Southwest water of the island is zoned as Hei Ling Chau Typhoon Shelter [yue].

In 1950, it was designated as a leper colony, and the islanders were relocated to Tai Pak, Shap Long and Cheung Chau.

In 1974, the leper colony was closed, and the remaining patients were relocated to the newly established Lai Chi Kok Hospital.

[1] In 2004, the Hong Kong Government proposed to spend HK$12 billion to build a super jail on the island.

The proposal met strong opposition from the general public and experts alike, and was shelved indefinitely.

In 2006, CLP explored the possibility of constructing a second commercial wind turbine installation on Hei Ling Chau Island in order to promote the use of renewable energy in Hong Kong.