Lamma Island
Encyclopedia
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. Administratively, it is part of the Islands District.
Name
Lamma was named after the shape of the island which looks like the fork of a tree, or the Chinese characterChinese character
Chinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...
丫 ' onMouseout='HidePop("24668")' href="/topics/Y">Y
Y
Y is the twenty-fifth letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet and represents either a vowel or a consonant in English.-Name:In Latin, Y was named Y Graeca "Greek Y". This was pronounced as I Graeca "Greek I", since Latin speakers had trouble pronouncing , which was not a native sound...
), and Naam meaning "south" (/l/ is a lazy sound of /n/). Lamma (南丫) thus means literally "southern Y". The name can also mean "Southern Peninsula Island".
The original name of the island is Pok Liu. The island is shaped like two Y in opposite direction. The north Y is Pak A (北丫) and south Y is Nam A (南丫). When the British first came to the island, they used the colloquial pronunciation of Nam Ah, i.e. "Lam Ah (Lamma)" as the name of the island. The Chinese names of East Lamma Channel
East Lamma Channel
The East Lamma Channel is a sea channel in Hong Kong. It lies between the western shores of Hong Kong Island and Ap Lei Chau, and the east side of Lamma Island. To the north it leads into the Sulphur Channel and Victoria Harbour, to the south into the South China Sea...
(東博寮海峽) and West Lamma Channel
West Lamma Channel
The West Lamma Channel is a sea channel in Hong Kong....
(西博寮海峽) are still formed from Pok Liu instead of Nam A. Another folk etymology says the name came from a former lamaist monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
on the island.
Geography
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
. It has an area of 13.55 km². The northern village is called Yung Shue Wan
Yung Shue Wan
Yung Shue Wan is the main population centre on Lamma Island, Hong Kong. It has a population of approximately 6,000.-Features:The village is a mix of residential properties, shops and restaurants. Yung Shue Wan gives a Mediterranean feeling when walking through it...
(Banyan
Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
Tree Bay) and the eastern village is called Sok Kwu Wan
Sok Kwu Wan
thumb|250px|Sok Kwu Wan viewed from [[Lamma Island]] walkSok Kwu Wan or Picnic Bay is a bay in the Middle East coast of Lamma Island, Hong Kong...
. Few people live on the southern part of Lamma. Access for much of this part is by hiking or private boat. Sham Wan, an important breeding site for sea turtles, is located there.
Mount Stenhouse is the tallest mountain in Lamma (353 metres above sea-level), situated between Sok Kwu Wan and Sham Wan. Unusually shaped rocks can be found all over this mountain, but a gruelling hike is necessary to access these.
History
According to archaeological findings, human settlement on the northern and eastern part of Lamma Island can be traced back to around 1600 BC, the NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
and Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
s.
Demography
Lamma has an estimated population of 6,000.Actor Chow Yun-fat
Chow Yun-Fat
Chow Yun-fat, SBS is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
grew up on the island in the village of Tung O in Yung Shue Wan. His family still operates a seafood/pigeon restaurant called "Shau Kee" in the main village.
Lamma has a significant Western and international population. The island has had a reputation for alternative lifestyles, hippies, and a relaxed attitude, but Lamma is being urbanized and property prices are on the increase, because of the attraction of this lifestyle.
Description
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
, peaceful and tranquil, with relatively natural scenery. Buildings higher than three storeys are prohibited and there are no automobiles but diminutive fire trucks and ambulances, as well as distinctive open-back vehicles to transport construction materials. The community's only transport means is by foot or bicycle.
Lamma provides an alternative to the hectic life in the city. Property and rents are cheap compared with those of central Hong Kong. Partly in consequence, there is a significant expatriate community on Lamma Island. It is also popular with younger people and a haven for artists and musicians.
Yung Shue Wan
Yung Shue Wan
Yung Shue Wan is the main population centre on Lamma Island, Hong Kong. It has a population of approximately 6,000.-Features:The village is a mix of residential properties, shops and restaurants. Yung Shue Wan gives a Mediterranean feeling when walking through it...
(Banyan Bay) is the most populated area on Lamma Island. Several decades ago, it was the centre of the plastics industry. The factories have now been replaced by seafood restaurants, pubs, grocery stores and shops which sell oriental and Indian-style handicraft. Hung Shing Yeh Beach, Lamma Power Station and Lamma Winds are also located in the northern part of the island.
Sok Kwu Wan
Sok Kwu Wan
thumb|250px|Sok Kwu Wan viewed from [[Lamma Island]] walkSok Kwu Wan or Picnic Bay is a bay in the Middle East coast of Lamma Island, Hong Kong...
consists mainly of seafood restaurants. Sok Kwu Wan has the largest fish farming site in Hong Kong. Tourists can barbecue and fish at Lo Shing Beach which is a ten minutes' walk from the village. The trail between Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan, surrounded by grassland, offers a picturesque walk. From there, one can see the coastline of the island. It takes roughly an hour to walk through the trail. Walkers may notice a few 'caves' on the trail near Sok Kwu Wan, labelled on tourist signs as 'kamikaze grottos'. These are caves reputed to have been dug out by the Japanese during the war
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting by British and Canadian defenders against overwhelming Japanese Imperial forces. The occupation lasted...
, according to legend, to hide their kamikaze boats, but more likely to store munitions.
Sham Wan
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
settlement which was unearthed by archaeologists in the 1970s. It yielded evidence of people living on Lamma during the "Middle Neolithic" phase (approximately 3800-3000 BC).
It is also a place for Green Sea Turtle
Green Sea Turtle
The Green sea turtle or green turtle is a large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
s, the only species of turtle that breeds in Hong Kong, to lay eggs. The endangered green turtles are a special group of marine organisms with distinctive navigation behaviour between their nesting, breeding, development and reproduction sites. As Sham Wan is the only existing nesting site for them in Hong Kong, every year there is a period of restricted access to it from June 1 to October 31 to allow the turtles to breed. The breeding site is about 5,100 m².
Traditional festivals
Tin HauMatsu (goddess)
Mazu , also spelt Matsu, is the indigenous goddess of the sea who is said to protect fishermen and sailors, and is invoked as the patron deity of all Southern Chinese and East Asian persons...
temples are typical places of worship in Hong Kong's coastal communities because Tin Hau is believed to be the goddess of the sea and of fishermen, protecting them and ensuring full nets. There are three Tin Hau temples
Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong
Over 70 temples are dedicated to Tin Hau in Hong Kong. They include:* Tin Hau temple, located at 10 Tin Hau Temple Road, Causeway Bay, east of Victoria Park, in Eastern District, on Hong Kong Island. It is a declared monument. The temple has given its name to the MTR station serving it .* The Tin...
on Lamma, located in Yung Shue Wan, Sok Kwu Wan, and Luk Chau Village.
The Tin Hau Festival (twenty-third of the third month of the Lunar Calendar
Lunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase. A common purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar. A feature of the Islamic calendar is that a year is always 12 months, so the months are not linked with the seasons and drift each solar year by 11 to...
) is widely celebrated by the fishermen's communities in Lamma. Cantonese opera
Cantonese opera
Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Cantonese culture. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia. Like all versions of Chinese opera, it is a traditional Chinese art form, involving music, singing,...
and floral paper offerings known as Fa Pau at both Sok Kwu Wan and Yung Shue Wan are the highlights of the celebration.
Lamma Island is also one of the few remaining places in Hong Kong where traditional Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
celebrations still take place: at the stroke of midnight, fireworks will be set off by the main families of the villages to frighten away the evil spirits, sending off a deafening thunder that can last up to 30 minutes.
Villages on Lamma Island
Villages on Lamma Island include:- Luk Chau Village
- Mo TatMo TatMo Tat is a small village in south Lamma, Hong Kong, on the spur of land that juts east and faces Aberdeen. The village is composed of three different areas: Mo Tat Wan along the beach, Mo Tat Sun Tsuen on the hill and Mo Tat in the valley.The village has no shops or commercial centre, although...
- Pak Kok (北角)
- Sok Kwu WanSok Kwu Wanthumb|250px|Sok Kwu Wan viewed from [[Lamma Island]] walkSok Kwu Wan or Picnic Bay is a bay in the Middle East coast of Lamma Island, Hong Kong...
- Tai PengTai PengTai Peng is a small village atop the hill behind Yung Shue Wan on Lamma Island. A number of beautiful traditional stone houses are still in use in the village and are reputed to be over 300 years old. Public facilities include a toilet and a town hall. The only other amenities are a small combined...
- Tai Yuen
- Tung O
- Wang Long
- Yung Shue HaYung Shue HaYung Shue Ha is a distant village on the south side of Lamma Island, Hong Kong. It is across the bay from the village of Tung O...
- Yung Shue WanYung Shue WanYung Shue Wan is the main population centre on Lamma Island, Hong Kong. It has a population of approximately 6,000.-Features:The village is a mix of residential properties, shops and restaurants. Yung Shue Wan gives a Mediterranean feeling when walking through it...
Transportation
There are regular ferryFerry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
services to Yung Shue Wan
Yung Shue Wan
Yung Shue Wan is the main population centre on Lamma Island, Hong Kong. It has a population of approximately 6,000.-Features:The village is a mix of residential properties, shops and restaurants. Yung Shue Wan gives a Mediterranean feeling when walking through it...
and Sok Kwu Wan
Sok Kwu Wan
thumb|250px|Sok Kwu Wan viewed from [[Lamma Island]] walkSok Kwu Wan or Picnic Bay is a bay in the Middle East coast of Lamma Island, Hong Kong...
from Central
Central, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
on Hong Kong Island, as well as to Yung Shue Wan via Pak Kok, and to Sok Kwu Wan via Mo Tat Wan, from Aberdeen. It takes about 25 minutes by ferry between Yung Shue Wan and Central.
External links
- Lammazine Lamma news page and forum
- Lamma Island - Lamma Island page at the Hong Kong Tourism BoardHong Kong Tourism BoardThe Hong Kong Tourism Board is a Government-subvented body founded in 2001. The Board replaced the Hong Kong Tourist Association established in 1957...
. - The Young Lamma Islanders - TV program by the Radio Television Hong KongRadio Television Hong KongRadio Television Hong Kong is a public broadcasting organisation in Hong Kong that is operated as an independent department in the government under the Broadcasting Authority. RTHK operates seven radio channels, and produces television programmes that are then broadcast through local television...
on Lamma Island. (video archive) - More photos of Lamma Island