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6 Sai Kung Peninsula SAI KUNG PENINSULA (Paul Tsui, written after he retired) Prior to the Second World War, Sai Kung was virtually inaccessible. There was one small ferry boat running only once a day, between Shaukiwan and Sai Kung market. The ferry had to take the route via Lyemun, Fat Tong Mun, crossed the open sea by Clear Water Bay, through Port Shelter to Sai Kung Market. Off the coast round Fat Tong Mun, the sea could be very rough, and it took over an hour each way. Seldom was the journey attractive to picnickers, particularly if they were not good sailors. Alternatively, travellers would have to take the route via Ngau Chi Wan, climbed the steep hill across the Tseng Lan Shu valley, then down the slope bypassing Wong Keng Tsai to Ho Chung, and then along the coast to Sai Kung Market. That route would take over two hours, and could be exhausting. In my schoolday picnics the furthest I ventured was Rennie’s Mill down the slope from Tseng Lan Shu. I could only gaze at Sai Kung from a distance across the valley from the ridge behind Rennie’s Mill. Crew members on board picnic launches going as far as Clear Water Bay pointed vaguely at the direction of Sai Kung. To my pleasant surprise there already existed after the war a wellpaved motor road running from Ngau Chi Wan via Tseng Lan Shu, Tai Po Tsai and the whole length of the Clear Water Bay Peninsula, to Tai Wan Tau, beyond Tai Au Mun village. It was along this quiet but smooth Clear Water Bay Road, where I learnt and practised how to drive a jeep. It was here too, where I practised horse-riding with the help of the Commando troopers. I combined such pleasant pastimes with my official duties, by visiting the villages along Clear Water Bay Road on my way, and got to know some of them well enough to be on first-name terms. Apart from Tai Po Tsai, most of them were Hakkas. From a junction near Tai Po Tsai, the Japanese army, using prisonerof -war labour, had started constructing a rough but “jeepable” path, down the treacherous steep slope via Wo Mei, Ho Chung, and Pak Sha 212 Southern DiStrict officer reportS Wan to Sai Kung Market. The Commandos, on taking over, did a good job in trying to improve the road, and named it the “Hiram’s Highway”. Thus when I came to the scene, it was possible to gain access to Sai Kung Market by jeep, driven by skilful driver. The Commando Unit garrisoned in Sai Kung Market had established its command post including an officers’ mess in a two-storey schoolhouse near the Tin Hau Temple. It was here I had luncheon with General Festing. It was here also, where Jack Cater and I spent a night, when a typhoon frustrated our attempt to visit Tai Long, Tap Mun, Lai Chi Wo, Sha Tau Kok, Kat O, and Peng Chau Island to assess the potential of a fishing industry. We laid on a Harbour Defence motor launch to take us from Sai Kung. The naval lieutenant in command of the launch had never experienced a typhoon before. When the typhoon signal was lowered, he insisted that his launch could withstand any rough sea. So we set sail eastward, towards High Island. As we were heading towards the open sea off Long Ke, the waves were so high that our launch nearly capsized. The coxswain, who apparently was a seasoned sailor, was not happy with the situation, but the young naval lieutenant was rather insistent. After a few tosses, I told the skipper that I considered it to be too dangerous to continue, and Jack Cater agreed with me. So we turned back. What impressed me most in my round trip walking all over the Sai Kung Peninsula was the number of Catholic Churches and Chapels all over the place. At the eastern end of Sai Kung Market, almost right next door to the Tin Hau Temple, was a Catholic school for girls. About 50 steps up the hill slope behind the same Tin Hau Temple was a substantial Catholic Church, with a fairly elaborate school complex attached to it. There was a Catholic Church at Yim Tin Tsai and Chapels at Wo Mei, Chek Keng, Tai Long, Sai Wan, Leung Shuen Wan and halfway up the hill behind Sai Kung Market. I had a shock...

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