Protests over development near one of Hong Kong's best beaches

The peace at Tai Long Sai Wan is now broken by a billionaire businessman's whim.

When the news broke last week that Sai Wan, one of the most idyllic stretches of sand in Hong Kong, is at risk of losing its pristine backdrop to private development, nature lovers and hiking aficionados collectively gasped in horror.

Sai Wan is one of the few reliably quiet and untainted beaches left in Hong Kong, usually visited by junk-trippers docking nearby, and hikers who had braved the sweaty hour-long trek from Sai Kung City Center. The bay sits along Sai Kung’s Tai Long Wan coast, which is dotted with beaches that can compete with those at Boracay, on a pollution-free day.

Read more about Tai Long Wan and Hong Kong's best beaches. 

Beaches along the Tai Long Wan coastline are so clean and picturesque that it's hard to believe they are in Hong Kong.

Protesters say the peace at Sai Wan is now being broken by the latest project of energy and investment billionaire Simon Lo. The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported last week that Lo, chairman of Mongolia Energy Corporation and Vision Values Holdings, has snapped up an abandoned village at the site for HK$16 million and is currently clearing away the lush landscape. The official plans for development are unclear. Lo claims he’s building an "organic garden" but local villagers say he’s actually planning a private lodge with tennis courts and artificial ponds, according to the SCMP. 

Disapproval amongst Hong Kongers over the project is growing rapidly, with well over 40,000 people joining a Facebook group condemning the development for upsetting the ecosystem. Many were also infuriated with the government for not doing more to stop the destruction. Green groups are planning a protest hike, tentatively set for July 25.

Lo could not be reached for comment.

Lo's 10,000 square meter construction site is close to, but not part of, the Sai Kung East Country Park, which leaves it out of the government's conservation policy. Bulldozers have largely been working on private land but a small section of the destruction have bled into government land, the Sing Tao Daily reported. Government officials and bureaus have promised to meet with the landowner as protests gained momentum.

Tai Long Sai Wan is a stone's throw away from Sheung Luk stream, the best place to throw yourself off a cliff in Hong Kong.

The appeal of Tai Long Sai Wan

1. It’s called Hong Kong’s back garden for obvious reasons -- with lush greenery, and snack shacks nearby, it’s a hiker’s haven and the perfect city getaway. 

2. It’s part of the Hong Kong Geopark, which ironically includes geologically valuable areas earmarked by the government for tourism.

3. It’s a stone’s throw away from Sheung Luk Stream, the best place to jump off a cliff in Hong Kong.

People power

The Facebook group for saving Tai Long Wan can be found here. Sai Wan villager Mr. Lai takes conservationists on a tour of the excavated site in a video clip (Cantonese only), and details of the protest hike can be found on Explore Sai Kung.