Kwai Chung (葵涌) is located in the Kwai Tsing district of the New Territories, is an important part of the Tsuen Wan New Town, together with Tsing Yi. [1]
With an area of about 1,025 hectares, Kwai Chung is bounded by the Kam Shan Country Park to the east, Ching Cheung Road to the south, the harbour to the west, and Tsing Tsuen Road, Texaco Road, Cheung Pei Shan Road, Wo Yi Hop Road and Castle Peak Road to the north. The area covers Kwai Fong, Kwai Hing, Kwai Shing, Kwai Chung Estate, Tai Wo Hau, North Kwai Chung, Lai King Hill, Container Terminals, Gin Drinkers Bay and Kau Wa Keng.
History[]
Kwai Chung is located in the southwestern part of the New Territories, and can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty when it was known as "Kwai Chung Hoi O" (葵涌海澳), which was a bayside area before it was developed.
The Castle Peak Road - Kwai Chung was opened to traffic as early as the 1910s, but the Government did not develop Kwai Chung until the 1960s, when large-scale reclamation and construction works followed. The Kwai Chung Resettlement Area (the predecessor of Kwai Chung Estate) was completed as early as the early 1960s, and in the late 1960s, the Government decided to build the Kwai Chung Container Terminals along the coastline of the Rambler Channel, which was followed by the opening of Kwai Chung Road. Many indigenous residents of Kwai Chung had to move to village houses along Wo Yi Hop Road and Kwok Shui Road. [2]
In the 1970s, Kwai Chung was still under the administration of the District Lands Office (DLO) in Tsuen Wan, and a number of public housing estates were gradually occupied. Lai King Hill, Kwai Fong, Kwai Hing, Kwai Shing, Tai Wo Hau and Shek Lei housing estates were located in different parts of the district, but the histories of the estates were too short for the establishment of a sense of belonging to the community. In 1980, the Government divided Kwai Chung into six districts, namely North Kwai Chung, East Kwai Chung, West Kwai Chung, Central Kwai Chung, South Kwai Chung and Kwai Shing, and held the "Kwai Chung Festival" from 30 November to 14 December to foster community cohesion through light-hearted cultural and recreational activities[3]. Since then, government buildings in the district have been named according to their respective districts, e.g. North Kwai Chung Market, Central Kwai Chung Park and South Kwai Chung Polyclinic.
With the establishment of the Kwai Tsing District on 1 April 1985, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi became independent from Tsuen Wan District and the pace of development was accelerated. With the opening of Tsuen Wan Road, which connects Kwai Chung Road and Tuen Mun Road, in 1986, there was no need for vehicles travelling to and from the Northwest New Territories to detour via Castle Peak Road - Kwai Chung. To cope with the rapid development of container terminals and the completion of the new airport at Chek Lap Kok, the Government has built a number of important infrastructural facilities in Kwai Tsing to connect Hong Kong, Kowloon, the New Territories and Lantau, including the Lantau Airport Railway and Route 3, with Kwai Chung as one of the landing points.
At present, the administrative centre of Kwai Tsing is located in Kwai Hing, the commercial core is located in Kwai Fong, and the logistics and shipping industries are located in Kwai Tsing Container Terminals, Tai Lin Pai, Gin Drinkers Bay and other industrial areas.
Street/road structures[]
The major trunk roads in Kwai Chung are Kwai Chung Road and Castle Peak Road - Kwai Chung. Kwai Chung Road passes through the Container Tterminals, Kwai Fong and Kwai Hing fringes, while Castle Peak Road - Kwai Chung passes through North Kwai Chung and Tai Wo fringes. Both roads intersect with Route 7 at Ching Cheung Road.
With the full opening of Tsuen Wan Road in 1986, it provides a faster route from Kowloon to Tsing Yi, Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun districts. The section of Kwai Chung Road south of Lai King Estate formed part of Route 5 along with Tsuen Wan Road[4] and Kwai Chung Road was widened during the construction of Route 3 in the 1990s, while Tsing Kwai Highway provided additional connections outside Lai King Estate and to the north of the container terminals.
With the opening of the Shing Mun Tunnels in 1990, Wo Yi Hop Road became the main access road between Kwai Chung and Sha Tin, eliminating the need for vehicles to go through Ching Cheung Road and Lung Cheung Road to enter Sha Tin (e.g. KMB Route 48X).
As the residential areas in Kwai Chung are scattered in different districts, the streets are clearly separated, such as Lai King Hill Road is the main road in Lai King Hill, Kwai Shing Estate is surrounded by Kwai Shing Circuit, Kwai Chung Estate and Tai Wo Hau share Tai Wo Hau Road, etc. As bus stops are located on different streets, passengers should pay attention to the direction of their routes to avoid taking the wrong bus.
Areas[]
| Six main areas in Kwai Tsing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Geographical locations | Area name | Remarks | |
| Lei Muk Shue | North Kwai Chung | Now part of Tsuen Wan District | |
| Shek Yam | |||
| On Yam | |||
| Shek Lei | |||
| Tai Lin Pai Industrial Area | No franchised buses serve its inner streets | ||
| Kwai Hing | West Kwai Chung | Regional administrative centre | |
| Kwai Chung Estate | Also called "Kwai Chung San Kui" (葵涌新區) | ||
| Tai Wo Hau | The area north of Castle Peak Road belongs to Tsuen Wan District | ||
| Kwai Shing Estate | Kwai Shing | Divided into Kwai Shing East Estate and Kwai Shing West Estate | |
| Kwai Fong | Central Kwai Chung | Regional commercial centre | |
| Gin Drinkers' Bay Industrial Area | Tsuen Wan Chinese Permanent Cemetery and Tsuen Wan Slaughterhouse are all located here | ||
| Lai King Hill | South Kwai Chung | Two public hospitals are all located at the south of Lai King Hill | |
| Container Terminals | Borders with Stonecutters Island of Sham Shui Po District, its expanded part is located in Tsing Yi South | ||
| Tai Wo (大窩) | Refers to the area around Wah Yuen Chuen and Wonderland Villas[5] | ||
| Kau Wa Keng | Borders with Lai Chi Kok of Sham Shui Po District | ||
Bus and minibus termini[]
| Information of bus and minibus terminiin Kwai Chung | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Article name | Area | Location | Nature |
| Kwai Fong Station Bus Terminus | Kwai Fong | Beside Kwai Fong Station | Bus terminus ^ |
| Kwai Fong (Metroplaza) Minibus Terminus | Kwai Fong | Hing Ning Road outside Metroplaza | Green minibus (GMB) terminus |
| Kwai Fong (Shing Fong Street) Minibus Terminus | Kwai Fong | Shing Fong Street near Kwai Fong Community Hall | GMB terminus |
| Kwai Chung Plaza | Kwai Fong | Kwai Foo Road outside Kwai Chung Plaza | GMB terminus * |
| Kwai Hing Station Bus Terminus | Kwai Hing | Beside Kwai Hing Station | Bus terminus ^ |
| Kwai Chung Estate Public Transport Interchange | Kwai Chung Estate | Ground floor, Kwai Chung Shopping Centre, Tai Wo Hau Road | Public transport interchange (PTI) |
| Shek Tau Street Minibus Terminus | Tai Wo Hau | Shek Tau Street near Fu Tai House Tai Wo Hau Estate | GMB terminus |
| Tai Wo Hau Estate (Tai Ha Street) Minibus Terminus | Tai Wo Hau | Tai Ha Street near Fu Yat House Tai Wo Hau Estate | PLB terminus |
| Kwai Shing (East) Bus Terminus | Kwai Shing Estate | Ground floor, Kwai Shing East Commercial Complex, Kwai Luen Road | Bus terminus |
| Kwai Shing (Central) Bus Terminus | Kwai Shing Estate | Kwai Luen Road near Block 7 Kwai Shing West Estate | Bus terminus |
| Kwai Shing Circuit Minibus Terminus | Kwai Shing Estate | Kwai Shing Circuit outside Shing Lok House Kwai Shing East Estate | GMB terminus * |
| Kwai Shing (Kwai Hau Street) Bus Terminus | Kwai Shing Estate | Kwai Hau Street near Shing Ka House Kwai Shing East Estate | GMB terminus |
| Shek Lei (Tai Loong Street) Bus Terminus | North Kwai Chung | Ground floor, Shek Lei Shopping Centre, Tai Loong Street | Bus terminus |
| Shek Lei (Lei Pui Street) Bus Terminus | North Kwai Chung | Shek Lei (i) Estate near Shek Chun House | Bus terminus ^ |
| On Yam Bus Terminus | North Kwai Chung | On Chuk Street outside On Yam Shopping Centre | Bus terminus ^ |
| North Kwai Chung Market | North Kwai Chung | Outside North Kwai Chung Market | GMB terminus *[6] |
| Shek Yam East Estate (Lei Muk Road) | North Kwai Chung | Outside Shek Yam Shopping Centre | GMB terminus *[7] |
| Shek On House Shek Lei Estate | North Kwai Chung | Shek Pai Street near Shek On House Shek Lei Estate | GMB terminus * |
| On Yam Estate (On Chit Street) Minibus Terminus | North Kwai Chung | On Chit Street near Ka Yam House | GMB terminus |
| Shek Lei (Shek Lei Street) Minibus Terminus | North Kwai Chung | Shek Lei Street | PLB terminus |
| Lai King (North) Bus Terminus | Lai King Hill | Lai King Hill Road outside Wo King House Lai King Estate | Bus terminus |
| Lai Yiu Bus Terminus | Lai King Hill | Lai Cho Road outside Kwai Yiu House Lai Yiu Estate | Bus terminus |
| Cho Yiu Bus Terminus | Lai King Hill | King Cho Road outside Cho Yiu Commercial Complex | Bus terminus |
| Highland Park Minibus Terminus | Lai King Hill | Lai Kong Street outside Highland Park | GMB terminus |
| Princess Margaret Hospital | Lai King Hill | Lai King Hill Road near Kwai Chung Interchange | GMB terminus * |
| Kwai Chung Hospital | Lai King Hill | Lai King Hill Road near Kwai Chung Interchange | GMB terminus * |
| Lai King (South) Bus Terminus | Lai King Hill | Lai King Hill Road opposite Lok King House Lai King Estate | Disappeared bus terminus [8] |
| Wah Yuen Chuen Minibus Terminus | Tai Wo | Wah Yuen Path outside Wah Shun House | GMB terminus [9] |
| Wonderland Villas Minibus Terminus | Tai Wo | Wonderland Villas Commercial Complex, Wah King Hill Road | GMB terminus |
| Terminal 4 | Container Terminals | Outside Hutchison Whampoa Logistics Centre, near Tung Chung Line Lai King Ventilation Portal | GMB terminus |
| Terminal 8 | Container Terminals | Ngong Wan Road near Stonecutters Island | GMB terminus |
| Tsuen Wan Chinese Permanent Cemetery | Gin Drinerks' Bay Industrial Area | Tsuen Wan Chinese Permanent Cemetery near Tsuen Wan Slaughterhouse | Temporary bus terminis[10] |
Note: ^ The bus terminus is also used as a green minibus terminus * There are buses in the vicinity of the green minibus terminus to serve as intermediate stops.
Related Articles[]
Notes and References[]
- ↑ Civil Engineering and Development Department Website: Tsuen Wan New Town
- ↑ To facilitate the administration of the articles, Sheung Kwai Chung and North Kwai Chung are split, with the former referring specifically to the villages in the vicinity of Sheung Kwai Chung Village in the Tsuen Wan District and the latter referring to the residential and industrial areas in the vicinity of Shek Lei Estate, On Yam Estate, and Lei Muk Road.
- ↑ "葵青－舊貌新顏．傳承與突破" (Kwai Tsing - Old faces and new colours · Inheritance and Breakthrough), Kwai Tsing District Council, March 2004.
- ↑ The Route 5 section of Kwai Chung was part of Route 2 before it was reorganised in 2004.
- ↑ Not to be confused with Tai Wo (太和) and Tai Wo Service Road West (大窩西支路) which are all in Tai Po District.
- ↑ North Kwai Chung Market is the "Shek Yam" terminus of New Territories GMB Route 401.
- ↑ Shek Yam East Estate (Lei Muk Road) is the"Shek Yam" terminus of New Territories GMB Route 410.
- ↑ The site of Lai King (South) Bus Terminus has been closed for demolition and converted into the Lai King Community Hall.
- ↑ There is also an intermediate bus stop at Castle Peak Road - Kwai Chung outside Wah Yan House Wah Yuen Chuen.
- ↑ The Tsuen Wan Chinese Permanent Cemetery is located south of Tsing Tsuen Road and subsumed into Kwai Tsing District, and is served by KMB Route 38S during the Ching Ming and Chung Yeung Festivals and serves as its terminus.
External Links[]
Template:Administrative Districts