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- Jan 6, 2013
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1. The History
There's an interesting backstory how a large fishing village like this came to be like this. As this is a re-visit and I did a lot of research last time around:
Two year's on very little has changed.
2. The Explore
This was the first place on my list and the first place I visited on arriving back in HK. The site is effectively the same as it was when I visited two years ago. You can visit this place multiple times as the sheer size of the site means there is always something you didn't spot first time around. Some houses are fenced up/sealed tight but many are not so there's endless opportunities for photographs.
3. The Photographs
First place you come to on the path from the modern village. Identical to last time!
img1423 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1419 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1418 by HughieDW, on Flickr
So many empty houses:
img1424 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1426 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Some open:
img1434 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1438 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Some not:
img1427 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1447 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1450 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Some empty:
img1439 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Others with a few reminders of previous residents:
img1441 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Old boat ropes:
img1507 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1432bw by HughieDW, on Flickr
Reminders of the fishing village's past industry:
img1435 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1442 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1445 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1443 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Nice tiles!
img1453 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Obligatory shopping trolley pic:
img1474 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Old grinding stone:
img1473 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Some houses have been abandoned prior to the village's exodus:
img1454 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1462 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Former kid's playground:
img1476 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Former community centre:
img1490 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1482 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1488 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Former residence of Ma Wan (memorial to?):
img1480 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Down by the seafront:
img1486 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1489 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Nature at the window:
img1496 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Bang a drum!
img1497 by HughieDW, on Flickr
20170801_191819 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1501 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Decaying chair:
img1505 by HughieDW, on Flickr
That's all folks!
There's an interesting backstory how a large fishing village like this came to be like this. As this is a re-visit and I did a lot of research last time around:
Ma Wan is a fishing village on the small island of the same name sandwiched between Tsing Yi island to the North and the very large Lantau Island to the south. The island with an area of barely a square kilometre in total was very traditional and was famous for fish farming, producing shrimp paste and its many seafood restaurants that Hong Konger's flocked to.
Things changed, however, when the island found itself on the new expressway between the mainland part of HK and the new airport at Lantau, via the Tsing Ma bridge, in the mid 90s. By 2000 the island's population was around 800 but this rocketed with the completion of the Park Island high-rised residential complex, developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties, in 2006 which housed 5,000 families. Displaced residents were offered traditional 3-storey houses on the south side of the island.
Things took a bit of a controversial turn around 2009 when Sun Hung Kai Properties built the Ma Wan theme park featuring a life-size copy of Noah's Arc next to the Park Island. This was used as a pretext for the government to then relocate all the residents in the fishing village elsewhere by compulsorily purchasing their homes, resulting in the ghost town we see today. Some observers saw this as an under-hand way of clearing the south side of the island for a second residential development along the same lines of the Park Island complex. This theory was further supported by the corruption trial of SHKP chairman Thomas Kwok and his brother and co-chairman Raymond Kwok, for allegedly bribing HK Government chief secretary and No.2 in charge, Rafael Hui Si-yan, following their arrest in March 2012. The Kwoks were alleged to have paid Hui tens of millions of dollars to be their "eyes and ears" in government. After a high-profile trail Hui was found guilty in December 2014 and jailed for 7 and a half years. Raymond Kwok was acquitted while his brother was found guilty and jailed for 5 years.
Two year's on very little has changed.
2. The Explore
This was the first place on my list and the first place I visited on arriving back in HK. The site is effectively the same as it was when I visited two years ago. You can visit this place multiple times as the sheer size of the site means there is always something you didn't spot first time around. Some houses are fenced up/sealed tight but many are not so there's endless opportunities for photographs.
3. The Photographs
First place you come to on the path from the modern village. Identical to last time!
img1423 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1419 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1418 by HughieDW, on Flickr
So many empty houses:
img1424 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1426 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Some open:
img1434 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1438 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Some not:
img1427 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1447 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1450 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Some empty:
img1439 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Others with a few reminders of previous residents:
img1441 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Old boat ropes:
img1507 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1432bw by HughieDW, on Flickr
Reminders of the fishing village's past industry:
img1435 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1442 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1445 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1443 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Nice tiles!
img1453 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Obligatory shopping trolley pic:
img1474 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Old grinding stone:
img1473 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Some houses have been abandoned prior to the village's exodus:
img1454 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1462 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Former kid's playground:
img1476 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Former community centre:
img1490 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1482 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1488 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Former residence of Ma Wan (memorial to?):
img1480 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Down by the seafront:
img1486 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1489 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Nature at the window:
img1496 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Bang a drum!
img1497 by HughieDW, on Flickr
20170801_191819 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1501 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Decaying chair:
img1505 by HughieDW, on Flickr
That's all folks!
Last edited: