Sham Chun 深涌

"I never wanted to come here before because of its outer shiny appearance with a false artifice, devoid of the beauty of raw nature, but since I brought the visually impaired here, I have come to understand that it is otherwise."

「以前我從不希罕到這，因為它有著光鮮的外表，卻是千瘡百孔的偽裝品，沒有原始大自然的美，但自從我帶了視障人士來這，才明白什麼是善意的謊言。」

Hong Kong has many hills and few flatlands, and even fewer green plains. Apart from Ngong Ping grassland which is a product of nature, many famous and large areas are man-made. In the past, I heard that there was a piece of grassland as large as a Victoria Park hidden in the mountains of Sai Kung called Sham Chung. Many people would go camping, come for a picnic and fly kites during holidays. When you look at the photos, you would think you were on the Mongolian plains full of foliage in the background. However, when I looked up the information on the internet, I found out that the site was originally a wetland with biodiversity, but it was sold to a private developer many years ago and the plan to build a golf course was called off. After hearing such a story, my interest in this place was low until I visited it for the first time when I organised a hiking activity for the visually impaired.

香港山多平地少，綠油油的平原更是少之又少，除了昂平草原是大自然的結晶外，其他有名又面積大的都是人工合成的成品。以前聽說西貢深山中藏有一塊維園般大的草地，名叫深涌，假日很多人會去露營、野餐、放風箏，再看到相片，在椰林樹影的陪襯下，令人以為去了蒙古大草原。然而，上網查資料得知該地原是溼地，生物多樣化，多年前卻賣了給私人發展商，並計劃興建高爾夫球場不果，便幫土地值上草皮，一直閒置至今。聽完這樣橫蠻的故事後，對這個地方的興趣立刻降為零，直至有一次籌辦帶視障人士行山的活動，才第一次踏足這個地方。

Sham Chung is located at the northern part of Sai Kung, surrounded by mountains on three sides, including Shek Nga Tau, Shek Uk Shan and Wah Mei Shan and facing the Three Fathoms Cove. "Sham" means deep inland, while "Chung" refers to the salt and freshwater junction near the shore. There are many ways to get to Sham Chung. Those who like to hike can take a two-hour walk from Shui Long Wo to Sham Chung, but as most of the road is a concrete path, it is not very exciting for nature hikers like me. The easiest way is to take a ferry from Ma Liu Shui Pier, but as I live in Tseung Kwan O, I couldn't justify taking a ferry all the way to Sham Chung. I decided to take a taxi to Yung Shue O (this is a restricted area) and walk for 45 minutes to Sham Chung. Skip the battle with cars along the road and enjoy the view of the mangroves.

深涌位於西貢北部，三面環山，包括石芽頭、石屋山和畫眉山，面向企嶺下海。「深」意指深入內陸；而「涌」指近岸的鹹淡水交界。到訪深涌有很多方法，喜歡遠足的朋友可由水浪窩出發，步行2小時到深涌，但由於大部分路段屬石屎車路，像我這些崇尚原始的人就覺得沒太大意義。最簡單的方式還可在馬料水碼頭坐渡輪到達，但住在將軍澳的我沒理由千里迢迢去坐船，所以最後決定坐的士到榕樹澳(此為禁區路段)，然後步行大概45分鐘到深涌，跳過沿路和車輛搏鬥，又可以欣賞到紅樹林美景。

The first time I went to Sham Chung was to try out the trail with my aunt and have a picnic. I prepared a lot of food beforehand and even wore a pretty dress which I regretted later. The 45-minute trail was easy. No stairs, only a very few slopes, and the ground was perfectly paved. A 1-star trail ideal for families.

第一次到深涌是跟姨姨去試路，順便野餐，事前準備了許多食物，還刻意穿了一條公主裙，到後來又要後悔了。45分鐘的路果然輕鬆，一級樓梯都沒有，只有非常少量的斜坡，加上地面舖得十分完整，絕對1星親子路線。

Yung Shue O consists mainly of rivers and streams, freshwater marshes, mangroves and forests. This is also a popular spot for bird and butterfly watching. Every time I passed by the mangroves, I would get close to the plants and observe them, not only looking out for hermit crabs poking their heads out, but also help release the fishing ropes and ghost nets trapped in the branches of the trees. These horrible things wash up to the shore and become entangled in the plants, and over time the branches turn white and wither. Passers-by will think I'm silly for getting rid of them because there will be more the next day. I just want to do what I can, and if everyone does a little bit, there's a lot in collective power.

榕樹澳主要生境為河溪、淡水沼澤、紅樹林及次生林，亦是觀鳥賞蝶的熱點，當天看到有人划獨木舟遊覽，一問才知企嶺下有租借公司，十分方便。每次經過紅樹林，我都會走近植物旁仔細觀察，除了留意稍探頭的寄居蟹，還幫忙解除困在樹枝上的捕繩索及鬼網。這些可怕的小東西被海水沖上來纏住植物，日久後樹枝就會變白色枯萎。路人會覺得我很傻，今天弄完明天又有，但我只想盡我能力，如果每個人都做多一點，力量就很大。

After a 40-minute walk, you reach Sham Chung Pier. The white lighthouse against the tranquil sea is a beautiful sight, and this is the best angle to enjoy the sunset especially if you are on the last boat. Continuing along the concrete road is a little river that feeds into the sea and when the moment of the large open meadow comes into view, it is truly amazing! Although it was tucked away in the mountains, the sunlight was not blocked. It shone fiercely on the lush green grass. The scene reminded me of the swiss meadows in the movie Sound of Music where music was heard everywhere. I instantly felt the urge to take off my shoes and run wildly on the grass and lie down! However, I urge you not to do this! Because the villagers have added a lot of fertilisers to make the grass grow strong. Don’t forget that this was a swamp. I didn't know whether I am stepping on grass, mud or...?

走了40分鐘左右就到達深涌碼頭，白色的燈塔與平靜的海面相映的畫面很美，這裡是日落最佳角度，如果坐最後一班船走的朋友就有眼福。繼續沿著石屎路走，旁邊是一條注入海中的河道，開揚的大草地出現在眼前的那一刻，確實很驚嘆。雖然它藏在深山中，但陽光沒有被遮擋，猛烈地照射在綠油油的草地上，令我憶起仙樂飄飄處處聞的瑞士草原，瞬間有種想立刻脫鞋在草上狂奔，然後當草是雪地一樣，不顧一切向後躺下的衝動！然而，我在這裡提醒各位，千萬不要這樣做！！！！因為村民為了讓草地茁壯成長，加了不少「肥料」，還別忘了這裡原是沼澤，我都不知踩到的是草、是泥，還是...?

Back to reality, we found a shallow grassy area near the fishpond and sat down to eat on the ground. Luckily, we had brought mosquito coils with us otherwise we would have been bitten by mosquitoes. After our meal, we wandered around. There are five settlements in Sham Chung, but the names differ in literature and oral accounts due to the varying transliterations in Hakka and Cantonese. There is a stall along the concrete road next to a coconut tree, which is one of the settlements called Wan Chai. To the right are the villages of Shek Tau Path, Pau Nei Chai, Holy Church and Tui Min. Villagers settled here 200 years ago and this area was used for farming. In the late 19th century, Catholic missionaries came to the area and established the Epiphany of Our Lord Chapel and School. However, after the Second World War, when agriculture declined and transportation became difficult, the villagers moved out and the village fell into disuse.

回到現實在近魚塘旁找了塊淺草的地，就席地而坐開餐了，幸好帶了蚊香，不然我們還沒吃飽就被蚊子吸乾了。吃完就四處走走，深涌是一條村落，有五個聚居點，各地的名字在文獻和口述記敘上卻出現差異，可能是客家話的譯音偏差，亦可能是民間通俗另有不同稱呼。 沿著石屎路走到椰樹旁有一間士多，那就是其中一個居點名叫灣仔，向右邊數是石頭徑村、包尼仔村、聖教堂村和對面村。這裡遠在200年前已有人定居，以務農為生。而在19世紀末，更有天主教傳教士到此傳教，並建立三王來朝小堂和學校。然而，二戰後農業式微、交通不便等原因，村民陸續遷出，村落亦荒廢。

After a relaxing afternoon in Sham Chung, I decided to take the visually impaired on another trip, as it was a short one with no stairs. There are also places to rest so that they could experience nature. On the day, there were three visually impaired persons, two of whom had lost their eyesight completely and had to be led along the whole way. When I let them touch the heart-shaped leaves and the grass on the trees, they were thrilled and said they loved the smell of the grass and the warmth of the sun.

在深涌逗留了一個輕鬆的下午，最後決定帶視障人士再來一次，一來短程又沒有梯級，二來有地方休息，讓他們好好感受大自然，但我不設太大的期望，只希望安全完成。當天同行有三位視障人士，其中兩位是失去全視力，需全程牽著走。當天我隨意帶他們摸一下路旁形似心形的樹葉，樹上的茫草，他們就興奮不已，還常說喜歡草的味道，感受到陽光的熱力。

Watching their satisfied smiles reminded me of a few things. As experienced hikers, we challenge ourselves to conquer a mountain and prove our abilities, forgetting the curiosity we felt when we first encountered nature and how small we are, and that nature has always been there for us. As able-bodied human beings, the pleasures we see, touch, smell and enjoy should not be taken for granted. Help those around you to appreciate these. Nature can heal the soul and you can be a healer too!

看著他們滿足的笑容，提醒了我幾件事。作為富行山經驗的人，我們在不知不覺中會不斷向難度挑戰，意圖要征服哪座山，證明自己的能力，而忘記了初接觸大自然的時候，對一草一木的好奇，更忘了自己的渺少，一直以來都是大自然容納我們。作為健全的人，我們看到、觸到、聞到、享受到的快樂，不應該獨有，可以的話就分享出去，幫助身邊的人去了解吧。大自然可以療癒心靈，你都可以成為其中一位治療師。