Salute To Nature

In nature, all living things are equal – including people. We all share the fresh air, yet no one person can say that the wild plants or animals are ‘his’ or ‘hers’. Exploring the countryside, we are charmed by the songs of forest birds or by the gorgeous colours of butterflies. In autumn, fallen leaves across the forest floor invite our touch. In winter, a soft sun embraces us. The domains of nature are far from the concerns of the city. In this sanctuary we can all, in individual ways, find paths to our personal Shangri-las.

Some people call Hong Kong a ‘concrete jungle’. Only those who have never visited or enjoyed the local countryside say so, for some forty percent of the total land area is designated as Country Parks. Each is in some ways identical for all are ‘part of nature’; while in other ways each of the 23 Country Parks is quite different. Each has its green story to tell. There are also six Special Areas, where visitors can experience the beauty of wild country. Open to all, the Country Parks and Special Areas reveal pristine nature, many with historic and cultural remains. Visiting the Country Parks offers, for young and old, delightful outings.

Different Country Parks – different scenery. While some visitors head to quiet remote parks, others prefer the more frequented places – like Kam Shan. Here one finds dams built almost a century ago, as the first water storages in the New Territories: such as blue-green Kowloon Reservoir. Mirrored in its waters are varied greens that reflect wooded slopes, and the radiant blue of cloudless skies. The atmosphere is so tranquil that one can fall into fantasy, lingering… lingering.

Magnificent Scenery in Hong Kong

Challenging trails that wind up and over Violet Hill trail remind all hikers: no pain, no gain. The Dragon’s Back, recently voted by Time magazine as the best urban hiking route in Asia, is easily accessible. Don’t let its proximity to the city fool you. Its sweeping vistas are breathtaking. On the ridge, mesmerising landscapes and seascapes present one of the grand sights in Hong Kong. The environment here is so natural, so wild, you can barely believe Central is just a few kilometres away over the hills. Former Governor Sir Murray MacLehose, for one, had real awareness of the pleasures and importance attached to the territory’s outdoors. While putting much personal effort into developing the Country Parks, Sir Murray initiated a major hiking trail in 1979 – the MacLehose Trail. As he once said, ‘If not for the countryside there would not be anywhere to breathe fresh air in Hong Kong.’

Hong Kong has a commendable record in improving its rural environment and its biodiversity. This is the result of a long-term sustained, concerted effort, initially led by reforestation – and more recently by ecological enhancement. The afforestation of the eroded badlands in Tai Lam Country Park is but one example. The plantation trees there bear witness to man’s ability, given good methods, to improve the environment rather than degrade it. Admiring the fine scenery and verdant woodlands seen at Tai Lam today, it is hard to imagine that once its valley was denuded badlands.

The newly opened Wetland Park, adjacent to the Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site, was originally conceived as a green ‘mitigation’ area for nearby urban developments. Opened in May 2006, and buffering the world-renowned Mai Po bird reserve from the densely populated Tin Shui Wai new town, the Wetland Park is a gem. In Hong Kong, where freshwater wetland habitats now are extremely few, this mudflat and marsh sanctuary is invaluable.

Over the years, the Hong Kong Country Parks have seen considerable improvements in their visitor facilities. This has been welcome and needed – as it is a clear trend that more people are going to the countryside. Still, accidents do happen because many visitors lack good preparation. As a result, some people say that the Country Park facilities should be still further upgraded. Some want better mobile phone network coverage. Some people want concreted pathways, even in the most remote and little visited places. Others want more rubbish bins, and toilets or better barbecue areas. The list goes on – and on. Sometimes it seems that many people wish to bring the city and its ‘built environment’ right into the countryside.

Hong Kongers take pride in their Country Parks and Special Areas and we shall all prepared to keep it clean and away from damages. Surely, then, the last thing we should not do is to transform the country into an urban replica – by building too many, or too large, facilities. This would defeat the aim of having Country Parks.

The Country Parks, in very many ways, encourage more visitors to visit the wonderful resource that is our Hong Kong countryside. And the Country Parks remain resolved to make visitor experiences as pleasant and enjoyable as possible. But, as said at the start, no one can claim the countryside as their own. It is for people to visit; it is where plants and animals live. We must not over urbanize the countryside. For, if we did, we would diminish the very resource that we have come to love: the living, ever changing, quietly beautiful, always fascinating countryside.