Tuen Mun

For the district of Hong Kong, see Tuen Mun District. For the new town in Hong Kong, see Tuen Mun New Town.
Tuen Mun

Tuen Mun
Traditional Chinese 屯門
Simplified Chinese 屯门
Literal meaning Garrison Gate

Tuen Mun or Castle Peak is a city near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in what is now Hong Kong and can be dated to the Neolithic period.[1] In the more recent past, it was home to many Tanka fishermen who gathered at Castle Peak Bay.[2] Tuen Mun is now a modern, mainly residential area in the north-west New Territories. As of 2011, 487 546 live in Tuen Mun and over 95% of them are Chinese. [3]

History

During the Tang Dynasty (618–907), a navy town, Tuen Mun Tsang (屯門鎮) was established in Nantou, which lies across Deep Bay. Tuen Mun and the rest of Hong Kong were under its protection.

A major clan, To (Chinese: 陶), brought the name Tuen Mun to the area. They migrated from Jiangxi Province on the Chinese mainland and established a village Tuen Mun Tsuen (屯門村) late in the Yuan Dynasty (1272–1368). As more and more villages were established, the village was renamed Tuen Mun Tai Tsuen (屯門大村), which means "large village" in Chinese. As yet more villages were established, a market town of Tuen Mun Hui (屯門墟) (now Tuen Mun Kau Hui) was established. This town lies where present-day Tuen Mun Kau Hui is situated.

Tuen Mun remained an important town of coastal defence until the start of British rule in 1898. When the British took over the New Territories from the Qing government in this year, the area was renamed Castle Peak, and Tuen Mun Hui to Castle Peak Market (青山墟) or Tsing Shan Hui. The name Tuen Mun, however, continued to be used by those living in the area.

In 1965, "Castle Peak New Town" was planned. It was later renamed Tuen Mun New Town and constructed from 1970 onwards with many buildings on the reclamed land of the former Castle Peak Bay. The name was officially changed back to Tuen Mun in 1972.[4] The first public housing estate built in the town was Castle Peak Estate, opened 1971.

Geography

Tuen Mun is located in the west of Hong Kong's New Territories. It is sandwiched between two mountains, Castle Peak (583m) from the west and Kau Keng Shan (507m) from the east.

Tuen Mun Trail contains 2 segments. One starts from Hoh Fuk Tong College in San Hui connected with the end of MacLehose Trail through to Yeuk Mung Yuen(若夢園) till Prime View Garden. Another starts from “Yeuk Mung Yuen” to Fu Tei. It opens up the hills flanking the town, seeing the broad view of picturesque Tuen Mun from the lookout points.

Facilities

Tuen Mun Cultural Square

There are three traditional-style markets in the town: Tuen Mun Kau Hui (屯門舊墟), Tuen Mun San Hui (屯門新墟) and Sam Shing Hui (三聖墟).

There are many government facilities also, including the Tuen Mun Magistracy, and governmental offices. Leisure facilities include several sports complexes, a multi-story central library supplemented by two others, and a theatrical and concert venue in the form of the Tuen Mun Town Hall at Tuen Mun Town Centre.

The Correctional Services Department operates the Tai Lam Centre for Women in the district.

Public utilities

Hong Kong's largest electricity generation facilities, the Castle Peak Power Station (Station A & B) and Black Point Power Station (Station C), are located in western Tuen Mun.

Education

There are 36 primary and 38 secondary schools in Tuen Mun. There are 3 higher education institutions including Lingnan University, Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE) and Chu Hai College of Higher Education

Transport

Light Rail

Tuen Mun is served extensively by zones 1-3 of the MTR Light Rail (zones 4, 5, 5a are in Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai), the initial phase of which was completed and operational on 18 September 1988. The government decided that services between town centres and settlements would be provided solely by a Light Rail Transit (LRT) system, while feeder buses operated by the KCRC (now operated by MTR after the takeover in 2007) would connect remote sites to the network, replacing KMB's equivalent services where applicable. The North-west Railway, as it was then known, was thus established according to the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Ordinance.

The system consisted of two big and three small loops serving most of the public housing estates in northern Tuen Mun. Three branches: one to On Ting Estate in the southeast, one to the Tuen Mun Ferry Pier in the southwest, and another northern branch all the way into the town of Yuen Long along Castle Peak Road.

MTR West Rail

With the West Rail Line opened on 20 December 2003 the Light Rail have also taken the role of feeder services.

Road

On the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor, Cross Border Shuttle Services to Shekou is operated by Citybus on route B3, which departs from Tuen Mun Ferry Pier and B3X which departs from Tuen Mun Town Centre, a five minutes walk from MTR Tuen Mun Station. As well, Citybus route 962X (Causeway Bay <> Tuen Mun (Lung Mun Oasis)) allows for a cross-harbour link between Tuen Mun and Hong Kong Island. Residents can also take Green Minibus service 44B to Lok Ma Chau which departs from Tuen Mun Ferry Pier.

Ferry

Private ferries is also available in sporadic times in the public pier, 15 minutes walk from the Tuen Mun Ferry Pier.

The town is also served by New World First Ferry services to Tung Chung (being discontinued in July 2008 and replaced by Fortune Ferry Tuen Mun - Tung Chung - Sha Lo Wan - Tai O services). On 28 January 2016, TurboJET launched the new cross-boundary ferry services between Tuen Mun, Macau and Shenzhen Airport.[5]All services departs from Tuen Mun Ferry Pier.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Artefacts found in Tuen Mun in Neolithic period - Antiquities and Monuments Office". Antiquities and Monuments Office (Leisure and Cultural Services Department). Govt of Hong Kong. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  2. ↑ Anderson, Eugene (2007). Floating world lost : a Hong Kong fishing community. New Orleans, LA: University Press of the South. ISBN 9781931948517.
  3. ↑ http://www.census2011.gov.hk/pdf/fact_sheets/DC/L00e.pdf
  4. ↑ (Chinese)
  5. ↑ Hong Kong Tuen Mun – Macau Cross-boundary Ferry Service

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tuen Mun.

Coordinates: 22°23′30″N 113°58′15″E / 22.39159°N 113.97092°E / 22.39159; 113.97092

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.