Taikoo Shing or Tai Koo Shing (), is a private residential development in

Quarry Bay Quarry Bay is an List of buildings, sites, and areas in Hong Kong, area beneath Mount Parker (Hong Kong), Mount Parker in the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern District of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Quarry Bay is bordered by Sai Wan Ho ...

, in the eastern part of

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island () is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island, known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong", had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of , . It is the second largest island in Hong Kon ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. It is a part of

Swire Swire Group ( zh, t=太古集團) is a highly diversified global conglomerate with its parent company being John Swire & Sons Limited that holds controlling stakes in a range of businesses trading in the UK, USA, Australia, Papua New Guinea, ...

's property business, along with Taikoo Place, the adjacent Cityplaza retail and office complex, and EAST, a lifestyle business hotel.

Etymology

Taikoo is the Cantonese pronunciation of

's Chinese name, while Shing can be literally translated as City. Thus, Taikoo Shing can be loosely translated as Swire City. According to Swire, its Chinese name Taikoo was chosen by Thomas Taylor Meadow, the British Consul in Shanghai when Swire's Shanghai office opened in 1866.

Area

The entire Taikoo Shing estate covers 21.5

hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...

(53

acres The acre ( ) is a unit of land area used in the British imperial and the United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, ...

), and consists of 61 residential towers, with a total of 12,690 apartment flats that ranges anywhere between to .

History

The Taikoo Shing estate was once the site of

Taikoo Dockyard Taikoo Dockyard and Engineering Company () was a dockyard in what is now Taikoo Shing, MTR Tai Koo station and part of Taikoo Place of Quarry Bay on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It predates the era before the reclamation of Victoria Harbour. ...

, whose foundation stone now lies beside Cityplaza. The dockyard moved to United Dockyards at the west shore of the Tsing Yi Island in the late 1970s, and Taikoo Shing was constructed over the site in stages, with constructions of all main residential buildings complete by the early 1990s. As part of the business strategy, Swire Properties was established in 1972 immediately after the closing of the dockyard. Taikoo Shing became one of Hong Kong's first major private housing estates. Completing in 1986, Swire immediately became one of the largest property companies doing the construction themselves. The area was designed to maximise middle-class residential capacity. Development of commercial areas still continues today. After the completion of Cityplaza 3 and 4 as office buildings, the original Cityplaza 1 was demolished in the mid-90s for redevelopment. As of 2007, the food market that was originally constructed was demolished to make room for a hotel.

Population and demographics

In the 2021 census, Taikoo Shing recorded 34,799 residents. Apartment flats in Taikoo Shing are popular amongst buyers and speculators, and for a significant time in the 1980s and 1990s, Taikoo Shing's housing price is a general indicator of the Hong Kong's housing market health in general. Although in recent years, newer housing developments have eroded a bit of Taikoo Shing's once prominent status. The estate is also a very sought-after place to live for the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

and

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

communities in Hong Kong, most of which are staffed in multinational corporations based in Hong Kong. As a result of this significant Korean and Japanese settlement, the area has many Korean and Japanese-themed service establishments.

Housing

The housing in Taikoo Shing was developed in stages, with the Tsui Woo Terrace being the first ones constructed. In all, the estate's housing complexes are broken down into 6 terraces and 2 gardens, each with a special naming scheme.

Tsui Woo Terrace

Tsui Woo Terrace (, literally: "Terrace of the Jade Lake"); all of the mansions on this terrace are named after famous lakes in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The terrace consists of three mansions. *Tung Ting Mansion () Note: The name is a reference to

Dongting Lake Dongting Lake () is a large, shallow lake in northeastern Hunan Province, China. It is a flood basin of the Yangtze River, so its volume depends on the season. The provinces of Hubei and Hunan are named after their location relative to the la ...

. *Po Yang Mansion () Note: The name is a reference to

Poyang Lake Poyang Lake is the largest freshwater lake in China. Located within Jiujiang Prefecture in Jiangxi Province, it is fed by the Gan, Xin, and Xiu rivers and flows northward into the Yangtze River through a channel. The area of Poyang Lake f ...

. *Tai Woo Mansion () Note: The name is a reference to

Lake Tai Taihu (), also known as Lake Tai or Lake Taihu, is a lake in the Yangtze Delta and the third largest freshwater lake in China. The lake is in Jiangsu province and a significant part of its southern shore forms its border with Zhejiang. With ...

Ko Shan Terrace

Ko Shan Terrace (, literally: "Terrace of the High Mountain"); all of the mansions on this terrace have the Chinese word for "Mountain" (山) as the second character of the building's name. A couple of the mansion's names also corresponds to famous mountains in

. The terrace consists of 13 mansions. *Tung Shan Mansion () *Tien Shan Mansion () *Tai Shan Mansion () *Lo Shan Mansion () *Nam Shan Mansion () *Po Shan Mansion () *Heng Shan Mansion () *Wah Shan Mansion () *Loong Shan Mansion () *Foong Shan Mansion () *Yee Shan Mansion () *Kam Shan Mansion () *Fu Shan Mansion ()

Kam Din Terrace

Kam Din Terrace (, literally: "Terrace of the Golden Palace"); all of the mansions on this terrace have the Chinese word for "Palace" (宮) as the second character of the building's name. In addition, all of the mansions names' first character corresponds to various political dynasties in Chinese history. The terrace consists of 8 mansions. *Tang Kung Mansion () Note: The first character of this mansion's name is a reference to the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

. *Yen Kung Mansion () Note: The first character of this mansion's name is a reference to a rebel dynasty the Yen Dynasty in ancient China during the

An Lushan rebellion The An Lushan rebellion was a civil war in China that lasted from 755 to 763, at the approximate midpoint of the Tang dynasty (618–907). It began as a commandery rebellion attempting to overthrow and replace the Tang government with the rogue ...

. *Yuan Kung Mansion () Note: The first character of this mansion's name is a reference to the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

. *Ming Kung Mansion () Note: The first character of this mansion's name is a reference to the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

. *Hsia Kung Mansion () Note: The first character of this mansion's name is a reference to the

Xia dynasty The Xia dynasty (; ) is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography. According to tradition, it was established by the legendary figure Yu the Great, after Emperor Shun, Shun, the last of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, Fiv ...

. *Han Kung Mansion () Note: The first character of this mansion's name is a reference to the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

. *Chai Kung Mansion () Note:The first character of this mansion's name is a reference to the Qi dynasty. *Tsui Kung Mansion () Note: The first character of this mansion's name is a reference to the

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...

On Shing Terrace

On Shing Terrace (, literally: "Terrace of Peace and Prosperity"); all of the mansions on this terrace have the Chinese word for "Peace" (安) as the second character of the building's name. The terrace consists of 6 mansions. *Ning On Mansion () *Po On Mansion () *Shun On Mansion () *Hing On Mansion () *Kin On Mansion () *Ko On Mansion ()

Harbour View Gardens

Harbour View Gardens (); all of the mansions in this area are named after flora. The area consists of 11 mansions. *Pine Mansion () *Banyan Mansion () *Willow Mansion () *Oak Mansion () *Maple Mansion () *Juniper Mansion () *Marigold Mansion () *Begonia Mansion () * Lotus Mansion () *Wisteria Mansion () *Primrose Mansion ()

Kwun Hoi Terrace

Kwun Hoi Terrace (, literally: "Terrace for Ocean Viewing"); all of the mansions on this terrace have the Chinese word for "Ocean" (海) as the second character of the building's name, and a cardinal direction as the first character of the building's name. The terrace consists of 3 mansions. *Pak Hoi Mansion () *Tung Hoi Mansion () *Nam Hoi Mansion ()

Sing Fai Terrace

Sing Fai Terrace (, literally: "Terrace of the Stars"); all of the mansions on this terrace have the Chinese word for "star" (星) as the second character of the building's name. Some of the building names are similar to Chinese names for planets within the

Solar System The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Sola ...

. The terrace consists of 8 mansions. *Hang Sing Mansion () *Tien Sing Mansion () *Hoi Sing Mansion () *Wai Sing Mansion () *Yiu Sing Mansion () *Chi Sing Mansion () *Kam Sing Mansion () *Ngan Sing Mansion ()

Horizon Garden

Horizon Garden (); all of the mansions on this terrace have the Chinese word for "sky" (天) as the second character of the building's name. The area consists of 9 mansions. *Kai Tien Mansion () *Hoi Tien Mansion () *Fu Tien Mansion () *Choi Tien Mansion () *Heng Tien Mansion () *Kwun Tien Mansion () *Yat Tien Mansion () *Nam Tien Mansion () *King Tien Mansion ()

Amenities

Some terraces - Horizon Gardens, Kam Din Terrace, Sing Fai Terrace, and Kao Shan Terrace - have podiums that provide a public space for their residents, often including a children's playground. Elderly residents may practice

tai chi is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...

in the mornings. There are also shops and learning centres on these podiums such as

Kumon is an educational network based in Japan and created by Toru Kumon. It uses his "Kumon Method" to teach mathematics and reading, primarily to young students. History Kumon was founded by Toru Kumon, a Japanese educator, in July 1958, when ...

. A Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre was located at the estate when Hong Kong was a British colony, opening between 1984 and 1985 and closing in 1987. In addition, Harbour View Gardens, Horizon Gardens and Kwun Hoi Terrace all have access to swimming pools. In Kao Shan Terrace, there are badminton courts and tennis courts for residents to use.

Education

There are a few kindergartens in the vicinity of Tai Koo Shing, as well as the international school DSC International School. Taikoo Shing is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 14. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money) and North Point Government Primary School.

Car parks

All terraces have indoor car parks, providing parking spaces on monthly lease. There are parking spaces available for visitors on hourly rate in the car parks at Cityplaza and Sing Fai Terrace.

Transportation

The estate is served by MTR Tai Koo station of the Island line, as well as various bus lines, served by Citybus and the

Kowloon Motor Bus The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) is a bus company operating Bus services in Hong Kong, franchised services in Hong Kong. It is the largest bus company in Hong Kong by fleet size and number of bus routes, with over 4,000 buses ...

Shau Kei Wan Shau Kei Wan or Shaukiwan is a neighborhood in the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern District of Hong Kong Island. The area is bordered by Chai Wan to the east, Mount Parker (Hong Kong), Mount Parker to the south, Sai Wan Ho to the west, and ...

, Admiralty,

Sheung Wan Sheung Wan (Chinese: 上環) is an List of places in Hong Kong, area in Hong Kong, located in the north-west of Hong Kong Island, between Central, Hong Kong, Central and Sai Ying Pun. Administratively, it is part of the Central and Weste ...

Tsim Sha Tsui Tsim Sha Tsui ( zh, c=尖沙咀), often abbreviated as TST, is an list of areas of Hong Kong, area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed ...

and

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

. As it is a private estate, all roads were owned by Swire Properties. However, most roads were returned to the Government except for those near Cityplaza. In practice, public traffic is generally allowed to pass freely, but admission may be denied.

References

External links

Satellite image of Taikoo Shing and its vicinity from Google Maps
* * S.K. Hui, A. Cheung, J. Pang
"A Hierarchical Bayesian Approach for Residential Property Valuation:Application to Hong Kong Housing Market"
''International Real Estate Review'', 2010 Vol. 13 No.1: pp. 1 – 29 {{coord, 22.286335, N, 114.217644, E, type:city_region:HK, display=title Swire Group Quarry Bay Private housing estates in Hong Kong 999-year leases in Hong Kong and Kowloon