7 Places in Hong Kong with really weird names

Don’t shoot the messenger, we’re just telling it like it is! Located in Sai Kung on the far northern end of Sharp Island, it boggles the mind that somebody thought it was a nice idea to name a place after the act of fellatio. According to the book An Exploration of Hong Kong Place Names by Yiu Gau-choi, the character 倫 (lun2) was chosen to euphemistically make the original character of 撚 (lan2; a coarse slang term for d*ck) more, ahem, palatable. Even so, more delicate sensibilities obviously prevailed, and Ham Lun Kok was eventually renamed Yau Lung Kok, or Swimming Dragon Cape.

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This village in the Sha Tau Kok area is called Pok Tau Ha, which in Cantonese literally means ‘under the shoulder’. Anatomically speaking, the armpits would be under the shoulder, but when it comes to what armpits have to do with a village in northeastern New Territories – well, your guess is as good as ours. The old lime kiln in Pok Tau Ha has been listed as a site of archaeological interest, so there may well have been excavation pits nearby… Are we onto something here?

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Those who are regular hikers would probably be familiar with the Unicorn Ridge trail – but why unicorn? Is there some magical unicorn portal out there that we don’t know about? Even if you don’t think Unicorn Ridge is a weird name, its Chinese name will definitely have you puzzled as it is literally translated as ‘chicken breast mountain’ in Cantonese. Unicorns and chickens aside, this oddly named peak offers sweeping views of the surrounding area. It’s a must-visit for hikers who are looking to try something a little different.

‘Dog shit village’ – sorry, we’re not being rude, that’s just the translated name of a village in Fung Yuen, Tai Po. Well, a former name. You may be sniggering at the name but the villagers found it far from funny when the village name started to attract attention from city dwellers. Eventually, in 2014, the village name was changed after the Tai Po District Council received a letter from a Fung Yuen village representative complaining that the name was embarrassing. Eventually, the village name was changed and is now called Fung Mei Wai (鳯美圍).

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Speaking of faeces, how does ‘cow turd lake’ sound? Nestled on the coast of Sam A Tsuen in northeast New Territories, Ngau Shi Wu directly translates to ‘cow turd lake’. But thankfully, the name of this place is the only thing that’s unpleasant. On your way to the lake, there’s also an abandoned village of the same name to explore. Rumour has it though, that the village is haunted, that’s why its people abandoned it. Whether that’s true or not, we can’t confirm, but it is definitely a fascinating area to explore.

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Located on the edge of Sai Kung East Country Park, Wu Lei Kiu is a quiet mountain that loosely translates to ‘fox call’. It is believed that there were once many different species of wildlife such as lynxes and Chinese ferret-badgers roaming the hills, which many people had mistaken for foxes. Thus, the name Wu Lei Kiu was born. Head up to the mountain yourself, and perhaps then, you’ll find out what the fox actually says.

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Out of all the quirky names we’ve listed, this is the one place that we really wish was true to its name. Mai Fan Teng, or ‘rice noodle peak’ in Cantonese, is a hiking trail that many would pass through when taking on Sharp Peak in Sai Kung. Offering a different but equally beautiful view as Sharp’s Peak, Mai Fan Teng should be on every hiker’s bucket list.