Ping Chau

Tung Ping Chau

東平洲
Aerial view from Northeastern tip
Location of Ping Chau in the Northeast corner of the territory.
Geography
Location	Mirs Bay
Coordinates	22°32′36″N 114°25′50″E / 22.54333°N 114.43056°E / 22.54333; 114.43056Coordinates: 22°32′36″N 114°25′50″E / 22.54333°N 114.43056°E / 22.54333; 114.43056
Area	1.16 km2 (0.45 sq mi)
Highest elevation	48 m (157 ft)
Administration
Hong Kong
Region	New Territories
District	Tai Po District
Demographics
Population	Uninhabited

Tung Ping Chau (Chinese: 東平洲) is an island in Hong Kong. It was known as Ping Chau (Chinese: 平洲). Tung (Chinese: 東, meaning east) is prepended to the name so as to avoid possible confusion with Peng Chau, another island in Hong Kong with an identically pronounced name in the Cantonese language. Administratively, the island is part of the Tai Po District in the New Territories.

Geographically, Ping Chau is an offshore island located in the northeast corner of Hong Kong in Mirs Bay, close to the border with Guangdong Province in mainland China. The island has an area of 1.16 km² and consists of shale rock. The island is the most easterly point of the Hong Kong territory and is much closer to mainland China (4 km) than to the main landmass of Hong Kong. It is close to Nan'ao of Dapeng.

The island has the shape of a kidney bean with its concave side facing northeast. Its name "Ping Chau" means "flat island" in Chinese. The highest points on the island are 48 metres (157 feet) in the south and 37 metres (121 feet) in the north. The eastern inner shore of the crescent hugs Ping Chau Hoi (平洲海) with a few beaches, including Cheung Sha Wan (長沙灣) in the northeast. In contrast, the western coast of the island is fairly rocky as a result of the greater wave action taking its toll on the inclined siltstone there.

The island's largest village, Sha Tau (沙頭), is something of a ghost town, with many cottages boarded up. A large part of the island is country parkland, with footpaths overgrown with orchids, wild mint, and morning glories.