Long Dragon’s Back Walk 龍脊段​

【大浪灣】香港第一個法定古蹟 － 竟然是一塊石？

香港自舊石器時代已經有人類居住。除了在博物館內觀賞已經出土的文物以外，在海邊豎立石刻亦滿載不少在史前年代的痕跡。作為香港早期發現史前年代的文物，大浪灣石刻在1970年被一名警務人員無意中發現。在古物及古蹟條例生效以後， 大浪灣石刻在1976年被訂為香港首個的法定古蹟，並由古物古蹟辦事處協作保育。

大浪灣石刻上刻劃的圖形為抽象的鳥獸紋，不少考古學家估計石刻是當時的居民用作護佑航海人士，以及對航海以及天文的崇拜。其實香港現時共在九處地點發現的石刻當中，為數不少都豎立在海旁附近，並且在幾何曲線的紋路上大致相似。可見本港早期沿海地區族群興旺，並以出海航行為生的盛況。當中東龍洲的石刻以及在2018發現的黑角頭石刻，在紋飾以及風格上與大浪灣的石刻頗為相似，令人不禁猜測，其實在環島的路徑上有幾多石刻還未被發現...
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如果你有興趣到訪大浪灣石刻，你可以港島環島徑的龍脊段繞道至大浪灣泳灘附近，欣賞石刻上獨特的幾何圖案。你亦可以在經過港島環島徑的龍脊段上的龍躍徑，繞道至黑角頭石刻，比較一下兩處石刻的相似與不同。 如果你想了解更多有關香港的石刻，你亦可以按此到古物古蹟辦事處的網站了解更多。

Big Wave Bay: where even a Rock could become Hong Kong’s first historical monument

Hong Kong has been inhabited since the early period of the Stone Age. Besides navigating through a museum to see preserved cultural relics in glass boxes, you can also observe the marks of history on the stone carvings in rocks along the waters. As one of the earliest relics in the Stone Age found in Hong Kong, the Big Wave Bay Stone Carving was unintentionally discovered by a Police. After the enactment of the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, the Big Wave Bay Stone Carving was designated as the first historical Monument in Hong Kong, and was subsequently preserved by the Antiquities and Monuments Office.

The patterns on the rock show dynamic geometric and animal patterns, which could be an indication of residents propitiating to the power of the sea and the protection for its sea-faring population. Across the 9 stone carvings found in Hong Kong, most of the site was situated along the coastline, and was carved with similar patterns on its surface. This could serve as the evidence of human activities along the sea side during the stone age, and how sea-faring was relied on for maintaining livelihood at the time. Interestingly, the stone carving in Tung Lung Chau and also Cape Collinson (found in 2018) had also demonstrated similar patterns with the one in the Big Wave Bay. The carvings we found might just be the tip of an iceberg…

If you found yourself interested in the Big Wave Bay Stone Carving, you can walk along the Dragon Back Section of  Island Coastal Trail, and take a detour to the Big Wave Bay. You can also visit the newly-found rock carving at Cape Collinson, by taking a detour from the Leaping Dragon Walk to the Cape Collinson LightHouse, and compare the difference in patterns and shapes in the respective rock carvings.
 
Click here to learn more about rock carvings in Hong Kong in Antiquities and Monuments Office’s website.