The Rock Waiting for Her Husband

Hong Kong’s countryside is rife with rocks that resemble animals. Lion Rock, for instance, situated on the mountain ridge separating Kowloon from the New Territories, was named for its uncanny resemblance to a lion. Nearby stands Amah Rock, known locally as Mong Fu Shek (望夫石). Located within Lion Rock Country Park, this landmark carries a deeply moving, if tragic, legend.

Long before the New Town of Sha Tin was built, a fisherman’s wife made it her daily habit to climb the hill with her infant son strapped to her back. From the peak, she would gaze out at the sea, waiting for her husband to return with his day’s catch. One day, however, her husband drowned at sea and never returned. Refusing to go back to her village, the wife remained on the hill, waiting indefinitely.

Moved by the woman's absolute devotion, Tin Hau—the Goddess of the Sea—struck the hill with a powerful thunderstorm. She instantly transformed the mother and child into stone, allowing her spirit to wait for her husband for eternity.

Anyone familiar with the modern geography of the area might wonder why a woman would wait for a fisherman on the northern crest of Lion Rock, given that it sits 8.5 kilometres (5.3 miles) away from Tolo Harbour, the nearest visible stretch of open water today. The explanation lies in history: the area of Sha Tin that the rock overlooks was actually a wide, open sea before the government undertook massive land reclamation projects to build the modern Sha Tin New Town.

As for the fisherman’s wife and her child, they remain on the ridge, still waiting for their loved one to come home.