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Photo: Hong Kong Tourism Board
Today, I’m on a time-travel mission. First, I thread through the anonymous masses surging through Hong Kong’s Admiralty train station, then catch the MTR to Sheung Shui Station, before boarding bus 78S. The hordes gradually thin out as I travel further, and just five other people join me on the bus.
Finally, I disembark at a small terminal, where a policeman asks to see my special government permit before I go any further.
I’ve arrived in Sha Tau Kok, a historic town on Hong Kong’s northeastern border with Shenzhen that’s been described as “sleepy” and “mysterious”. To that, I can add “unknown”, with most Hong Kongers (including those I informally quizzed) oblivious to its existence.
Since 1951, the town has been closed to the public, to deter illegal migrants and smugglers. But it won’t remain sleepy for long.
Thanks to the government’s ambitious plans to redevelop the area into a vibrant tourism hub, Sha Tau Kok has been slowly opening up since 2022, and from January, up to 1,000 visitors a day can now apply for a special permit to enter the town.
A living time capsule
Lai Chi Wo village is one of Hong Kong’s best preserved Hakka Village built more than 300 years ago, accessible via kaito ferry from Sha Tau Kok’s pier. It won UNESCO’s prestigious 2020 Special Recognition for Sustainable Development award for promoting cultural heritage conservation. (Photo: Hong Kong Tourism Board)
Sha Tau Kok’s bucolic appearance today belies its heyday in the 90s, when it was a popular shopping spot for Chinese tourists seeking foreign goods like jewellery, watches, and clothing. Much of this was concentrated around Chung Ying Street, a shophouse-lined alley that’s the official border between Hong Kong and mainland China and which is still off-limits for tourists today.
Sha Tau Kok was known for its large population of Hakka and Hoklo (Hokkien) fishermen, who were driven by Typhoon Wanda in 1962 into squatter settlements filled with stilt houses.
At the end of the 280m pier are Wish Fish, where visitors can write down their wishes in hopes of it coming true. (Photo: Security Bureau)
In the late 1980s, the government relocated them into public housing estates, where many of Sha Tau Kok’s 4,000 residents still live. These blocks of flats resemble Singapore’s older HDB flats and are typically painted in vibrant colours like purple, green, and pink.
A quiet place
With its rundown streetscapes, Sha Tau Kok is worlds away from the rest of Hong Kong, or even Shatoujiao, the Shenzhen town next door. Its restaurants are mostly clustered in the market, with few cha chaan tengs or Hong Kong-style cafes.
The sculpture outside the Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall. (Photo: Security Bureau)
“The people who live here want the quiet,” says my guide Joe Lee, who lives in the city. They don’t want bars or loud rock music. You can find bars on the other side,” he says, gesturing towards Shenzhen. “But that doesn’t belong here.”
Weekends are crowded affairs, with curious Hong Kongers streaming in to sample local delicacies like deep-fried radish cake and rolled omelettes with cuttlefish paste, as well as to wave at mainland Chinese across the border, who enthusiastically wave right back.
Rice crackers are handmade by the Hoklo families and sold to tourists. (Photo: Security Bureau)
Sha Tau Kok’s local attractions are few and quaint. Like the Old Fire Station or the Shun Ping Street murals, which depict traditional rituals like the dragon boat dance. Sha Tau Kok Market and Cooked Food Centre is a good place to buy quality dried fish and fish maw and eat authentic Hakka food.
The mirror-like Starling Inlet is charmingly scenic, as is the Cape of Sha Tau Kok, marked by a stone plaque inscribed with poetry attributed to a Qing Dynasty minister who was inspired by the coastline’s beauty.
I especially like the Sha Tau Kok pier, which is Hong Kong’s longest at 280m. On weekdays, there’s no better place to sit, gazing out at the ocean, where the stillness is disturbed only by the occasional silvery flash of a fish twisting in its green depths. From the pier, you can take ferry rides to the historic Hakka village Lai Chi Wo or Ap Chau island, known for its unusual rock formations.
Ap Chau or Robinson Island, known for its rock formations. (Photo: Hong Kong Tourism Board)
We enjoy a late lunch at Hai Shan restaurant that includes a Hakka-style pork bowl, a traditional dish of tender pork with fermented black beans and ginger. One side of the restaurant looks onto Chung Ying Street, and it’s a must to lean out its windows for views of Shatoujiao’s crowded streets below and one of its boundary stones marking the border.
Future plans for creativity
Shenzhen’s lively streets could signal things to come in Sha Tau Kok, as China’s plans for greater integration with the former colony come to fruition. In Sha Tau Kok itself, housing prices are already on par with the rest of Hong Kong, and there are plans to encourage young people to open cafes and creative businesses here — meaning avocado toast can’t be too far away.
The water in the Starling Inlet is so still, it’s also called the Mirror in the Sea. (Photo: Security Bureau)
“Think of Lamma Island,” says Lee. “It used to be a quiet place, but now you’ll find many bars and nightlife there. Many gweilo (Westerners) have moved there. The life of a place changes because the people change. Maybe the same thing will happen in Sha Tau Kok.”
Where to stay
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The Upper House’s 117 rooms all feature scenic harbour or island views, and its Andre Fu Suite (182 sq m) is particularly spectacular, with its many rooms including a dedicated spa area with twin massage beds.
Highlights include new Mediterranean-inspired menus at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Salisterra, visiting wellness experts (like renowned practitioner Anastasia Wiliams), and a new suite at 10X Longevity, which uses cutting-edge tech such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy to keep you looking and feeling good for as long as possible.
