The story of Ap Chau begins with the True Jesus Church (「真耶穌教會」).
♦ The True Jesus Church initiated its missionary efforts in mainland China at the start of the 20th century. Before the outbreak of World War II, missionaries founded churches and offered medical assistance in the Sha Tou Kok Market (Tung Wo Hui, 東和墟) near the Chinese border. Fishing communities in the northeastern New Territories (“People-on-the-water”, 水上人) came into contact with the missionaries as they vended their catch in the market, eventually embracing the Christian faith (prior to the Cold War, the Sino-British border between was relatively relaxed, allowing water-dwellers to navigate the region freely).
♦ Following the shift in China’s political leadership and the ensuing political unrest after 1949, the church had to vacate the Chinese border region. Ap Chau was selected as the new site for Sha Tou Kok Church since it was a popular docking spot for fishermen, and a considerable number of the church’s adherents were “people-on-the-water” in the Northeastern New Territories. With limited resources, a wooden church was constructed, drawing in more fishermen to dock and come ashore.
In the backdrop of Cold War tension between the capitalist and communist blocs, Ap Chau (situated at the China-Hong Kong border) was aided by the CARE USA, the British government and the British military, potentially to enlist the support of border fishermen to bolster their position, or out of humanitarian considerations. Such assistance includes:
♦Fishermen village: The establishment of a coastal fishing village was partially funded by the British government and the CARE USA. The remaining funds were contributed by local fishermen.
♦ Water supply: A reservoir was constructed in So Lo Pun and underwater pipelines were installed to provide fresh water to Ap Chau. The CARE USA provided the necessary funding, while villagers offered their labour and the British military extended their assistance. Furthermore, the District Office constructed additional infrastructure like the installation of water pipes to villagers’ homes for water access (as per the chief of So Lo Pun’s request).
♦ School: a “Fishermen’s Children School” (漁民子弟學校) was founded in a church hall in 1953 by the Fish Marketing Organization (漁類統營處), with assistance from the Education Department, to improve literacy among the fishermen. This school was later replaced with a new building in 1956.
♦ Church reconstruction: In 1965, the wooden church was reconstructed and replaced with a concrete church.
♦ In the 1960s, the British government’s enactment of the Immigration Act spurred a wave of immigration to the United Kingdom among New Territories villagers. Along with Ap Chau migrants, the church was also relocated to the United Kingdom.
References：
鴨洲的故事 = The story of Robinson Island (初版.). (2019). 天地圖書有限公司.
地質公園：鴨洲簡介
BeingHK：REvisit// 鴨洲──剩餘的肉身
基督教週報：基督教島唯鴨洲
聖靈月刊：海外來鴻：神的作為在英國