chi_Chong), [Pak Sha O](/source/Pak_Sha_O) and [Yung Shue O](/source/Yung_Shue_O).

==See also==
* [Prehistoric Hong Kong](/source/Prehistoric_Hong_Kong)
* [Site of Special Scientific Interest (Hong Kong)](/source/Site_of_Special_Scientific_Interest_(Hong_Kong))

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Dudgeon, D. & Chan, E.W.C. (1996). [https://www.afcd.gov.hk/tc_chi/conservation/con_bsap/bsap_bio_clearing_house/files/common/Ecological_Study_of_Freshwater_Wetland_Habitats_in_HK.pdf Ecological Study of Freshwater Wetland Habitats in Hong Kong]. [Agriculture and Fisheries Department](/source/Agriculture_and_Fisheries_Department), Hong Kong Government. 

==External links==
{{commons category|Sham Chung}}
* [https://www.had.gov.hk/rre/images/village_map1922/P/p-skn-27.pdf Delineation of area of existing village Sham Chung (Sai Kung North) for election of resident representative (2019 to 2022)]
* [Antiquities Advisory Board](/source/Antiquities_Advisory_Board). Historic Building Appraisal. [https://www.aab.gov.hk/filemanager/aab/common/historicbuilding/en/N342_Appraisal_En.pdf Epiphany of Our Lord Chapel, Sham Chung] [https://www.aab.gov.hk/filemanager/aab/common/historicbuilding/photo/N342_Photo.pdf Pictures]
* [Antiquities Advisory Board](/source/Antiquities_Advisory_Board). [https://www.aab.gov.hk/filemanager/aab/common/historicbuilding/photo/1203_Photo.pdf Pictures of Old House, Ha Wai, Sham Chung Tsuen]
* Blog entries about the history of Sham Chung: [https://dennishodgson.blogspot.com/2010/11/rise-and-fall.html] [http://www.hkoutdoors.com/sham-chung-shenanigans-html/] [https://www.biosch.hku.hk/ecology/porcupine/por19/features.htm]

{{coord|22.4426|114.2885|display=title}}

Category:Areas of Hong Kong
Category:Villages in Tai Po District, Hong Kong
Category:Sai Kung North

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sham Chung](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sham_Chung) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sham_Chung?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.