Sha Tau Kok
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Sha Tau Kok (traditional Chinese: 沙頭角) is a town in the northeastern corner of Hong Kong. Shatoujiao (simplified Chinese: 沙头角), is another town with the same Chinese name but romanized using pinyin, and is located across the Shum Chun River-defined border in Guangdong Province, mainland China.
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Hong Kong side
There was the terminus of Sha Tau Kok Railway, which was no longer run on April 1, 1928 and replaced by Sha Tau Kok Road. Sha Tau Kok Railway was built from the original narrow gauge of the KCR British Section, which was replaced by standard gauge. Since that time, the area in which the terminus occupied is still called the "train station" or fo cha teu in the local dialects (火車頭 huochetou). Currently, the Shatoukok both double decker and minibus services run from this area. There are a few shops nearby, and the government public housing project.
Today, the SAR-controlled Sha Tau Kok is a quiet rural town, part of North District. It has a post office, a bank, a few shops and a small population. Most of the residents are from Hakka farming or Hoklo fishing backgrounds, although farming and fishing are no longer the main way of life, and most young people are well-educated and working in the urban areas. The SAR portion of Sha Tau Kok is within the boundary restricted zone of the SAR.
Mainland China side
The mainland Shatoujiao is a bustling metropolis in comparison to Sha Tau Kok in the Hong Kong SAR, due to its location in the Yantian Qu (district) of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. The cosmopolitan population is mainly composed of migrant workers from all parts of China along with a handful of Russians. Shatoujiao is a port with cargo coming into and exiting Yantian. It has a road connecting downtown Shenzhen, with the regular bus services to Shenzhen's main train terminus, thus a connection to Guangzhou also. Moreover, it is situated near a newly constructed motorway or highway which links to Meixian and Chaozhou and the Shenzhen railway is also part of the transport links between Hong Kong and Beijing.
The town's attractions include Minsk World and an aircraft carrier moored in the bay.
Border
Sha Tau Kok is one of the three road connections between Hong Kong and mainland China. The other two being Man Kam To and Lok Ma Chau.
Chung Ying Street (中英街 ZhongYing Jie) is special for being on the border, each side of the street belonged to two different countries in the past. But it can be perceived as a popular place for goods trafficking without getting through custom checks. There are a lot of goods leaving Hong Kong via Sha Tau Kok which goes into Chung Ying Street and eventually end up inside China. Likewise, foodstuffs come through from China into Hong Kong all day through, only limited by the closure of the Chinese custom post.
An influx of mainland workers flow into Chung Ying Street from 7am when the custom post is opened. Residents from the Chung Ying Street area are free to pass in and out of the Chinese border post, because they have residency passes. Other non-residents must be issued with permits to enter from the Chinese authorities. Tourists are also found visiting Chung Ying Street to buy Western products from Hong Kong first hand, and prices may be higher than within China, but equivalent products found within China are suspected by mainland residents as not being wholly genuine.
It is now possible to travel conveniently into mainland Shatoujiao via the Shataukok border crossing. Coaches run a regular schedule from Luen Wo Market (a small town near Fanling, in the New Territories) bus station, situated near the recently opened Luen Wo Market and Library complex, and from Fanling train station also. Tickets currently (2005) cost HK$20 for each passenger. The coaches also provide space for luggage. Travellers are taken through the Shek Chung O border check point without permit search, as they are directly driven through to the Shataukok Immigration checkpoint.
Here, passengers alight, go through customs, and have their documents processed, before reboarding the coach to be driven to the Shatoujiao KouYan (the mainland border immigration checkpoint). They alight and take all their belongings through the mainland Chinese customs and have their documents processed. Travellers from outside China are advised to obtain entry visas from the appropriate authorities or via a travel agent before attempting the entry. Hong Kong residents should hold Home Visit Permits (HuiXiang Zheng) for entry into China.
It has been announced (27th January 2005) that street maps for tourists have now been put up around Shatoujiao, which will help travellers get around.
See also
External links
- A report of Sha Tau Kok on Sing Pao newspaper (http://www.singpao.com/20050503/local/707982.html)
- Details of Sha Tau Kok from HK-place.com (http://www.hk-place.com/view.php?id=129)
- Details of the rural area of Sha Tau Kok from HK-place.com (http://www.hk-place.com/view.php?id=130)