Tai Wai

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Tai Wai
Traditional Chinese:	大圍
Simplified Chinese:	大围
Transliterations Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin: Dàwěi Yue (Cantonese) - Jyutping: daai3 wai4 - IPA: taɪ33 wɐɪ11

Tai Wai is an area in Hong Kong, China. It is located between Sha Tin New Town and the Lion Rock. Its geographical coordinates are 22° 23' 0" North, 114° 11' 0" East. It is the largest part of the Sha Tin District.

Contents 1 History 2 Transportation 2.1 MTR 2.2 Bus 2.3 Minibus 3 Housing 4 Recreational 4.1 Tai Wai Cycling Park 4.2 Mei Lam Sports Centre 4.3 Temples 5 Food 6 Schools 7 Future Development 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History

Tai Wai was built in 1574 during the Ming Dynasty. It was called Chik Chuen Wai (Chinese: 積存圍) at the time. Sprouting from a traditional Chinese farming village growing rice, it once functioned as a light suburban industrial park in the 1970s. 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. It was originally made up of 16 families, Wai (韋), Chan (陳), Ng (吳), Yeung (楊), Wong (黃), Lee (李), Hui (許), Cheng (鄭), Tong (唐), Yuen (袁), Yau (游), Lam( 林), Lok (駱), Tam (譚), Mok (莫) and Choy (蔡).

The Wai family, being the largest family, is thought to be the direct descendants of the famous founder general of the Han Dynasty, Han Xin, who purportedly fled there to escape executions ordered by Emperor Gao of Han's empress Empress Lü Zhi. The Han descendants changed their surname into Wai by splitting the word Han (韓) 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 which is the place where Chang'e supposedly flew to the Moon. It is also the birth place of Li Shangyin, one of the most famous poets 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 1980s as the then colonial government's effort to compensate 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 story house to live in. Most of these houses are now rented by outsiders for the relatively tranquil countryside surroundings.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] MTR

Tai Wai has a station on the East Rail Line, which is also a terminus for the Ma On Shan Line. It is very close to other interchange stations, where passengers may then change to other lines and go to places all over Hong Kong (within the MTR network). Northwards is Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau, cross-border to Shenzhen, which is about 30 minutes away.^[1] The station was opened in 1983 and its expansion for the Ma On Shan Line was completed in September 2004.

[edit] Bus

Bus links at Tai Wai are both convenient and affordable. A large percentage of the bus routes that go past Tai Wai are 'Shatin routes' which both start and terminate in Shatin. In addition, many long-haul buses go past Hong Kong landmarks and attractions. They include 170, which goes to Ocean Park; E42 goes to the airport (via Tung Chung)^[2] and R42 to Disneyland.

There are 5 major bus termini in Tai Wai :

• Mei Lam (美林巴士總站)
• Mei Tin (美田巴士總站)
• Sun Chui (新翠巴士總站)
• Hin Keng (顯徑巴士總站)
• Tai Wai Railway Station (大圍鐵路站總站)

[edit] Minibus

Many green minibus (GMB) routes that pass Tai Wai go around all parts of Shatin to provide feeder services. Routes such as 481B go to the Tsuen Wan area via Shing Mun Tunnel and are very frequent. Resident's buses also operate at front and terminus of Tai Wai Station. In addition, Union Hospital operates a free shuttle bus to its hospital also from the station.

[edit] Housing

With hundreds of three storey village houses (some western styled, others more traditional), several public housing estates, as well as numerous privately-owned apartment blocks, Tai Wai's population of approximately 54,000 is composed largely of low to medium income households of different ethnic backgrounds ranging from local Chinese to Korean, Pakistani and Westerners. However, there is also housing available for those with higher income in various parts of Tai Wai.

• The Great Hill
• Pristine Villa
• Tai Wai Village
• Tai Wai New Village
• Tung Lo Wan Village (Extension)
• Mei Lam Estate
• Mei Tin Estate
• Sun Chui Estate
• Lung Hang Estate
• Grandway Garden
• Grandeur Garden
• Holford Garden
• Man Lai Court
• Parc Royale

[edit] Recreational

[edit] Tai Wai Cycling Park

Tai Wai is most remembered for its former 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 journey 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.

[edit] Mei Lam Sports Centre

Located in Mei Lam Estate Phase III, it offers a wide range of facilities including a fitness centre with over 20 different types of weight training and cardiovascular equipments; squash courts; batminton courts, etc.

[edit] Temples

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 of the Song 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 popular among the Sha Tin locals.

[edit] Food

Tai Wai is renowed all over Hong Kong for its chicken porridges and roast baby pigeon^[3]. 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.

• Tai Wai Keung Kee Chicken Congee and Pigeon
• Lung Wah Hotel
• New Keung Kee Roast Goose & Seafood Restaurant
• Fung Lum Restaurant
• Shui Wah Restaurant
• Shanghai Restaurant
• Bridge Thailand Restaurant
• Railway Tavern
• Sixty-Eight Pub

[edit] Schools

• Sha Tin Public School
• Sir Chu Wan Primary School
• Lau Pak Lok Secondary School
• Cheng Wing Gee College
• Pui Kiu College
• Buddhist Wong Wan Tin College
• Shatin Public Mei Lin Primary School
• Sung Lan Middle School
• Lock Tao Secondary School
• T.W.G.H's Lam Shiu Primary School

[edit] Future Development

Above Tai Wai Station and its adjacent service centre, there is plan of a major residential development project. On top of a mega shopping mall, the controversial plan is to build 20 50-stories high residential towers with a total construction area of 313,955 square meters. When complete in 2010, it will house 8,000 families and jack up the population of Tai Wai by 24,000. The controversy of this project is that the 20 towers would create an urban heat island effect and block off the air flow of the area.

In 2002 KCRC won the bid to plan, build and operate the Shatin to Central Link^[4] (run by MTR Corporation), and in 2004 it submitted the Draft Final Proposal to the Government. The Draft Final Proposal included the extension of East Rail Line across Victoria Harbour to Hong Kong Island and the extension of Ma On Shan Line to West Rail Line via East Kowloon. Final design and implementation of the Shatin to Central Link are yet to be decided. It will secure the importance of Tai Wai as a transition link from Eastern part of New Territories to the rest of Hong Kong.

[edit] See also

• Tao Fong Shan
• Hong Kong Heritage Museum
• Tai Wai Nullah
• Lion Rock Tunnel
• Shing Mun Tunnels
• Sha Tin Heights Tunnel
• Union Hospital (Hong Kong)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Tai Wai Map (by MTR Corporation)
• Satellite view of Tai Wai, centered on the MTR station
• Forum- Living in Hong Kong

Coordinates: 22°23′N 114°11′E / 22.383, 114.183