| Yuen Long | |||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 元朗 | ||||||
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Yuen Long (元朗), formerly Un Long, is an area and town located in the northwest of Hong Kong, on the Yuen Long Plain. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin, and to the north Nam Sang Wai.
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The Cantonese name Yuen Long 元朗 in present-day conversation, "Yuen Long" may, depending on context, refer to the limits of the original market town, Yuen Long New Town, Yuen Long Plain, or Yuen Long District.
The central part of Yuen Long was traditionally a market town in the area now known as Yuen Long San Hui (元朗新墟), in Yuen Long District in the New Territories in Hong Kong. The site of the market town was situated centrally with regard to surrounding villages, allowing villagers a convenient location to sell their crops and fish.
The market is a place to allow people from villages in northwest New Territories to shop and trade. Like many market towns in Hong Kong, the market operates only on certain days each week.
Now, the central part of Yuen Long does not have that kind of market anymore. On the contrary, Modern shopping malls and various types of restaurants are established.
Two new towns have been developed in Yuen Long since 1970s:
Yuen Long New Town was developed by the market town in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Tin Shui Wai New Town was established in the 1990s to the west of Yuen Long New Town, as separate from Yuen Long New Town. It is mostly residential.
There are Light Rail Transit and several bus routes serving between the two towns.
The original Yuen Long Town was not located in the busiest place of present-day Yuen Long, namely Yuen Long Main Road (元朗大馬路), part of Castle Peak Road.
The earliest market in Yuen Long was situated south of the main road near Tai Kei Leng. In 1669 the market was moved north to the area near where the present-day MTR station is situated. This was done for political reasons. This area is now known as Yuen Long Kau Hui (元朗舊墟, lit. "old Yuen Long Town"). This market is sited south of a small hill. While it is far from the coast today, it was beside the seashore when the market was first built.
Cheung Shing Street, which separates Nam Pin Wai and Sai Pin Wai, divides the centre of the market. Temples were built for worship and to judge disputes.
After the British leased the New Territories in 1898, they built Castle Peak Road to connect major areas of the New Territories and Kowloon. The villagers proposed and moved the market town to the main road.
After the Second World War, Yuen Long Town dramatically increased in size, going from a small village into a large town known for its numerous cultural and sporting events.
The following information show transportation in Yuen Long.
Yuen Long residents are mainly local Chinese with a sizable Hoa immigrants, Vietnamese Chinese from the 1970s to 1990s.