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Sha Tin
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Sha Tin (also spelt Shatin)(Tradtional Chinese ??) is an area in the New Territories, in the Hong Kong Special administrative region.
re British rule in Hong Kong, the area of Sha Tin and its vicinity was referred to as Lek Yuen. Colonial officials allegedly mistook the name of Sha Tin Wai as the name of the area and it has been used ever since.
Sha Tin was formerly a market town at the present location of Sha Tin Centre Street and New Town Plaza shopping centre, near the Sha Tin Station of the MTR East Rail Line.
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Encyclopedia
Sha Tin (also spelt Shatin)(Tradtional Chinese ??) is an area in the New Territories, in the Hong Kong Special administrative region.
History
Before British rule in Hong Kong, the area of Sha Tin and its vicinity was referred to as Lek Yuen. Colonial officials allegedly mistook the name of Sha Tin Wai as the name of the area and it has been used ever since.
Sha Tin was formerly a market town at the present location of Sha Tin Centre Street and New Town Plaza shopping centre, near the Sha Tin Station of the MTR East Rail Line. In present-day usage, "Sha Tin" may refer to the area around the original location of the market town, the market town and its environs, Sha Tin New Town (excluding the Ma On Shan extension), or Sha Tin District.
Sha Tin was formerly agricultural farmland, and its most famous product was Sha Tin Pomelo. Before Sha Tin's development into a new town, Hung Mui Kuk in southwestern Sha Tin was perennially the main site for school picnics. The valley remains a popular barbecue site.
Sha Tin was the location of the first flight of a powered aircraft in Hong Kong. The aeroplane was named as the Spirit of Sha Tin . A full size replica of this plane now hangs in Hong Kong International Airport.
Name origin: Lek Yuen
Lek Yuen is the original name of the Sha Tin area and its environs. Allegedly, when British surveyors first came to the area, they visited Sha Tin Wai and asked the name of the place. The villagers answered that it was Sha Tin and the officials mistakenly recorded this as the name of the whole area. Sha Tin has been used instead of Lek Yuen even since.
The name Lek Yuen literally means source of trickling or source of clear water.
Nowadays, the original name is used to refer to Lek Yuen Estate.
Transportation
There are numerous transportation links both within the Sha Tin District and connecting it to other places in Hong Kong.
Roads
The road network in Sha Tin is well developed to provide efficient cross-town and local access traffic. Connection between Sha Tin and Kowloon mainly relies on the Lion Rock Tunnel, Tate's Cairn Tunnel, Shing Mun Tunnel and Tai Po Road.
- Tai Po Road spans from Sham Shui Po in Kowloon to Tai Po in the New Territories, connecting Sha Tin en route. It was once the only road connecting Kowloon and the eastern part of the New Territories.
- Opened in the 1960s, the Lion Rock Tunnel offers access to Central Kowloon.
- The Tate's Cairn Highway was completed in 1991, connecting East Kowloon (Wong Tai Sin, Diamond Hill, Choi Hung,Kowloon Bay, and Kwun Tong) and Hong Kong Island via the Eastern Harbour Crossing with the North East New Territories (Sha Tin, Tai Po and Fanling) via the Tolo Highway and through Tate's Cairn Tunnel.
- Route connects Sha Tin to Tsuen Wan via the Shing Mun Tunnels and to Hong Kong Island via the Western Harbour Crossing. The travelling time is only about 30 minutes.
- Sai Sha Road was opened in 1988, connecting Sha Tin to Sai Kung via Ma On Shan. Route T7, opened in August 2004, allows traffic to bypass Ma On Shan Town Centre when going from north of Ma On Shan to Sai Kung.
- An expressway connecting Cheung Sha Wan in Kowloon to Sha Tin was opened on March 21, 2008. It aims at distributing traffic from Sha Tin and the area to its north, to Lai Chi Kok, Kwai Chung, and the airport at Chek Lap Kok and Mong Kok It has shorten the trip from Sha Tin to the Hong Kong International Airport to around 35 minutes.
At present, there are over 110 routes of public bus serving Sha Tin.
Railway
- The MTR (East Rail Line) is a major means of transportation between Kowloon and Lo Wu via Sha Tin. After the electrification of the Line between 1979 and 1983, the East Rail now carries over 730,000 passengers daily.
- The Ma On Shan Line opened on 21 December 2004. The 11.4 km long railway has 9 stations linking Ma On Shan and Tai Wai, where it connects with the main East Rail line (terminus). The MTR Maintenance Centre is also located there.
Local delicacies
Sha Tin is famous for certain southern Chinese food such as shanshui doufu (Chinese: ????; lit. mountain-water beancurd), barbecued pigeon and chicken congee. The cooked food stalls in Wo Che Estate and Fo Tan are hotspots for food.
Culture, sports and recreational facilities
There are numerous cultural, recreational and sport facilities in Sha Tin including the Town Hall, swimming pools, football pitches, indoor recreation centers and various track and field facilities for the use of Sha Tin residents.
The 8-hectare Sha Tin Park was opened to public in 1988. Apart from its horticultural gardens and impressive water features, it also includes a large open plaza and a bandstand. The Ma On Shan Park, which is adjacent to Ma On Shan Swimming Pool, occupies 5.5 hectare of land.
The Sha Tin Racecourse, occupying approximately 70 hectares, rests on reclaimed flatland. At the center of the racecourse is the Penfold Garden which opens to the public on non-racing days.
Located in Tai Wai, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum was opened at the end of 2000. Apart from introducing the art, culture and history of the New Territories, the museum also exhibits a variety of cultural artifacts for public appreciation. The museum, which can accommodate 6,000 visitors, is the largest in the territory.
Cycling has been a distinctive feature in Sha Tin and is very popular among both local people and visitors. The first cycle track in Sha Tin was opened to public in 1981, running along Tolo Highway to Tai Po, and this remains the territory's most popular cycling venue, drawing many occasional riders at the weekends, as well as dedicated cyclists. To tie in with the development of Ma On Shan, the cycle track was extended to Ma On Shan.
Public and private estates
Education
At present, there are 46 primary and 44 secondary schools in Sha Tin and Ma On Shan. Tertiary institutions include the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Heng Seng School of Commerce and the Hong Kong Sports Institute.
Shopping centres
*New Town Plaza
Other facilities
Health
The Prince of Wales Hospital was officially opened in 1982. It provides about 1,400 hospital beds and 24 hours Accident & Emergency service to the eastern New Territories. Other institutions which provide hospital services include the Sha Tin Hospital, the Cheshire Home and the Union Hospital.
See also
External links
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