Tai Wai

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Tai Wai is an area in Hong Kong, China. It is located between Sha Tin New Town and the Lion Rock. It is the largest part of the Sha Tin District.

Contents 1 History 2 Transportation 3 Housing 4 Recreational 5 Food

[edit] History

Tai Wai was built in Ming Dynasty(1574A.D.), which was then called Chik Chuen Wai (Chinese: 積存圍) . Sprouting from a traditional Chinese farming village growing rice, it once functioned as a light suburban industrial park in the 1970's. Few factory buildings are still in use, mostly as warehouses.

Tai Wai village, where the name of the area came from, was the largest and oldest walled village in Sha Tin with over 400 years of history. It was originally made up of 16 families, Wai, Chan, Ng, Yeung, Wong, Lee, Hui, Cheng, Tong, Yuen, Yau, Lam, Lok, Tam, Mok and Choy. (韋、陳、吳、楊、黃、李、許、鄭、唐、袁、游、林、駱、譚、莫、蔡)

The Wai family, being the largest family, is thought to be the direct descendants of the famous founder general of the Han Dynasty, Hon Shuen (韓信). To out run the hitmen sent by the queen, Lui(呂雉). The Hon descendants changed their surname into Wai by slipting the word Hon in two halves and took up the character on the right hand side.

The Cheng family, on the other hand, originated from a place called Xingyang in Zhengzhou, Henan(河南省,鄭州,滎陽) which is the place where Chang Ngo (嫦娥) supposingly flied to the Moon. It is also the birth place of Li Shangyin(李商隱), one of the most famous poet in the late Tang Dynasty.

Tai Wai New Village located on a slope alongside Tai Po Road, just minutes walk away from the old village, was established in the 1980's as the then colonial government's effort to conpensate the villagers for effectively confiscating their land for development.

Each male villager was given a piece of land of which he has the right to build a Spanish styled three storey house to live in. Most of these houses are now rented by outsiders for the relatively tranquil countryside surroundings.

[edit] Transportation

Transport links are excellent. Tai Wai is right on the KCR East Rail line which is one stop from Kowloon Tong which can then interchange to MTR and go to other part of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island and Lantau. Northwards Lo Wu and Shenzhen are just 30 minutes away. The Tai Wai Station, originally built in 1983, has been vastly expanded in 2004, to act as the interchange between the KCR East Rail and Ma On Shan Rail which also houses an enormous bus terminus. Bus links are also superb. Route 89C goes down through Kowloon Tong past Prince Edward on to Yai Ma Tei, Jordan and TST. Other buses such as 182 takes you down into Central; 170 to Ocean Park and Aberdeen; E42 goes directly to the airport just to name a few.

[edit] Housing

With hundreds of three storey village houses (some Spanish styled, others more traditional), a few public housing estates, as well as numerous privately-owned apartment blocks, Tai Wai's population of approx. 10,000 is composed largely of low to medium income households of different ethnic backgrounds ranging from local Chinese to Korean, Parkistani and Westerners.

[edit] Recreational

Tai Wai is most remembered for its famous cycling park. Beginners could practice their cycling skill within the park while the more advanced riders could cycle alongside the Shing Mun River all the way to Tai Po. The journery would typically take half a day on the scenic route. The park was demolished in 2001 to make way for the railway terminus of the Ma On Shan line.

Che Kung Temple is yet another famous attraction. Hundreds of thousands flock to this Taoist temple on the 2nd day of each Chinese New Year to worship Che Kung - a general from the Sung dynasty, and queue up to turn the wheel which symbolizes both the cosmic movement in the turning of the year and the hope of each wheel spinner for a good turn of fortune in the forthcoming year. Another temple located in the walled village, namely Hou Wong Temple, is also very populas among the Sha Tin locals.

[edit] Food

Many people drive to Tai Wai for its renowned Chicken Congee and Roast Baby Pigeon. There are also some Japanese, Shanghainese and Thai restaurants and local tea houses to choose from. Local pubs are quite popular where people can watch soccer matches or simply chat with friends.