Lion Rock
Encyclopedia
Lion Rock, or less formally Lion Rock Hill, is a famous hill in Hong Kong
. It is located between Kowloon Tong
in Kowloon
and Tai Wai
in the New Territories
, and is 495 metres high. The peak consists of granite
covered sparsely by shrubs.
Lion Rock is famous for its shape and is visible from various places in Kowloon; its resemblance to a crouching lion is most striking from the Choi Hung and San Po Kong
areas in East Kowloon. A trail wends its way up the forested hillside to the top, culminating atop the lion's head. The trail can be followed across the profile of the lion, eventually linking up with the MacLehose Trail
. The rock provides a beautiful view of the city and Hong Kong Island
in the distance. The entire hill is located within Lion Rock Country Park
in Hung Mui Kuk, Tai Wai and is made passable by vehicles by Lion Rock Tunnel
, which connects Kowloon Tong and Tai Wai.
Lion Rock is near another famous rock structure, the Amah Rock
.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. It is located between Kowloon Tong
Kowloon Tong
Kowloon Tong , formerly Kau Lung Tong, is an area in Hong Kong. Within New Kowloon, it is administratively divided by Kowloon City District and Sham Shui Po District...
in Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
and Tai Wai
Tai Wai
Tai Wai is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong, located between Sha Tin New Town and the Lion Rock. It is the largest part of the Sha Tin District....
in the New Territories
New Territories
New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
, and is 495 metres high. The peak consists of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
covered sparsely by shrubs.
Lion Rock is famous for its shape and is visible from various places in Kowloon; its resemblance to a crouching lion is most striking from the Choi Hung and San Po Kong
San Po Kong
San Po Kong is an area in New Kowloon in Hong Kong. South of Wong Tai Sin and Diamond Hill, and north of the former Kai Tak International Airport, the area is bounded by Choi Hung Road and Prince Edward Road. San Po Kong is largely industrial and partly residential. Administratively, it belongs...
areas in East Kowloon. A trail wends its way up the forested hillside to the top, culminating atop the lion's head. The trail can be followed across the profile of the lion, eventually linking up with the MacLehose Trail
MacLehose Trail
The MacLehose Trail , opened on 26 October 1979, is a hiking trail that crosses much of the New Territories, starting from Pak Tam Chung, Sai Kung, in the east to Tuen Mun in the west in the territory of Hong Kong. The whole trail is 100 kilometres long, marked by distance posts at 500m intervals...
. The rock provides a beautiful view of the city and Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
in the distance. The entire hill is located within Lion Rock Country Park
Lion Rock Country Park
Lion Rock Country Park is a country park, located in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It consists of approximately 5.57 km2 of land, including Lion Rock and Mong Fu Shek and their surrounding scenic hillsides, of which 3.48 km2 is forestry plantations.-Landmarks:The dominant topographical feature...
in Hung Mui Kuk, Tai Wai and is made passable by vehicles by Lion Rock Tunnel
Lion Rock Tunnel
The Lion Rock Tunnel, being the first tunnel in Hong Kong, is a twin-bored toll tunnel, connecting Sha Tin in the New Territories and New Kowloon near Kowloon Tong. It has two lanes in each direction, with toll booths located at the Sha Tin end. It is a vital component of Route 1.The Lion Rock...
, which connects Kowloon Tong and Tai Wai.
Lion Rock is near another famous rock structure, the Amah Rock
Amah Rock
Amah Rock is a naturally occurring rock located on a hilltop in southwest Sha Tin, Hong Kong. The rock is approximately 15 meters in height, and its shape looks like a woman carrying a baby on her back...
.
Cultural references
- A road in Kowloon CityKowloon CityKowloon City is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is named after the Kowloon Walled City, and is administratively part of Kowloon City District....
is named Lion Rock Road, translated in Chinese as “獅子石道; PinyinPinyinPinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Shīzǐshí Dào”. - There was a TV series called Below the Lion RockBelow the Lion RockBelow the Lion Rock is a TV show about the lives of Hong Kong citizens. It is broadcast five times, each forming its own series, from 1974 to 1979, 1984 to 1988, 1990, 1992 to 1995, and 2006...
between 1974 and 1994. The series, produced by RTHK, featured some of the early work of now famous film directors such as Ann HuiAnn HuiAnn Hui On-Wah is a Hong Kong film director, film producer and occasional screenwriter, one of the most critically acclaimed amongst the Hong Kong New Wave.-Early life:...
. The name of the series and its eponymous theme song has since been used to refer to Hong Kong as a whole. - A popular song in Hong Kong originally sung by Roman TamRoman TamRoman Tam, known by the stage name Lo Man , nickname Law Kee , was a renowned Hong Kong Cantopop singer. He is regarded as the "Godfather of Cantopop".-Career:...
is named "Under the Lion Rock" (獅子山下; PinyinPinyinPinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Shīzǐ Shān Xià); the song indicates the spirit of the Hong Kong people. - Gavin YoungGavin YoungGavin David Young was born in Bude, Cornwall, England. His father, Gavin Young, was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Welsh Guards. Daphne, his mother, was the daughter of Sir Charles Leolin Forestier-Walker, Bt, of Monmouthshire. Young spent most of his youth in Cornwall and South Wales...
wrote the history of Cathay Pacific AirwaysCathay PacificCathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place...
in a book entitled Beyond Lion Rock (1988). - The Lion Rock InstituteThe Lion Rock InstituteThe Lion Rock Institute is a non-profit, public policy think tank that advocates free market solutions for Hong Kong's policy challenges. Founded in 2004, The Lion Rock Institute remains Hong Kong's only independent free-market think tank...
is a public policy think tank advocating free market solutions for Hong Kong's policy challenges. - The reggae band CultureCulture (band)Culture was a Jamaican roots reggae group founded in 1976. Originally they were known as the African Disciples.The members of the trio were Joseph Hill , Albert Walker and Kenneth Dayes ....
has a song entitled 'Lion Rock'.