Historical Background

The three districts of Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi have a long history of being inhabited by people, dating back to the mid- and late-Neolithic age, with unearthed artefacts showing evidence of human life. The districts were also recorded in the old annals, including maps from “Yue Da Ji” of the Ming Dynasty and “Xin’an County Map” of the Qing Dynasty, where Tsin Wan (Shallow Bay, old name of Tsuen Wan) appeared, and villages were located in the current Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi.

It was rumoured that Emperor Duanzong of late Song Dynasty fled to Tsin Wan of Guangdong in 1227, and that this Tsin Wan is the present-day Tsuen Wan. Another famous local folk tale would be the naming of Shing Mun, an area near Tsuen Wan where the Shing Mun Reservoir now stands. According to the tale, the area was named to commemorate a stone city built by locals to aid in resisting invasion by the Mongols and the Manchus during the early days of the Yuan and Qing dynasties respectively. The city had been demolished and only a city gate remained, hence the name “Shing Mun” or “City Gate”. In the mid-19th century, the old name of Tsin Wan (Shallow Bay) was considered by locals to have unfavourable connotations, so the town took on the new name Chuen Wan (Full Bay). Furthermore in the early 20th century, the written form of the name was revised as “Tsuen Wan”.

The area north of the Kowloon Peninsula and south of the Shenzhen River was leased to the British in 1898. These New Territories were divided into eight administration zones (“Bat Yeuk”) and Tsuen Wan was placed under the Kowloon Yeuk for governing. Before this, Tsuen Wan already had a local administration bureau called “Chuen On Kuk” (or Security Bureau), an alliance formed by the four villages of Hoi Pa, Kwai Chung, Tsing Yi and Shek Wai Kok to maintain public security of the district, to settle disputes among villagers. They discussed important issues using Tsuen Wan’s Tin Hau Temple as the place of meeting. The first police station in Tsuen Wan was only set up in July 1911, and the head of the station was usually a European commanding a police force. It was only after World War One that Chinese natives from the north replaced Indians as policemen.


The Heung Yee Kuk was established in 1926 to settle civil cases in the New Territories. The government believes that the Kuk (or council), made up of locals living in the area, would be more efficient in dealing with local affairs as they are more familiar with the customs in the districts. In addition, having a third-party to deal with New Territories affairs would reduce government expenses, and reduce friction between locals and the government caused by any possible differences in policies.

In December 1941, the Japanese invaded Hong Kong and the occupation lasted for three years and eight months. After the war in 1956, Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung, Tsing Yi and Ma Wan came under the administration of the Tsuen Wan District Office. In April 1981 Tsuen Wan District Council was established as a replacement, and it administered Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi, as well as many other places including Ting Kau, Sham Tseng, Ma Wan Island, and Sunny Bay on North Lantau Island. Rapid development and increase in population led to separately forming the Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi District Council in April 1985, to administer the affairs of these two districts and to improve efficiency in governing. The council was renamed Kwai Tsing District Council in April 1988.

Economic Development
Early Industries
Before 1930, the residents of Tsuen-Kwai-Tsing mostly depended on agriculture for a living, growing crops like rice, pineapple, sweet potatoes and vegetables. Pineapples grown in Tsuen Wan used to be famous throughout Hong Kong. Some villagers also engaged in wood-cutting and others in fishing to earn a living. Rural life was simple and modest, but villagers were generally satisfied. The districts also had light industries in those early days, including manufacturing incense and lime. Some said there were 24 incense factories at one time crowded around Tsuen Wan town, and it was believed that the industry had a long history in the area because a waterwheel mill used in grinding incense powder was found to be over a hundred years old. Lime factories were located around Tsing Yi’s old market. The factories would process shells salvaged by workers from bays near Tsing Yi and burn them to make lime powder, used for white-washing walls. The factories would also process raw materials shipped to Tsing Yi Island from elsewhere to produce lime.


The Tsuen-Kwai-Tsing area hosts the Texaco Petroleum Company, which might be described as the only heavy industry presence in Hong Kong in the pre-war days. It was said that the company employed some 1600 workers which was a huge number since Tsuen Wan’s population was only a few thousand at that time, so the scale of the petroleum plant was big. The four large round oil storage tanks of the petroleum depot also served as a landmark of Tsuen Wan, especially eye-catching for visitors entering Hong Kong harbour by sea.



City Development
Development of Bazaar-Markets
Hong Kong Island was ceded to the British after the First Opium War in 1842, becoming its colony. The rapid development of Hong Kong Island brought about the commercial growth of Tsuen-Kwai-Tsing as well, since the population of Hong Kong Island served as the target consumers for Tsuen-Kwai-Tsing’s agricultural produce and handicraft products. There were three busy markets (called “Hui” or bazaars) in the district at that time, two in Tsuen Wan and one in Tsing Yi, selling foodstuff and daily necessities. Services such as barber-shops, tea-houses and restaurants were located in the bazaars too.

Tsuen Wan Old Market
Tsuen Wan Old Market was the commercial centre of the district at that time, under the administration of On Chuen Kuk. Unlike other bazaars in the New Territories with specific market days, this market in Tsuen Wan opened daily and provided a large variety of goods for sale. Some examples would be fishes from boat people selling the day’s catch, and vegetables grown by different villages. In addition, Taoists priests were also present in the market for invitation to lead various religious ceremonies. Since it was close to the shore, the market was served by the local “Four Yeuk Kaifong Ferry Company” using small steam boats to provide people with water transportation to the different districts.

Tsuen Wan New Market
Located in Shing Mun Valley, the Tsuen Wan New Market was built in 1936, providing a wide range of facilities. This new bazaar can be considered the first market designed with modern urban planning. It was believed that a “Coolie District” was set up to cater for the many coolies or labourers converging here to build the Shing Mun Reservoir, as well as the Gin Drinkers Line, an extensive military defence project. The government might have established the quarters as they have learnt from the massive malaria outbreaks during previous construction projects that the lack of amenities for workers would cause work delays and increase expenses.

Tsing Yi Market
Tsing Yi Market on Tsing Yi Main Street was a prosperous and lively market that also opened daily. Numerous shops and peddlers provided a wide range of goods ranging from from daily necessities to luxury items. Most of the customers of this market were the boat people. Sometimes, villagers from Kau Wa Keng, Sham Tseng and even faraway Buji (on Shenzhen River inland) would come to the market to trade. The market allowed Tsing Yi residents to be self-sufficient and not be so reliant on the Tsuen Wan Old Market across the channel. However, the market and the main street were both demolished in August 1982 to make way for Tsing Yi’s development. The public housing estate built in its place was named Tsing Yi Estate to commemorate the market and the street.

Post-War Development
Light Industry
After the war, there was a huge growth of industries in Hong Kong, and many chose Tsuen Wan for their factories. The majority of the early factories were in light industries working on textiles and enamel, for example. At the end of 1954, there were 7 textile factories and 5 enamel factories located in Tsuen Wan; they were mostly large-scaled and equipped with advanced technology and machinery. By 1971, Tsuen Wan had evolved into the largest industrial district and about 20% of the total industrial output of Hong Kong came from Tsuen Wan. This percentage rose to 37% in 1991. Between 1961 and 1971, about 60% of Tsuen Wan’s working population was in the manufacturing sector. In 1961, Tsuen Wan had one-third of Hong Kong’s textile output. It should be noted that about 80% of Hong Kong’s spinner factories (cotton mills) were located in Tsuen Wan. Many of the textile factories were built on reclaimed land west of Tsuen Wan Old Market along Castle Peak Road. Factories were dispersed and not well organised, since the development of the industries was not pre-planned, and the lack of land for industrial use was what surged reclamation.


New factories were established in Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi in the early 1960s as Tsuen Wan was saturated with factories, the more famous ones being Oriental Pacific Mills, Tai Loong Weaving and Dyeing Factory, General Garment Manufactory and Pao Hsing Cotton Mill. After the completion of reclamation works at Gin Drinkers Bay in 1967, the area was targeted by the Government for industrial development, and the concentration of factories further increased. By 1970, Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung together had about 1,400 factories, employing 80,000 persons in total. New factory buildings continued to be built in the 1970s, with garment, textile and electronics becoming the three main industries of Tsuen Wan.

Heavy Industry
Tsing Yi used to be an isolated island, making it suitable for the development of heavy industries. The first batch of heavy industries was formed in the 1960s. The ferry pier and power plant constructed in 1960 and 1969 respectively solved the problems of inaccessibility and lack of electricity of the island, thus attracting more heavy industries to be located here.

Shipyards
Tsing Yi became the new hub in Hong Kong for shipbuilding and repairs, due to the relocation of Tai Kok Tsui and Cheung Sha Wan shipyards to the island in the 1960s to make way for reclamation works in Kowloon. The deep waters of Hong Kong’s harbour and routes combined with its stable political situation, economic environment, and geographical location enabled Hong Kong to become one of the busiest ports in the world. However, in the 1990s, the shipyards and factories had to move again, towards Tsing Yi’s western side, since the northern shore of Tsing Yi was used to build housing estates. The shipbuilding industry began to decline in recent years.



Container Terminals

Terminal No. 1 of Kwai Chung Container Terminal was built in 1972. By 1974, that terminal was able to process 3,561 TEUs (standard twenty-foot containers equivalent units) daily in 1974 and this number was increased to 4,630 TEUs per day in 1982, setting a world record at that time. The container terminal of Hong Kong was ranked first in throughput globally in 1988 and 1989, processing 403 million and 446 million TEUs respectively, establishing Hong Kong’s position in the global container transportation industry. Currently, there are 9 terminals at Kwai Chung Container Terminal with 24 berths and 278.85 hectares of land. According to statistics of the HKCTOA (Hong Kong Container Terminal Operators Association Limited), the terminal processed 17.1 million TEUs in 2010, ranking it third in throughput globally, and it is one of the busiest terminals in the world.

Petroleum Depots
Petroleum depots continued their operations on Tsing Yi Island after World War II. By the mid-1960s, companies including Mobil, Texaco, Standard Oil and Feoso had all established facilities in Tsing Yi to store, distribute, blend and package petroleum products. From 1970s till 1980s the number of facilities increased and spread to most of the island. However, growing population density and heightened awareness of the dangers of petroleum storage led to petition from many locals in the 1980s for the depots to move away from Tsing Yi. The depots eventually moved to the more remote areas of Tsing Yi, or away from the island altogether. Oil depots continuing to operate in Tsing Yi currently include Shell, Exxon Mobil (with two depots), China Resources, and Chevron.

Others
Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park
The park claimed to be the first modern large-scale amusement park in southern China when it opened in 1949. It was transferred to Chiu Tak Kan Deacon for management in 1961 and many attractions were added, including Song City and the zoo, which were introduced to boost the business of the park. The amusement park was so popular that it had three million visitors annually by 1969, despite the fact that the Hong Kong population was smaller than this number. One of the attractions of the park is an Asian elephant named Tino. Although the amusement park was closed in 1997, it provided much joy to different generations of Hong Kong people and serves as a collective memory of the locals.

Wa Dat Studio
”Wa Daat Studio” (or Wader Motion Picture and Development) was a large studio located in Tsuen Wan at 6.5 miles on Castle Peak Road, built in 1953, belonging to Kong Ngee Co. with investment from Singapore. “Kong Ngee” was listed among the big three in film production and distribution, together with “Shaw Brothers” and “International Films” (or “Motion Picture & General Investment Co. Ltd”). Wa Daat Studio nurtured many famous new talents like actor Tse Yin and actress Kar Ling, and was renowned at that time.

Infrastructure Development
Early land and water transportation
Villagers travelled on foot in the early days from one village to another. Land transportation within Tsuen-Kwai-Tsing was considerably close and convenient, but the connection with other districts farther away was not as convenient. Residents would buy their daily necessities from the Tsuen Wan Old Market, and they kept to a minimum their travel to districts outside Tsuen-Kwai-Tsing.

In comparison, water transportation was more in use than land transportation, as people living on Tsing Yi had to come to Tsuen Wan to purchase necessities or to worship Tin Hau at the temple located at Sam Pak Tsin (currently Tsuen Wan Cemetery). However, until the late 1930s, they could only use the small and slow sampans as water transport which was inconvenient.

Roads Development


Four Important Highways
Castle Peak Road and Tai Po Road
The two most important roads built in the early days would be Castle Peak Road and Tai Po Road. The roads were the earliest modern roads to be constructed and greatly improved the accessibility of the New Territories even in the pre-war days, as they covered about two-thirds of the New Territories. The roads connected together various villages, districts and markets and were renowned for their historical value and their benefits to the economy

Tuen Mun Road
Among the roads of Hong Kong, Tuen Mun Road was ranked third in its length and connected Tuen Mun’s Lam Tei with Chai Wan Kok at the northern edge of Tsuen Wan. Tuen Mun Road was one of Hong Kong’s first high speed expressways and also the first road to impose restricted access for certain vehicles. Its construction relieved the serious shortage of transportation for Tuen Mun New Town established in 1973.

Route Twisk
Constructed between 1951 and 1952, Route Twisk connected the populated northern and southern portions of the New Territories and thus improved the accessibility of the areas. The road reduced the travelling time from Tsuen Wan to Kam Tin or Yuen Long by half and established Kam Tin (the junction of Castle Peak Road and Tai Po Road) into the transport hub of the New Territories.

Tunnels
Shing Mun Tunnels
Opened on 20th of April 1990, the tunnels connected the west and the east portions of the New Territories, between Tsuen Wan’s Lei Muk Shue and Shatin’s Tai Wai. It is the first tolled tunnel which had a bus interchange set within its perimeters. The interchange is located on the hill top. The closed-off environment rendered it unnecessary to use the Octopus system to verify free transfer rides, and currently is still the only interchange that has no need for verification.

Tai Lam Tunnel
Built to relieve the traffic load on Tuen Mun Road and Castle Peak Road, the Tai Lam Tunnel is part of Route 3 (Country Park Section), a major transportation hub to connect the New Territories with the urban areas of Hong Kong and Kowloon. Running north to south, it makes the Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok and the Kwai Chung Container Terminal more accessible, especially from the north, and it serves also as a transport hub to open up New Territories West to other districts. Since the tunnel’s northern exit is close to Lok Ma Chau and the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Western Corridor, it improves the traffic between Hong Kong and China and thus serves an important role in cargo transport and logistics between the two areas.

Bridges
Tsing Yi: One Island, Eight Bridges
Within a short span of 30 years, Tsing Yi has developed from an isolated island surrounded by water into an island with eight bridges, serving as a transportation hub. It is probably the one and only such island in the world used mainly for connecting adjacent districts. These busy bridges bear testimony to the rapid development of both Tsing Yi as well as the whole of Hong Kong. Currently, the eight bridges that connect the island to the rest of Hong Kong are Tsing Yi Bridge (Tsing Yi South Bridge), Tsing Tsuen Road (Tsing Yi North Bridge), Tsing Ma Bridge, Ting Kau Bridge, Cheung Tsing Bridge, MTR railway lines, Kwai Tsing Road (extending into Tsing Yi Road) and Stonecutters Bridge.

Transport Development
Railways
Tsuen-Kwai-Tsing area has many railway lines that connect it to the rest of Hong Kong. They are the MTR Tsuen Wan Line which began service in 1982 and the Tung Chung Line together with the Airport Express, both established in 1998. In addition, since 2003 Tsuen Wan is also a part of the West Rail Line which connects Tsuen Wan with the western part of the New Territories, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, and to the rest of Hong Kong as well, thus making it convenient to travel about.

Buses and Minibuses
Private buses and minibuses were already providing transport services in the pre-war days and these services grew as New Territories West developed. The continued improvement and construction of roads such as Castle Peak Road led to an increase of public transport serving the Tsuen-Kwai-Tsing area. Bus routes have connected the New Territories and Lantau Island with Kowloon and Hong Kong. Tsuen Wan was transformed into a bus interchange, to meet the needs of the people commuting and travelling around Hong Kong. Minibuses began their services as early as the 1950s, providing transport services for people to travel from the city to remote areas of the New Territories and around different districts. Today, the minibus has become one of the main transport means, just second to bus services, for people living in places in the New Territories not reachable by railroads.

Piers and Ferries
Kai-to and ferry services were the main and only transport services which connected the Tsuen-Kwai-Tsing area, together until 1974 when the Tsing Yi Bridge was completed. The first ferry service between Tsuen Wan and Hong Kong Island began as early as 1925 according to some old-timers, at first operated by the “Hong Kong New Territories Ferry Company”, and subsequently turned over to the “Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Co. Ltd.” in 1938. The Japanese Army destroyed the Tsuen Wan Pier in 1942, and ferry service was suspended during the war but it was resumed afterwards. However, the rapid development of land transport services, tunnels and other facilities in subsequent decades have caused the dwindling of ferry services and they eventually died out in the year 2000.

People’s Livelihood
Tsuen Wan New Town
Coined by the Government as “Tsuen Wan Satellite Town” in the early days, the town is one of the nine New Towns of Hong Kong and also one of the earliest planned suburban towns. The planning for the town started in 1959 and it was announced on the Government Gazette in September 1961. Development began officially in 1973. Unlike the other first-generation new towns of Sha Tin and Tuen Mun, there is no fixed “town centre” in Tsuen Wan New Town. Instead, the town is developed using Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi as the three centres. After separation from Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung has constructed many facilities of its own, such as the famed Kwai Tsing Theatre. Metro Plaza and Kwai Chung Plaza can be deemed as the centre of Kwai Chung, while Tsing Yi has been developed into a self-sustainable town.

Squatters and Resettlement Areas
There was a huge influx of refugees during the 1950s and 1960s which led to the rapid emergence of squatter areas. These squatters of mostly wooden huts were often victims of fires due to their being overcrowded, unplanned and disorganised, and heavy causalities occurred. Since large-scale reclamation works have changed the terrain and landscape, this also made the region frequently inundated by flooding after heavy rains.

To deal with these dangers and hygiene problems, the government began to demolish the squatters by stages in the 1950s and moved the residents to temporary housing areas. Religious groups including the Hong Kong Methodist Church and the welfare services of the Catholic Church provided aid for these people of poorer means. The Government began building resettlement estates, and after the squatter fires of Hoi Pa Village in 1954, the victims were sent to the Tai Wo Hau Resettlement Estate. However, the estates were not built fast enough to meet the demands and thus the government began to use more temporary housing areas as shelters. Under new housing policies, large-scaled public housing estates were planned and built eventually, to solve the problem of lack of housing.

Public Housing and Home Ownership Scheme Flats
Kwai Chung was the earliest district to develop public housing in Tsuen-Kwai-Tsing. Tai Wo Hau Estate was the first public housing estate in Kwai Chung, completed in 1961, and in Tsuen Wan the first public housing estate was Fuk Loi Estate, completed in 1963. The lack of transport facilities led to the slow development of housing on Tsing Yi Island, and its first public housing estate, Cheung Ching Estate, was completed in 1977. Currently, there are almost twenty public housing estates in Kwai Chung, compared with only six in Tsuen Wan, reflecting the policy of developing Kwai Chung into a residential district and Tsuen Wan into an industrial district. Public housing estates have been expanded, renewed, improved with public amenities, and beautified, making them much more comfortable to live in as compared to decades ago, when public housing estate units did not even have individual toilets or kitchens.

Private Housing
Private housing estates emerged in Tsuen-Kwai-Tsing area in the 1960s, mostly made up of single-block buildings. One of the remnants of early private housing estate in Tsuen Wan would be Chen Hsin Mansion in Sam Pei Square and another would be Wang Wah Building in Kwai Chung on Tai Ha Street (“Building Street” in Chinese). As the number of large private housing estates and high-rise buildings increase in Tsuen-Kwai-Tsing, the area eventually developed into the concrete jungle of today. Examples of well-known private housing would be Allway Gardens in Tsuen Wan and Villa Esplanada in Tsing Yi.


Community Amenities
There were virtually no public facilities in Tsuen-Kwai-Tsing before World War II, and it was only after the war that amenities began to be added, such as a fire station and a post office. The only recreational facilities that were available were two cinemas. However, Tsuen Wan’s community development was still in the lead when compared to other parts of the New Territories. For example, the first public library of the New Territories was opened in 1974 in Tsuen Wan at Fuk Loi Estate. Today, Tsuen-Kwai-Tsing is equipped with a large variety of amenities and the Kwai Tsing district was designated by the World Health Organization as a “Safe Community” in 2003.

Yan Chai Hospital
Yan Chai Hospital was established in 1967, and the process was initiated by the indigenous population of Tsuen Wan. Although Tsuen Wan was developing rapidly into a satellite city with an increasing number of residents, there was a dire lack of medical facilities in the district, with the only medical facility available being the Residents’ Clinic provided by the Tsuen Wan Trade Association, even by the late 1960s. Thus, gentry and businessmen of Tsuen Wan, led by the Trade Association’s Chairman Mr. Yip Tak Fan, started preparations of Yan Chai Hospital in 1962. The Yan Chai Hospital Board of Directors was formed in 1967 with Chiu Tak Kan Deacon as Chairman, to oversee the construction of the hospital. The hospital main building was completed in 1973, providing about a hundred hospital beds at that time. Through years of improvement and expansion, Yan Chai Hospital of today provides a comprehensive range of medical services and it is also a sizeable charitable foundation which serves grassroots people of Tsuen Wan and Hong Kong.

Tsuen Wan Town Hall
Established in 1980, the Tsuen Wan Town Hall was the first venue built for performing arts in the New Territories. Its design was modelled after Hong Kong City Hall. After major renovations in the 1990s and in 2004, the facilities in the town hall have been improved and the seminar halls and conference rooms are suitable for holding exhibitions, seminars, receptions, conferences, training courses and seminars.

Kwai Tsing Theatre
The Kwai Tsing Theatre opened in November 1999 and represented a milestone for performing arts development in Hong Kong. The theatre is well-equipped with a contemporary and up-to-date design, suitable for offering all sorts of art performances. To meet the demand for small experimental theatres, the exhibition hall was converted to a black box theatre, which opened in May 2008 and it is also the first venue for black box theatre under the administration of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.