Tin Shui Wai

Co-existence of ponds and new town buildings
Tin Shui Wai
Traditional Chinese 天水圍
Simplified Chinese 天水围
Literal meaning Heavenly Water Settlement

Tin Shui Wai is an area of Hong Kong, located in Yuen Long District, in the northwestern part of the New Territories. Originally a gei wai fish pond area, the ponds were reclaimed for the development of Tin Shui Wai New Town in the late 1980s. The new town is next to historic Ping Shan.

History and geography

Tin Shui Wai in 1992
Tin Shui Wai in 2005

The land on which Tin Shui Wai was built did not exist at the beginning of the 1900s, while the adjacent Ping Shan was by the sea. The water north of Ping Shan gradually turned to marshes and villagers converted it into pools and rice paddies. The pools became gei wai fish ponds where most of the residents were fishermen before the new town was developed. With the decline in aquaculture, most of the fish ponds were abandoned. The Hong Kong Government developed the area into a new town by land reclamation.

The development of Tin Shui Wai New Town began in 1987. A total area of about 430 hectares of land was formed by reclamation of the low-lying areas. The Development Zone of 220 hectares, located in the southern part of the new town, has been developed to house about 200,000 people, complete with all infrastructure works and a full range of community facilities. An LRT line and new roads linking the new town to the trunk road network provide good communication with the Yuen Long and Tuen Mun districts and to the urban areas beyond.

Further expansion of the new town into the remaining areas to the north, known as the Reserve Zone, with an area of 210 hectares, commenced in July 1998. The infrastructure was completed in stages from 2000 to 2004 to cope with population intake of the housing developments. West Rail and the extension of the LRT service to the Reserve Zone were also commissioned in late 2003. To the northeastern portion of the new town, a constructed wetland has been completed which serves as a buffer between the developments in the Reserve Zone and the Mai Po Nature Reserve. The constructed wetland has been further developed into the Hong Kong Wetland Park, opening to public in May 2006. The total planned population of Tin Shui Wai new town is about 306,000 while the current population is about 270,000. [1]

Sights

Parts of Tin Shui have a picturesque and tranquil environment. The Hong Kong Wetland Park, demonstrating the diversity of the Hong Kong's wetland ecosystem, is located in Tin Shui Wai. The 705 and 706 light rail stops there.

Facilities

Tin Shui Wai has two public swimming pool and two public libraries, Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Public Library and Tin Shui Wai North Public Library.

Housing

The main residences of Tin Shui Wai are the public housing estates and the 58 residential blocks of Kingswood Villas.

Public housing estates

  • Grandeur Terrace
  • Tin Chak Estate
  • Tin Ching Estate
  • Tin Chung Court
  • Tin Fu Court
  • Tin Oi Court
  • Tin Lai Court

  • Tin Heng Estate
  • Tin Shing Court
  • Tin Shui (I) Estate
  • Tin Shui (II) Estate
  • Tin Tsz Estate
  • Tin Wah Estate

  • Tin Yan Estate
  • Tin Yat Estate
  • Tin Yau Court
  • Tin Yiu (I) Estate
  • Tin Yiu (II) Estate
  • Tin Yuet Estate

Schools

(incomplete)

Transportation

MTR

Tin Shui Wai is served by the Tin Shui Wai Station of the MTR West Rail Line. The entrances/exits of the station are:

Light Rail services

The Tin Shui Wai Stop of the Light Rail network belongs to Zone 4 for single-ride ticket. It is located at the north-eastern end of the West Rail station on ground level. Platforms 1, 2 and 3 can be reached by escalators at Exit E1, E2 and E3, respectively.

Route Destination Platform First Train Last Train
     705 Tin Shui Wai Circular (Anti-clockwise) 1 0517 0046
     706 Tin Shui Wai Circular (Clockwise) 3 0520 0045
     751 Yau Oi 3 0536 0046
     751 Tin Yat 2 0543 0059

See also

References

  1. CEDD - About Us

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tin Shui Wai.

Coordinates: 22°27′37″N 114°00′11″E / 22.46028°N 114.00306°E