 Hei Ling Chau | |
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | East ofLantau |
| Area | 1.93 km2 (0.75 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 187 m (614 ft) |
| Administration | |
| District | Islands District |
| Hei Ling Chau | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 喜靈洲 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 喜灵洲 | ||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Island of Happy Healing Island of Joyful Soul | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Hei Ling Chau (Chinese:喜靈洲),[1] formerlyHayling Chau orNai Gu Island, is anisland of Hong Kong, located east ofSilver Mine Bay andChi Ma Wan ofLantau Island. Administratively, it is part of theIslands District.
Hei Ling Chau is located south ofPeng Chau and north ofCheung Chau. Its companion,Sunshine Island, is at its northeast. It has an area of 1.93 km2 (0.75 sq mi),[2] and the highest hill heighted 187 m (614 ft). The island is L-shaped with angle pointed northeast. Southwest water of the island is zoned asHei Ling Chau Typhoon Shelter [yue].
The island was originally known as Nai Gu Island (尼姑洲). Settled at the end of the 19th century, it become home to about 100 people across 10 families by 1951. In 1950, it was designated as aleper colony, and the islanders were relocated toTai Pak,Shap Long andCheung Chau. In 1954, leprosarium was established through a collaboration between theLeprosy Mission London and the Hong Kong Government. The facility reach its peak in the early 1960s, housing as many as 540 patients. In 1974, the leper colony was closed, and the remaining patients were relocated to the newly establishedLai Chi Kok Hospital. Following the closure of the colony, the island was repurposed by theCorrectional Services Department.[1]
In recognition of the island's new purpose, the island was renamed to Hei Ling Chau, which translates to "Island of Joyful Healing".[3]
TheHei Ling Chau Addiction Treatment Centre occupies the north-western part of the island and students often get a chance to visit the island by joining preventivedrug education programmes. The Centre Annex is located at the southeastern[clarification needed] end of the Island.
TheHei Ling Chau Correctional Institute is located on the eastern part of the island. TheLai Sun Correctional Institution is located on the northern side of the island. The Lai Sun Correctional Institution is the first Vocational Training Centre operated by the Correctional Services Department which aims to train inmates to develop useful and market-oriented vocational skills before re-integrated into society.
There are twoTin Hau Temples on the island. One was built in 1925 and was converted into a store room. The extant temple was built in 1985.[1]
In 2004, theHong Kong Government proposed to spend HK$12 billion to build asuperjail on the island. The proposal met strong opposition from the general public and experts alike, and was shelved indefinitely.
In 2006,CLP explored the possibility of constructing a second commercial wind turbine installation on Hei Ling Chau Island in order to promote the use of renewable energy in Hong Kong.[4]
Anendemicspecies,Dibamus bogadeki, commonly known as Bogadek's blind skink or Bogadek's legless lizard (Chinese: 鮑氏雙足蜥), was first discovered on the island by a Salesian priest and teacher, Father Anthony Bogadek, in whose honour the species is named.[5] They live in soil or objects lying on the forest floor, the first live specimen discovered hiding under a mass of dead leaves and soil in a drain beside woodland. As a nocturnal and burrowing species it is practically blind and its eyes are covered by scales.[6]
The ferry service fromPeng Chau, operated byHong Kong & Kowloon Ferry, continues on to Hei Ling Chau for some sailings, however a permit is required to disembark. As of 2017[update], the fare for a single trip costsHK$17.5.
22°15′9″N114°2′25″E / 22.25250°N 114.04028°E /22.25250; 114.04028
