Tolo Harbour
Encyclopedia
Tolo Harbour or Tai Po Hoi (大埔海, historically 大步海; lit. "Tai Po Sea") is a sheltered harbour in northeast New Territories
of Hong Kong
.
aka. Sha Tin Hoi is to the south of the harbour, and Plover Cove
, Three Fathoms Cove
and Tolo Channel
are to its east.
The Shing Mun River
empties first into Tide Cove, then the harbour.
Several islands are located in the harbour, including Ma Shi Chau
, Centre Island
, Yeung Chau
and Yim Tin Tsai
. Yuen Chau Tsai
is a former island, now connected to the mainland by a causeway.
s were very abundant here. Pearl hunting
had been a major industry in Tai Po
from Han Dynasty
. In Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
, a king of Southern Han changed the name of Tai Po to Mei Chuen To (媚川都) and ordered an aggressive cultivation effort, which led to many fatalities amongst the pearl hunters. The hunting lasted until the Ming Dynasty
, when the pearl oysters were nearly extinct in the area.
was built in 1910s and Tolo Highway
in 1980s on its western shore.
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...
of Hong Kong
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...
.
Geography
Tide CoveTide Cove
Tide Cove or Sha Tin Hoi is a cove at the mouth of Shing Mun River. The cove is open to Tolo Harbour . The cove was largely reclaimed for the development of Sha Tin New Town.-See also:* Ma Liu Shui* Sha Tin Sewage Treatment Works...
aka. Sha Tin Hoi is to the south of the harbour, and Plover Cove
Plover Cove
Plover Cove or Shuen Wan Hoi is a cove in the Tai Po area of Hong Kong, near Tolo Channel and Tolo Harbour.It is encircled by the hills Pat Sin Leng and Wan Leng , the Yim Tin Tsai, Ma Shi Chau and Tung Tau Chau island ranges, and a long peninsula extending from Fu Tau Sha...
, Three Fathoms Cove
Three Fathoms Cove
Three Fathoms Cove or Kei Ling Ha Hoi is a cove in Tai Po District, Hong Kong. It is surrounded by Shap Sze Heung , Kei Ling Ha , Yung Shue O , Wong Tei Tung and Sham Chung . Most of its east shore constitutes part of the Sai Kung West Country Park.The cove's north is connected to Tolo Harbour...
and Tolo Channel
Tolo Channel
Tolo Channel or Chek Mun Hoi Hap is a channel south of Plover Cove in Hong Kong connecting Tolo Harbour to Mirs Bay. At Mirs Bay end, it is named North Channel....
are to its east.
The Shing Mun River
Shing Mun River
Shing Mun River, or Shing Mun River Channel, is a river in Sha Tin, Hong Kong.-History:The original Shing Mun River began at Needle Hill, and flowed into the former Tide Cove , a shallow bay. In the 1970s, Tide Cove was drained and turned to Sha Tin New Town...
empties first into Tide Cove, then the harbour.
Several islands are located in the harbour, including Ma Shi Chau
Ma Shi Chau
Ma Shi Chau is an island of Hong Kong, under the administration of Tai Po District. It is located in Tolo Harbour in the northeast New Territories . It is connected with another island, Yim Tin Tsai, by a narrow strip of land that is only accessible when the tide is low.-Geography:Ma Shi Chau has...
, Centre Island
Centre Island, Hong Kong
Centre Island aka. A Chau is a small unihabited island of Hong Kong located in Tolo Harbour, in the northwestern part of the territory. Administratively, it is part of Tai Po District.-History:...
, Yeung Chau
Yeung Chau, Tai Po
Yeung Chau is an unihabited island of Hong Kong located in Plover Cove, Tolo Harbour, in the northwestern part of the territory. Administratively, it is part of Tai Po District....
and Yim Tin Tsai
Yim Tin Tsai (Tai Po)
Yim Tin Tsai is an island of Hong Kong located in Tolo Harbour.-Geography:Yim Tin Tsai is located in Tolo Harbour and forms part of the southern border of Plover Cove. It is connected to the mainland in the north by a road, leading next to The Beverly Hills, and to the island of Ma Shi Chau in the...
. Yuen Chau Tsai
Yuen Chau Tsai
Yuen Chau Tsai was formerly an island of Tolo Harbour, in Hong Kong. After land reclamation, it is now connected to land by a causeway and is part of Tai Po District.The Tai Wong Yeh Temple and Island House are located in the area of the former island....
is a former island, now connected to the mainland by a causeway.
History
In the past pearlPearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
s were very abundant here. Pearl hunting
Pearl hunting
Pearl hunting or pearl diving refers to a largely obsolete method of retrieving pearls from pearl oysters, freshwater pearl mussels and, on rare occasions, other nacre-producing molluscs, such as abalone.-History:...
had been a major industry in Tai Po
Tai Po
Tai Po is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui and the Tai Wo Town on the other side of the Lam Tsuen River, near the old Tai Po Market Station of the...
from Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
. In Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was between 907–960/979 AD and an era of political upheaval in China, between the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the founding of the Song Dynasty. During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were...
, a king of Southern Han changed the name of Tai Po to Mei Chuen To (媚川都) and ordered an aggressive cultivation effort, which led to many fatalities amongst the pearl hunters. The hunting lasted until the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, when the pearl oysters were nearly extinct in the area.
Transportation
Kowloon-Canton RailwayKowloon-Canton Railway
The Kowloon–Canton Railway refers to a railway network in Hong Kong which is now combined with the MTR railway system, comprising rapid transit services, a light rail system and feeder bus routes within Hong Kong, and intercity passenger and freight train services to the rest of China...
was built in 1910s and Tolo Highway
Tolo Highway
Tolo Highway is a major expressway on Route 9 in Hong Kong. It connects the new towns of Sha Tin and Tai Po in the eastern New Territories.The highway diverges from Tai Po Road near Sha Tin Racecourse. The following of the road runs on an embankment on the west coast of Tolo Harbour towards Yuen...
in 1980s on its western shore.