Tin Shui Wai New Town is a satellite town in the northwestern

New Territories The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

. Originally a ' fish pond area, it was developed in the 1980s as the second

new town New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

Yuen Long District Yuen Long District (formerly romanised as Un Long) is one of the districts of Hong Kong. Located in the northwest of the New Territories, it had a population of 662,000 in 2021 Geography Yuen Long District contains the largest alluvial pla ...

and the eighth in Hong Kong. It is due northwest of

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

, the main business area in the territory, on land reclaimed from low-lying areas south of Deep Bay, next to historic

Ping Shan Ping Shan () is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It is located west of Yuen Long Town and Shui Pin Wai, and south of Tin Shui Wai. Administratively, it is part of the Yuen Long District. Geography Although sandwiched between Yuen ...

. while the total projected population for when the town is fully built-out is about 306,000.

History

The land on which Tin Shui Wai was built did not exist at the beginning of the 1900s, while the adjacent

was by the sea. The water north of Ping Shan gradually turned to

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found ...

es and villagers converted them into pools and rice paddies. The pools became ''gei wai'' fish ponds where most of the residents were fishermen before the new town was developed. With the decline in

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lot ...

, most of the fish ponds were abandoned. The

Hong Kong Government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino- ...

developed the area into a new town through

land reclamation Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamat ...

New town development

The new town, conceived in 1987 to house 140,000 people, was constructed on of reclaimed fishponds and wetland representing one quarter of the flat land in the New Territories.Johnston, Ralph
"Developers sue over delay"
'' The Hongkong Standard'', May 22, 1990 The process of land reclamation for the new town was completed in 1990. Formation of the 2.4 km² was estimated to cost HK$820 million in a contract signed with a Chinese joint-venture company. 20 million cubic metres of material would be required for the

landfill A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the wast ...

. Maximum possible land formation was 4.88 km².$820m new town deal will give homes to 140,000
Maureen Fan, ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...

'', October 27, 1987 The government was accused by the developers of stalling the release of land for political reasons. Tin Shui Wai Development, a company 51% owned by

China Resources China Resources Holdings Company Limited (), or simply China Resources, is a Chinese state-owned conglomerate that owns a variety of businesses in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Some of its subsidiaries use the name in the form of the acronym ...

and 49% by Cheung Kong Holdings, sued the government for damages caused by delays in handing over 388,000 m² of land for development originally promised for 1985. The land was eventually handed over in May 1989. The first occupants moved into the new town in 1991. The Housing Authority launched 6,459

Home Ownership Scheme The Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) is a subsidised-sale public housing programme managed by the Hong Kong Housing Authority. It was instituted in the late 1970s as part of the government policy for public housing with two aims – to encourage be ...

flats in the area at steep discounts to an adjacent private estate and attracted some 90,000 applications. A new modular style of construction for the public housing estates allowed rapid development and, in a first for a new town, on 26 March 1993 Tin Shui Wai was officially opened by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Chris Patten Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, (; born 12 May 1944) is a British politician who was the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997 and Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1992. He was made a life ...

. By that time, some 30,000 people were living there. The Development Zone of 220 hectares, in the southern part of the new town, has been developed to house about 200,000 people. An LRT line and new roads linking the town to the trunk road network provide good connections to the

Yuen Long Yuen Long is a town in the western New Territories, Hong Kong. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu (), Tin Shui Wai, Lau Fau Shan and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin (), and to the north N ...

and

Tuen Mun Tuen Mun or Castle Peak is an area 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. In the more ...

districts and to the urban areas beyond. Further expansion of the new town into the remaining areas to the north, known as the Reserve Zone, with an area of 210 hectares, commenced in July 1998. The infrastructure was completed in stages from 2000 to 2004 to cope with population intake of the housing developments. In the early 2000's, Tin Shui Wai developed a notorious reputation as a "city of sadness".Mika Savela
A City Formerly Known as Sadness – Tin Shui Wai
''Failed Architecture'', July 2, 2013Joyce Ng
City of Sadness fear for new towns in New Territories
''

, July 5, 2013.Jennifer Ngo
Drama brings cheer to Hong Kong's 'City of Sadness'
''

'', February 2016, 2015 The town was criticized for its cramped public housing, isolation, and lack of employment opportunities. On November 25, 2007, numerous residents rallied outside government headquarters to push for more aid and reform for the area. Many demanded the government to create new hospitals, jobs, and increase police enforcement in the town. West Rail and the extension of the LRT service to the Reserve Zone were commissioned in late 2003. To the northeastern portion of the new town, a constructed wetland has been completed which serves as a buffer between the developments in the Reserve Zone and the Mai Po Nature Reserve. The wetland has been further developed into the Hong Kong Wetland Park, opening to public in May 2006. The total planned population of Tin Shui Wai is about 306,000 while the current population is about 292,000.

Environment

Parts of Tin Shui Wai have a picturesque and tranquil environment. The Hong Kong Wetland Park, demonstrating the diversity of the Hong Kong's

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (Anoxic waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...

ecosystem, is in north Tin Shui Wai. Tin Shui Wai consists of

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

and

private housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States ...

s. Tin Wah Road separates the south and the north development zones. The south development zone first started in the early 1990s and has since become a unique community. Since Tin Shui Wai was planned and developed from scratch, locals enjoy wider walkways and larger open areas when compared to other urban developments in Hong Kong. Following the completion of the north development zone, the government planned to build 85,000 units and apartments annually in Hong Kong after 1997. As such, the north development zone has residential apartment buildings that are generally taller and denser than those in the south zone. The population of Tin Shui Wai rose rapidly over the last part of the century but has since stabilised. The government has been criticised for maintaining an insufficient level of services and facilities to meet the rapid population growth.

Sights

The new town is centred on the

Tin Shui Wai Park Tin Shui Wai Park () is the central park of Tin Shui Wai New Town, New Territories, Hong Kong. It is located alongside the Tin Shui Wai Sports Ground. History As with the rest of Tin Shui Wai, the park was built on land reclaimed from low-lying ...

, which offers many gardens and activities. The Tin Sau Bazaar is a marketplace in the northern part of the town managed by the charity organisation

Tung Wah Group of Hospitals The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (), with a history dating back to 1870, is the oldest and largest charitable organisation in Hong Kong. It provides extensive education and community services through 194 service centres spread across Hong Kong. ...

. Parts of Tin Shui have a picturesque and tranquil environment. The Hong Kong Wetland Park, demonstrating the diversity of Hong Kong's

ecosystem, is in Tin Shui Wai. The light rail routes 705 and 706 stop at Wetland Park stop.

Public facilities

Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Public Library 2013

Culture and leisure

Tin Shui Wai has two public libraries. Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Public Library is in the south, directly beside the railway station. It opened in 2013 and is the second-largest public library in Hong Kong, behind the Hong Kong Central Library. Tin Shui Wai North Public Library is small, at Tin Chak Estate in the far north of the town. The town has two public swimming pools: the Tin Shui Wai Swimming Pool (opened 1994) and the Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Swimming Pool (opened 2011). These pools are undersized in comparison to standard Hong Kong swimming complexes, both lacking a standard 50-metre pool, and are very overcrowded. A new, standard-sized swimming complex has been planned for many years at Tin Shui Wai Area 107, a vacant piece of land in the north of the new town. As of 2021, the pool is under construction and is expected to be completed in 2022 or 2023. The largest sports ground is the

Tin Shui Wai Sports Ground Tin Shui Wai Sports Ground is a multi-use sports ground at 2 Tin Shui Road, Tin Shui Wai, Yuen Long, Hong Kong. It has a grass football field and a 400m running track. It will be used by TSW Pegasus as its main training ground during the 2008-0 ...

, a stadium with a capacity of 2,500 spectators. It also has a 400-metre running track. There are other football and rugby pitches at Tin Sau Road Park and Tin Yip Road Park in the northern part of the town. There are four indoor sports centres in Tin Shui Wai. They are Tin Shui Wai Sports Centre, Tin Shui Sports Centre, Tin Fai Sports Centre and Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Sports Centre. There is an outdoor sports area in Tin Sau Road for volleyball, basketball and football court.

Medicine

After years of planning, the Tin Shui Wai Hospital opened in January 2017. The hospital's Accident and Emergency Department opened in March 2017 on a part-time basis. Smaller public medical facilities include the Tin Shui Wai Health Centre and the Tin Shui Wai (Tin Yip Road) Community Health Centre, in the south and north of the town respectively.

Housing

The main residences of Tin Shui Wai are the public housing estates and the 58 residential blocks of Kingswood Villas.

Public estates

Grandeur Terrace Grandeur may refer to: * 70 mm Grandeur film * Hyundai Grandeur, a car introduced in 1986 * Grandeur of the Seas, a cruise ship placed in service in 1996 * Grandeur Terrace, a public housing estate in Tin Shui Wai, Hong Kong * " Oh! The Grandeur ...

(俊宏軒) * Tin Chak Estate (天澤邨) * Tin Ching Estate (天晴邨) * Tin Heng Estate (天恆邨) * Tin Shui (I) Estate (天瑞（一）邨) * Tin Shui (II) Estate (天瑞（二）邨) *

Tin Tsz Estate Tin Tsz Estate () is a public housing estate in Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, Hong Kong near Light Rail Tin Tsz stop. It consists of four residential buildings completed in 1997 and contains 3,400 rental flats of sizes ranging from 12.8 to 43.3 ...

(天慈邨) * Tin Wah Estate (天華邨) * Tin Yan Estate (天恩邨) *

Tin Yat Estate Tin Yat Estate () is a public housing estate in Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, Hong Kong, near Light Rail Tin Yat stop. It consists of nine residential buildings completed in 2001. Background According to the Hong Kong Directory published in 20 ...

(天逸邨) * Tin Yiu (I) Estate (天耀（一）邨) * Tin Yiu (II) Estate (天耀（二）邨) * Tin Yuet Estate (天悅邨)

Home Ownership Scheme estates

* Tin Chung Court (天頌苑) * Tin Fu Court (天富苑) * Tin Oi Court (天愛苑) * Tin Lai Court (天麗苑) *

Tin Shing Court Tin Shing Court () is a Home Ownership Scheme court developed by the Hong Kong Housing Authority in Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, Hong Kong, near Tin Yiu Estate, Light Rail Tin Yiu stop and Tin Shui Wai stop as well as MTR Tin Shui Wai sta ...

(天盛苑) *

Tin Yau Court Tin Yiu Estate () is a public housing estate in Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, Hong Kong, near Light Rail Tin Yiu stop, Tin Tsz stop and Tin Shui Wai stop as well as MTR Tin Shui Wai station. It is the first public housing estate in Tin Shui ...

(天祐苑)

Private housing estates

* Central Park Towers (柏慧豪園) * Kingswood Villas (嘉湖山莊) — one of the largest private housing estates in Hong Kong ** Chestwood Court (翠湖居) ** Kenswood Court (景湖居) ** Maywood Court (美湖居) ** Lynwood Court (麗湖居) ** Sherwood Court (賞湖居) ** Locwood Court (樂湖居) * Vianni Cove (慧景軒) * Wetland Seasons Park

Education

Tin Shui Wai Government Secondary School (blue sky)

Tin Shui Wai is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 72. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money) and one government school: Tin Shui Wai Government Primary School (天水圍官立小學). Schools in Tin Shui Wai:

Transport

Commuter railway

The town is served by

Tin Shui Wai station Tin Shui Wai () is an MTR station on the , located in Ping Shan near Tin Shui Wai New Town, Yuen Long District. It is the only heavy rail station serving Tin Shui Wai, which has a population of around 300,000. History On 20 December 2003 ...

on the

Tuen Ma line The Tuen Ma line () is a rapid transit line that forms part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. Coloured brown on the map, the Tuen Ma line is in length, making it the longest line of the MTR network. It has a total o ...

. The station borders the south of the town, near

, and is adjacent to Tin Yiu Estate, Tin Shing Court and Tin Yau Court. It is elevated over the junction of Ping Ha Road and Tin Fuk Road. Several bus stops serve the station. Three footbridges are constructed along Tin Fuk Road and Ping Ha Road to connect the station to the town. The Tuen Ma line directly connects Tin Shui Wai to the neighbouring new towns of Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, as well as

Tsuen Wan Tsuen Wan (formerly also spelled Tsun Wan) is a town built on a bay in the western New Territories of Hong Kong, opposite of Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged from the surrounding villages and fl ...

and

Kowloon Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and ...

via the 5.5 kilometre Tai Lam Tunnel. The entrances/exits of the station are: * A: Public transport interchange, Hang Mei Tsuen * B: Tin Shing Court, Tin Shui Wai Police Station * C: Tin Yiu Light Rail stop, Tin Yiu Estate * D: Tin Yau Court, Tin Tsz Estate * E1: Tin Shui Wai Light Rail stop (Platform 1) * E2: Tin Shui Wai Light Rail stop (Platform 2) * E3: Tin Shui Wai Light Rail stop (Platform 3), Pagoda, Ping Shan Heritage Trail, Sheung Cheung Wai

Light railway

The district is also served by the Light Rail, with Tin Shui Wai station serving as the main interchange point for the local branch of this network, which runs in a circle around the new town, called Tin Shui Wai Circular. The light rail network, in conjunction with the

, connects the townships of

and

. The light rail is divided into fare zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 5A. All of Tin Shui Wai's 16 light rail stops fall in zones 4 and 5A. The Tin Shui Wai stop of the Light Rail network belongs to Zone 4 for single-ride ticket. It is underneath the West Rail station at ground level. Platforms 1, 2 and 3 can be reached by escalators at West Rail exits E1, E2 and E3, respectively.

Routes

Bus and road

A well-developed bus network is an important transport element in Tin Shui Wai, with buses running to most major destinations in Hong Kong. Main roads connecting the township to surrounding areas are Ping Ha Road, Tin Ha Road, Long Tin Road, Yuen Long Highway and Tin Wah Road (to Lau Fau Shan).

In popular culture

Two 2008 Hong Kong films were set in Tin Shui Wai: '' The Way We Are'', directed by

Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in Hon ...

and ''

Besieged City ''Besieged City'' () is a 2008 Hong Kong film directed by Lawrence Ah Mon. It has a Category III rating in Hong Kong. Elizabeth Kerr wrote in ''The Hollywood Reporter'', " esieged Cityis a quasi- realist Hong Kong urban drama", and film critic ...

'' directed by Lawrence Ah Mon. The 2009 Ann Hui film ''

Night and Fog ''Nacht und Nebel'' (German: ), meaning Night and Fog, was a directive issued by Adolf Hitler on 7 December 1941 targeting political activists and resistance "helpers" in the territories occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II, who were to ...

'' is also set there. A 2020 Cantonese hip-hop song 'Tin Shui Wai Gang Gang' by TomFatKi and Billy Choi had 5 million views on Youtube. They performed a clean version at Chill Club Awards on ViuTV in 2022. A 2020 Hong Kong drama '' We are the Littles'' by ViuTV starring

Stephy Tang Stephy Tang Lai-yan (; born 15 October 1983) is a Hong Kong singer and actress. She was formerly the leader of the Cantopop group Cookies. She won the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress in 2017 for her performance in ''The Empt ...

, Zeno Koo,

Ian Chan Ian Chan Cheuk-yin (; born 9 June 1993), is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor, and a member of the Cantopop group Mirror. He was a former volleyball player for the Hong Kong men's national volleyball team and South China Athletic Associat ...

and

Anson Lo Anson Lo Hon-ting (; born 7 July 1995) is a Hong Kong singer, dancer and actor. In 2018, Lo made his debut as a member of the Hong Kong boy group Mirror. Lo made his solo debut in February 2020 with his first single "A Lifelong Mission" (一 ...

was set in Tin Shui Wai.

Gallery

File:HK Tin Shui Wai Park Fountain.jpg, Tin Shui Wai Park File:天水圍天耀路.jpg, Tin Yiu Road File:天水圍嘉湖山莊天耀路.jpg, Kingswood Villas File:天水圍嘉湖山莊樂湖居.jpg, Kingswood Villas Locwood Courts

References

External links

Tin Shui Wai New Town

A study of Tin Shui Wai New Town, Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong. January 2009

Wetland Park
{{Coord, 22.4608, 114.0012, type:landmark_source:enwiki-googlemaplink, display=title New towns in Hong Kong Restricted areas of Hong Kong red public minibus New towns started in the 1980s