Pui O (or), formerly Lo Pui O, is an area on Lantau Island in Hong Kong. It is a popular destination for holiday camping in Hong Kong. Visitors may also rent village houses for leisure. Located in the South Lantau, there are four main villages in Pui O, they are Lo Wai, San Wai, Lo Uk, and Ham Tin . Pui O is located at the edge of Lantau South Country Park.[1]
Lo Wai, San Wai, Lo Uk and Ham Tin are recognized villages under the New Territories Small House Policy.[2]
Pui O is a bay shaped by the Chi Ma Wan Peninsula and the lower slopes of Sunset Peak. A main river from a valley to the east and other small river gather at Pui O forming an estuary of wetland. Villagers enclosed the wetland and converted it into rice paddies. This is indicated by the name Ham Tin . At the shore, a long beach (or spit) is formed by the interaction between the current of the South China Sea and the rivers.
See main article: Pui O Beach. Pui O Beach runs along almost the entire shoreline of Pui O. Due to the geological composition of surrounding area, the sand on the beach is mixture of black and yellow. The Hong Kong Government has constructed facilities on the upper beach for wild camping.
Lo Pui O is one of five villages of Lantau that were resettled when the coastal restriction of the Great Clearance was lifted in 1669. The other villages are Tung Sai Chung, Tai O, Shek Pik and Mui Wo.[3]
During the Qing dynasty, villages near the shore in Hong Kong were frequently attacked by pirates. Villages in Pui O were constructed as walled villages to assist in repelling these attacks, and several of the Lantau villages, though getting a living from the sea, were by design located at some distance from it.[4]
29 historical buildings and features of Pui O are listed by the Antiquities and Monuments Office.[5]
In Ham Tin, at Chung Hau there is a Tin Hau Temple. It was built in the Ming dynasty, rebuilt in 1798 and repaired in 1947,[6] 1974 and 1995.[5] It is surrounded by two feng shui trees, and an earth god shrine is located at its right side.[5]
Other historical buildings include:
Most of Lantau Island, Pui O included, is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 98, which contains multiple aided schools on Lantau Island, including two in Tung Chung; no government primary schools are in this net.[9]
Mangrove can be found on both sides of the estuary between Ham Tin and Pui O beach.[10]
A resident population of water buffaloes can be found in Pui O. It is one of the few remaining areas where they still occur in Hong Kong.[10]
The Lantau Trail passes through Pui O, and there are many other hiking routes in the vicinity. There are also several Mountain Bike tracks which are located on the Chi Ma Wan peninsula, and are connected to many other tracks around the Island.
Pui O is on the South Lantau Road. All bus routes between Mui Wo and other points pass through Pui O, with the New Lantao Bus running their route numbers 1, 2, 3M, 4 stopping at the Pui O Petrol Station, San Wai Tsuen and Lo Uk Tsuen. A branch road, Chi Ma Wan Road routes across Chi Ma Wan Peninsula to Chi Ma Wan.
