Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor attended the opening ceremony of Sha Tau Kok Pier on June 3 and witnessed the important moment when Sha Tau Kok was officially opened to tour groups during holidays. She also said that the opening of Sha Tau Kok is an important step in the "Northern Metropolitan Area Development Strategy" announced by her in October last year. She will work with Shenzhen to advocate the development of comprehensive ecological conservation and ecological recreation tourism. It is regrettable that Sha Tau Kok was not opened to tourism until 25 years after the handover. The government has not implemented the opening of the Sha Tau Kok restricted area until today, which cannot be regarded as an important step in the construction of the "Northern Metropolitan Area".
Sha Tau Kok is a very special place on the border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. It has been listed as a border restricted area since the 1950s. Except for local indigenous residents, ordinary Hong Kong citizens can only go there if they apply for a restricted area paper. Therefore, it is absolutely For most citizens, Sha Tau Kok has a mysterious veil. People do not know its true appearance, and Sha Tau Kok has not developed with the development of Hong Kong.
However, on the other hand, Shatoujiao is a border village closest to Shenzhen. It has long had a close relationship with Shenzhen and benefited from reform and opening up and the rise of Shenzhen. In the 1980s, when the Shenzhen Special Administrative Region began to develop, and when most mainland residents were unable to travel to Hong Kong, the "Sino-British Street" in Sha Tau Kok once became a must-have for mainland residents to experience Hong Kong's capitalism. Wherever they go, the continuous flow of mainland tourists brings huge profits to Sha Tau Kok and benefits to the residents.
Sha Tau Kok is such a very special place. Although it is within the jurisdiction of Hong Kong, it has been in a restricted area for a long time and has not been able to benefit from the development of Hong Kong. Although it is outside Shenzhen, it has followed the pace of opening up and reform and has benefited.
Sha Tau Kok residents hope to lift restricted area restrictions, open up tourism and revitalize the local economy. This is no longer a recent thing. As early as the beginning of the handover, local residents have already made demands to the SAR government to open the Sha Tau Kok Pier and Sha Tau Kok Market for local tourism. As early as 2003, when Ip Lau Suk-yee was still the Secretary for Security, she had publicly stated that she recognized the demands of Sha Tau Kok residents and would soon open the Sha Tau Kok restricted area to allow urban residents to travel to Sha Tau Kok and its surrounding areas. Regional travel to experience the local Hakka village culture and natural scenery.
However, this promise has not been implemented until now, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the return. Moreover, citizens are only allowed to join tour groups on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. It took Sha Tau Kok more than 20 years to achieve its wish to lift the restricted area, which is really sad.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has included the opening of the Sha Tau Kok Pier in the "Northern Metropolitan Area Development Strategy" and regards it as an important step in implementing the northern urban area plan. This step makes people feel that it is too late and too small. As a tourist spot, the attractions of Sha Tau Kok are the well-preserved natural Hakka village customs and the well-preserved natural ecological scenery in the rural areas. This is actually due to the fact that Sha Tau Kok has not been properly developed.
To develop the "Northern Metropolitan Area", isn't it necessary to build the New Territories northern area into a new modern urban area? Lifting restrictions on restricted areas can only be regarded as removing unreasonable policy constraints. The government has not actually taken any substantive development and construction measures, so how can it be said that it has taken an important step? Moreover, the removal of the restricted area was proposed more than 20 years ago, but the government has delayed its implementation until now. At best, it can only be said to be a debt repayment, and it may not be considered a new measure.
The government has proposed the development of the "Northern Metropolitan Area" and should have a comprehensive, high-standard and high-standard plan for the development of this area. If the government hopes to develop Sha Tau Kok into a tourist town, then it should have the development of a complete modern high-tech tourist area. The plan includes a complete transportation infrastructure plan, including various construction plans for hotels, homestays, shops, restaurants, as well as cultural and tourism service facilities. In addition, cooperation with surrounding cities such as Shenzhen, Huizhou must also be drafted Plans, etc., so that the public can see the development direction of the "Northern Metropolitan Area" from Sha Tau Kok.
Since the government wants to develop the northern part into a metropolitan area, how can it continue to develop Sha Tau Kok in a rural pattern? Merely opening the restricted area in Sha Tau Kok is far from enough, and the implementation of the proposed opening of the restricted area more than 20 years ago cannot be regarded as an important step towards building a "northern metropolitan area".
Text: Wenwu
