Perhaps the officials of the Qing Dynasty had Kei Tau Kok in mind when they wrote this poem. “The sun rises from the beach the moon hangs above the cape”.
Here at Kei Tau Kok we stand at the easternmost point of Sha Tau Kok. Kei Tau Kok is more than just a cape. It is a place where history and legend intertwine.
Let’s delve into the story of Sha Tau Kok and its charming Kei Tau Kok. Sha Tau Kok translates from Cantonese as sandy head cape. The name first appeared in the genealogy of the Ng Hakka clan in 1863. They wrote that Sha Tau Kok was the name of the bay.
Legend says Qing officials gave Sha Tau Kok its name. They were inspired during an inspection of the area. The poem they wrote is inscribed on a stone tablet here at Kei Tau Kok. The Chinese text reads: “The sun rises from the beach Sha Tau the moon hangs above the cape Kok.”
Before the Qing Dynasty not much is known about the settlements here. The imperial government took interest in Mirs Bay because of its salt flats and pearl beds.
The Great Clearance of the 17th century changed everything. Original settlers were expelled. Many moved to Yuen Long and Shenzhen. Hakka settlers then arrived in Sha Tau Kok. They settled along the northern shoreline of Mirs Bay. More Hakka villages appeared in the 18th century.
The Sam Heung village alliance once occupied Sha Tau Kok’s original shoreline. It was called Tai Tan Tung. The alliance included Shan Tsui Tong To and Tam Shui Hang.
During the early 1800s five wealthy villages invested in Sha Tau Kok’s reclamation. These villages wanted more farmland for the growing population. They were Shan Tsui Tam Shui Hang Wo Hang Nam Chung and Luk Keng.
Around the 1830s leaders from about 10 villages formed the Shap Yeuk alliance. They established a new market at Sha Lan Ha. This allowed Sha Tau Kok to operate independently from Shenzhen’s older markets. The market was named Tung Wo Market meaning Eastern Peace Market.
In 1848 missionary Theodore Hamberg described Tung Wo Market as a great market. He said it was quite given over to trade newly built and bustling with business. By the 1850s about 50 shops were open.
Sha Tau Kok was leased to the British in 1898 because of the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory. Tung Wo Market was not included in this lease. This caused problems for shopkeepers who were cut off from their ancestral villages.
In 1899 the elders of Shap Yeuk petitioned against the lease. They feared excessive taxation and practical problems. They worried about living in British territory while their market remained in China. This petition failed. Problems arose in the 20th century leading to Tung Wo Market’s decline.
In 1911 Sha Tau Kok District had a population of 8570. Sha Tau Kok Village British territory had only 14 residents. Most residents were Hakka with small Punti and Hoklo minorities. Marshes and salt fields covered the present-day area of Sha Tau Kok Chuen and Yim Liu Ha. Hoklo speakers worked in these salt fields. They formed the largest community of Hoklo speakers in the North District.
The total population of Sha Tau Kok District was 8357 in 1921. It grew to 8941 in 1931. During the 1920s Tung Wo Market had around a hundred shops. Some shops moved across the border to San Lau Street.
In 1967 demonstrators from mainland China attacked the police post at Sha Tau Kok. Five police officers died and eleven were injured.
Today a daily quota allows 1000 individual visitors to visit Sha Tau Kok. They need a Tourism Closed Area Permit. Most of Sha Tau Kok is open to tourists. But Chung Ying Street remains off limits.
Here at Kei Tau Kok you see not just a cape but a borderland with a rich history. It is a place where you can feel the echoes of the past. You can also see the promise of a future where tourism and tradition coexist.