New town in Hong Kong
Tung Chung
, meaning "
eastern stream
", is an area on the northwestern coast of
Lantau Island
,
Hong Kong
. One of the most recent
new towns
, it was formerly a rural fishing village beside
Tung Chung Bay
, and along the delta and lower courses of
Tung Chung River
and
Ma Wan Chung
in the north-western coast of Lantau Island. The area was once an important defence stronghold against pirates and foreign military during the
Ming
and the
Qing
dynasties.
Developed as part of the
Airport Core Programme
,
[1]
the
North Lantau New Town
is the first
new town
on an
outlying island
of Hong Kong, with the first phases built on
reclaimed land
to the north, east and northeast of the original Tung Chung Town. Administratively, Tung Chung is part of
Islands District
.
History
[
edit
]
Early times
[
edit
]
Since the
Song Dynasty
between 960 and 1279 AD, there have been people living in Tung Chung. At that time, they lived on fishing and agriculture. Crabs, fishes and crops were their main productions.
This place was originally called
Tung Sai Chung
, when Hong Kong was still a group of fishing villages.
Tung
means
east
in
Cantonese
, while
Sai
means
west
. At that time, merchandising ships sailed east to the village and west to
Macau
.
Tung Sai Chung is one of five villages of Lantau that were resettled when the coastal restriction of the
Great Clearance
was lifted in 1669. The other villages are
Tai O
,
Lo Pui O
,
Shek Pik
and
Mui Wo
.
[2]
Tung Chung may be a new town, but its heritage can be seen in the form of old fishing villages. They show another facade of Tung Chung, of a village before the development of the airport and the town.
New town development
[
edit
]
In the 1990s, Tung Chung was developed as a
new town
. This was undertaken as part of the
Airport Core Programme
, a package of development and infrastructure projects surrounding the relocation of
Hong Kong's international airport
from
Kai Tak
to
Chek Lap Kok
, adjacent to Tung Chung. Tung Chung New Town was intended to serve as a supporting community for the new airport.
[3]
According to the information from the Hong Kong
Territory Development Department
, Tung Chung is being developed in four phases into a new town with a target population of 250,000 people. The first phase was completed in 1994; infrastructure works was completed in January 1997 in order to tie with the subsequent completion of the first housing developments. This phase of development provided about 20,000 people in the district to support the airport at
Chek Lap Kok
.
Phase 2 of Tung Chung development was also completed. About 350,000 square metres of
land was reclaimed
east of the Phase 1 development area. Roads and drainage works to serve this reclaimed land were completed in May 2000. Land formation of 270,000 m
2
for the remaining Phase 2 areas south of
Tung Chung Bay
together with the associated infrastructure were completed in February 2001. Upon completion, Phase 2 development will accommodate a population of 67,000.
Reclamation works under Phase 3A development commenced in March 1999 and were completed in April 2003. About 260,000 m
2
of land was reclaimed north-east of Phase I development area. The reclamation will provide land for housing developments to accommodate a population of about 22,000.
The remaining development in Tung Chung is planned to be implemented as Phases 3 and 4 and to be completed in a foreseeable future.
Currently, Tung Chung is primarily residential, but an office block and hotel have already been completed. It is envisaged that in the future, other commercial projects will be developed in Tung Chung to support the growing population.
[
needs update
]
Housing
[
edit
]
Tung Chung New Town (Phase 1) is the newly developed core living area around Tung Chung. The development is one of the ten parts of the Hong Kong Airport Core Programme.
[3]
The first phase of
public housing development
was completed in late 1997 and can accommodate up to 15,000 people. Another 5,000 people are housed in the private housing development completed in 1998.
Private housing estates
[
edit
]
Tung Chung Crescent
is the MTR Tung Chung Station Development Package One together with Seaview Crescent and Citygate. It is the first private residential estate completed in Tung Chung. It is jointly developed by five local developers including Hang Lung Development Co. Ltd.,
Henderson Land Development Co. Ltd.
,
New World Development Co. Ltd.
,
Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd.
,
Swire Properties
and with the
MTR Corporation
.
Seaview Crescent
, developed by the same developers as Tung Chung Crescent, consists of four tower blocks in the same style of Tung Chung Crescent, though these face the sea and the airport at Chek Lap Kok.
Coastal Skyline
is the MTR Tung Chung Station Development Package Two. It was jointly developed by
HKR International Limited
, Hong Leong Holdings Limited and Reco Tung Chung Pte Ltd. and MTR Corporation and consisting of seven residential towers of around 50 stories each, and a number of low-rise flats.
Caribbean Coast
is the MTR Tung Chung Station Development Package Three. It was jointly developed by
Cheung Kong (Holdings) Limited
,
Hutchison Whampoa Limited
and the MTR Corporation. It is about 67,900 m
2
with both residential and commercial buildings.
The Visionary
was built by Nan Fung Group, consisting of 9 buildings with 34/35 floors each, 3 duplexes, and 6 houses. It is the first estate to be built on the reclamation land of Tung Chung North-east.
Century Link
developed by the Sun Hung Kai Group, consisting of 2 phases and 6 towers (27 to 29 storeys) with 3 residential blocks (2 storeys). It is the second estate to be built on the reclamation land of Tung Chung North-east after the Visionary.
Public housing estates
[
edit
]
Public (government) housing and
Home Ownership Scheme
flats also make up a sizeable part of Tung Chung. The first phase of public housing development including five homeownership blocks at Yu Tung Court and three public rental housing blocks at
Fu Tung Estate
comprising 2,640 homeownership and 1,664 rental units.
Yat Tung Estate
is a newer integrated development consisting of twenty 40-story tower blocks towards the south of the town center, near the fishing village in
Tung Chung Bay
, complete with kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, shopping mall, car park, and transport interchange.
Ying Tung Estate
was built in 2018 near Ying Tung Road, which consists of four blocks: Ying Chui House, Ying Yuet House, Ying Hei House and Ying Fuk House.
Villages
[
edit
]
Villages in the Tung Chung area include:
Cultural heritage and attractions
[
edit
]
Tung Chung Fort
[
edit
]
Tung Chung Fort
was built in 1817, when the
Qing
Government was alarmed by the rampant
piracy
of
Cheung Po Tsai
(though Cheung himself had been captured seven years earlier) and decided to intervene and thwart the
opium trade
and defend the coast from pirates. The Fort was
declared a monument
in 1979. There are 6 old muzzle-loading cannons (still intact), each resting on a cement base and the enclosures are made of
granite
blocks, measuring 70 by 80 meters. Three arched gateways, each engraved with a Chinese inscription, are spaced along the walls. Tung Chung Fort itself went through several transformations. It was first used as a police station and then as a secondary school. Now, it is the base for the Rural Committee Office and the Tung Chung Public School.
Hau Wong Temple
[
edit
]
Hau Wong Temple
, a tiered-roof structure built in 1765, is dedicated to
Yeung Hau
, a loyal court official of the
Song Dynasty
who died with
its last emperor
. And this temple was a place for training soldiers in the Qing Dynasty. There is a stele founded in 1777, which is an important product of culture for researches about the Qing Dynasty. Recently renovated, the temple features lavish interior decorations. The temple is over 200 years old. The row of miniature human figures on the eaves looks still very real to life. On the 18th of the eighth month in the
lunar calendar
every year, there are activities such as
Chinese operas
and gatherings in the open area of the temple, to celebrate the birthday of Hau Wong.
The temple is twenty minutes walking distance from the train station.
Tin Hau Temple
[
edit
]
A
Tin Hau Temple
is located in
Chek Lap Kok New Village
, Wong Lung Hang Road, Tung Chung. The temple was initially built in 1823 at the north east of
Chek Lap Kok
. It was dismantled in 1991 because of the construction of
the new airport
, and was rebuilt in 1994 at its present location.
[4]
[5]
It is a
Grade I historic building
.
[6]
Tung Chung Battery
[
edit
]
Tung Chung Battery
was one of the two military forts built in 1817 at the foot of the
Rocky Lion Hill
at Tung Chung according to the Guangdong Annals. Its remains were discovered on a hill slope facing the sea near Tung Chung pier in 1980. An L-shaped wall with a platform at the corner, probably for gun emplacements, was revealed after clearing the dense undergrowth.
Lo Hon Temple
[
edit
]
Lo Hon Monastery
[
zh
]
, at
Shek Mun Kap
. Built by lay Buddhists in 1974, it occupies the site of a grotto named Lo Hon Cavern where a hermit from
Guangdong
practiced
Buddhism
in 1926.
Ngong Ping: Big Buddha, Po Lin Monastery and Ngong Ping 360
[
edit
]
Tung Chung serves as the gateway for those wishing to explore
Ngong Ping
's
Big Buddha
, one of the world's largest seated Buddha statues, as well as
Po Lin Monastery
.
Ngong Ping can be reached by:
- The
Ngong Ping 360
cable car
- Buses from Tung Chung Town Centre; plying between Tung Chung and Ngong Ping via Tung Chung Road and South Lantau Highway
- Hiking trail
Nature and ecology
[
edit
]
Tung Chung is surrounded by two large
country parks
, cover an area of Lantau Island as large as Hong Kong Island: The
Lantau North
and
Lantau South
Country Parks.
The presence of
mangroves
and freshwater streams in Tung Chung provides excellent ecologically valuable habitats for freshwater fish species,
dragonflies
and rare
amphibians
.
However, the reclamation and other civil engineering works in Tung Chung has heavily damaged these habitats and produced irreversible damage to native wildlife and the surrounding environment.
Tung Chung Valley
[
edit
]
Tung Chung Valley is the home of some of the steepest and most primeval mountain streams in Hong Kong. The formation of spectacular
waterfalls
is facilitated in the presence of the sheer cliffs and deep gorges in the valley.
Almost all the streams in the area have their name related to
Lung
(the Chinese word for
dragon
) which is the
Chinese mythological creature
of the waters and the favorite metaphor for the towering waterfalls.
As the main branch of the Tung Chung Valley, the deep-set
Wong Lung Valley
is the home of the Wong Lung Stream (The Yellow Dragon). The mainstream has its source on the saddle at the east of
Sunset Peak
, but the stream collects water through a large network of feeder streams on both sides of the valley, including the famous Tung-Lung, Pak-Lung, Chong-Lung, and Ngo-Lung Streams, which are known collectively as "The Five Dragons of Tung Chung".
Wong Lung Waterfall
[
edit
]
Wong Lung Waterfall is located in the
Lantau North Country Park
. It is named "Wong-Lung" since, during a heavy rainstorm, when we view from the high ground, the stream resembles a yellow dragon ready to take off for heaven when it and its feeders are flooded with torrential muddy water, with Wong-Lung as the trunk and the feeders its limbs.
Tung Lung Stream
[
edit
]
The spectacular Tung Lung Stream includes what appear as continuous waterfalls of more than 700 feet (213 m). Tung Lung Stream is rich in varieties of rare local wild plants and animals, especially in the primeval forest at an upper stream, among them the unique Hong Kong
newts
(
Paramesotriton hongkongensis
) as well as several species of wild
orchids
.
Tung Chung River
[
edit
]
Tung Chung River
is the only known Hong Kong site for the rare
fish
,
Acrossocheilus (Lissolichthys) wenchowensis beijiangensis
(北江光唇魚) and one of only two sites on Lantau where the locally rare
crested kingfisher
,
Megaceryle lugubris
, has been recorded.
Upper Tung Chung Valley
[
edit
]
The upper Tung Chung Valley is an important habitat for
birds
, including thrushes and warblers (Hopkin, pers. comm.). Eagle owls, a species highly sensitive to any disturbance around their nesting sites, breed here (Wilson, pers. comm.). The locally rare
Hainan blue flycatcher
probably breeds here (Chalmers, pers. comm.). The largest population of the reptile
tokay gecko
,
Gekko gecko
, occurs in the cliffs and boulder crevices in upper Tung Chung Valley (Lau, pers. comm.).
The woods in the upper Tung Chung Valley are reportedly some of the best on Lantau for rare plant species and for butterflies, including the
birdwing butterfly
which breeds here (Reels, pers. comm.).
Hiking trails
[
edit
]
The
Tung O Ancient Trail
is a hiking trail that links Tung Chung to the fishing village of
Tai O
.
[7]
This trail follows the north-western coast of Lantau Island; providing a view of the runway approach to Chek Lap Kok as well as a number of villages and local scenery. This, however is a strenuous four-hour trek.
[8]
An easier and well-wooded walk with picnic and barbecue sites also link
Shui Hau
to Tung Chung Road. Turning south from Tung Chung Road, visitors can get to the
Cheung Sha beaches
.
[
citation needed
]
Hong Kong Buddhist Youth Camp
[
edit
]
Located on a 4,877 m
2
site near Tung Chung, the Buddhist Youth Camp was built in 1979 at a cost of HK$3 million, the camp is run by the
Hong Kong Buddhist Association
. Facilities available at the camp include table tennis, chess, books and television, playground for basketball, badminton, archery, barbecue and a swimming pool.
Recreation
[
edit
]
In a move to encourage green transport, on the model of most of the
new towns
, cycle tracks run throughout the town, and are widely used. Most of the private estates provides full clubhouse facilities for their residents. In October 2010, a public library opened, behind Citygate Outlets shopping center. In April 2011, a
swimming pool
opened near the Ngong Ping cable car.
In the future, an indoor games hall and community centre are planned for Tung Chung. Additionally, the
Hong Kong Disneyland
development at
Penny's Bay
will provide further recreational opportunities.
Economy
[
edit
]
Shopping and dining
[
edit
]
Tung Chung Town Centre features a number of shops, restaurants, a cinema and entertainment facilities centered on the
Citygate
development; as well as transportation to
Kowloon
or
Hong Kong Island
. The Tung Chung Citygate Outlets have many factory outlets of high-end brands and other brands as well as offering huge discounts.
Fu Tung Shopping Centre, Yat Tung Shopping Centre, and
Citygate
[9]
are the three shopping centres in Tung Chung thus far. Further shopping malls are expected at the new developments in
Caribbean Coast
. Tung Chung is 12 minutes from
Tsing Yi
and
Kwai Tsing
, where a much wider variety of shopping options are available.
Citygate Outlets is at the heart of this new town, developed in conjunction with the
Tung Chung MTR station
and bus terminus, thus providing a focal point to the town. Citygate, developed in the glass and steel style of the Hong Kong International Airport, contains 500,000 square feet (46,000 m
2
) of shopping, entertainment, and food outlets spread across five floors. A square outside the mall contains a special fountain which performs a musical show regularly.
Yat Tung
is a newer development; the first and second phase was completed in March 2001 and May 2002 respectively. It provides supermarkets, services, and a number of eating outlets.
Both Asian and Western cuisines are available at the many restaurants in Tung Chung, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian, American, Thai, Japanese, and Korean.
[
citation needed
]
It is also possible to have a meal at a temple behind the
Tung Chung Battery
and at a restaurant in
Po Lin Monastery
which serves vegetarian food.
[
citation needed
]
Near the
Ngong Ping cable car
terminal, there are restaurants and bars offering Asian and European dishes.
In Tung Chung, the prices of everyday items are generally higher than the urban areas because of the low competition of shops in Tung Chung. Some families need their seniors to use the $2 concessions for transportation to go to more urban areas like
Tsing Yi
and
Tsuen Wan
to buy cheaper items.
Corporate
[
edit
]
The head offices of
Greater Bay Airlines
,
[10]
Hong Kong Airlines
,
[11]
and
Metrojet Limited
are in
One Citygate
in Tung Chung.
[12]
HK Express
was formerly at One Citygate.
[13]
Hotels
[
edit
]
- Novotel Citygate
is Tung Chung's first hotel. It opened early 2006.
[14]
- Hong Kong Skycity Marriott Hotel, located minutes away from Tung Chung MTR station, opened in late 2008.
[15]
- Sheraton Hotel
, located next to the Century Link private housing development, opened in late 2020.
[16]
- Four Points by Sheraton
, attached to the Sheraton Hotel building, opened in late 2020.
[17]
Schools
[
edit
]
Tung Chung is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 98, which contains multiple aided schools on Lantau Island, including two in Tung Chung; no government primary schools are in this net.
[18]
Primary
[
edit
]
- Ching Chung Hau Po Woon Primary School
- HKFEW Wong Cho Bau School
- Ho Yu Primary School Sponsored by Sik Sik Yuen
- Ling Liang Church Sau Tak Primary School
- Po On Commercial Association Wan Ho Kan Primary School
- Tung Chung Public School
- The Salvation Army Lam Butt Chung Memorial School
- Tung Chung Catholic School
Secondary
[
edit
]
Future development
[
edit
]
The planned population for Tung Chung New Town is projected at 124,000 residents. The expansion will expand the new town to the west and east of the existing New Town. It will provide 49,400 residential flats as proposed under the P & E study. Land has been reserved at the expansion area for recreational, education and community use like sport grounds and schools, the first population intake is targeted for the early 2020s. The project will include reclaiming 130 hectares (ha) of land.
Transportation
[
edit
]
Tung Chung is connected to the rest of Hong Kong via massive infrastructure projects. The main road link, the
North Lantau Highway
connects Tung Chung to the rest of Hong Kong via the
Tsing Ma Bridge
. Public transport options include buses, trains, and ferries. The
Hong Kong International Airport
is about 10 minutes of traveling time from Tung Chung. A
gondola lift
, called
Ngong Ping 360
, can take travelers up to the monastery in
Ngong Ping
.
The
Hong Kong?Zhuhai?Macau Bridge
begins near Tung Chung and connects to
Zhuhai
and
Macau
.
Train
[
edit
]
Tung Chung is served by the
Tung Chung line
of the
MTR
system.
Tung Chung station
is situated in the centre of the new town. It is possible to travel to
Kowloon
and
Hong Kong Island
conveniently in less than 30 minutes.
[
citation needed
]
Passengers may change to the
Tsuen Wan line
,
Tuen Ma Line
and
Island line
at
Lai King station
,
Nam Cheong station
and
Hong Kong station
respectively.
Two new MTR stations are planned for Tung Chung, namely:
Tung Chung West station
and
Tung Chung East station
.
Three bus companies serve the Tung Chung area. Two of them,
Citybus Limited
and
Long Win Holdings Limited
, a wholly owned subsidiary of
Kowloon Motor Bus
, connect the Tung Chung New Town with outside areas. The
Hong Kong International Airport
is connected to Tung Chung by a frequent bus service "S1" operated by the two companies.
Tung Chung is also a
hub
for bus routes to the rest of
Lantau Island
. Bus services operated by the
New Lantao Bus
company carry residents and holiday travelers to places including
Mui Wo
,
Ngong Ping
,
Tai O
and
Cheung Sha
.
Roads
[
edit
]
The western part of
Route 8
, consisted of
Tsing Ma Bridge
,
Kap Shui Mun Bridge
and
North Lantau Highway
, connects Tung Chung with the central business districts of Hong Kong.
The new
Tuen Mun?Chek Lap Kok Link
connects Tung Chung with Northwestern New Territories, while the cross-border
Hong Kong?Zhuhai?Macau Bridge
(HZMB) connects Tung Chung with
Macau
and Mainland
Zhuhai
.
Tung Chung Road
, a winding mountain road, connects Lantau South with Tung Chung and the rest of Hong Kong.
Ferry
[
edit
]
There is a scheduled ferry service from Tai O and
Tuen Mun
, via
Tung Chung New Development Ferry Pier
and
Sha Lo Wan
, operated by
Fortune Ferry
. There is also another ferry service from Tung Chung to
Tai O
four times per day (five on Sundays and Public Holidays). This provides spectacular sea views of the North Lantau coast, home to the
Chinese white dolphin
.
Ngong Ping Cable Car
[
edit
]
The
Ngong Ping 360
is a 5.7-km
cableway
that links Tung Chung and
Ngong Ping
via angled stations at Airport Island and
Nei Lak Shan
.
Ngong Ping
is the home of the
Big Buddha
and
Po Lin Monastery
. The
Ngong Ping 360
and
Ngong Ping Village
form the
Ngong Ping 360
tourism project. Following an accident involving one of the cable cars falling from the ropeway in June 2007, Ngong Ping Cable Car services were suspended until passenger safety could be guaranteed. Ngong Ping 360 is now fully operational.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"NAPCO"
. Archived from
the original
on 5 April 2005.
- ^
Siu, Anthony Kwok-kin (1989).
"Tai Yu Shan from Chinese Historical Records"
(PDF)
.
Journal of the
Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch
.
29
: 394?398.
ISSN
1991-7295
.
- ^
a
b
"Tung Chung New Town (Phase 1)"
.
Hong Kong Airport Core Programme
. New Airport Projects Co-ordination Office
. Retrieved
8 May
2018
.
- ^
Exploring Islands - Tung Chung
Archived
22 February 2012 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Antiquities and Monuments Offices - Introduction to 1444 Historic Buildings
Archived
13 October 2012 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
List of Graded Historic Buildings in Hong Kong (as at 6 November 2009)
Archived
9 July 2011 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Deploying Design Thinking Approach in the Design on Revitalization of Tung O Ancient Trail and Nearby Villages (2020)"
. Sustainable Lantau Office of the
Civil Engineering and Development Department
.
- ^
"Tung Chung to Tai O | Hong Kong Tourism Board"
.
m.discoverhongkong.com
. Archived from
the original
on 27 April 2020
. Retrieved
26 June
2020
.
- ^
"HOME | 東?城名店倉"
. Citygateoutlets.com.hk
. Retrieved
23 April
2022
.
- ^
"Greater Bay Airlines Co Ltd"
.
Bloomberg.com
. Retrieved
27 August
2023
.
12/F, One Citygate 20 Tat Tung Road, Tung Chung Lantau Hong Kong (SAR)
- ^
"
Contact Us
."
Hong Kong Airlines
. Retrieved 16 May 2013. "Headquarters / Tung Chung Office Address: 7th Floor, One Citygate, 20 Tat Tung Road, Tung Chung, Lantau, Hong Kong" -
Chinese address
: "總公司 / 東涌辦事處 地址: 香港大嶼山東涌達東路20號東?城一座7樓"
- ^
"
Head office
."
Metrojet Ltd.
Retrieved on 16 May 2013. "Suite 1301?1306, One Citygate, 20 Tat Tung Road, Hong Kong." -
TC
: "香港東涌達東路20號東?城1期1301-06室",
SC
: "香港?涌??路20???城1期1301-06室"
- ^
"
Legal & Privacy
."
HK Express
. Retrieved 26 October 2016. "Hong Kong Express Airways Limited 7th Floor, One Citygate, 20 Tat Tung Road, Tung Chung, Lantau, Hong Kong"
- ^
Accor Hotel Asia
[
dead link
]
- ^
Hong Kong Skycity Marriott Hotel
- ^
"Lantau Island New Hotel | Sheraton Hong Kong Tung Chung Hotel"
. Marriott.com
. Retrieved
23 April
2022
.
- ^
"Lantau Island China Hotels | Four Points by Sheraton Hong Kong, Tung Chung"
. Marriott.com
. Retrieved
23 April
2022
.
- ^
"POA School Net 98"
(PDF)
.
Education Bureau
. Retrieved
12 September
2022
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Tung Chung
.
|
---|
|
Areas
| |
---|
Landmarks
|
|
---|
Transport
| |
---|
Education
| |
---|
|
|
---|
Areas
| |
---|
Landmarks
|
|
---|
Transport
| |
---|
Islands
| |
---|
Culture
| |
---|
Education
| |
---|
This list is incomplete.
|