Black Hill, Mountain summit in Sai Kung District, Hong Kong.
Black Hill is a summit reaching about 304 meters in elevation, located between Lam Tin and Tiu Keng Leng with rocky terrain and thick plant cover. Several walking trails cross the mountain, with the main path beginning at Tiu Keng Leng and continuing through to Lam Tin district.
The mountain was named after Major General Wilsone Black, a British Army officer who served as an administrator in Hong Kong during the 1800s. The name reflects the British presence that shaped Hong Kong's development during that period.
The mountain is known locally as Ng Kwai Shan and draws people from surrounding neighborhoods who want to escape the urban environment while staying close to home. Walking here is part of how residents stay connected to the natural spaces within the city.
There is no road to the summit, so the climb is on foot only. The main route starts at Lam Tin Park and passes through the Ma Yau Tong Central Sitting-out Area. Much of the trail is rocky, and a December 2019 wildfire left sections sandy and loose; the paths are not suitable for beginning hikers.
The hill's Chinese name, Ng Kwai Shan, is said to come from five pirates who occupied it in the late Qing dynasty. Until 2017 a set of homemade statues stood on the slope, including figures of Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek and characters from Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Journey to the West, built by an old man who rebuilt a ruined temple; the Lands Department demolished them that year.
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