 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Ma On Shan" town – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(June 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
22°25′19″N114°13′57″E / 22.42194°N 114.23250°E /22.42194; 114.23250
| Ma On Shan | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 View of Ma On Shan and theTolo Harbour. Thenamesake mountain is visible in the background. | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 馬鞍山 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 马鞍山 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Saddle Hill | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Ma On Shan (Chinese: 馬鞍山) is anew town along the eastern coast ofTolo Harbour in theNew Territories ofHong Kong. The neighbourhood takes its name from thetwin peaks of Ma On Shan, which are partially located within the town.
Although it was initially an extension ofSha Tin New Town, Ma On Shan has its owntown centre and various government facilities, and is now classified as a separate new town in government reports.[1] Administratively, it belongs toSha Tin District.
Ma On Shan is located by the west face of thetwin peaks of Ma On Shan, which can be translated as "horse saddle mountain". Situated in the northeastern part ofSha Tin District, the town is built on the strip between Tolo Harbour and Ma On Shan mountain. It is bordered byWu Kai Sha to the north and byTai Shui Hang to the south.
The originalMa On Shan Village still houses around 80 families. Yan Kwong Lutheran Church, one of two original churches established during the area's mining heyday, was revitalised in around 2014 as a centre to highlight the history and culture of the old village.[2]
Deep inside the slope of Ma On Shan was aniron mine. Due to the mine's unprofitability, the1970s energy crisis, as well as the progressingNew Town development,Ma On Shan Iron Mine was closed in 1976.[3]
Historically, the three treasures of Ma On Shan were:
1.Iron ore: The deposit is estimated to have comprised over 7 million tonnes. The iron extracted from the 1950s to 1970s was mainly exported to Japan.
2.Azaleas: The azalea speciesRhododendron hongkongense was discovered in Hong Kong in 1851 but was mistaken for another, only acquiring its "Hongkong" name in 1930. The species, which is found only on Ma On Shan and a few nearby sites, blooms in April with colours ranging from white to light red. Since 2006, an annual "Ma On Shan Azalea Festival" has promoted the azalea as the symbol of the district, celebrating six locally native species: (Rhododendron championae,Rhododendron farrerae,Rhododendron hongkongense,Rhododendron moulmainense,Rhododendron simiarum andRhododendron simsii[4]) Various activities are held, including planting azaleas in housing estates and greenery areas, a photo-taking competition, painting competition, andexhibitions. The event is organised by Sha Tin East Area Committee of the District Council, Sha Tin District Office,Civil Engineering and Development Department,Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Ma On Shan Promotion of Livelihood and Recreation Association, theMTRC and various other bodies.[5]
3.Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak): The natural habitat of this deer species includes Hong Kong and goes as far west asIndia,Pakistan andAfghanistan. The male has shortantlers and canine teeth and likes to rest in bushes or tall grass. It feeds on leaves, underground roots and tubers, and sometimes tree bark. They live alone and if they are scared or during the mating season, produce a strange bark, hence their nicknamebarking deer. They are timid and shy, with records showing that some local specimens died of fright when captured.
Development ofpublic housing estates commenced in the mid-1980s, with Heng On Estate completed in 1987,[6] followed by Chevalier Garden in 1988.[7] TheMa On Shan line of theMTR, previously theKCR Ma On Shan Rail, was opened in 2004.[8] It was later merged into theTuen Ma Line.
According to the 2016 by-Census, Ma On Shan has a population of 209,714, and 94% of the population is of Chinese ethnicity. Average household size is 3.1, and median monthly domestic household income is HK$33,000.[9]
The town features a three-storey shopping centre,MOSTown. Connected to MOSTown isMa On Shan Plaza.
Ma On Shan Plaza is a shopping centre in the town centre of Ma On Shan in the Sha Tin District. Located onSai Sha Road, it is connected to MOSTown and theMa On Shan station of the MTR Tuen Ma line by footbridges. It is an associated shopping centre built together with the residential estate of Bayshore Towers, developed byCheung Kong Holdings. The shopping centre has been famous[citation needed] for its indoormerry-go-round for the amusement of visitors who purchase items in any shops in the shopping arcade up to a certain amount.
MOSTown is large shopping centre selling a wide range of items. Many shops are clothing shops, including well-known labels likeLevi's, Bauhaus,Adidas,Giordano, and many others mostly specialising in women's fashion. MOSTown also houses a large "Citistore" department store selling clothes, mattresses, beds, toys, electrical appliances, luggage and more.
Numerous restaurants can be found in the plaza including local Cantonese eateries and branches of Western chains such asMcDonald's andKFC. A large "Market Place by Jasons" supermarket is present as are cosmetics shops, hairdressers, tea houses, bakeries, shoe-shops, a chemist and a classic favourite: an HK "$12" shop[citation needed].
Sunshine Bazaar is a small arcade-size retail space that features a bank, pet shop, music store, family medical centre and tutorial centre(s).
Ma On Shan is an area with a high density ofprivate housing estate. Some of the larger private housing estates in Ma On Shan are:
TheMa On Shan Sports Ground is open all week. Badminton courts and table-tennis tables abound, and the cost of a badminton court for one hour is around HK$60 (half-price for students). Near the sports centre is the Ma On Shan Public Swimming Pool.
TheMa On Shan Public Library, completed in 2005, is within walking distance from the sports centre and the swimming pool. The library provides an alternative location for reading and research to theSha Tin Public Library.
Ma On Shan is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 89. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money); no government schools are in the net.[16]
Schools in Ma On Shan:
Hong Kong Public Libraries operates the Ma On Shan Public Library.[17]
Ma On Shan is served by theTuen Ma line of theMTR network. It was opened as theMa On Shan line on 21 December 2004 by theKowloon–Canton Railway, and merged with theWest Rail line on 27 June 2021. It starts atTuen Mun, has direct service toYuen Long andTsuen Wan. The line merged into theMa On Shan line atHung Hom station, and the stations areTai Shui Hang,Heng On,Ma On Shan andWu Kai Sha, where it terminates, lie between Ma On Shan. Passengers can change atTai Wai orHung Hom to theEast Rail line for service toHong Kong Island,Kowloon or the mainland border crossings atLo Wu andLok Ma Chau,Diamond Hill orHo Man Tin to theKwun Tong line for service to Kowloon,Nam Cheong to theTung Chung line for service toHong Kong Island,Tsing Yi, orLantau Island, orMei Foo to theTsuen Wan line for service to Hong Kong Island, western Kowloon, or Tsuen Wan.
Numerousbuses andpublic light buses serve the area and connect residents to nearby places includingSha Tin,Tai Po, andKowloon, including a number of cross-harbour routes toHong Kong Island. The city is served by several bus termini, with the ones in Ma On Shan Town Centre andLee On being notable.
Ma On Shan is served by bothgreen and red taxis. Green taxis only serve theNew Territories, while the pricier Red Taxis serve the urban areas ofHong Kong Island andKowloon.
Ma On Shan is administratively part of Sha Tin District. At the2019 District Council election, which was the last local election before the2023 electoral changes, the neighbourhood returned 13 councillors to the 42-seatSha Tin District Council, with all 13 Ma On Shan constituencies electing councillors belonging to thepan-democratic camp, with the MOS Guardians becoming the largest party in Ma On Shan.
As a result of the 2023 electoral changes, Ma On Shan is now split between the Sha Tin North and Sha Tin East constituencies, with the majority of the former Ma On Shan constituencies forming Sha Tin North. The constituency is currently represented by Choi Wai-shing of the DAB and Anna Law Yi-lam of the New People's Party.
As of the2021 Legislative Council elections, Ma On Shan, along with Sai Kung and the rest of eastern Sha Tin, forms part of theNew Territories South East constituency, which returns two members to the Legislative Council. The constituency is currently represented byStanley Li Sai-wing of the DAB andConnie Lam So-wai of Professional Power.
Prior to the2021 electoral changes, Ma On Shan was part of theNew Territories East constituency, which also containedTai Po District,North District,Sai Kung District, and the rest ofSha Tin District.
Urban areas of Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MHong Kong1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9a,10,11,12,14,15,16 |  | ||||||||||
| MOld KowloonKL,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9a,10,11,12,14,15,16 |
| ||||||||||
| MNew KowloonNKL,2,3,4,5,6,7,9a,10,11,12,14,15,16 |
| ||||||||||
| New Territories |
| ||||||||||
Official place names are summarized from "Geoinfo Map" of Government ofHong Kong Special Administrative Region, "Hong Kong Guide" ofLands Department, "Hong Kong Guide Book" of Universal Publications Ltd. and "Areas and Districts" ofRating and Valuation Department. M：Narrow meaning of urban areas KL:Kowloon Peninsula at the south ofBoundary Street NKL: Former New Territories area at the north of Boundary Street and at the south ofLion Rock 1: Common definition (1) 2: Common definition (2) 3: Common definition (3) 4: Areas not adopting small house concessionary right ofindigenous inhabitants 5: Jurisdiction area of formerUrban Council 6: Definition of "Metropolitan Area" ofPlanning Department 7: Jurisdiction area ofUrban Renewal Authority 8: Unique operating area ofurban taxis 9: "Urban" (9a) and "Extended Urban" (9b) areas defined byHong Kong Housing Authority 10: Definition of Urbanrates 11: Hospital cluster belongs to Hong Kong or Kowloon 12: Police region belongs to Hong Kong or Kowloon 13: Regions having 999-year land lease 14:Geographical Constituency inHong Kong Legislative Council belongs to Hong Kong or Kowloon 15:Regional Education Office belongs to Hong Kong or Kowloon 16:Primary One Admission School Net belongs to Hong Kong or Kowloon | |||||||||||