Tin Shui Wai New Town is a

satellite town A satellite city or satellite town is a smaller municipality or settlement that is part of (or on the edge of) a larger metropolitan area and serves as a regional population and employment center. It differs from mere suburbs, subdivisions a ...

in the northwestern

New Territories The New Territories (N.T., Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: ) is one of the three areas of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of H ...

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 ...

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

new town New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...

Yuen Long District Yuen Long District (Hong Kong Government Cantonese Romanisation, formerly Un Long) is one of the districts of Hong Kong, districts of Hong Kong. Located in the northwest of the New Territories, it had a population of 662,000 in 2021. Geogra ...

and the eighth in Hong Kong. It is due northwest of Central, the main business area in the territory, on land reclaimed from low-lying areas south of Deep Bay, next to Ping Shan. The population was 283,595 as of 2021.

History

The land on which Tin Shui Wai was built did not exist at the beginning of the 1900s, while the adjacent Ping Shan was by the sea. The water north of Ping Shan gradually turned to

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

es and villagers converted them into

pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...

s 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. Nelu ...

, 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) is the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997, following the ...

developed the area into a new town through

land reclamation Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...

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'', 22 May 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 (706.29 million cubic feet) of material would be required for the

landfill A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...

. 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 remaine ...

'', 27 October 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 enterprise, state-owned Conglomerate (company), conglomerate that owns a variety of businesses in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Some of its subsidiar ...

and 49% by

Cheung Kong Holdings Cheung Kong (Holdings) Limited, is a multinational conglomerate, based in Hong Kong. It was one of Hong Kong's leading multi-national conglomerates. The company merged with its subsidiary Hutchison Whampoa on 3 June 2015, as part of a ma ...

, 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 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 politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

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

. 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 (Light Rail Transit) 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 Nam Sang Wa ...

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 mo ...

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'', 2 July 2013 The town was criticized for its cramped public housing, isolation, and lack of employment opportunities. On 25 November 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 A constructed wetland is an artificial wetland to treat sewage, greywater, stormwater runoff or Industrial wastewater treatment, industrial wastewater. It may also be designed for land reclamation after mining, or as a Flood mitigation, mitigatio ...

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 Hong Kong Wetland Park is a conservation, education and tourism facility, located at the northern part of Tin Shui Wai, in Yuen Long. It was to be an ecological mitigation area (EMA) for the wetlands lost due to Tin Shui Wai New Town developmen ...

, 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

, demonstrating the diversity of the Hong Kong's

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

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 estates. 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, 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. Parts of Tin Shui have a picturesque and tranquil environment. The

, 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 Wetland Park () is an MTR Light Rail stop. It is located at ground level beside Wetland Park Road, between Hong Kong Wetland Park and Grandeur Terrace, in Tin Shui Wai, Yuen Long District Yuen Long District (Hong Kong Government Cantones ...

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 Hong Kong Central Library is the largest library in Hong Kong, flagship library of Hong Kong Public Libraries (HKPL) and used as Hong Kong Public Library headquarters, functioning as the territory's National Library. It is located at the in ...

. 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, 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 Kingswood Villas () is a private housing estate in Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, Hong Kong. It has a total of 58 residential blocks and 15,808 units in six phases. It is the first private housing estate in Tin Shui Wai and one of the largest p ...

Public estates

Grandeur Terrace Grandeur Terrace () is a public housing estate in Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, Hong Kong, near Hong Kong Wetland Park as well as Light Rail Tin Heng and Wetland Park stop. It is the only estate in Tin Shui Wai which its name does not have the ...

(俊宏軒) * Tin Chak Estate (天澤邨) * Tin Ching Estate (天晴邨) *

Tin Heng Estate This is a list of Public housing in Hong Kong, public housing estates (including Private Sector Participation Scheme, Private Sector Participation Scheme (PSPS), Home Ownership Scheme, Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) and Tenants Purchase Scheme, Te ...

(天恆邨) * Tin Shui (I) Estate (天瑞（一）邨) * Tin Shui (II) Estate (天瑞（二）邨) * Tin Tsz Estate (天慈邨) * Tin Wah Estate (天華邨) * Tin Yan Estate (天恩邨) * Tin Yat Estate (天逸邨) * Tin Yiu (I) Estate (天耀（一）邨) * Tin Yiu (II) Estate (天耀（二）邨) *

Tin Yuet Estate Tin Yuet Estate () is a public housing estate in Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, Hong Kong, near Light Rail (MTR), Light Rail Tin Yuet stop. It consists of six residential buildings completed in 2000 and 2002 respectively. Houses Demographics A ...

(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 (天盛苑) * Tin Yau Court (天祐苑)

Private housing estates

* Central Park Towers (柏慧豪園) *

(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 * Wetland Seasons Bay

Education

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 on the

Tuen Ma line The Tuen Ma line () is a commuter rail / rapid transit line that forms part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. It is in length, making it the longest line of the MTR network. It has a total of 27 stations, more than a ...

. The station borders the south of the town, near Ping Shan, 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 New towns of Hong Kong, town built on a bay in the New Territories West (constituency), western New Territories of Hong Kong, opposite Tsing Yi, Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market ...

and

Kowloon Kowloon () is one of the areas of Hong Kong, three areas of Hong Kong, along with Hong Kong Island and the New Territories. It is an urban area comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It has a population of 2,019,533 and a populat ...

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 Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

, 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

network belongs to Zone 4 for single-ride ticket. It is underneath the Tuen Ma line 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 A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

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 Yuen Long Highway () is a Hong Kong Controlled-access highway, expressway connecting Au Tau in Yuen Long and Lam Tei in Tuen Mun of New Territories. Part of Route 9 (Hong Kong), Route 9, it Bypass (road), bypasses Yuen Long Town and the rural ar ...

and Tin Wah Road (to

Lau Fau Shan Lau Fau Shan () is an area of Yuen Long District, in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It is at the shore of Deep Bay, near Tin Shui Wai and facing Shekou in Shenzhen, China. Economy Lau Fau Shan is traditionally famous for fresh oysters. Abo ...

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 ...

and '' Besieged City'' directed by Lawrence Ah Mon. The 2009 Ann Hui film '' Night and Fog'' 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 ViuTV is a Cantonese language Generalist channel, general entertainment television channel in Hong Kong operated by HK Television Entertainment (HKTVE), whose parent company PCCW also operates the IPTV platform Now TV (Hong Kong), Now TV and the ...

in 2022. A 2020 Hong Kong drama '' We are the Littles'' by

starring Stephy Tang, Zeno Koo, Ian Chan and Anson Lo 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
{{Authority control Planned communities in Hong Kong Restricted areas of Hong Kong red public minibus Planned communities established in the 1980s