This is where I grew up: an increasingly odd “white ghetto” (so-called because of the overwhelmingly Western nature of DB- not because of the race of its inhabitants) that really cannot be done proper justice in words.
The aerial photo above looks to be several years old, but it gives a very clear image of how Discovery Bay is laid out. It also shows how green Hong Kong actually is (something often lost on people who have only ventured into the city part). Plus, the picture has a kind of dated, grainy look that I really like.
The concept of Discovery Bay first came up in the late Seventies. Development had originally started under the old owner of the Hong Kong Resort Company Ltd., Mr. Eddy Wong, but financial troubles saw HK Resorts being purchased by the Cha family, an international textile group. Under Wong DB was intended to be a tourist getaway, but the Chas instead marketed the area as a residential community with a “relaxed lifestyle”. That doesn’t mean to say, however, that ‘Disco Bay’ (the abysmal nickname some residents used to employ) would have looked much different under the supervision of Mr. Wong. I mean it really does have a holiday feel about it- as though a little town in Spain and Club Med Bali had a baby. Or something along those lines.
I really don’t sound too enamored with the place, do I? I suppose it’s cynicism, along with that jittery feeling suburbs sometime evoke in me. Because I really did have a fantastic time growing up in Discovery Bay- it’s pretty much heaven for kids. In addition, the relative peace and space and freedom after the crowds and pollution of Hong Kong proper was really special. Sometimes I describe the experience as essentially growing up in a small town- just one 30 minutes away from of the world’s most famous metropolises.
Another thing about DB is that it’s in a really great location for exploring some of Hong Kong’s lesser known locations and activities. For instance, today I went on a hike to Mui Wo (梅窩 –'plum nest’), a more rural community South of Discovery Bay. Amazingly enough, the last imperial court of the Southern Song Dynasty fled all the way from modern-day Hangzhou (Eastern China) to Mui Wo from the invading Mongols in 1277. Also intriguing are the silver mines that were worked along the Silver River; or rather, the fact that they used to exist- there’s not much to see in the way of memorabilia nowadays.
But the super relaxed village wasn’t the only sight of the hike. Because it’s more like a very steep march up a rough concrete path. That goes past (and if you make a detour, through) a Trappist Monastery. So cool! The monks used to keep dairy cows in the monastery to sell to Lantau Islanders, but now that job is done by the bovine residents of another Trappist Monastery in Hong Kong…not sure what the reasons were for the switch though. Either way, hikers do sometimes run into cows chilling out on the paths! They’re really cute looking but the bulls are kind of on the intimidating side, what with their horns and all. Less cute are the wooden crosses nailed periodically to trees leading the way to the monastery, decorated with Roman numerals and small portraits of Jesus looking martyr-like.
Also fun is the small village spanning the distance inbetween the Trappist monastery and Discovery Bay, called Nim Shue Wan (can’t find any English translation!). It’s this little beach community totally separate from DB, despite its small size and proximity to the heart of Discovery Bay. Apparently most of the people who live there now are domestic helpers (“amahs” in Cantonese), but there are still a few small farms growing carrots, ginger, eggplant and the like (I myself plan to become a regular face at ‘Grandpa’s Organic Farm’). From the looks of it, though, Nim Shue Wan is a poor and somewhat neglected neighbourhood. The roofless remains of cement houses no bigger than nine square meters and the Tin Hau (“Godess of the Sea”) temple remind passers by that this was once a different place. Probably a fishing village or something. But I always enjoy likening it to Jurrassic Park, cause there is at least one abandoned jeep with cracked windows halfway up a hill. Heheh.
Essentially what I’m saying is that Discovery Bay, for all of its faults, is filled with and surrounded by some amazing places, places I’ve forgotten about since moving to Canada. This is long so I’ll end here. Haven’t credited a single one of the images I’ve used, so let me know if that’s a problem..
