前言
“Nature is best left as is”
Despite its reputation as a global city, Hong Kong actually has a rich geological heritage. Some geological localities within the country parks of Hong Kong are world-class showcases of geology. Deservedly, a large portion of Hong Kong’s country parks was designated a Global Geopark in 2011.
「貴乎原始，樂於自然」
香港雖是彈丸之地，卻蘊藏不少地質瑰寶。2011年，聯合國教科文組織更將香港地質公園列入世界地質公園名錄，以保育珍貴獨特的地質景觀。
Such a decoration may be as much a curse as a blessing, since the status will certainly boost local business, inevitably leading to construction of additional facilities within the parks to accommodate the increasing number of visitors. I was even a bit reluctant to produce the present book, lest it should further promote already excessive human traffic to the precious geological sites. However, while many geopark visitors are craving for more in-depth knowledge of the geologic exposures, guided visits to the geoparks are mostly led by amateurs with limited training in geology. It is my intention to present the visitors with fuller stories behind our geological treasures in this book. Many of the descriptions of the geological observations presented in the book are based on research findings made by the author.
地質旅遊應時興起。旅客透過參觀地質公園，可了解地質景觀的成因，體會大自然的浩瀚及奧妙，達到教育和啟發的目標。因此，不少人促請政府在景區內加建人工設施及配套，以進一步促進地質旅遊的發展。然而，這又與保育自然的概念有點背道而馳，而且旅客增多難免會破壞自然環境。地質旅遊陷入兩難局面。
The primary purposes of the geoparks should be to protect, to educate, and to inspire. The protection of our geological heritage must resort to sound management policies of the parks, as well as civilized and responsible behavior of the park users. For one to be inspired, one must see beyond the aesthetics of the geological sites and learn to appreciate the complex processes that led to their formation. The educating requires the devotion and effort of the geological professionals—a job too important to be left to amateurs.
編寫這本書前，我其實也有所顧慮，擔心介紹地質景觀會鼓勵更多人遊覽地質公園，變相對自然環境造成破壞。但是，眼見目前一些地質公園的導賞員沒有接受過正規的地質學訓練，公眾也普遍缺乏渠道深入了解地質景觀的故事。作為地質學者，我覺得自己有責任向公眾深入介紹地質景觀的成因及意義，讓更多有心人欣賞大自然的美。
I hope our geological heritage can be preserved forever, such that future generations can see the sites as we do today. This is unlikely to occur given Hong Kong’s unrelenting pursuit for economy and tourism growth. This book is a personal attempt to encapsulate the geological beauty of Hong Kong before it concedes to artificial structures and concrete walkways.
我深信我們應該保留一些不容易去到、甚至不能去到的地方，令香港的地質瑰寶得以保存。我有一個願望，就是百年之後，我們的後代仍能看見與今時今日一模一樣的地質景觀。
