Sha Tin

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For the district of Hong Kong, see Sha Tin District; for the new town in Hong Kong, see Sha Tin New Town.
"Shatin" redirects here. For the town in Armenia, see Shatin, Armenia.
Sha Tin

Lek Yuen Bridge over
Shing Mun River in Sha Tin
Chinese: 沙田
Literal meaning: "sandy field"

Sha Tin (also spelt Shatin) is an area in the New Territories, in the Hong Kong Special administrative region. It lies at the centre of Sha Tin District.

Contents

[edit] 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 (紅梅谷) 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. A full size replica of this plane now hangs in Hong Kong International Airport.

[edit] Name origin: Lek Yuen

Lek Yuen
Traditional Chinese: 瀝源
Simplified Chinese: 沥源
Literal meaning: Source of Trickling

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.

[edit] Transportation

There are numerous transportation links both within the Sha Tin District and connecting it to other places in Hong Kong.

[edit] 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 and Kowloon Bay) 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 Tunnel and to Hong Kong Island via the Western Harbour Tunnel. 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.

[edit] Railway

  • MTR's (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.
  • 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.
  • Sha Tin to Central Link (Traditional Chinese: 沙田至中環線) is a proposed railway line which will run from Tai Wai Station to Central via a new tunnel under the harbour.

[edit] Local delicacies

Sha Tin is famous for certain southern Chinese food such as shanshui doufu (Chinese: 山水豆腐; lit. mountain-water beancurd), barbecued pigeon and chicken congee. The cooked food stalls in Wo Che Estate and Fo Tan are hotspots for food.

[edit] Culture, sports and recreational facilities

A stall selling local snacks at Pai Tau Village (排頭村), located near New Town Plaza.
A stall selling local snacks at Pai Tau Village (排頭村), located near New Town Plaza.
Lek Yuen Estate
Lek Yuen Estate

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.

[edit] Public and private estates

  • Ravana Garden (濱景花園)
  • Belair Gardens (富豪花園)
  • Sunshine Grove (晴碧花園)
  • City One (沙田第一城)
  • Garden Rivera (河畔花園)
  • Garden Vista (翠湖花園)
  • Jat Min Chuen (乙明邨)
  • Ka Keng Court (嘉徑苑)
  • Kwong Yuen Estate (廣源邨)
  • Castello (帝堡城)
  • Lek Yuen Estate (瀝源邨)
  • Lung Heng Estate (隆亨邨)
  • Pok Hong Estate (博康邨)
  • Sun Tin Wai Estate (新田圍邨)
  • Sha Kok Estate (沙角邨)
  • Sui Wo Court (穗禾苑)
  • Wo Che Estate (禾輋邨)
  • Yue Tin Court (愉田苑)
  • Yue Tsui Court (愉翠園)
  • Pictorial Garden (碧濤花園)

[edit] Education

Baptist Lui Ming Choi Secondary School, one of the oldest secondary schools in Sha Tin
Baptist Lui Ming Choi Secondary School, one of the oldest secondary schools in Sha Tin

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.

[edit] Shopping centres

Sha Tin Plaza in the evening
Sha Tin Plaza in the evening
New Town Plaza after renovation
New Town Plaza after renovation
  • New Town Plaza (新城市廣場)
  • Citylink Plaza (連城廣場)
  • Shatin Plaza (沙田廣場)
  • Sha Tin Centre (沙田中心)
  • Lucky Plaza (好運中心)
  • Hilton Plaza (希爾頓中心)
  • City One Plaza (第一城中心)

[edit] Other facilities

[edit] 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.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Coordinates: 22°22′30″N, 114°11′00″E