Sunshine Island, Hong Kong

Island in Hong Kong

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Sunshine Island

日光島

Map showing the location of Sunshine Island in Hong Kong

Geography
Coordinates| 22°15′40″N 114°03′05″E﻿ / ﻿22.261111°N 114.051389°E﻿ / 22.261111; 114.051389
Area| 0.54 km2 (0.21 sq mi)
Length| 3.1 km (1.93 mi)
Administration

Hong Kong

Sunshine Island, Hong Kong

Traditional Chinese| 日光島
Simplified Chinese| 日光岛
| Transcriptions

Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin| Rìguāngdǎo
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization| Yaht gwōng dóu
Jyutping| Jat6 gwong1 dou2
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese| 晨曦島
Simplified Chinese| 晨曦岛
| Transcriptions

Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin| Chénxī
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization| Sàhn hēi dóu
Jyutping| San4 hei1 dou2
Sunshine Island viewed from Lantau Island

Sunshine Island (Chinese: 日光島), also known as Chau Kung To (周公島) indigenously, is a companion island of Hei Ling Chau in Hong Kong. Located northeast of Hei Ling Chau and south of Peng Chau, the island was once the site of a drug addiction treatment centre. The island features scenic rocks and some abandoned buildings. It has only one inhabitant, a 78-year-old named Lam Chi-ngai,[1] and there is no public transport to the island.

## History

[edit]

Friend (Quaker) Gus Borgeest, born in Ningbo in 1909, gave the island its English name and founded an audacious and successful resettlement and rehabilitation centre for Chinese refugees on Sunshine island in 1952. At the time opium addiction was endemic among many Chinese and the model farming community founded by Borgeest provided many mainland refugees and addicts in Hong Kong with a second chance. Borgeest's method was to provide land, housing, tools, seeds, training and assistance to refugees and give them the opportunity to each start a small farm on the island. The opportunity provided by Borgeest's project helped many refugee families re-establish themselves after the trauma of fleeing to Hong Kong. On a May 1956 visit to Sunshine Island one of the resettled refugees expressed the success of the project to then Hong Kong Governor Sir Alexander Grantham: "Sir, owning one's own land, managing one's own affairs, does something to a man. Such cannot be achieved, or even understood, by those who are content to let the government fill their rice bowls for them." For this work, Borgeest was awarded the 1961 Ramon Magsaysay Prize, also known colloquially as "Asia's Nobel Prize". The work of the Sunshine Island community was supported by The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Hong Kong. Sunshine Island formed the basis of later drug rehabilitation settlements still existing in Hong Kong.

## Fauna

[edit]

After the construction of Hong Kong Disneyland, white-bellied sea eagles moved from their habitat in Pa Tau Kwu (扒頭鼓) of Lantau Island to Sunshine Island. There is also an endemic species, the Bogadek's legless lizard (Dibamus bogadeki) living on the island.

## See also

[edit]

* Islands portal

* List of islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong
* Outlying Islands

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Sunshine Island's last 'resident'".

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sunshine Island (Hong Kong).

* Gus Borgeest biography on Ramon Magsaysay Awards website
* Webpage about wildlife protection (WWF HK) on Sunshine Island
* Satellite image from Google Maps

* v
* t
* e

Islands District

Areas|

* Cheung Sha
* Discovery Bay
* Mui Wo
* Nim Shue Wan
* North Lantau New Town
* Ngong Ping
* Sha Po
* Shek Pik
* Tai O
* Tung Chung

Landmarks|

* Citygate
* Novotel Citygate
* Fu Tung Estate
* Great China Match Company Factory
* Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (part)
* Hong Kong Disneyland (part)
* Disney's Hollywood Hotel
* Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel
* Other parts in Tsuen Wan District
* Hong Kong SkyCity
* AsiaWorld–Expo
* Lantau Peak
* Nei Lak Shan
* Old Tai O Police Station
* Our Lady of Joy Abbey
* Po Lin Monastery
* Tian Tan Buddha
* Pui O Beach
* St. John Hospital (Cheung Chau Hospital)
* Shek Pik Prison
* Sing Lei Hap Gei Lime Kiln Factory
* Tung Chung Battery
* Tung Chung Fort

| Beaches|

* Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach
* Hung Shing Yeh Beach
* Kwun Yam Beach
* Lo So Shing Beach
* Lower Cheung Sha Beach
* Pui O Beach
* Silver Mine Bay Beach
* Tong Fuk Beach
* Upper Cheung Sha Beach

|

Transport|

| Airport|

* Hong Kong International Airport
* Template

|

MTR stations|

* Airport
* AsiaWorld–Expo
* Tung Chung

Ngong Ping 360|

* Ngong Ping Terminal
* Tung Chung Terminal

Ferry piers|

* Cheung Chau Ferry Pier
* Peng Chau Ferry Pier
* Peng Chau Public Pier
* Silvermine Bay Ferry Pier
* Sok Kwu Wan Pier No. 2
* Sok Kwu Wan Public Pier
* Yung Shue Wan Ferry Pier

Islands|

* Chek Lap Kok
* Cheung Chau
* Hei Ling Chau
* Sunshine Island (Chau Kung To)
* Peaked Hill (Kai Yek Kok)
* Kau Yi Chau
* Siu Kau Yi Chau
* Lamma Island
* Luk Chau (George Island)
* Lantau Island (most)
* Template
* Peng Chau
* Tai Lei
* Po Toi Islands
* Lo Chau (Beaufort Island)
* Mat Chau
* Po Toi
* Sung Kong
* Waglan Island
* Shek Kwu Chau
* Soko Islands
* Cheung Muk Tau
* Ma Chau
* Siu A Chau
* Tai A Chau

Culture|

* Cheung Chau Bun Festival

Education|

* Buddhist Fat Ho Memorial College
* Caritas Charles Vath College
* Christian Zheng Sheng College (Lantau and Cheung Chau)
* Discovery Bay International School
* Discovery College
* HKFEW Wong Cho Bau Secondary School
* YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College

This list is incomplete.

* v
* t
* e

Major islands of Hong Kong

By area|

* Lantau Island
* Hong Kong Island
* Lamma Island
* Chek Lap Kok
* Tsing Yi
* Kau Sai Chau
* Leung Shuen Wan
* Po Toi Islands
* Po Toi
* Waglan
* Cheung Chau
* Tung Lung Chau
* Crooked Island
* Double Island
* Hei Ling Chau
* Ap Lei Chau
* Soko Islands
* Tai A Chau
* Siu A Chau
* Ping Chau
* Peng Chau
* Ma Wan
* Ninepin Group
* Tap Mun
* The Brothers
* Green Island
* Centre Island, Hong Kong
* Kowloon Rock

Former islands|

* Kellett Island
* Stonecutters Island
* Hoi Sham Island
* Channel Rock
* Pillar Island
* Mong Chau
* Chau Tsai
* Nga Ying Chau
* Lam Chau
* Rumsey Rock
* High Island
* Yuen Chau Tsai

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*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template