Cheung Sha Wan
Encyclopedia
Cheung Sha Wan is an area between Lai Chi Kok
and Sham Shui Po
in New Kowloon
, Hong Kong
. It is mainly residential to the north and south, with an industrial area in between. Administratively it is part of Sham Shui Po District
. The Sham Shui Po District
includes Mei Foo as well as Lai Chi Kok
.
at the west to Yen Chow Street
at the east. The beach was a gathering place for many Tanka
fishermen before its development. The original shoreline approximates the present Castle Peak Road
and Un Chau Street. Inland, villages of Om Yam, Ma Lung Hang, Pak Shu Lung, So Uk
, Li Uk, Wong Uk and others sparsely occupied the whole bay of Cheung Sha Wan. Rivers from Beacon Hill
, Crow's Nest
and Piper's Hill
formed a long plain behind the beach. Farmlands filled between villages. A larger river ran in Butterfly Valley
separating Chueung Sha Wan and Lai Chi Kok. Sandbar was founded at its estuary
.
Before World War I
, two ends, Lai Chi Kok and Sham Shui Po, of Cheung Sha Wan had been reclaimed. The former was for military use and the later emerged as a new town north of Tai Kok Tsui
.
and clothing
. After the PRC
implemented its open door policy
in the 1980s, many factories relocated to the mainland, vacating the area's industrial buildings (some of which have since been converted into offices and warehouses). There are also many wholesale
clothes markets in the area.
were found buried at Tonkin Street
in Cheung Sha Wan. The residents were temporarily evacuated and the shells were detonated safely.
. The ship-building and repair industries on the old shore were moved to near the island and the sites were replaced by some private housing estates constructed in the early 2000s.
s were built on a former site of a shipyard
which was relocated owning to the commencement of the West Kowloon Reclamation, or reclaimed land adjacent to it.
.
Tsuen Wan Line
:
Lai Chi Kok Station is actually located not in Lai Chi Kok, but in Cheung Sha Wan. The fact that references to Cheung Sha Wan can be found on many buildings and amenities near Lai Chi Kok Station continues to be a source of confusion for many.
Lai Chi Kok
Lai Chi Kok is a neighborhood in New Kowloon, Hong Kong, east of Kwai Chung and west of Cheung Sha Wan. Mei Foo Sun Chuen is the largest housing estate in the area. Administratively, it belongs to the Sham Shui Po District.-History:...
and Sham Shui Po
Sham Shui Po
Sham Shui Po, or Shamshuipo, is an area of Sham Shui Po District, Hong Kong, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of Tai Kok Tsui, east of Cheung Sha Wan and south of Shek Kip Mei. Sham Shui Po is known for its street market for electronic devices.-History:Sham Shui Po...
in New Kowloon
New Kowloon
New Kowloon is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, bounded in the south by Boundary Street, and in the north by the ranges of the Lion Rock, Beacon Hill, Tate's Cairn and Kowloon Peak...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. It is mainly residential to the north and south, with an industrial area in between. Administratively it is part of Sham Shui Po District
Sham Shui Po District
Sham Shui Po District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong. It covers the Shek Kip Mei, Sham Shui Po, Cheung Sha Wan, Lai Chi Kok and Yau Yat Chuen areas of New Kowloon, and Stonecutter's Island of Kowloon...
. The Sham Shui Po District
Sham Shui Po District
Sham Shui Po District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong. It covers the Shek Kip Mei, Sham Shui Po, Cheung Sha Wan, Lai Chi Kok and Yau Yat Chuen areas of New Kowloon, and Stonecutter's Island of Kowloon...
includes Mei Foo as well as Lai Chi Kok
Lai Chi Kok
Lai Chi Kok is a neighborhood in New Kowloon, Hong Kong, east of Kwai Chung and west of Cheung Sha Wan. Mei Foo Sun Chuen is the largest housing estate in the area. Administratively, it belongs to the Sham Shui Po District.-History:...
.
History
As its Chinese name suggests, it was formerly a bay with a long beach. It spans roughly from today's Butterfly Valley RoadButterfly Valley Road
Butterfly Valley Road is an alternative road of Castle Peak Road in Lai Chi Kok in Hong Kong. South of Butterfly Valley, the road joins Castle Peak Road, Lai Chi Kok Road, Cheung Sha Wan Road and Kwai Chung Road in its south end and Castle Peak Road and Ching Cheung Road in the north end.The road...
at the west to Yen Chow Street
Yen Chow Street
Yen Chow Street is a main street in Sham Shui Po of New Kowloon in Hong Kong. The street runs from hill side towards the shore. It spans from Castle Peak Road to Sham Mong Road. Its extension Yen Chow Street West spans further to the reclamation shore.-Name:The street was named after Yen Chow,...
at the east. The beach was a gathering place for many Tanka
Tanka (ethnic group)
The Tankas or Boat people is a special group of people in Southern China that has traditionally lived on junks in coastal parts of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan, and Zhejiang provinces, as well as Hong Kong and Macau...
fishermen before its development. The original shoreline approximates the present Castle Peak Road
Castle Peak Road
Castle Peak Road is the longest road in Hong Kong. It runs from Tai Po Road in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon to the very north of the New Territories, serving south, west and north New Territories, being one of the most distant roads in early Hong Kong.-Name:...
and Un Chau Street. Inland, villages of Om Yam, Ma Lung Hang, Pak Shu Lung, So Uk
So Uk
So Uk is an area at the north of Cheung Sha Wan in New Kowloon of Hong Kong. It was originally a village of family surname So. It is now includes the area surrounding the So Uk Estate. A major hospital Caritas Medical Centre is also located with the area....
, Li Uk, Wong Uk and others sparsely occupied the whole bay of Cheung Sha Wan. Rivers from Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill, Hong Kong
Beacon Hill is a hill in the Kowloon Tong area of Hong Kong's Kowloon peninsula. It is the 65th highest hill of Hong Kong. It is 457 m tall.Beacon Hill is located within the Lion Rock Country Park.-Name:...
, Crow's Nest
Crow's Nest (Hong Kong)
Crow's Nest is a hill north of So Uk in Cheung Sha Wan of New Kowloon in Hong Kong. With height of 194 metres, it is located south of Eagle's Nest. Lung Cheung Road and Tai Po Road are at found at the south slope. On the east side of the hill, there are three private housing estates, Dynasty...
and Piper's Hill
Piper's Hill
Piper's Hill is a hill north of Cheung Sha Wan in Kowloon of Hong Kong. Administrative, it is on the border between Sham Shui Po District and Sha Tin District. The hill is at the east of Butterfly Valley and west of Eagle's Nest. Tai Po Road goes through Lai Chi Kok Pass in the hill...
formed a long plain behind the beach. Farmlands filled between villages. A larger river ran in Butterfly Valley
Butterfly Valley
Butterfly Valley, or Wu Tip Kuk , is a valley in north of Lai Chi Kok in New Kowloon of Hong Kong. Located between O Pui Shan and Piper's Hill, the valley was an habitat of butterflies before Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and thus named after the creatures...
separating Chueung Sha Wan and Lai Chi Kok. Sandbar was founded at its estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
.
Before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, two ends, Lai Chi Kok and Sham Shui Po, of Cheung Sha Wan had been reclaimed. The former was for military use and the later emerged as a new town north of Tai Kok Tsui
Tai Kok Tsui
Tai Kok Tsui is an area west of Mong Kok in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The mixed land use of industrial and residential is present in the old area. The Cosmopolitan Dock and oil depots were previously located there...
.
Economy
Cheung Sha Wan was a manufacturing centre after the war, with a number of light industries, especially textileTextile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
and clothing
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
. After the PRC
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
implemented its open door policy
Open Door Policy
The Open Door Policy is a concept in foreign affairs, which usually refers to the policy in 1899 allowing multiple Imperial powers access to China, with none of them in control of that country. As a theory, the Open Door Policy originates with British commercial practice, as was reflected in...
in the 1980s, many factories relocated to the mainland, vacating the area's industrial buildings (some of which have since been converted into offices and warehouses). There are also many wholesale
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
clothes markets in the area.
Events
In April 2006, a total of 580 unused shells left from the Japanese occupation of Hong KongJapanese occupation of Hong Kong
The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting by British and Canadian defenders against overwhelming Japanese Imperial forces. The occupation lasted...
were found buried at Tonkin Street
Tonkin Street
Tonkin Street is a street between Sham Shui Po and Cheung Sha Wan of New Kowloon in Hong Kong. It runs northeast to southwest and crossing many major roads in the Cheung Sha Wan...
in Cheung Sha Wan. The residents were temporarily evacuated and the shells were detonated safely.
Reclamation of West Kowloon
The bay of Cheung Sha Wan was reclaimed in several phases in the twentieth century. The last reclamation in 1990s extended the area close to Stonecutters IslandStonecutters Island
Stonecutters Island or Ngong Shuen Chau is a former island in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. Following land reclamation, it is now annexed to the Kowloon peninsula.-Fauna:...
. The ship-building and repair industries on the old shore were moved to near the island and the sites were replaced by some private housing estates constructed in the early 2000s.
Private housing estates
Several of the private housing estatePublic housing estates in Cheung Sha Wan
The following is a list of Public housing estates in Cheung Sha Wan, Hong Kong, including Home Ownership Scheme , Private Sector Participation Scheme , Tenant Purchase Scheme TPS)-Overview:-Fortune Estate:...
s were built on a former site of a shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
which was relocated owning to the commencement of the West Kowloon Reclamation, or reclaimed land adjacent to it.
- Aqua Marine is a private housing estatePrivate housing estateA private housing estate is a term in Hong Kong that refers to a housing estate developed by a private developer, as opposed to a public housing estate built by the Hong Kong Housing Authority or the Hong Kong Housing Society. It usually is characterised with a cluster of high-rise buildings,...
developed on the reclaimed landLand reclamation in Hong KongLand is in short supply in Hong Kong, and land reclamation has been conducted there since the mid-19th century.-Projects:One of the earliest and famous project was the Praya Reclamation Scheme, which added 50 to of land in 1890 during the second phase of construction...
by Hang Lung PropertiesHang Lung PropertiesHang Lung Properties , formerly Amoy Properties and parented by Hang Lung Group, is a Chinese real estate company with its headquarters in Hong Kong. It is a member of Hang Seng Index Constituent Stocks ....
and KoreanSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
-based Hyundai Engineering and ConstructionHyundai Engineering and ConstructionHyundai Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd. is a major construction company in South Korea which has carried out projects not only in Korea but around the world. The company was founded by Chung Ju-yung in 1947 as the Hyundai Civil Works Company, and was a major component of the Hyundai Group...
. It comprises 5 residential towers and retail podium completed in 2003. - Banyan Garden (Chinese:Chinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
泓景臺) consists of seven towers. Each of the tallest towers (tower 2, 6 and 7) has 57 floors and the roof height is 191 metres (627 feet). They are among the tallest buildings in Hong Kong and the 100 tallest residential buildings in the world since the complex was completed in 2003. - Liberté consists of seven residential towers, five of which rank among the 100 tallest buildings in the city. Towers 1, 2 and 3 each rise 181 metres (594 ft), towers 5 and 6 rise 180 metres (591 ft) The complex was completed in 2003.
- The Pacifica complex consists of approximately 2,000 condominiums in six residential towers, each of which rank among the 70 tallest buildings in the city. The towers, numbered 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7, each rise 197 metres (646 ft) and 50-66 floors, Construction began in 2002 and the complex was completed in 2006.
Private housing estates
A new public housing estate named Hoi Lai Estate (formerly named Hoi Lai Court before the government turned it into a public housing estate) is located in the area and was having the most expensive rental fees within the Sham Shui Po DistrictSham Shui Po District
Sham Shui Po District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong. It covers the Shek Kip Mei, Sham Shui Po, Cheung Sha Wan, Lai Chi Kok and Yau Yat Chuen areas of New Kowloon, and Stonecutter's Island of Kowloon...
.
Transport
The area is served by two stations on MTRMTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
Tsuen Wan Line
Tsuen Wan Line (MTR)
The Tsuen Wan Line is one of the ten lines of the metro network in Hong Kong's MTR. It is indicated in red on the MTR map.The Tsuen Wan Line starts at Central station on Hong Kong Island and runs through western Kowloon to the southwestern New Territories, where it ends at Tsuen Wan station....
:
- Cheung Sha Wan StationCheung Sha Wan (MTR)Cheung Sha Wan Station is an underground station located underneath Cheung Sha Wan Road in Sham Shui Po District on the Tsuen Wan Line of Hong Kong MTR, between Sham Shui Po and Lai Chi Kok. It was opened in 1982. The station's livery is Brass....
and, - Lai Chi Kok StationLai Chi Kok (MTR)Lai Chi Kok Station is on the Tsuen Wan Line of the Hong Kong MTR system, between Cheung Sha Wan and Mei Foo. It was opened in 1982.The station is in an orange-red livery, and is a simple through station with an island platform...
.
Lai Chi Kok Station is actually located not in Lai Chi Kok, but in Cheung Sha Wan. The fact that references to Cheung Sha Wan can be found on many buildings and amenities near Lai Chi Kok Station continues to be a source of confusion for many.