Sai Kung 西貢區 | |
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| Sai Kung District | |
 Day view of Tseung Kwan O in the Sai Kung District | |
 Official emblem | |
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 Location of Sai Kung District within Hong Kong | |
| Coordinates:22°22′53″N114°16′14″E / 22.38143°N 114.27052°E /22.38143; 114.27052 | |
| Country | China |
| SAR | Hong Kong |
| Council constituencies | 24 |
| Government | |
| • Council Chairman | Francis Chau Yin-ming |
| • Council Vice-Chairman | Choi Ming Hei |
| • District Officer | David Chiu Yin-wa[1] |
| Area | |
| • Land | 129.64 km2 (50.05 sq mi) |
| Population (2016) | |
• Total | 461 864 |
| Population data from 2016 census;[2] | |
| Time zone | UTC+08:00 (Hong Kong Time) |
| Largest neighbourhood by population | Tseung Kwan O New Town (398,479 – 2016 est)[3] |
| Sai Kung District | |||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 西貢區 | ||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 西贡区 | ||||||||||||||||
| Jyutping | Sai1 gung3 keoi1 | ||||||||||||||||
| CantoneseYale | Sāigung kēui | ||||||||||||||||
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Sai Kung District is one of the18 districts ofHong Kong. The district comprises the southern half of theSai Kung Peninsula, theClear Water Bay Peninsula in theNew Territories and a strip of land to the east ofKowloon. Areas in the district includeSai Kung Town,Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark,Tseung Kwan O and over 70 islands of different sizes. The administrative centre had been located inSai Kung Town until the Sai Kung District Office was relocated toTseung Kwan O recently. The district's population is concentrated in Tseung Kwan O, as of 2011.[4] In 2011, the district was the third youngest district, with a median age of 39.3.[5] Known as the "back garden of Hong Kong", Sai Kung has been able to retain its natural scenery. Many traditional customs and cultures are still retained in the rural villages.
The modern geopolitical entity of Sai Kung District was formed afterWorld War II. Settlements existed in the area prior to the signing of theConvention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory, which ceded the area to thecolony of Hong Kong from theQing Empire in 1898. Those ceded areas are now collectively known as theNew Territories andNew Kowloon.
According to ProfessorDavid Faure, unlike other villages of the New Territories, villages inSai Kung did not form anyyeuk (Chinese:約), a kind of inter-village alliances in the 19th century in theQing dynasty.[6]: 121–127
Under the colonial rule, villages in Sai Kung were grouped under Tung Yeuk (also known as Tung Hoi Yeuk;Chinese:東海約;lit. 'East Sea yeuk') in 1898.[7][8][9]
Soon after, thedistrict office of New Territories was established. The New Territories was divided into Northern and Southern District (both not the same as the modern day districts of HK) and New Kowloon in the 1920s.[10] The area around the modern daySai Kung Town was under theDistrict Office North until 1947, which the area was under the administration of the Southern District (not the same as modern day Southern District) from 1947.[10] The Southern District was under further reform since 1957.
After the end of World War II (the author did not state the exact year, however), the New Territories was divided into 8 sub-divisions, one of which was named after Sai Kung.[8] Such sub-divisions was soon abolished. The North and South District Office were merged to form New Territories Administration, a department of the executive branch of the government, in 1948–1952, which has 3 sub-divisions:Tai Po (covers some of the area of the former Northern District),Yuen Long and Southern District.[10] Sai Kung was under the aforementioned Southern District.[11]Tsuen Wan District Officer was established in 1959[10] and craved out from the Southern District. The Southern District at that time only administrated the modern-day Sai Kung District andIslands District. A branch office of the Southern District was also established inMui Wo in 1957, which now belongs toLantau Island of the Islands District.[10] It was reported that circa the early 1960s, the Southern District was further split into Sai Kung District and Islands District, but merged back in 1963.[12]
By 1969, the New Territories Administration had 7 district offices, of which one was named after Sai Kung.[8]
In 1977, theHong Kong Governor announced to establish District Advisory Boards to invite locals to become advisors.[13][14] Although Sai Kung locals, as well as other rural villages of the New Territories, already established their chambers and voting representatives toHeung Yee Kuk, an advisory body to the colonial government, as early as the 1930s.[6]
The Sai Kung District and itsDistrict Council (at that time known as District Board) were formally formed in 1982.[8] (Established in 1981, first election in 1982) A year before, the New Territories Administration was merged with its Kowloon and Hong Kong Island counterpart, theHome Affairs Department to form the City and New Territories Administration (it was renamed the Home Affairs Department again in 1993), although the Administration had transferred some functions to theLands Department in 1982. Since 1985, the district officers of the Hong Kong Districts no longer chaired their respective districts councils.[15] In a larger scale of history, due to the signing of theSino-British Joint Declaration in 1984, which would hand over the whole colony to the People's Republic of China, the colonial government had made several political reforms on local politics.
A water route from the northern Sai Kung Peninsula toTai Po existed at least since the Qing dynasty. For this historical and other reasons, the northern portion of the Sai Kung Peninsula belongs to theTai Po District, but not part of Sai Kung District.
Sai Kung was a local industrial centre before the 1900s. For example, inSheung Yu (Chinese:上窰), villagers produced mortar and fertiliser from their own limekiln.[16] Villages also scattered on the islands ofPort Shelter,Rocky Harbour, on theSai Kung Peninsula, on theClear Water Bay Peninsula as well as other land areas of the District.[6] A temple located onHigh Island (known in Chinese as Leung Shuen Wan), dates back to 1741.[6]
Sai Kung market town was expanded into the local town centre of the district after the 1950s. However, the District's population are now concentrated around theTseung Kwan O New Town, partially built on reclaimed land inJunk Bay (or known as its Chinese name Tseung Kwan O) in the 1980s.
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Sai Kung District covers approximately 130 square kilometres (50 sq mi) land area as of 2018,[17] It had a population of 461,864 in 2016by-census,[2] most of it inTseung Kwan O (398,479).[3]Sai Kung Central election constituency, which roughly has the same boundary asSai Kung Town planning zone, has a population of 9,623 in the same by-census.[2] Tseung Kwan O is a new town and has multiple constituencies. However, all Tseung Kwan O constituencies are belongs to Tseung Kwan O Outline Zoning Plan in term of town planning administration.
Sai Kung Town is a former fishing village and market township. The designation of the country park areas during the 1970s was a huge boost to the local tourist industry. Sai Kung town underwent significant expansion during the 1970s when the High Island Reservoir and associated water scheme required some villagers and fishermen to be rehoused in Sai Kung. This provided a core of government-funded new development, both housing and commercial, in the town centre. This was followed by the Tui Min Hoi (literal translation 'over the harbour') development under the government's market town programme.
In addition to Sai Kung,Tseung Kwan O, a boomingnew town, is also part of Sai Kung District. Tseung Kwan O connects Sai Kung Peninsula with theKowloon urban area.
Junk Bay was once a natural bay area in Sai Kung, quite near the seafood village ofLei Yue Mun. There once was an iron and steel factory, and the area around Hang Hau Village was known for its shipyards. In 1997, the Hong Kong Government started a major development project in this area, developing it into the seventh Hong Kong new town. Reclamation has since covered the whole bay area and it is now able to accommodate around 380,000 inhabitants, accounting for 95% of the district's total population. This new town was renamedTseung Kwan O, its present name.
Tseung Kwan O now includes several high-rise residential estates and anindustrial estate. TheMTRmetro system was extended to Tseung Kwan O, facilitating access to Sai Kung District. In Tseung Kwan O, you can also take thegreen minibus 101M to get directly to Sai Kung.
In contrast to the densely populated areas ofHong Kong Island andKowloon, Sai Kung District's heartland is a coastal area characterised by its scenery, small villages and seascapes.[citation needed] The area is known for its pristinebeaches and quiet living.[citation needed] Sai Kung remains only partly urbanised and is known as the "last back garden" of Hong Kong.
Sai Kung Volcanic Rock Region lies inSharp Island,High Island, the Ninepin Group and the Ung Kong Group (Wang Chau,Basalt Island andBluff Island), wherevolcanic rocks, intrusive rocks and world-unique acidic hexagonal volcanic columnar rock joints created by Hong Kong's last large-scalevolcanic activity some 16.5 million to 14 million years ago crop out. With a host of volcanic rock coastal landforms, they form a comprehensive showcase of diverse and complex volcanic activities that explain Sai Kung's geological past.
Sai Kung East Country Park occupies a vast area of eastSai Kung Peninsula. With theHigh Island Reservoir,High Island,Tai Long Wan,Pak Tam Au,Chek Keng, Sheung Yiu,Wong Shek Pier and the surrounding countryside, the 4,494 hectare protected area consists of the largest number of bays and coves among all country parks in Hong Kong. Part of the Geopark is also located there.
Sai Kung East Country Park, including theSai Kung West Country Park (Wan Tsai Extension), occupies a vast area of westSai Kung Peninsula. Old preserved villages, such asPak Sha O,Yung Shue O andLai Chi Chong are the places of interest.
Clear Water Bay Country Park occupies the rugged terrain aroundHigh Junk Peak in the eastern and the western part of the Clear Water Bay Peninsula.High Junk Peak, one of theThree Sharp Peaks of Hong Kong, is a top attraction in the country park.
Sai Kung has some of the cleanest beaches in Hong Kong, including:
On summer nights, many people hire small boats known askaitos orsampan, some to catchcuttlefish which is a popular pastime for local residents, others for leisurely trips through the island-dotted inland sea ofPort Shelter. Islands in the area include:
The large island of Kau Sai Chau is the location for a publicgolf course developed and run by theHong Kong Jockey Club.
There are numerous cultural sites, heritage sites and country parks in the Sai Kung peninsula, such as:
The town centre ofSai Kung has a high concentration of seafood restaurants which attract many tourists.
In addition, there are golf courses andnature trails. There is a golf driving range center in Ho Chung.
In recent years, the government has invested heavily in Sai Kung, with improvements being made to the town seafront, such as the Waterfront Park. An attractive mix of small boutique-style shops has sprung up as well, due to a sizeable expat population and increasing numbers of local visitors, selling everything from secondhand books to cat-themed accessories, and alternative lifestyle stores that offer items like surfboards, candles, incense, seashells, etc.
The revitalisation of the old Centro Building, now renamedDock 1A, a hub in Sai Kung located at 1A, Chui Tong Road is underway. Previously the home of Tikitiki Bowling Alley and Bar, as well as a large supermarket, the complex will be transformed into a mega shopping mall with its grand opening is expected to happen in January 2025.
TheMTR system'sTseung Kwan O line currently has five stations inTseung Kwan O New Town. The new town is also served by a comprehensive bus network that connects it toKowloon via several main roads includingTseung Kwan O Tunnel andPo Lam Road.
Hang Hau Road andYing Yip Road link Tseung Kwan O withSai Kung Town andClear Water Bay. The nearestMTR station to Sai Kung Town isHang Hau.
Some isolated parts of Sai Kung Peninsula have no road access and can only be reached on foot or by boat.[18] Where a destination is accessible by public transport, it is usually served via a network ofbus routes,public light buses (i.e. minibuses) andtaxis.
The education in the Sai Kung District is administrated by theEducation Bureau and not administrated by Sai Kung District Office. The latter is a division ofHome Affairs Department instead. The Education Bureau has its own zoning scheme. For example, Primary One Admission School Net no.95, covers the whole Sai Kung District, as well as Sai Kung North which is part ofTai Po District.[19]
TheHong Kong University of Science and Technology, one of the eight publicly funded tertiary institutions in Hong Kong, is located inClear Water Bay Road, Sai Kung District.
TheHong Kong Institute of Vocational Education hasa campus [zh] inTiu Keng Leng,Tseung Kwan O. TheHong Kong Design Institute is next to the IVE Tiu Keng Leng campus.
Hong Kong Public Libraries operates Sai Kung, Tiu Keng Leng, and Tseung Kwan O libraries.[20]
Sai Kung District is served bySai Kung Magazine, a free-distribution English language monthly magazine and the community websiteSaikung.com. The magazine covers the areas of Sai Kung Town, Clear Water Bay, Pak Sha Wan and Ma On Shan.
Places adjacent to Sai Kung District | |
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This list is incomplete. | |||||
| Hong Kong Island | |
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| Kowloon andNew Kowloon | |
| New Territories (excluding New Kowloon) | |
