Yuen Long
Encyclopedia
Yuen Long formerly Un Long, is an area and town located in the northwest of Hong Kong
, on the Yuen Long Plain
. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu
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 Wai
.
, Yuen Long Plain
, or Yuen Long District
.
in the area now known as Yuen Long San Hui (元朗新墟), in Yuen Long District
in the New Territories
in Hong Kong
. The site of the market town was situated centrally with regard to surrounding villages, allowing villagers a convenient location to sell their crops and fish.
The market is a place to allow people from villages in northwest New Territories to shop and trade. Like many market towns in Hong Kong, the market operates only on certain days each week.
Now, the central part of Yuen Long does not have that kind of market anymore. On the contrary, Modern shopping malls and various types of restaurants are established.
Yuen Long New Town
was developed by the market town in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Tin Shui Wai New Town
was established in the 1990s to the west of Yuen Long New Town, as separate from Yuen Long New Town. It is mostly residential.
There are Light Rail Transit and several bus routes serving between the two towns.
was not located in the busiest place of present-day Yuen Long, namely Yuen Long Main Road (元朗大馬路), part of Castle Peak Road
.
The earliest market in Yuen Long was situated south of the main road near Tai Kei Leng. In 1669 the market was moved north to the area near where the present-day MTR station is situated. This was done for political reasons. This area is now known as Yuen Long Kau Hui
(元朗舊墟, lit. "old Yuen Long Town"). This market is sited south of a small hill. While it is far from the coast today, it was beside the seashore when the market was first built.
Cheung Shing Street, which separates Nam Pin Wai and Sai Pin Wai, divides the centre of the market. Temples were built for worship and to judge disputes.
After the British leased the New Territories in 1898, they built Castle Peak Road to connect major areas of the New Territories and Kowloon
. The villagers proposed and moved the market town to the main road.
After the Second World War
, Yuen Long Town dramatically increased in size, going from a small village into a large town known for its numerous cultural and sporting events.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, on the Yuen Long Plain
Yuen Long Plain
Yuen Long Plain , in the northwestern corner of the New Territories, is the largest alluvial plain in Hong Kong. With an area 144.3 km², it was formed between the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty...
. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu
Hung Shui Kiu
Hung Shui Kiu is an area between Ping Shan and Lam Tei, in the western part of the New Territories of Hong Kong. It covers parts of Yuen Long andTuen Mun districts. It is largely rural residential.-Transportation:...
and Ha Tsuen
Ha Tsuen
Ha Tsuen , or Ha Tsuen Heung is an area at the west of Yuen Long Town in Hong Kong. Administratively, it belongs to Yuen Long District.-History:...
, to the south Shap Pat Heung
Shap Pat Heung
Shap Pat Heung is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Located south of Yuen Long and northwest of Tai Tong, the area occupied the plain north of hills of Tai Lam. Cantonese name Shap Pat Heung means eighteen villages at its beginning. It is later expanded to thirty villages...
and Tai Tong
Tai Tong
Tai Tong is a village situated in Yuen Long, Northwest of Hong Kong. Tai Tong is famous for its Lychee mountain. Over there, it has been a prime spot for Hong Kong programs set in the olden times....
, to the east Au Tau
Au Tau
Au Tau is an area of Yuen Long District, Hong Kong, located directly west of Yuen Long.Pok Oi Hospital is located in Au Tau.Pun Uk, a former mansion and a Grade I Historic Building is located in Au Tau, next to the hospital....
and Kam Tin
Kam Tin
Kam Tin , or Kam Tin Heung , is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It is north of Tai Mo Shan and east of Yuen Long. It was formerly known as Sham Tin...
, and to the north Nam Sang Wai
Nam Sang Wai
Nam Sang Wai is a wetland area to the north of Yuen Long, in Hong Kong.-Geography:Nam Sang Wai covers a roughly triangular area. It is bordered by the Shan Pui River in the west, separating it from Yuen Long Industrial Estate, the Kam Tin River in the east and a branch of the Kam Tin River in the...
.
Name
The Cantonese name Yuen Long 元朗 in present-day conversation, "Yuen Long" may, depending on context, refer to the limits of the original market town, Yuen Long New TownYuen Long New Town
Yuen Long New Town is a new town in the northwest New Territories, Hong Kong. It was developed from the traditional market town of Yuen Long Town from the late 1970s....
, Yuen Long Plain
Yuen Long Plain
Yuen Long Plain , in the northwestern corner of the New Territories, is the largest alluvial plain in Hong Kong. With an area 144.3 km², it was formed between the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty...
, or Yuen Long District
Yuen Long District
Yuen Long District , is one of the districts of Hong Kong located in the northwest of the New Territories. It had a population of 449,070 in 2001. The district has the youngest population of Hong Kong and the lowest income in the New Territories.-Geography:...
.
Market town
The central part of Yuen Long was traditionally a market townMarket town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in the area now known as Yuen Long San Hui (元朗新墟), in Yuen Long District
Yuen Long District
Yuen Long District , is one of the districts of Hong Kong located in the northwest of the New Territories. It had a population of 449,070 in 2001. The district has the youngest population of Hong Kong and the lowest income in the New Territories.-Geography:...
in the New Territories
New Territories
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. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. The site of the market town was situated centrally with regard to surrounding villages, allowing villagers a convenient location to sell their crops and fish.
The market is a place to allow people from villages in northwest New Territories to shop and trade. Like many market towns in Hong Kong, the market operates only on certain days each week.
Now, the central part of Yuen Long does not have that kind of market anymore. On the contrary, Modern shopping malls and various types of restaurants are established.
New towns
Two new towns have been developed in Yuen Long since 1970s:Yuen Long New Town
Yuen Long New Town
Yuen Long New Town is a new town in the northwest New Territories, Hong Kong. It was developed from the traditional market town of Yuen Long Town from the late 1970s....
was developed by the market town in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Tin Shui Wai New Town
Tin Shui Wai New Town
Tin Shui Wai New Town is located in northwestern New Territories of Hong Kong. It is a part of the Yuen Long District, and is the second new town in Yuen Long and the eighth in Hong Kong. It is situated 25 kilometres due north-west of Central, Hong Kong on land reclaimed from low lying areas south...
was established in the 1990s to the west of Yuen Long New Town, as separate from Yuen Long New Town. It is mostly residential.
There are Light Rail Transit and several bus routes serving between the two towns.
History
The original Yuen Long TownYuen Long Town
Yuen Long Town is located in the district centre of Yuen Long District, New Territories, Hong Kong. It is the heart of Yuen Long and Yuen Long New Town, with a population of around 200,000.- Geography :Yuen Long Town is located in the centre of Yuen Long...
was not located in the busiest place of present-day Yuen Long, namely Yuen Long Main Road (元朗大馬路), part of Castle Peak Road
Castle Peak Road
Castle Peak Road is the longest road in Hong Kong. It runs from Tai Po Road in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon to the very north of the New Territories, serving south, west and north New Territories, being one of the most distant roads in early Hong Kong.-Name:...
.
The earliest market in Yuen Long was situated south of the main road near Tai Kei Leng. In 1669 the market was moved north to the area near where the present-day MTR station is situated. This was done for political reasons. This area is now known as Yuen Long Kau Hui
Yuen Long Kau Hui
Yuen Long Kau Hui is an area in Yuen Long, Yuen Long District, in the western New Territories of Hong Kong.-Geography:Yuen Long Kau Hui is located in the north-east of the present Yuen Long Town. It is sited south of a small hill and directly north of Yuen Long MTR Station. It comprises several...
(元朗舊墟, lit. "old Yuen Long Town"). This market is sited south of a small hill. While it is far from the coast today, it was beside the seashore when the market was first built.
Cheung Shing Street, which separates Nam Pin Wai and Sai Pin Wai, divides the centre of the market. Temples were built for worship and to judge disputes.
After the British leased the New Territories in 1898, they built Castle Peak Road to connect major areas of the New Territories and Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
. The villagers proposed and moved the market town to the main road.
After the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Yuen Long Town dramatically increased in size, going from a small village into a large town known for its numerous cultural and sporting events.
Bus
- KMBKowloon Motor BusThe Kowloon Motor Bus Company Limited , a company of the Transport International Holdings Limited, is the largest franchised bus operators in Hong Kong, and one of the largest privately owned public bus operators in the world...
Routes 68X, 68M, 968, 54, 76K, 77K, 264M, 269D, 263M, 276, 276P, 268B, 268C, 68A, 263M, 64K, 277, B1, N269, 869- Route B1 to Lok Ma Chau Station Control Point, a customs checkpoint between Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and ShenzhenShenzhenShenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
- Route B1 to Lok Ma Chau Station Control Point, a customs checkpoint between Hong Kong
- MTR Route K73, K65, K66, K68, K74, K73P
- LWBLong Win BusLong Win Bus Company Limited provides bus service to northern Lantau Island and the Hong Kong International Airport...
Route E34, N30 - NLBNew Lantao BusThe New Lantao Bus Company Limited – known as New Lantao Bus, or NLB – is a franchised bus company operating in Hong Kong.-History:...
Route B2
Train
- MTR West Rail Line
- Light Rail 610, 614, 615 and 761P