Tuen Mun District

Infobox HK District
official_name = Tuen Mun District

---

map_caption = Location in Hong Kong
google =
leader_title = District Council Chairman
leader_name = Lau Wong-fat, GBM, GBS, JP
constituencies = 29
area_note =
area_magnitude =
area_total = 84.45
area_land =
area_water =
population_as_of = 2006
population_note =
population_total = 502,035
population_density = 6,057
latitude =
longitude =
website = [http://www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/tm/english/welcome.htm Tuen Mun District Council]
footnotes =
:"For a town in Hong Kong, see Tuen Mun".:"For a new town in Hong Kong, see Tuen Mun New Town.

Tuen Mun District (zh-t|t=屯門區) is one of the 18 administrative districts of Hong Kong. It is the westernmost continental district of Hong Kong, located about 32 km from the Kowloon Peninsula, 7 km southwest of Yuen Long and 18 km west of Tsuen Wan. It had a population of 488,831 in 2001. Part of the district is the Tuen Mun New Town, which contains one of the largest residential areas in the New Territories. The district has the second least educated residents.

History

According to archaeologists, fishermen started settling in Tuen Mun since the New Stone Age. As a result, the predominant activities in Tuen Mun were fishing and agriculture during the 20th century. In the 1950s, pirate and smuggling activities were frequent.

Originally named Castle Peak New Town when planning, the new town was finally named Tuen Mun, adopting the historic name of the region. "Tuen Mun" in the Chinese language means a gateway where military is stationed. The new town was built on reclaimed land from the Castle Peak Bay, starting from the late 1970s. The district was subsequently named Tuen Mun after its establishment in the early 1980s.

Tourist attractions

Hong Kong Gold Coast

Hong Kong Gold Coast is a Mediterranean-themed resort complex located at 1 Castle Peak Road, Castle Peak Bay, New Territories, Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Gold Coast is set in the picturesque Castle Peak Bay with European Inspired Continental architecture. The resort complex offers local residents a different flavour from their normal busy city life.

Hong Kong Gold Coast consists of the Hong Kong Gold Coast Residences which features apartments and beach houses, the Hong Kong Gold Coast Yacht and Country Club, the Hong Kong Gold Coast Shopping Mall, as well as the Hong Kong Gold Coast Hotel. The five-star resort and conference hotel is situated next to the Golden Beach, a popular beach that is dotted with local residents during the weekends. The beach is connected to a promenade that leads to the Dolphin Square which features a statue of three golden dolphins. Dolphin Square is a popular tourist destination where one can often spot the rare pink dolphins swimming around the marina and Castle Peak Bay.

The Golden Beach is the largest beach in Tuen Mun and the first artificial beach in Hong Kong, with the sand imported from Hainan Island, China. The beach is 545 metres long and covers a total area of 78,500 m², and is linked to the Cafeteria New Beach.

Ching Chung Koon

Ching Chung Koon (青松觀) is another tourist attraction in Tuen Mun. It is a Taoist temple originally opened as a rural retreat in 1949. This peaceful temple also contains many treasures, such as lanterns from Beijing's Imperial Palace. The temple is divided into several houses where many dead peoples' bone ash are permanently stored in special apartments with their picture, name, date of birth, date of death and his or her origin. During Ching Ming Festival and Chung Yeung Festival, many people go there to reminisce and respect their deceased friends or relatives.

Red House

Built during 1885 to 1890, the Red House (紅樓) was a part of Castle Peak Farm which was owned by Lee Kay Tong. Lee joined the Hing Chung Party after he met Dr Sun Yat Sen, the father of the nation, in Hong Kong. The party then used the Red House as a base for revolution against the government.

Lingnan University

Another attraction is the Lingnan University of Hong Kong, which is also located in Tuen Mun.

Dragon Boat Racing

Every year at Tuen Ng Festival (端午節), which is the 5th day of the fifth Lunar month, there is Dragon Boat racing at Castle Peak Bay. The venue is one of the several places where this international cultural and sports event takes place. Every year many people from different companies or organsiations join the exciting competition. The event also attracts crowds to watch the exciting race.

Reptile House

It is located in Tuen Mun Town Park. It houses a variety of real reptiles such as tortoises, snakes, lizards and chameleons. Visitors are able to study the livelihood of these animals in close proximity and it is said to be a good place for children to learn more about the nature.

Public facilities

Town Hall

The Tuen Mun Town Hall is located near the Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road.

Public Library

There are three public libraries, Tuen Mun Central Library, Butterfly Estate Public Library and Tai Hing Public Library.

Hospitals

Castle Peak Hospital, which is opened in 1961, is a psychiatric hospital which provides general psychiatric treatment. It is the psychiatric hospital with longest history in Hong Kong. [ [http://www.ha.org.hk/cph/ Castle Peak Hospital] ]

Tuen Mun Hospital was opened in 1990, providing a variety of medical services to residents in Tuen Mun and the North Western part of New Territories.

Tuen Mun Town Plaza

The Tuen Mun Town Plaza was established in 1988, and is the largest shopping mall in the North Western New Territories, with more an 300 shops. It is located in the Tuen Mun town centre.

Power stations

There are two power stations to the west of Tuen Mun, which are run by CLP Power Hong Kong Limited, called Black Point Power Station and Castle Peak Power Station.

chools

There are currently 50 secondary schools, 56 primary schools and 50 kindergartens in Tuen Mun. There are also 5 special schools for mentally or physically disabled children. According to the "Choice of Schools List for Central Allocation (Primary One Admission 2004)", there are 42 primary schools allocated in Tuen Mun, which can be chosen through three school nets, nos. 69, 70 and 71.

EcoPark

The 20-hectare (200,000 square metres) EcoPark is located at Tuen Mun Area 38. By providing exclusive land to recycling and environmental industry, EcoPark aims at promoting waste recycling in Hong Kong. Phase I of the EcoPark (about 80,000 square metres) will be made available for occupation by end 2006, while Phase II (about 120,000 square metres) will be commissioned in 2009.

Public affairs

District Council

Mr Lau Wong-Fat is the chairperson of the Tuen Mun district council.

Trivia

ex crimes

In the 1990's, Tuen Mun was notorious for its high occurrence of sex crimes. Vulnerable young women living in public housing estates are the usual targets of these sexual assaults. Several male offenders have since been caught and the situation has much improved. However these incidents have caused concerns for safety of women living in the area. To address these concerns, special teams of volunteers have been setup to escort women home who happens to work and return home late.

ee also

* History of Hong Kong
* List of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong
* Fernao Pires de Andrade

External links

* [http://www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/tm/english/welcome.htm Tuen Mun District Council]
* [http://www.eac.gov.hk/pdf/distco/maps/dc2003l.pdf List and map of electoral constituencies (large PDF file)]
* [http://www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/about/achievements/regional/regi_tuenmun.htm Tuen Mun New Town]
* [http://www.goldcoasthotel.com.hk/home.html Hong Kong Gold Coast]

References