Hiking, travel and adventures around Hong Kong and Asia.
HKFP Venture: Exploring an abandoned school on Hong Kong’s far-flung Kat O
Kut O public school (“Kut O” being another English rendering for Kat O), was founded in 1931. It allowed children on the far-flung island to receive an education from qualified teachers. Before its founding, the local children were given free lessons in classical Chinese by a villager in the wings of Tin Hau temple. Taking […]
HKFP Venture: Kat O, Hong Kong’s forgotten island – once its international gateway
Off the shore of Hong Kong’s north-easternmost corner lies Kat O, an island of fishing villages with a little-known history. Deserted under a decree during the Ming dynasty, it was re-inhabited by Hakka settlers in the 1660’s. Historically, the island served as an important resting stop for boats travelling between Hong Kong and the mainland. […]
HKFP Venture: Ma Wan’s abandoned village frozen in time as final residents evicted
Once a thriving fishing village with stilt houses, restaurants and a school, Ma Wan village now lies abandoned, slowly crumbling beneath the imposing Park Island residential complex and Tsing Ma bridge. In the 1980s, the town had a population of several thousand, though by 2000, it was home to around 800. Fish farming was the main […]
HKFP Venture: The magnificent mosques, mausoleums and minarets of Uzbekistan
Rich in history and home to some of the world’s most kaleidoscopic and intricate Islamic architecture, Uzbekistan is finally opening up to tourism. At the heart of the old Silk Road, the landlocked, ex-Soviet country has the largest population among the Central Asian “stans.” It is slowly undergoing reforms following the death of authoritarian leader […]
HKFP Venture: Uzbekistan’s stunningly ornate metro stations revealed after photography ban lifted
For decades, a photography ban was enforced across the Uzbek capital’s metro network. Central Asia’s oldest subway system fulfilled a secondary role as a nuclear fallout shelter, meaning the authorities considered it a military installation. See also: The magnificent mosques, mausoleums and minarets of Uzbekistan But on June 1, the ban was lifted revealing 29 uniquely […]
HKFP Venture: Sun-bleached Luk Chau village gives way to Lamma Island’s encroaching jungle
The semi-abandoned remote village of Luk Chau sits on the northeast coast of Lamma Island. Its original inhabitants – farmers and fishermen – came from Xixiang, Baoan in Guangdong. Luk Chau literally means “deer islet,” as the village was rumoured to be home to barking deer. Facing the sea, with woodland at the rear, it […]
HKFP Venture: Abandoned dreams – Hong Kong’s derelict Sea Ranch luxury club house, now and then
In an accessible area of south-west Lantau Island lies a 200-unit 1970s luxury resort called Sea Ranch. The eerie residential development was once described by Time Out as feeling “like visiting Discovery Bay after a direct hit from a neutron bomb.” The complex was completed in 1979, but accrued massive debt and was the subject of years of […]
In Pictures: Mother Nature runs wild on China’s emerald island of Shengshan
China’s rampant development has sent nature into full retreat, but in one village the countryside has crept back to reclaim lost ground. Houtouwan was once a thriving fishing community of sturdy brick homes clinging to the steep hills of the island of Shengshan. But it’s now abandoned, with entire houses completely overgrown as if shrink-wrapped in […]
Video: Hong Kong urbexers explore Wan Chai’s historic Nam Koo Terrace mansion
HKURBEX explores Wan Chai’s Nam Koo Terrace mansion, one of the best known Grade 1 Historical Buildings in Hong Kong. 「南固臺」Nam Koo Terrace exploration 灣仔南固臺相信好多人都會認識。大宅有超過一百年歷史，係屬於第一級歷史建築物。今年業主合和實業向城市規劃委員會呈交改劃申請，有望活化成證婚場所。 // Wan Chai’s Nam Koo Terrace mansion is one of the best known Grade 1 Historical Buildings in Hong Kong and also one with much notoriety. During World War 2 it […]
HKFP Venture: Bamboo-lined paths and misty ancient trails connect Ma On Shan to Sai Kung
A network of misty ancient trails connect several abandoned hamlets dotted along the ridge separating Ma On Shan and Sai Kung. Over a hundred years ago, such networks were the only means of transportation between rural farming communities. The stone-paved paths are rarely used by the few villagers who remain in the area, and much […]
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