The top pic is at Shek O Beach

Various beaches have trees above tideline; Cheung Sha among them

Yes, rubbish is important

Yet maybe tougher to give updates on than bacteria - depends a lot on onshore winds, and not really so dangerous, albeit unsightly.

I live on Cheung Chau; complained to district council, and HK govt, re the glass shards on Kwun Yam Wan Beach: led to no real action, as main source is on site that is maybe private.

Hey, thanks for the beach list!
May I ask where is the 1st pic on the top of the page taken from? it looks very nice.

also, I've seen some pics of a beach where there are some kind of trees every now and then, looking lovely and more natural. Do you what is this beach?

Thank you, have a good summer!

I visited Chung Hom Kok Beach yesteday after reading, among other things, that it had been graded 1 (good) in terms of water quality. Now I know that "beach gradings are assessed according to the bacterial counts of the five most recent sampling occasions" but surely rubbish needs to be factored in? For the amount of that (bits of plastic, etc.) in the water was amazingly high.

It's such a pity because the beach is in a scenic location and its sand quite fine and nice -- and minus the copious bits of glass shards I saw at Kwun Yam Beach in Cheung Chau when visiting there some weeks back.

Later today, am hoping to head to Cheung Sha Beach. Hope it won't be a case of problems with paradise once more as the weather really is of the sort that makes one want to head to the beach!

The editor of Sing Tao Daily takes a measured but progressive view toward getting shark's fin off the menu. As I understand it, the local Chinese media have not really taken up the issue before. 

Here's what he wrote in the HK Standard:

Turning up heat on shark's fin soup

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Eating shark's fin has become a political issue that is getting bigger in Hong Kong.

An environmental group wrote to 56 government departments and public bodies, asking about the situation regarding their consumption of shark's fin, and whether the departments have internal guidelines on this matter.

Having shark's fin on the menu of a banquet is obviously politically incorrect.

So sooner or later, the government will have to strike shark's fin from the menu when entertaining guests, to avoid pressure from green groups.

Among the public organizations surveyed, only the Hong Kong Observatory issued an internal memo - in February 2008 - prohibiting shark's fin at any official banquet.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption, meanwhile, said its practice is not to serve shark's fin or any other endangered species when entertaining guests, or at internal events.

Government departments have always been the pioneer of new practices.

Past examples include proper setting of air- conditioning thermostats, and the five-day workweek. If the green groups are successful in getting the government to ban shark's fin from banquet tables, it will set an example for the rest of the community, and serve to keep the issue alive.

In Hong Kong, shark's fin is not just a food matter, but one that has economic implications. A senior trade official once told me the SAR is not only a big consumer, but also a major trading center of shark's fins.

The movement against the consumption of shark's fin would, therefore, have a negative impact on the related traders here.

Eating shark's fin is considered bad from a conservation perspective.

Footage of fishermen throwing live sharks back to the sea after cutting off their fins are not helping the image of the industry.

Senior officials noted that any trade involving the use of natural resources would run into the issue of conservation.

Understanding that conservation is an unstoppable movement, some industries choose to go with the flow and practice self-discipline, such as setting hunting limits.

The shark's fin trade is no exception. In order to survive in a society that is growing in conservation awareness, it must find ways to adapt too. Siu Sai-wo is chief editor of Sing Tao Daily.

What's needed is fundamental reform of the planning processes that are currently way too top-down and mechanistic, focusing on neatly organising 7 million little dots from the perspective of government departments 'responsible' for their inputs and outputs.

People know what they want, at least when faced with some thoughtful options.  To generate plans that make Hong Kong a better place to live, let's have some genuine consultation and involvement by the public and the many non-government organisations (such as Designing Hong Kong, Society for the Protection of the Harbour ..., and yes, Hong Kong Outdoors) that are active and already offering imaginative proposals.

Among other things, such an approach would better match how people actually go about their lives (putting cycle tracks between and not just within the accommodation 'nodes' of Tseung Kwan O), draw on international examples (a strong coordinating development body for Victoria Harbour, such as in Sydney or Baltimore), allow more organic development (ie. not the farce of government determining exactly what a Cultural District should consist of), create greater accountability (URA slush fund, anyone?) and force government planning to focus on the strategic interests of Hong Kong people, rather than be constrained by its administrative structure and convenience.

Ill-considered projects, implementation problems and potential conflicts would be identified much earlier.

It would, of course, reduce the cosy relationship between developers and government in determining what is good for the rest of us.  Government departments would have to put in much more time and effort at early stages - not smokescreen PR and last-minute public presentations of stage-managed 'options'. 

And it would surely lead to more openness and accountability by government.  Perhaps that's the real problem.

How to get to Wong Nai Chung Gap from lantau island?

Head to HK Island.

A few ways once there; for instance, from Exchange Square take bus 6 or 66. Alight as bus arrives at crest of slope, in Wong Nai Chung Gap - just past the cricket ground. Walk up to the left (east).

I haven't seen much re danger there: other than the chance of rip tides/nasty currents if you swim, that is. (A v few times, people have been mugged while hiking, but rare - and can be issues in the city too of course.)

Care needed if it's hot, too; avoid heatstroke.

Best place maybe above tideline along Tai Wan beach.

If you go, hope you have a great time!

Martin

News on RTHK site includes:

Quote:The government has shelved its long-held plans to build a centralised slaughterhouse for poultry, saying the risk posed by bird flu has fallen to 'minimal' levels.

Central slaughterhouse plan shelved