Appleachau or Up-Lei-Chow ? ( cant. trade. 鴨 脷 洲 , comp. 鸭 脷 洲 , yutphin : Aap 3 Lei 6 Zau 1 , cant. Russian : A: p Lei Chau , English Ap Lei Chau ) - an island in Hong Kong , included in the composition of the Southern District ; one of the most densely populated islands in the world (more than 60 thousand people / km²) [1] . Located in Aberdeen Bay, southwest of Hong Kong Island , opposite the Aberdeen area.
| Appleachau | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Specifications | |
| Square | 1.32 km² |
| Highest point | 196 m |
| Population | 86 782 people (2007) |
| Population density | 65 743.94 people / km² |
| Location | |
| Water area | South China Sea |
| A country |
|
| Region | Hong Kong |
| Area | Hong Kong Southern District |
Content
History
One of the first maps of the island dates back to the Ming period. It has a settlement of Xiangtzi (香港 村 or Heung Kong Tsuen), from which came the name of the neighboring island, and then the entire British colony of Hong Kong (translated from Cantonese means "village of the fragrant harbor").
Before the First Opium War, Appleichau was a fishing village, and also served as a shelter for ships under typhoons. After the signing of the Nanjing treaty , concluded in 1842 , the island, together with Hong Kong, went to the benefit of the British Empire .
In 1968, Hongkong Electric's power station was built here, which supplied electricity to the entire island of Hong Kong. In 1989 , in connection with the construction of a new power station on the island of Lamma , the old facility was closed and demolished, and the vacated land was allocated for residential development (part of the territory recaptured from the sea appeared as a result of large-scale bulk works) [2] .
In 1983, a four-lane bridge was built, which connected Apleichau with Aberdeen and gave a new impetus to the economic development of the island. In 1994, the bridge was reconstructed with the expansion of the roadway to eight lanes [3] .
Geography
The island has a shape that is compared with the shape of a duck tongue. Hence the name of the island: in Cantonese, “an” is a duck, “lei” is a language, and “chow” is an island. Other names for the island are Yalizhou and Aberdeen Island [4] . The highest hill on the island is Yukkuaysan (玉桂 山) hill or Mount Johnston.
From the north and north-west, Apleichau is washed by the waters of the Aberdeen Harbor, from the north it borders on the Aberdeen area, from the east it is washed by the waters of the Shamwan harbor and borders on the Wonchukhan area . From the south, Apleichau is washed by the waters of the Aberdeen Canal and the East Lamma Canal, and is also connected by a sandy-rocky lintel with a small uninhabited island of Apleypay or Yalipay [4] [5] .
Along the northern coast of the island are the Applachau Park, the Hongxing Street Garden, the Applachau Waterfront Promenade and the Applachau Wind Tower.
Population
The bulk of the population lives in the northern part of the island, while the southern remains less populated due to the hilly terrain and industrial facilities located here. As of 2007, almost 87 thousand people lived on the island, including 13 973 in Ap Lei Chau Estate, 16 842 in Ap Lei Chau North, 14 060 in Lei Tung I, 13 425 in Lei Tung II , in South Horizons East - 13 968 and in South Horizons West - 14 514 [6] .
Religion
The island is home to the Hongxing Temple, built by local fishermen in 1773 [7] , and the Kwunyam Temple (Guanyin or Shuyuet), built before 1891 near the old police station [8] , as well as the Harbor-Baptist Church.
Economics
There are several high-rise residential complexes located on Appleichau Island - Ap Lei Chau Estate (1979 - 1982) [9] , Lei Tung Estate (1986 - 1988) [10] , Yue On Court (1989) [11] , South Horizons (1991 - 1995 ) [12] , Marina Habitat (1998) [13] , Sham Wan Towers (2003) [14] and Larvotto Towers (2011), as well as modern wastewater treatment plants, small yacht construction yards and the Ap Lei Chau Industrial Estate. Trading is concentrated in Marina Square, Lei Tung Commercial Center, Horizon Plaza, Lei Tung Estate and Ap Lei Chau Estate. In addition, the island has many supermarkets, shops, restaurants and cafes.
Transport
Appleichau is connected to Hong Kong by an automobile bridge, which has four lanes in each direction. There are regular bus routes, minibuses and a regular taxi. There is water communication on ferries and sampans . As part of the expansion of the Hong Kong Metro, two new stations (Lei Tung and South Horizons) are under construction.
Culture and Education
The island is home to the Aberdeen Baptist College of Luiminchoy, founded in 1974 [15] , the College of True Light, founded in 1975 [16] , the Montessori International School, the government primary school of the Southern District, the Precious Blood Primary School, St. Peter's Catholic School, and the public library Apleachau and exhibition gallery of the Apleachau Wind Tower Park.
Health
The island’s basic medical center is the Apleichau Clinic and the family medicine center and the mother and child center located at it.
Sport
On the island there is a sports center at the municipal building Apleichau.
Notes
- ↑ Island Superlatives . WorldIslandInfo.com. Date of treatment August 1, 2014.
- ↑ Hongkong Electric Holdings Ltd. History (English) (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment August 1, 2014. Archived January 10, 2015.
- ↑ Memories in Apleichau (Chinese) (unavailable link) . Date of treatment August 1, 2014. Archived on September 26, 2011.
- ↑ 1 2 Map sheet F-50-XIII .
- ↑ Ap Lei Chau Formation - Kra . Date of treatment August 1, 2014.
- ↑ Southern (English) (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment August 1, 2014. Archived August 22, 2009.
- ↑ Hung Shing Temple, Ap Lei Chau . Chinese Temples Committee. Date of treatment August 1, 2014.
- ↑ Kwun Yum Temple, Ap Lei Chau . Chinese Temples Committee. Date of treatment August 1, 2014.
- ↑ Ap Lei Chau Estate . EMPORIS GMBH. Date of treatment August 1, 2014.
- ↑ Lei Tung Estate . EMPORIS GMBH. Date of treatment August 1, 2014.
- ↑ Yue On Court . EMPORIS GMBH. Date of treatment August 1, 2014.
- ↑ South Horizons . EMPORIS GMBH. Date of treatment August 1, 2014.
- ↑ Marina Habitat (English) . EMPORIS GMBH. Date of treatment August 1, 2014.
- ↑ Sham Wan Towers . EMPORIS GMBH. Date of treatment August 1, 2014.
- ↑ Aberdeen Baptist Lui Ming Choi College (English) (unavailable link) . Aberdeen Baptist Lui Ming Choi College. Date of treatment August 1, 2014. Archived January 7, 2014.
- ↑ Hong Kong True Light College . Hong Kong True Light College. Date of treatment August 1, 2014.