Peng Chau is a small island located off the northeast coast of Lantau Island –more or less opposite the towers of Discovery Bay. At just 0.38 square miles, life on Peng Chau operates at slower more idyllic pace than its high-rise neighbour.

 

This was not always so. There is evidence going back to the 7th century that people were using kilns to create building materials out of coral. By the 1800s there were 11 lime ash kilns. Despite its diminutive scale, by the 1940s, there were 100 factories on Peng Chau with people commuting from Hong Kong to work in them. This included the Great China Match Factory, which fell into obsolescence as cheap lighters became available. Now nothing remains but some numbered stones indicating the factory boundary.

 

The pace is quieter now, the main village served by ferries from Central, Discovery Bay and via the Inter Island ferry, Mui Wo and Cheung Chau. It’s a great place to visit. Most visitors tackle the 95-metre Finger Hill, the island’s highest point for the views over Hong Kong, or take in the view at harbour level along the promenade and over the footbridge to the even smaller Tei Lei Island, which is a popular fishing spot.

 

The Tin Hau, Golden Flower Mother and Lung Mo temples provide opportunity for interest and contemplation, while the Seven Sisters Temple has long been visited by those wishing for fertility. Otherwise visitors keep to the Family Trail, wander the quaint streets or stop for refreshments at the island’s cafés and restaurants as they enjoy the quieter pace of life.

 

Peng Chau is just 40 minutes from Pier 6 from Central and it is also the terminus for the Inter Island ferry from Cheung Chau, which also calls at Mui Wo.