Yuen Long 元朗區 | |
|---|---|
| Yuen Long District | |
 Day view of the Yuen Long District skyline | |
 Official emblem | |
 | |
 Location of Yuen Long District within Hong Kong | |
| Coordinates:22°26′44″N114°01′20″E / 22.44559°N 114.02218°E /22.44559; 114.02218 | |
| Statutorily-defined area | New Territories |
| Region | Hong Kong |
| Country | China |
| Constituencies | 39[needs update] |
| Government | |
| • District Council Chairman | Shum Ho-Kit[needs update] |
| • District Council Vice-Chairman | Tang Ho-Nin |
| Area | |
• Total | 138.56 km2 (53.50 sq mi) |
| • Land | 138.56 km2 (53.50 sq mi) |
| Lands Department[1] | |
| Population (2021[2]) | |
• Total | 668,080 |
| • Density | 4,822/km2 (12,490/sq mi) |
| Census and Statistics Department[2] | |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (Hong Kong Time) |
| Largest neighbourhood by population | Tin Shui Wai (286,232 – 2016 est)[3] |
| Location of district office and district council | 269Castle Peak Road – Yuen Long [yue], Yuen Long |
| Website | Yuen Long District Council |
| Yuen Long District | |||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 元朗區 | ||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 元朗区 | ||||||||||||||
| CantoneseYale | Yùhn lóhng kēui | ||||||||||||||
| Jyutping | Jyun4 long5 keoi1 | ||||||||||||||
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Yuen Long District (formerlyUn Long) is one of thedistricts ofHong Kong. Located in the northwest of theNew Territories, it had a population of 662,000 in 2021.[4]
Yuen Long District contains the largest alluvial plain in Hong Kong, the Yuen Long-Kam Tin plain. With an area of 144 km2 (56 square miles), the district covers many traditional villages includingPing Shan Heung,Ha Tsuen Heung,Kam Tin Heung,Fung Kat Heung,Pat Heung,San Tin Heung andShap Pat Heung, as well asYuen Long Town andTin Shui Wai.
Twonew towns have been developed within this district.Yuen Long New Town was developed from the traditional market town ofYuen Long Town from the late 1970s.Tin Shui Wai New Town has developed since the early 1990s and is built onland reclaimed from former fish ponds once common in the district.
According to archaeological findings, there were inhabitants settled in the district around 3,500 years ago. The ruling clan of theTang Clan (Chinese:鄧氏家族) lived there inKam Tin. LikeTai Po, Yuen Long used to be a traditionalmarket town.
In 1898 the area of the modern day Yuen Long District was leased to the colonial British Hong Kong government by theConvention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory. A 6 day-war broke out between the British army and the militia from Tang and other villages. The iron doors of the walled villages of Tang were looted and brought to the UK as spoils of war.[5] They were returned to Tang later, but according to urban legend, the doors were mixed up and were not returned to the rightful villages, possibly explaining the two sides of the door ofKat Hing Wai being different in design.[6]
After the war, the colonial government took a different approach to administer the New Territories, establishing thedistrict office. Yuen Long was under theDistrict Office North headquartered in Tai Po. A permanent branch office was later set up in Yuen Long.
The history of the modern-day Yuen Long administrative district (despite a few government departments not mapping their service area according to the boundary of the District) can be traced back toYuen Long District Office (previously known asChinese:元朗理民府 now known asChinese:元朗民政事務處 ofHome Affairs Department; English name unchanged) of the "New Territories Administration" department of the British colonial government. Reforms in 1980s led to all of Hong Kong, including the New Territories, being divided into Districts, each with a District Council with elected councillors. The last election of theYuen Long District Council was held in 2023.
TheTin Hau Festival (天后誕巡遊) is on the 23rd of the third month of thelunar calendar. It celebrates the birth of a local deity, Tin Hau. During the day, residents from various walled villages set off at Fung Cheung Road, go via Kau Yuk Road and the Yuen Long Stadium, and end atTai Shu Ha Tin Hau Temple, which has a 300-year history.
Hong Kong Wetland Park (香港濕地公園) is located at the northern part ofTin Shui Wai. It was intended to be an ecological mitigation area (EMA) for thewetlands lost due toTin Shui Wai New Town development. In 1998, a project named as "International Wetland Park and Visitor Centre Feasibility Study" was initiated by theAgriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and theHong Kong Tourism Board with a view to expanding the EMA to a wetland ecotourism attraction. After concluding that it was feasible to develop a wetland park at the EMA site without compromising its intended ecological mitigation functions and the development of the Wetland Park will also enhance the ecological function of the EMA to a world-class conservation, education and tourism facility, the concerned parties started the Wetland Park Project, which is regarded as one of the Millennium projects by the Administrations.
Kat Hing Wai (吉慶圍) in Kam Tin is one of the Yuen Long's best-knownwalled villages. It is the ancestral home of the Tangs, one of the "Five Great Clans" in the territory. Built by the Tangs 500 years ago, it is a rectangular walled village with an area of 100 metres by 90 metres. As a family stronghold, Kat Hing Wai has served the Tangs well through centuries. In theQing dynasty, a five-metre high blue brick wall and four cannon towers were added to fend off bandits.
Route:Tuen Ma lineKam Sheung Road station orKMB routes 54, 64K and 77K
Nam Sang Wai (南生圍) covers a roughly triangular area. It is bordered by the Shan Pui River in the west, separating it from Yuen Long Industrial Estate, the Kam Tin River in the east and a branch of the Kam Tin River in the south. It is home to many birds, including seagulls, Northern Pintails (Anas acuta), Yellow-nib Ducks (Anas poecilorhyncha) and Black-faced Spoonbills (Platalea minor). Flora includes reeds and mangroves.
Mai Po Marshes (米埔) is located in the centre of the wetland and has achieved international significance as a stopping and feeding place for migratory birds along the East Asian-Australian Flyway. The birdwatching season runs from October to May and more than 300 types of birds have been recorded in the area, many of them are rarely seen anywhere outside the region.
Visitors may go to Mai Po via the following ways:
On 30 January 2004, the government suspended public visits to the Mai Po wetland reserve as a supposed measure to protect people from the avian flu (H5N1).
Ping Shan Heritage Trail (屏山文物徑), inaugurated on 12 December 1993, was designed to link several historic buildings and monuments owned by the Tang clan in Ping Shan (including Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda 聚星樓 and Tang Ancestral Hall 鄧氏宗祠) by a 1 km trail.
Route: LRTPing Shan stop,Hang Mei Tsuen stop or West Rail lineTin Shui Wai station
Tai Fu Tai Mansion (大夫第) inSan Tin was probably built in 1865 in the reign of the Qing dynasty. It is a richly embellished residence situated on a spacious ground, with a large open space in the front and a garden at the back. The whole compound is surrounded by a green-brick wall. It is a fine example of traditional Chinese dwellings of thescholar-gentry class and is certainly one of the most elegant buildings throughout the territory.
Route: KMB Bus 76K to San Tin
Tai Lam Country Park sits in the western New Territories with an area of 54 km2. Tai Lam has a small area ofporphyry in the northeast; for the remaining area, it is composed of highly erodible decomposedgranite. In 1952, afforestation started as a measure to protect the water catchment area. In spite of the poor soil conditions and the setbacks of fire damage over the years, mature stands ofAcacia confusa,Lophostemon confertus,Pinus massoniana,Pinus elliottii andEucalyptus species now cover most of the area. In addition, the plantations also offer a good habitat for birds,pangolins,Chinese leopard cat, andbarking deer. Nevertheless, Tai Lam is an excellent place foroutdoor activities because of its remoteness.
Yuen Long Park (元朗市鎮公園) is a park at Yuen Long Town with recreational facilities. There is a 7-storey pagoda enclosing anaviary, which has become a landmark of Yuen Long.
Route: LRTShui Pin Wai stop, LWB bus E34 or KMB Bus 68X, 268B, 268C, 268X, 269D, 276, 276P, B1, 68E (get off the bus atYuen Long Park.)
Located in the northwest of the New Territories, Yuen Long has a well-developed public transport network. It is easily accessible from different parts of Hong Kong by bus, mini-bus or railway.
TheHong Kong–Shenzhen Western Corridor bridge (深港西部通道) is the fourth cross-border route between Hong Kong and mainland China. It was completed and opened in 2007, and is 5.5 km long. It starts atNgau Hom Shek (鰲磡石), located at the northwest of Yuen Long, and ends inShekou, a harbour port located in Shenzhen.[7]
Hong Kong Public Libraries operates three libraries in this district: Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai, Tin Shui Wai, and Yuen Long.[8]
| Demographic characteristics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Population | 449,070 | |
| Proportion of population (%) | Aged under 15 | 20 |
| Aged 15–64 | 71 | |
| Aged 65 and over | 9 | |
| Median age | 33 | |
| Proportion of population aged 15 and over being never married (%) | Male | 32 |
| Female | 27 | |
| Education | ||
| School attendance rate of population aged 6–18 (%) | 92.9 | |
| Proportion of non-student population aged 20 and over having attained tertiary education (%) | 10.9 | |
| Labour force characteristics | ||
| Labour force | 219,444 | |
| Labour force participation rate (%) | Male | 74.0 |
| Female | 48.2 | |
| Both sexes | 60.9 | |
| Median monthly income from main employment of working population (HK$) | 10,588.7 | |
| Household characteristics | ||
| Number of domestic households | 137,211 | |
| Average domestic household size | 3.2 | |
| Median monthly domestic household income (HK$) | 16,763.5 | |
| Housing characteristics | ||
| Number of occupied quarters | 136,705 | |
| Average number of domestic households per unit of quarters | 1.01 | |
| Proportion of domestic households owning the quarters they occupy (%) | 48.15 | |
| Median monthly domestic household mortgage payment and loan repayment (HK$) | 7,693.83 | |
| Median mortgage payment and loan repayment to income ratio (%) | 24.63 | |
| Median monthly domestic household rent (HK$) | 2,513.04 | |
| Median rent to income ratio (%) | 16.36 | |
Places adjacent to Yuen Long District | |
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| Hong Kong Island | |
|---|---|
| Kowloon andNew Kowloon | |
| New Territories (excluding New Kowloon) | |
