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I฀H E฀CAPE฀D฀AGUILAR฀PENINSULA฀ The Cape d'Aguilar Peninsula (Plate 1) is named afte r Major-General G.C . d'Aguilar wh o took up appointmen t as Lieutenant Governo r o f Hong Kon g and Commande r of the British troops in China during late 1843 , soon afte r Hong Kon g wa s founde d i n 1841 . Th e Cap e d'Aguila r Peninsula form s th e easter n arm , th e Stanle y Peninsul a the western arm , of Tai Tarn Harbour an d Ba y (Figure 1) . This i s a dog-leg shaped drowne d rive r valley, created b y the rise in sea level, by about 1 0 m, after th e retreat of the last ic e ag e som e te n thousan d year s ago . Muc h o f th e northern en d o f the Cap e d'Aguila r Peninsul a comprise s the She k O Countr y Par k an d Ta i Tar n Ba y i s a Sit e o f Special Scientifi c Interes t (SSSI) , bein g th e las t are a o f intertidal san d an d mud , sal t meado w an d mangrov e o n Hong Kon g Island . Th e broa d feature s o f th e ecolog y o f the Cap e d'Aguila r Peninsul a hav e bee n describe d b y Proud (1977) . Freshwate r discharg e int o th e ba y wa s dramatically reduced following completion of the Tai Tarn reservoir scheme i n 1918 . Nevertheless, the bay is still of fundamental ecologica l significance , eve n mor e s o no w that the Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve is established an d there will be a need for areas of seashore to be set aside for school education . Th e pat h alon g th e ridg e o f Cap e d'Aguilar Peninsul a of the Shek O Country Par k is called the Dragon' s Back (Wa n Cham San ) an d i s now a nature trail. Perhaps one day such a nature trail can be extende d to the Cape d'Aguilar Marin e Reserve . ITS฀HISTORY฀ The easter n sid e of the Cap e d'Aguila r Peninsul a i s exposed to strong wave action and important coastal areas include the recreational beaches of Big Wave Bay and Shek O. The peninsula is sparsely inhabited, there being villages in Tai Tarn Tuk, a t She k O and , a t it s tip, Hok Tsui . Th e village of Hok Tsui has its origins in the eighteenth centur y when i t starte d lif e a s a farming community . Th e villag e was and stil l i s a settlement o f the Ch u family , originall y from one of the Hakka areas of north Guangdong Province. According t o cla n records , th e firs t ancesto r wa s a ston e cutter wh o arrive d i n Hon g Kon g i n 176 2 an d opene d a quarry i n Shek Ton g Tsui. He too k his eight son s to Ho k Tsui where he opened fields and built the village and where he die d i n 1781 , aged 5 7 years. The presen t villag e head , Mr Ch u Siu-wah , i s his direc t descendant . Th e farmin g and, later, its sea-faring traditions of the village are reflected in the presence of a nineteenth centur y watch tower, built of local rock, which wa s used against pirates and bandits . Also of interest i n the village i s the simple templ e t o Pa k Tai, th e Norther n Emperor . A t th e en d o f th e Cap e d'Aguilar Peninsul a i s th e Hig h frequenc y Radi o Transmitting Statio n o f Hong Kon g Telecom. A maz e of masts an d wires , the statio n als o receives thre e underse a Trans-Pacific fibre-opti c telephon e cables . Th e cable s arrive ashore i n Lobster Bay . Undoubtedly th e bigges t eyesor e o n th e Cap e d'Aguilar Peninsul a i s the quarry...

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