Siu A Chau

Siu A Chau
小鴉洲
Aerial view of Siu A Chau looking towards the South coast of Lantau Island
Location of Siu A Chau in Hong Kong
Geography
LocationSouth of Lantau Island
Highest elevation74 m (243 ft)
Administration
Siu A Chau
Traditional Chinese小鴉洲
Simplified Chinese小鸦洲
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXiǎoyāzhōu
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationSíu ā jāu
JyutpingSiu2 aa1 zau1

Siu A Chau (Chinese: 小鴉洲) is an uninhabited island[1] of Hong Kong, part of the Soko Islands group, located south of Lantau Island.

Geography

Siu A Chau is the northernmost and the second largest of the Soko Islands, after Tai A Chau. It is dumbbell-shaped[2] and has a rugged indented coastline with steep slopes.[3] The highest point of the island is at 74 meters.[4] A beach lies to the south, and another to the north of the island.[4][5]

Administration

Siu A Chau is a recognized village under the New Territories Small House Policy.[6]

History

In 1937, Walter Schofield, then a Cadet Officer in the Hong Kong Civil Service, wrote that Siu A Chau was "another settlement of early man" and that it had a "fishing village of huts very different from ordinary Chinese dwellings" at the time of writing.[2]

Features

There is a temple on the south side of the island.[4]

A low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) facility began operation at Siu A Chau in July 2005. Low-level radioactive wastes which had previously been stored in disused tunnels, two factories and five hospitals were subsequently transferred to the Siu A Chau facility.[7] Part of this waste was relocated from the disused Mount Parish air-raid tunnels at Queen's Road East, in Wan Chai. The 55 m3 of LLRW stored there had raised objections.[8][9] The opening ceremony of the facility was held in June 2006.[10]

References

  1. ^ Low Level Radioactive Waste Storage Facility at Siu A Chau. Environmental Monitoring and Audit Manual
  2. ^ a b Schofield, Walter (1983). "The Islands Around Hong Kong (notes for a talk given in 1937)" (PDF). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch. 23: 91–112. ISSN 1991-7295.
  3. ^ South West New Territories Development Strategy Review. Recommended Development Strategy. July 2001
  4. ^ a b c "No Man Is an Island". HK Magazine. 22 March 2007. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016.
  5. ^ "Far From the Madding Crowd". HK Magazine. 8 June 2006. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016.
  6. ^ "List of Recognized Villages under the New Territories Small House Policy" (PDF). Lands Department. September 2009.
  7. ^ Environment Protection Department: Low-level Radioactive Waste
  8. ^ Legislative Council Panel on Environmental Affair – PWP Item 70DR – Low-level radioactive waste storage facility, June 2003
  9. ^ Item for Public Works Subcommittee of Finance Committee, June 2003
  10. ^ Environment Protection Department: Low-level Radioactive Waste Storage Facility opens, 24 June 2006
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22°10′57″N 113°54′44″E / 22.18250°N 113.91222°E / 22.18250; 113.91222