The Mini Great Wall and other Cheung Chau trails 小長城和其他散步道

Southeast Cheung Chau: the Mini Great Wall

The grandest of the trails is the “Mini Great Wall”, in southeast Cheung Chau. It’s easily reached from Kwun Yam Wan, to the south of the main beach at Tung Wan.

Look up to a headland, and you’ll see a flight of concrete steps – which start at a junction behind a small Tin Hau temple. Follow the steps up the headland, and you’ll arrive at a lookout pavilion, with cracking views across Cheung Chau to the hills of Lantau, and eastwards towards Lamma and Hong Kong Island.

The Mini Great Wall drops down from here (the shorter flight of steps – another flight leads down to the rocky shore, and another pavilion: it’s pleasant but a dead-end). There are no more views over much of Cheung Chau; instead, this is a fairly wild stretch of coast, looking out across the South China Sea. You first cross a small, wooded valley.

Granite boulders dot the hills. They’ve been weathered into natural sculptures, some of which are named for their shapes. A side-trail down a short, steep flight of steps leads to Fa Peng Shek – Flower Vase Rock, said to look like a vase when seen from the sea. The scenery is excellent; but take care as there are steep cliffs.

Further on, the path nears Human Head Rock – a large tor, which most looks like a head, complete with ear and nose, from the north side: it’s now hard to get to the best vantage because of vegetation. The Mini Great Wall continues, reaching the top of a headland overlooking southeast Cheung Chau, with the coast plunging down to rocks below.

長洲的東南面：小長城

在長洲的東南方，最主要的路徑是”小長城”。從觀音灣到小長城比較容易，它一直向東灣的南面延伸。

眼望一處岬角，你就會看到一段混凝土造成的梯級─它的開端是在天后廟的路口。 沿著梯級走就可以到達海角，你會到達一個瞭望亭，你可從那裡看到一個極出色的景致─橫跨長洲的小丘嶼、大嶼山、南丫島及香港島。

小長城到此停下，(即短樓梯的盡處─另一梯階是通向岩岸的，有著另有一個瞭望亭：它很優美但再向前走就會到盡頭)。到這裡時已沒有其餘的景色；相反，有著連綿不斷的海岸，且可看到南中國海。

花崗岩石塊散落在山頭，它們早就風化成自然雕塑品，其中有些以它們的形狀命名。 旁邊有一條小路，彼樓梯通往花坪石-石花瓶，從海上望過去，它就狀似一個花瓶。那裡的風景極好，但是要小心，因為有點陡峭。

另外，在那附近有一人頭石─那是一塊很大的突岩，其中最像一個人頭，可清晰看到耳朵和鼻子。由於長滿植物的關係，現在很難找到比較好的站立位置了。到了盡頭可俯視長洲的東南面。

Onwards – to Nam Tan Wan

From here, either return to near Kwun Yam Wan, or take the steps leading up from near Human Head Rock – to a trail junction by a pink apartment block.

There’s a right turn at the apartment block – this takes you northwards, and you can drop down the side of a valley, back to Kwun Yam Wan.

Onwards, the trail continues skirting high above the southeast coast. On a small headland, there’s a short, mostly overgrown trail to a building that’s now amidst woods, with a statue of the Virgin Mary as reminder of the time when missionaries used to relax on Cheung Chau between stints working in mainland China.

Just before this overgrown trail is a rough, stony path to the left; a handwritten sign points the way (in Chinese) to the Lover’s Cave. This isn’t really a cave, but a hollow beneath great boulders. En route to the “cave”, there’s a small statue of the Monkey King, gazing out over the coast.

Keep to the coastal trail, and there’s another headland, with the relatively new – and mostly empty – Seascape Peninsula apartments. Soon after this, there’s a junction above a cove.

Straight on from the junction, the path soon comes to Cheung Chau’s sports ground, from where there’s a path to the village, and ferry pier (passing the Kwan Kung Temple, beside Peak Road [which, you’ll notice, is more akin to Peak Footpath!]).

Or, drop left – to Nam Tan Wan – and the trail crosses a small valley with vegetable plots and a stream, to a temple with a pleasant vantage, facing south towards Wai Ling Ding and other islands belonging to Zhuhai.

Up from Nam Tan Wan, you’ll arrive at a junction on Peak Road. Turn right for the ferry pier. Keep straight on if you’re feeling up to plunging through the village and navigating the narrow, winding “streets”  back to the harbour and pier (not too difficult, really). Or left, to continue along the southern coast of Cheung Chau.

南氹灣

從這裡，要麼回到附近的觀音灣，要麼走上附近的石梯去看附近的人頭石─此路在一棟粉紅色房子的路口。

在粉紅色房子轉右，慢慢向下走經過一個小山谷，可回到觀音灣.

然後，繼續繞過東南面沿海的小道；會看到一個小岬角，有一條不長的小徑─就在房屋與樹林之間；且可看到一尊聖母瑪利亞的神像。

就在這小徑左側，有一個手寫的中文路牌，指示遊人去情人洞的方向。這不是真正的山洞，而是一個下方空心的巨大石塊。在去洞的途中可看到一個凝視著海岸的猴子雕像。

沿著這條路徑，有另一個岬角。附近還有一棟相對較新的公寓─海濤半島，在洞的附近有一交界的路口。

沿路口直行，可到長洲山頂運動場；從那兒有一條路是通往山頂的住宅區、另一是通往碼頭(會經過關公廟、山頂道).

或者 你可向左走到南氹灣。穿越小山谷、菜地和小河流，可看到一觀音廟，它面臨南方的外伶仃島和其他屬於珠海的島嶼。

沿著南氹灣，你會到達山頂道的路口：右邊是通往碼頭的；但你可保持直行，途中會經過小村、通過狹窄的”街道”即可回到碼頭(不會太困難)。或者可選擇留下，繼續沿南方走走。

Trails and Coves in Southwest Cheung Chau

Peak Road follows the “spine” of southern Cheung Chau, with the coast to your left, the village to your right. You pass apartments – mostly in three-storey “Spanish villas” typical of Hong Kong’s New Territories. The path climbs, passing rather taller (six storey) government housing, and then runs through trees and passes a cemetery.

Just after the cemetery, there’s a left turn, to a beach in a sandy cove (long known to western residents of Cheung Chau as the Italian Beach). It’s usually tranquil; a good place to linger.

From the cove, head back to Peak Road, and then keep on to nearby Sai Wan village, by the harbour.

Or, there are concrete steps leading west from the Italian Beach, to a path that crosses another small headland, where there are huge boulders including the Reclining Rock. There are more steps, down from the Reclining Rock to a tiny cove, where you have to scramble over rocks: take care here, and maybe turn back if it’s high tide.

Then, there’s a concrete trail again, and narrow steps up between and under boulders. Turn left at the top if you’d like to visit the Cheung Po-tsai Cave – which is really a cleft in the rocks, where it’s perhaps unlikely the infamous of Hong Kong’s pirates really did stash booty. Or, turn right, passing a toilet (phew – at last!), and down more steps to a small Tin Hau temple overlooking the harbour.

You soon arrive at Sai Wan, the only village in southwestern Cheung Chau. From here, you can walk along the waterfront or catch a kaito (water taxi) back to the ferry pier.

山徑和長洲西南面的小海灣

山頂道是沿著長洲南方的”脊樑”行進的，左邊是海岸而右邊是主村。典型的香港新界房屋大多都是三層”西班牙式的別墅”，在長洲的山頂道你會看到很多這類型的房屋。沿著此路行走，也會看到比較高大(大概6層)的政府房屋，然後會經過一個樹林地帶和墓地。

剛剛過了墓地，向左轉，有一個海灘(長洲的外國居民稱它為意大利沙灘)。這裡很寧靜，是一個消磨時間的好去處。

你可以選擇從小海灣回去山頂道，然後繼續向附近的西灣村進發。

或者，在小海灣的一條混凝土的樓梯，會經過一個小岬角 哪裡有很大石塊─包括斜倚岩等等；如果你要攀越石斜倚岩會看到一小海灣，但需注意安全。

接著，會看到一條窄狹的小樓梯，如果你想參觀張保仔洞請轉左 — 那其實是一個地洞，洞口很窄，又不明顯，只能容納一人通過，並非如人們想像中海盜的儲存戰利品的大洞穴般。如果轉右，會經過一個廁所；沿樓梯而下走的話會看到西灣天后廟。

你很快會抵達西灣，從這裡，你可以沿著海邊或選擇乘坐街渡(水的士)回到碼頭。

North Cheung Chau: lookout pavilion and a hidden beach

There are also trails up and over the northern chunk of Cheung Chau. Walk north from the ferry pier, and you can skirt the harbour side. After passing repair yards for fishing boats, the broad coastal path soon passes small beaches (not good for swimming), alongside the channel between northeast Cheung Chau and Lantau. After an estate of mostly empty flats, there’s a path curling uphill.

Up the hill, you’ll come to a lookout pavilion – a wonderful vantage for admiring Cheung Chau, especially on a clear day.

There are a couple of paths leading down from here – one winds down a narrow headland, the other down the hillside – to a small, sandy beach tucked away between rocky headlands. This can seem an almost secret place. There are small (even tiny!) coral colonies in this cove. But it’s hardly a paradise, especially as the tideline may be dotted with polystyrene and other rubbish.

Down from the pavilion, a path winds southwards, and down to a small concrete “park”, from where a flight of steps plunges down to beside Pak Tei Temple, close to the ferry pier.

長洲北：北眺亭和隱藏的海灘

還有另外一條路徑通向長洲的北部。從碼頭向北走 ─ 你可以繞著海港的邊緣而行。經過修理漁船的排廠，會看到一個小沙灘(不太適合游泳)，再經過一個沒太多人居住的屋邨，會有一條捲曲的小徑通往山上。

上到山頂處，你可到北眺亭─那是一個欣賞長洲的極佳地方，尤其在天朗氣清的日子。

那裡有兩條小徑：一條是通向小岬角；另一是通去山坡的路 ─ 可到達一個夾在岩石間的小型沙灘，這似乎是一個沒多少人知道的秘密地點。那裡有很細小的珊瑚群，但在岸邊有零星的聚苯乙烯及其他垃圾。

從亭下來，向南走，可到達一個小公園、還有一段樓梯通到北帝廟廟旁，離碼頭也不遠。