Tung Ping Chau 東平洲

【Hong Kong Nostalgia】Tung Ping Chau is a crescent-shaped island, located in Mirs Bay in the northeast waters of Hong Kong with a total area of 1.1 square kilometers. The highest point is Hok Ngam Teng of 48 meters on the southeastern end of the island. As the island looks flat, it is so named as Ping Chau (lit. flat island) . In order to distinguish "Ping Chau" the one located between Hong Kong island and Lantao island, it is also called "Tung (lit. east) Ping Chau". In the 1950s, about 1,500 villages were distributed in ten villages, living off in farming and fishing.

On 16 November 2001, Tung Ping Chau Marine Park was designated a marine park, the fourth such park in Hong Kong. It has a total sea area of 270 hectares including the island of Tung Ping Chau. It has a rich coastal ecosystem with half of stony corals and half of thick algae beds. Tung Ping Chau has the youngest rocks of Hong Kong. Around 55 million years ago, Tung Ping Chau was a lagoon; sediments were deposited and consolidated to form sedimentary rocks, mainly siltstone. The thinly-bedded sedimentary rock looks like a "layer Cake".

My first visit to Tung Ping Chau dated back to my 2nd year in my secondary school in Hong Kong. Our class was led by the geography teacher to the island for geology excursion. This is my second visit to the old place, already separated for decades. Due to the remote location, Ping Chau, unaffected by the impact of drastic urbanization, still retains its natural geological environment.

There is ferry departing from Ma Liu Shui pier to Tung Ping Chau on every Saturday and Sunday at 9 am. The voyage lasts for an hour and a half. Return time is 5 pm. The round trip fare is HK$95. I went there on one Saturday. The excursion started from Tung Ping Chau Ferry Pier going south along the shoreline in clockwise direction. It is a good place worth visiting.

(Courtesy:  Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong)

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Photo equipment:
Nikon D300s, Nikon GP-1 GPS
AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Nikon Coolpix P7700, 28-200mm
Nikon Coolpix P520, 28-1000mm
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【香港情懷】東平洲位於香港東北水域的大鵬灣，全島面積只有1.1平方公里，島形如彎月，最高點是48米的鶴岩頂，因其地形扁平而得名「平洲」。為了有別於香港島與大嶼山之間的坪洲，所以得「東平洲」名字。五十年代約有1,500名村民，分布於10條村落，村民多以耕種和捕魚維生。

環繞東平洲約270公頃面積的海域於2001年11月16日被劃定為香港第四個海岸公園。沿岸一半珊瑚，一半海藻。東平洲擁有香港最年輕的岩石，形成於約5,500萬年前。當時東平洲是一個潟湖，泥沙被帶到湖中，沉積和固結後形成沉積岩。東平洲的沉積岩主要是粉砂岩。薄層狀的沉積岩如同千層糕。

我初次踏足東平洲，是我讀中二的時候，地理科老師帶領同學登島觀石，這次是第二次重臨舊地，已隔了數十年的光景了。由於平洲位置偏僻，未受都市化的影響，地質環境仍保留著天然樸實的面貌。

往東平洲於周六和周日上午九時有船從馬料水碼頭出發，船程一小時半，下午五時回程，來回船費95元。當日是周末，往東平洲的人眾多，登島後，便沿著石碼頭海岸順時針方向環島遊，飽覽島上的奇石，是值得遊覽的好去處。

(鳴謝:  漁農自然護理署)

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【Rock Forms ● 石情】

#1. Sedimentary rocks on Tung Ping Chau.
Nikon Coolpix P7700 @45mm, f/8, 1/40s, ISO 800
東坪洲的沉積岩



#2. Strolling along the shore, I can see the ferry pier in far distance.
Nikon Coolpix P7700 @89mm, f/8, 1/160s, ISO 800
沿碼頭靠左的沙灘走，回頭可見渡輪碼頭。



#3. The roaring waves rolled onto the strange siltstones.
Nikon Coolpix P7700 @64mm, f/8, 1/160s, ISO 800
沿岸奇石夾著拍岸的浪花。

#4. I used long distant lens to capture these people who were walking on the wave-cut platforms beneath the sea cliffs.
Nikon Coolpix P520 @696mm, f/4.9, 1/2000s, ISO 800
我用長焦鏡頭捕捉了遊人在海蝕崖和下的海蝕平台行走的情景。

#5. Wave-cut platform
Nikon Coolpix P520 @464mm, f/4.8, 1/1000s, ISO 800
海蝕平台

#6. Dragon diving into the Sea
Nikon Coolpix P520 @28mm, f/4.7, 1/1600s, ISO 800
龍落水

#7. These siltstones on the beach were set as front view.  I moved the line of sea-level and the simple outline of the ferry pier on top of the screen to become background of the photo.
Nikon D300s, 17-55mm, f/2.8 @17mm, f/7.1, 1/125s, ISO 200
海邊頁岩的近鏡是前景，我將水平線和簡樸線條的碼頭放在畫面的上方成為背景。

#8. Here in the shallow rocky shore, the rifts are result of long time erosion of the sea water on the fragile cracks.
Nikon D300s, 17-55mm, f/2.8 @17mm, f/5.6, 1/800s, ISO 200
岸邊的淺石灘，石上的裂痕是海水長年把石上脆弱裂縫侵蝕後的現像。

#9. One man holds the pass!
Nikon D300s, 17-55mm, f/2.8 @20mm, f/5.6, 1/320s, ISO 200
一夫當關!

#10. Walking on the beach, I put the crowd on the upper right of the sea level to emphasize the wide beach and the curve of the shore line.
Nikon D300s, 17-55mm, f/2.8 @17mm, f/5.6, 1/1000s, ISO 200
我走在沙灘上，將人群放在上方水平線的右上角，突顯了遼闊的沙灘和彎曲的海灣。

#11. People walk on these layers of rocks full of eroded cracks.
Nikon D300s, 17-55mm, f/2.8 @20mm, f/5.6, 1/400s, ISO 200
沿著海岸邊走，経過這一大片的層疊岩石。海水侵蝕岩石形成裂痕。

#12. These layers of siltstones are located near Kang Lau Shek.
Nikon D300s, 17-55mm, f/2.8 @35mm, f/5.6, 1/400s, ISO 200
接近更樓石，地層都屬於頁岩。

#13. Kang Lau Shek (Watchtower Stones):  these are two huge sea stacks about 7-8 m high on the wave-cut platform on the eastern tip of Tung Ping Chau.  Constant coastal erosion along the vertical joints of siltstone enlarged the joints, first forming a sea arch.  Sea stacks were formed after the collapse if the sea arch.
Nikon D300s, 17-55mm, f/2.8 @35mm, f/5.6, 1/320s, ISO 200
更樓石：東平洲的海蝕平台上，屹立著兩座7至8米高的海蝕柱。本來是屬於一塊的岩石，中間的部份剝落。原屬粉砂岩的垂直節理長期受海浪侵蝕而擴大，逐漸形成海蝕拱，崩塌後，形成獨立的海蝕柱岩石。

#14. These people climbed on the rocks, two visible huge monsters!
Nikon D300s, 17-55mm, f/2.8 @23mm, f/5.6, 1/400s, ISO 200
遊人爬上更樓石，可見石岩的龐然！



#15. Lung Lok Shui  (Dragon Diving into the Sea): it is on the central West Bank of the island.  It is chert, about 60-80 cm thick and over 100 m long, slightly dipping to the east into the sea.  The triangular shape of the edge of the chert resembles a dragon's back, as though it is diving into the sea.  It's formation is because chert is more resistant to erosion than the surrounding siltstone, and is thus preserved.
Nikon D300s, 17-55mm, f/2.8 @17mm, f/10, 1/320s, ISO 200
龍落水:  位於島的中部西岸，是一條厚達60至80釐米的堅硬燧石層，岩層長達100多米，微微向東傾斜，插入海中。燧石層的邊緣呈三角形，從遠處看，猶如一條露出龍脊的神龍潛入水中，因此得名「龍落水」。其形成原因是由於燧石屬較其周圍的粉砂岩能抵抗侵蝕，因此被保留下來。

#16. People stayed on Lung Lok Shui.
Nikon D300s, 17-55mm, f/2.8 @22mm, f/10, 1/640s, ISO 200
人群聚集龍落水



#17. Cham Kang Chau:  in between of these two straight cliffs is a wind corridor, lined with cross-section of the siltstones.
Nikon D300s, 17-55mm, f/2.8 @17mm, f/10, 1/100s, ISO 200
斬頸洲，兩直崖當中是一條當風的走廊，兩旁是頁岩切面。

#18. The northern part of the sea abrasion canyon (Cham Keng Chau) consists of wave-cut platforms and sand beach.
Nikon Coolpix P520 @32mm, f/5.4, 1/1600s, ISO 800
斬頸洲北端的出口，是沙灘和海蝕平台。

#19. Our ferry passed the northern part of sea abrasion canyon, Cham Keng Chau (lit. Neck Cut through the Island).
Nikon Coolpix P520 @197mm, f/5, 1/2000s, ISO 800
渡輪経過東平洲的斬頸洲北端缺口。

#20. Passing Cham Keng Chau (Neck cut through the Continent), the trail turned around to reach Chau Mei Kok at the northern tip of the island.  The island trail made a turn at the corner and began to go down  toward the ferry pier following the beach of Cheung Sha Wan.
Nikon D300s, 17-55mm, f/2.8 @17mm, f/5, 1/250s, ISO 200
走過斬頸洲，沿岸環島遊覽的小路轉過小島北端的洲尾角，開始往下走，朝往碼頭的長沙灣路程。



#21. Tung Ping Chau Marine Park
Nikon D300s, 17-55mm, f/2.8 @17mm, f/5, 1/320s, ISO 200
東平洲海岸公園

#22. Walking on the beach towards the ferry pier, you can see the distant Chinese community.
Nikon D300s, 17-55mm, f/2.8 @17mm, f/5, 1/800s, ISO 200
走到朝向碼頭的沙灘，可以看見遠處的華界。



#23. Red sedimentary rocks
Nikon D300s, 17-55mm, f/2.8 @17mm, f/5, 1/200s, ISO 200
紅色的沉積岩

#24. I walked around the island and finally reached the ferry pier again!
Nikon Coolpix P520 @64mm, f/4.6, 1/160s, ISO 200
沿岸環島遊，終於走回起點的東平洲碼頭！

【Photographic Scenes ● 畫意】

#25. The look of joy in photography
Nikon Coolpix P520 @812mm, f/5, 1/250s, ISO 200
攝趣

#26. The holy cross is there!
Nikon Coolpix P520 @348mm, f/4.8, 1/250s, ISO 200
十架在那裡！



#27. On this meandering trail, I captured the images of the lovers.
Nikon Coolpix P520 @98mm, f/5, 1/50s, ISO 200
沿岸羊腸小徑，拍下一對情侶的倩影。

#28. I was sitting on the shore near the ferry pier to appreciate this vigorous trees on the roadside. At this moment, I saw an old man afar pushing a wooden cart and a composition of a picture came to my mind.  When he walked by, I took this photo that had emerged in my mind.
Nikon Coolpix P520 @28mm, f/4.7, 1/200s, ISO 200
我在離開碼頭不遠的岸邊閒坐，正在欣賞路旁的蒼勁大樹。這時，見到遠處一位老伯推著木頭車走過來，我的腦海已湧現一幅照片的構圖。待他走過，拍下腦海中的這張照片。

#29. Gazing over the simple outlines of the pier in the hazy sky, I deliberately chose to make the prospect sparse branches the front view, and try to compose this simple image similar to a Chinese painting.
Nikon Coolpix P520 @139mm, f/4.8, 1/320s, ISO 200
天色朦朧，遠眺線條簡樸的碼頭，我刻意挑選了疏落的樹枝作前景，嘗試把簡單的影像構圖似國畫。

#30. In a tranquil jetty, a marine police vessel dropped this police here.  He was off work going home? Or work begins?
Nikon Coolpix P520 @215mm, f/4.6, 1/250s, ISO 200
靜靜的碼頭，一艘水警輪將這位水警送來碼頭，他是下班正要回家？還是工作的開始？

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