DAB suggests registering Sai Kung's hexagonal rock columns as world natural heritage site
發佈日期: 2025-08-12 21:30
TVB News
A political party has suggested the registration of the hexagonal rock columns in Sai Kung's Volcanic Rock Region as a World Natural Heritage Site in a bid to foster this city's green tourism and economy.
Located near Sai Kung's High Island Reservoir, Hong Kong's unique hexagonal rock columns in the region were developed as a result of supervolcano eruptions that took place in the area some 140 million years ago.
Belonging to a type of volcanic rock known as rhyolite, the formations of more than 200,000 rock columns cover an area of around 100 square kilometres, with the tallest column measuring close to 30 metres.
These impressive natural structures are among the largest and thickest of their kind found across the world.
In a bid to showcase the landmark of Hong Kong's geological legacy, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, or DAB, has joined hands with the Nanjing centre of the China Geological Survey to register the site as a World Natural Heritage Site under the name "China rhyolite."
Speaking about the uniqueness of the rock columns, Hong Kong delegate to the National People's Congress Iris Wong said the most iconic structures of this type are only found in seven places across the globe, with four of them located in China. She emphasised that collectively coining these structures "China Rhyolite" is meant to promote other similar sites found in Zhejiang and Taiwan.
Meanwhile, Lawmaker Stanley Li suggested the construction of a China Rhyolite-themed museum in the city could popularise green tourism and environmental awareness.
Lawmaker Stanley Li stressed the drive to register Sai Kung's unique volcanic rock formations as a World Natural Heritage Site under the name "China Rhyolite" stems from the desire to deepen nature conservation ties between Hong Kong and the mainland and boost the local green economy.
