Cheung Chau, Hong Kong

For many people in my native Hong Kong, taking a holiday means jumping on a plane and going somewhere overseas --- anywhere, no matter far or near, as long as it is out of the city. I can understand why people have this mentality. With a typically oppressive culture at the workplace and ties of extended families, being physically absent may well be the only possible way to truly withdraw from all sorts of duties. Yet, compact though it is, the irony of Hong Kong is that about three-quarters of its territory is countryside. That means a place of tranquility, where one may get close to nature and seek a moment of quietness, may be, so to speak, a mere stone's throw away from the noisy and crowded streets of the concrete jungle.

The island of Cheung Chau is just such a place. A slow ferry ride there from the Central piers takes under one hour, while a high-speed ferry takes about 35 minutes.

Many an old building remain on Cheung Chau.

Sailboards at Kwun Yam Wan. There is a monument erected nearby, in honour of Lee Lai Shan, Olympic windsurfing Gold Medalist, who was born on the island. 

Kwun Yam Wan Beach on the left and Tung Wan Beach on the right.

Many weathered rock formations line the coast on the 'Mini Great Wall' trail on the southern part of the island.

Elephant Rock

View from the Mini Great Wall trail.

This police car is one of the very few vehicles on the vehicle-restricted island.

Dried fish on sale.

Bicycles for rental.

Ping On Bun, the local speciality.

Ferries at the Cheung Chau typhoon shelter.