Episode 2 | When the Sea Rose

2026-02-03
           

節錄來源 #Hong Kong History#聲音專欄|MADEFROM.HK
Long before Hong Kong became a city,
its shape was still changing.
Thousands of years ago,
the land you see today did not exist in the same form.
The sea level was lower.
The coastline was wider.
What are now islands were once part of the mainland.

At the end of the last ice age,
the global climate slowly warmed.
Ice melted far away,
and the sea began to rise.
Water moved into valleys and lowlands,
reshaping the land over centuries.
Hills became islands.
Flat plains disappeared beneath the waves.
Bays and narrow coastlines began to form.
This change did not happen suddenly.
It happened slowly,
over generations.
People living in this region adapted.
They learned where fresh water could still be found.
They followed the new shoreline.
They adjusted their lives to the rhythm of the sea.
The rising water changed more than the landscape.
It changed how people lived.
Fishing became essential.
Coastal settlement became necessary.
The sea was no longer a boundary.
It became a pathway.
The geography of Hong Kong —
its islands, harbours, and sheltered bays —
was shaped by this long process of rising water.
What we see today is not accidental.
It is the result of time, climate,
and constant adaptation.
Before history was written,
the sea had already decided the shape of the city to come.

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