Sha Tin District

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Sha Tin District
District emblem: Official emblem] of Sha Tin District
Location of Sha Tin District within Hong Kong
Location within Hong Kong
22°23′14″N 114°11′43″E / 22.38715°N 114.19534°E / 22.38715; 114.19534Coordinates: 22°23′14″N 114°11′43″E / 22.38715°N 114.19534°E / 22.38715; 114.19534 (Satellite image)
District Council Chairman Wai Kwok Hung, JP
Constituencies 36
Area - 1 E9 m²
Land km2
Water km2
Population -
Total (2006) 607,544
Density 8,842/km2
Official website Sha Tin District Council
Sha Tin District
Traditional Chinese 沙田區
Simplified Chinese 沙田区
Literal meaning "sand field district"

Sha Tin District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. One of the 9 districts located in the New Territories, it covers the areas of Sha Tin, Tai Wai, Ma On Shan, Fo Tan, Siu Lek Yuen and Ma Liu Shui (Ma Liu Shui is where The Chinese University of Hong Kong is located). The district has the highest population. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 628,634 in 2001, including about 27,000 people living in 48 indigenous villages.

Contents

[edit] Overview

The Sha Tin District covers approximately 70 km² (27 sq. mi), including the Sha Tin New Town and several country parks. Built mostly on reclaimed land in Sha Tin Hoi, the well-developed Sha Tin New Town comprises mainly residential areas along the banks of the Shing Mun River Channel. In the early 1970s it was a rural township of about 30,000 people. After Sha Tin's first public housing estate, Lek Yuen Estate, was completed in 1976, the settlement began to expand. Today, about 65% of the district's population live in public rental housing, housing under Hong Kong's Tenants Purchase Scheme, or Home Ownership Scheme (HOS). Sha Tin has now become a major new community, including an extension at Ma On Shan, of about 640,000 people today. The total development area of the new town in Sha Tin and Ma On Shan is about 20 km² (8 sq. mi).

The Hong Kong Government used to showcase Sha Tin as an achievement in building a modern new town (Shatin Town). Visiting foreign dignitaries were often invited to tour Shatin Town and its housing estates.

[edit] History

Tai Wai Village, the oldest and largest walled village in the town, was built in 1574. Sha Tin was a former market town at the present location of Sha Tin Centre Street and New Town Plaza shopping centre.

Sha Tin Town was the second batch of satellite towns, or new town, to be built in the New Territories, on land reclaimed from the sea.

Sha Tin was formerly named Lek Yuen (literally "Source of Trickling" or "Source of Clear Water").

[edit] Land use

Sha Tin and Shing Mun River

In addition to the residential areas, there are four industrial areas for light industries: Tai Wai, Fo Tan, Siu Lek Yuen and Shek Mun.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong is also located in Sha Tin. People typically travel there via the MTR East Rail Line and get off at University station. A minibus service operates on campus.

Sha Tin is the location for Hong Kong's second equestrian racecourse (the first and most famous being in Hong Kong Island's Happy Valley - see Hong Kong Jockey Club), which has a capacity of up to 85,000. This course hosted the equestrian events during the 2008 Summer Olympics. The Olympics were hosted by Beijing; there was concern over proper quarantine and disease monitoring in the Chinese capital.

Penfold Park is located inside the racecourse and closed on race days. It is best accessed via the Fo Tan Station. Sha Tin Park is another major park located in Sha Tin.

[edit] Shing Mun River

Residential, commercial and industrial buildings with numerous village type developments has been built along the two sides of the Shing Mun River since the early stage of development of Shatin.
Main article: Shing Mun River

The Shing Mun River is a 7km long, 200m wide channel originating at the Shing Mun Reservoir (Tai Mo Shan catchment) that runs as a river from the Tai Wai area, through the Sha Tin town centre to Tolo Harbour. It has three main tributaries, namely Tai Wai Nullah, Fo Tan Nullah and Siu Lek Yuen Nullah. Along the Shing Mun River are high-rise residential, commercial and industrial buildings with numerous village type developments scattered around.

[edit] Transportation

Sha Tin District has the largest number of East Rail Line stations of any district in Hong Kong. It has five stations, namely Tai Wai, Sha Tin, Fo Tan, Racecourse and University. The Ma On Shan Line runs between Tai Wai, Che Kung Temple, Sha Tin Wai, City One, Shek Mun, Tai Shui Hang, Heng On, Ma On Shan, and Wu Kai Sha stations.

A network of cycle tracks throughout Sha Tin measures about 50 km long and is the longest cycle track network in Hong Kong.

Increasing population in the town has exerted pressure on the transportation. Several construction plans have been launched to cope with the demand. The construction of Route T7 linking Ma On Shan Road to Sai Sha Road has been started on January 2001 and completed in 2005. The Route 8 connecting Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon and Sha Tin is scheduled for construction at the end of 2003 and will complete at the end of 2007. The construction of the Ma On Shan Line (11.4 km long) began in December 2000 and was completed at the end of 2004.

Tai Po Road, Sha Lek Highway, Sha Tin Road, Lion Rock Tunnel, Sai Sha Road, Tate's Cairn Tunnel, Tolo Highway and Shing Mun Tunnels already serve the Sha Tin District.

[edit] Schools in Shatin Town

[edit] Hospitals

There are four hospitals in Sha Tin Town:

[edit] Tourist attractions

Local and tourist attractions in the Sha Tin area include, most famously, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, which is Hong Kong's newest and arguably best museum. The Museum was opened on 16 December 2000 and includes 12 galleries, a cafe and museum shop. Other attractions include:

[edit] See also

[edit] External links
Hong Kong Island
Kowloon and New Kowloon
New Territories (excluding New Kowloon)

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