Journey with me back sixty million years. We are standing before the Port Island Cave. Tung Ping Chau’s story is etched in the stone around us. This island and its caves, including Port Island Cave, are unique. They tell of a Hong Kong vastly different from the one we know today.
Tung Ping Chau means flat island in Chinese. Look around. You can see why. Tung Ping Chau is Hong Kong’s most easterly point. It sits closer to mainland China than Hong Kong’s main landmass. For centuries, Tung Ping Chau remained a haven.
Once, over 3,000 people called Tung Ping Chau home. Fishing junks dotted the coast. Farmers cultivated peanuts, vegetables, and fruits. The island thrived. Guns and opium smuggling added to its checkered past. During the Cultural Revolution, mainlanders risked their lives to swim to Tung Ping Chau seeking freedom.
The island’s villages have names like Chau Mei and Sha Tau. Today, many cottages stand boarded up. Nature reclaims the land. Orchids, wild mint, and morning glories now flourish. Yet, echoes of the past linger.
What makes Port Island Cave and Tung Ping Chau so remarkable? Tung Ping Chau is Hong Kong’s only sizable island made of sedimentary rock. Most of Hong Kong consists of extrusive igneous rocks. Volcanoes shaped that landscape. But here, in Tung Ping Chau, time unfolded differently.
Imagine a vast basin. It formed after the volcanic eruptions. A brackish lake filled this basin. Silt and chert settled. Over millions of years, these sediments hardened. They became the rocks that form Tung Ping Chau, including the rocks around Port Island Cave.
These rocks date back to the early Paleogene period. Tung Ping Chau showcases cliffs and wave-cut platforms. These are rare sights in Hong Kong. The wave action carved caves into the rock.
The island is kidney-shaped. Its inner arc faces Shenzhen. The outer arc is more exposed. Waves crash against the western and southern coasts. These waves shaped the cliffs and caves.
Cham Keng Chau in the northwest looks like a dragon’s head. Lung Lok Shui on the southwest coast resembles a dragon’s spine. Kang Lau Shek, at the southeastern tip, features sea stacks. These are watchtowers carved by the relentless sea. Lan Kwo Shui presents a difficult crossing. Vertical cliffs meet the sea. Caves punctuate the rock face.
This area is also home to abundant marine life. Around Tung Ping Chau, you can find corals and seaweeds.
The island’s human history also lives on. The Tin Hau Temple was built in 1765. The Tam Tai Sin Temple followed before 1877. They stand as testaments to the island’s enduring spirit.
Now, Tung Ping Chau is a geopark. It’s a protected area. People come to dive and hike. They explore the unique geology. They discover the island’s hidden beauty. Though deserted, Tung Ping Chau is not forgotten.