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Research dossier · Places & Architecture

Shek Ngau Chau

island of Hong Kong

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMay 4, 2026
Entity authorityQ2160048 ↗
Source-derived summary

Shek Ngau Chau (Chinese: 石牛洲, formerly Gau Tau 㞗頭 - literally, "penis head") is an uninhabited island of Hong Kong within Tai Po District. It has an area of 0.92 hectares (2.3 acres) and is located in Mirs Bay, in the north-east of the New Territories.

Buildings

The island features a light beacon, a pier, a one-storey hut and stairs to the peak. They were built by the Marine Department as aids to navigation.

Conservation

The island is the most important breeding ground for terns in Hong Kong. It was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 2005.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Shek Ngau Chau” as island of Hong Kong. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Shek, Ngau and Chau.

Editorial reviewA strong orientation record where physical form, institutional use and historical geography need to be read together. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2005—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Shek, Ngau and Chau providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Shek Ngau Chau”, the useful work is to connect “island of Hong Kong” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2160048. Authority coordinates are 22.467, 114.433. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2005.

Critical limits

Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Shek Ngau Chau”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Shek Ngau Chau primary sources, Shek Ngau Chau archive and Shek research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Shek Ngau Chau”?
  2. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
  3. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Shek Ngau Chau” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.