Cheung Po Tsai Cave
| Cheung Po Tsai Cave | |
|---|---|
| 張保仔洞 | |
 Photo of Cheung Po Tsai Cave | |
  Location of Cheung Chau's Cheung Po Tsai Cave | |
| Location | Cheung Chau, Hong Kong |
| Coordinates | 22°12′01.1″N 114°01′03.0″E / 22.200306°N 114.017500°ECoordinates: 22°12′01.1″N 114°01′03.0″E / 22.200306°N 114.017500°E |
| Depth | 10 feet |
| Length | 88 metres |
| Entrances | 1 |
| Hazards | slippery surface due to rain and wind |
| Lighting | none |
| Cheung Po Tsai Cave | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 張保仔洞 | ||||||||
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Cheung Po Tsai Cave (Chinese: 張保仔洞) is a natural cave where the famous Guangdong pirate Cheung Po Tsai (Chinese: 張保仔) (1786 - 1822), according to legend, kept his treasures is located on the outlying islands of Hong Kong. The Cheung Po Tsai Cave in Cheung Chau which was the most famous, had since became the island's tourist attractions. No treasures are found in the cave.
Origin
Cheung Po Tsai was a famous pirate during Emperor Jiaqing period in the Qing Dynasty and was active in the eastern part of Guangdong Province. Later, he was amnestied in 1810. According to legend, the natural cave located on the west bay of Cheung Chau is one of the secret places for Cheung Po Tsai to hide to avoid capture. This cave, later known as Cheung Po Tsai Cave, contained no trace of treasures.
However, some people still believe that the cave is extremely narrow and can also be used to store treasures. Cheung Po Tsai Cave in the southwest of Cheung Chau, is about 10 feet deep. The total length of the cave is about 88 meters from the entrance to the exit. The cave is very dark and narrow. It is slippery and uneven, but in recent years, steel ladders have been added to facilitate visitors' access to the caves. As the cave is narrow, only one person can pass through, so visitors must enter from the side of the cave and then leave on the other side. To enter the cave, visitors must use the ladder and bring along a flashlight. In 2012, when one of the stone blocks slipped due to the wind and rain, tourists were urged to be more cautious.[1][2]
Although many people believe that the existence of Cheung Po Tsai Cave is only meant for the future generations to draw far-fetched analogies, but the cave has since become a famous place in Cheung Chau, when people bring up the history of Cheung Chau, they will also mention about the Cheung Po Tsai Cave.
Other Cheung Po Tsai Caves
Lamma Island Cheung Po Tsai Cave was located in Po Lo Tsui, Lamma Island, Islands District, Hong Kong, was about 9 storey deep, much larger than the Cheung Chau's Cave and much darker too. In 1979, the Lamma Island Cheung Po Tsai Cave was presumably destroyed when Lamma Island Power Station was built near the site.[3] On 2016, decades of rain had since washed away most of rocky debris that covered the entrance of the Cave, making it partly accessible again.
In addition, there are also Cheung Po Tsai Caves at Tap Mun, Sai Wan, Chung Hom Kok, Chek Chau, Siu Kau Yi Chau and Longxue Island, Guangzhou.