Hengqin | |||||||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 横琴新区 | ||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 橫琴新區 | ||||||||||||
Literal meaning | Horizontal Qin New Area | ||||||||||||
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Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 横琴岛 | ||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 橫琴島 | ||||||||||||
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Portuguese name | |||||||||||||
Portuguese | Nova Área da Ilha da Montanha/Nova Área de Hengqin |
Hengqin (simplified Chinese :横琴岛; traditional Chinese :橫琴島,Portuguese :Ilha da Montanha [1] [2] ) is an island that lies mostly in Zhuhai,a prefecture-level city and special economic zone in Guangdong Province of the People's Republic of China. It has a population of about 3,000. Parts of Hengqin are leased to Macau by the State Council of the People's Republic of China,starting from 2009,mostly to house the new campus of the University of Macau. In the leased parts of the island,Macau law applies.
The whole island is designated a special economic district,as the Hengqin New Area,similar to Binhai New Area in Tianjin and Pudong New Area in Shanghai.
Hengqin Island is adjacent to the Taipa and Coloane districts of Macau,with the Shisanmen Waterway separating them,and is connected to Macau's Cotai via the Lotus Bridge. The island is the largest among the 146 islands of Zhuhai,being roughly three times the size of Macau. It has broad bays,sandy beaches,strangely shaped jagged rocks,scenery,and natural vegetation cover.
Hengqin was formerly made up of two islands,Xiaohengqin (小橫琴;Portuguese :Dom João) and Dahengqin (大橫琴;Portuguese :Montanha),which were recently connected as a result of land reclamation. The reclaimed island is 96 km2 (37 sq mi) large.
Portugal claimed both Xiao Hengqin and Da Hengqin,along with the larger former island of Wanzai (Portuguese: Lapa ) —now a peninsula —to their north,as part of the Província de Macau,because "Portuguese schools are established there". [3] In 1896,Portuguese determined to occupy the two islands of Hengqin,but did not succeed in doing so. Portugal briefly occupied them before World War II. [4]
Since the land reclamation and development,there has been a growing opinion in Macau that the island should be leased to Macau,which has very limited land and little room for further development. By 1 September 2005,plans were revealed that the government of Guangdong will allow tax exemptions and adopt flexible immigration control in Hengqin to promote investment from Hong Kong and Macau.
On 27 June 2009 the government of Macau officially announced that the University of Macau would build its new campus on 1 km2 of the island,in a stretch directly facing the Cotai area,south of the current border post. This would be the first of other possible projects. Construction of the campus would take three years [5] and would include an underwater tunnel.[ citation needed ] The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress officially adopted a decision authorising Macau to exercise jurisdiction over the new campus on its opening. [6] Macau law would apply in the university campus and it would not be necessary to pass a formal border post. [7] The Macau Special Administrative Region will pay an amount of rent –which has not yet been set –for the use of the land.[ citation needed ]
In early 2013 the Macau Legislative Assembly passed Law 3/2013 providing for the application of Macau Law in the campus effective on opening day. [8] In 2020 the Macau Legislative Assembly passed Law 1/2020 providing for the application of Macau Law in a part of Hengqin Port. [9] Macau's juridisction over this area became effective on 18 March. [10]
With Hengqin island,the goal of the authorities is to create a combined Las Vegas and Orlando for Asia,with an expansive casino offering in Macau,and at the same time non-gaming leisure and tourist activities.
In late 2005,Las Vegas Sands openly discussed its multibillion-dollar plan to develop parts of Hengqin Island into a convention and resort destination. The project was to include four million sq ft of convention space,hotels,retail,vacation homes,and golf,tennis and yachting amenities. [11] [12]
On 29 November 2010,the main body of the Chime-Long International Ocean Resort (with an initial investment of 10 billion yuan) kicked off the construction on Hengqin Island and was originally expected to become operational in 2013.
The Chimelong Ocean Kingdom,consisting of entertainment facilities,amusement rides,performances,high-tech experiences and animal watching as well as the dolphin-themed hotel with 1,888 guest rooms was opened in 2014,and has been the 11th most visited theme park in the world in 2017. [13]
The Hengqin International Tennis Center opened in September 2015. It currently hosts three international competitions:the WTA Elite Trophy,the Zhuhai Open and the Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff for the Australian Open. [14]
Transport in Macau includes road,sea,rail and air transport. Road transport is the primary mode of transport within Macau,although a new rail system opened in December 2019 serving the areas of Taipa and Cotai. The main forms of public transport are buses and taxis.
Zhuhai is a prefecture-level city located on the west bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern Guangdong province,People's Republic of China,on the southeastern edge of the Pearl River Delta. Its name literally means "pearl sea",which originates from the city's location at the mouth of the Pearl River meeting the South China Sea. Zhuhai borders Jiangmen to the west,Zhongshan to the north and Macau to the southeast,and shares maritime boundaries with Shenzhen and Hong Kong to the northeast across the estuary.
Taipa is an area in Macau,connected to Coloane through the area known as Cotai,which is largely built from reclaimed land. Located on the northern half of the island,Taipa's population is mostly suburban. Administratively,the boundaries of the traditional civil parish Freguesia de Nossa Senhora do Carmo are mostly coterminous with that of the former Taipa Island,except for a portion of the parish that lies on the island of Hengqin (Montanha),housing the campus of the University of Macau.
Coloane is the southernmost area in Macau,connected to Taipa through the area known as Cotai,which is largely built from reclaimed land. Known as “Lou Wan”in Cantonese,Coloane forms the southern part of Macau. Its population consists of several settlements dotted around the parish,such as Vila de Coloane,Hac Sa,Ká-Hó,and Cheoc Van. Administratively,the boundaries of the traditional civil parish of São Francisco Xavier are coterminous with that of Coloane.
The University of Macau is a public comprehensive research university in Macau. The university campus is located in Hengqin Island,Zhuhai,Guangdong,on a piece of land leased to and under the jurisdiction of the Government of Macau.
Lotus Bridge is a cross-border bridge linking the Cotai reclamation area of Macau with Hengqin Island in Zhuhai,Guangdong Province,People's Republic of China (PRC). The bridge is a road crossing between mainland China and Macau. Since December 2014,it has been open 24 hours per day.
The Fire Services Bureau is responsible for fire and rescue services in Macau. Volunteer fire brigades in Macau dates back to 1851 and full-time department in 1883. Prior to 1851,the Portuguese military provided fire services in the colony. In 1999,the CB became a fully civilian agency. Today the department is organized under the Macau Security Force. The brigade is responsible for fire and rescue for both land and air.
The Macau Light Rapid Transit is a mass transit system in Macau and the first railway system of the city. The first phase of the project's construction began in February 2012,and the first section of the Taipa line was opened to the public on 10 December 2019. Barra extension of the line and two new branches of Seac Pai Van and Hengqin opened in 2023 and 2024.
The Posto de Migração das Portas do Cerco or Border Gate Checkpoint is an immigration and customs checkpoint in the Portas do Cerco area in northern Macau,on its border with mainland China's Zhuhai.
Wanzai,Small Hengqin and Great Hengqin are three islands located to the west of the Macau Peninsula and the Macau islands of Taipa and Coloane that were under Portuguese influence. They were inhabited by a very small Chinese population in its early history.
One Oasis is a residential complex development in Cotai,south of Macau. The community facilities in the development encompass a clubhouse,a retail center,a 6-star hotel,and cultural and entertainment conventions. Phase 1 of One Oasis comprises five low-density residential towers providing 870 units. The construction of Phase 1 was scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2013. An array of flat mixes studio,1-bedroom,2-bedroom,3-bedroom units and,4-bedroom en-suites are offered,ranging from approximately 600 sq ft (56 m2),to over 2,000 sq ft (190 m2). Special units contain duplexes and sky houses with a minimum area of 3,000 square feet.
Freguesia de Nossa Senhora do Carmo is a civil parish (freguesia) in the Macao Special Administrative Region. The major part of the freguesia is located in Taipa but it runs through to Hengqin Island in mainland China. The freguesia is named after the Our Lady of Carmel Church. It is the largest freguesia in Macau with an area of 7.9 square kilometres (3.1 sq mi).
Dulwich International High School Zhuhai is an international senior high school in Zhuhai,Guangdong,China. It is on the property of YungWing School Zhuhai (珠海容闳学校). It is affiliated with Dulwich College. The new campus of Dulwich International High School Zhuhai is situated in Hengqin district in August 2021. On 22 February 2024,Department of Education of Guangdong Province approve Dulwich International High School Zhuhai from International school to Chinese-foreign Cooperation in Running Schools with YungWing High school.
Chimelong International Ocean Tourist Resort is a theme park resort located in Hengqin,Zhuhai,China and owned by Chimelong Group. The resort currently consists of two theme parks,two theaters and four themed hotels. With a 20 billion yuan investment,future plans for the resort include at least two additional theme parks,a new aerial tramway transportation system,and an artificial island. Chimelong expects visitation at Chimelong International Ocean Resort to increase to over 50 million annually once all of the theme parks are operating.
The Hengqin line is a cross-border line of the Macau Light Rapid Transit that opened on December 2,2024. The line operates as a shuttle between the existing Lotus station in Macau on the Taipa line and Hengqin station on the island of Hengqin in the city of Zhuhai,Guangdong,China.
Lotus station is a transfer station on the Taipa line and the Hengqin line of the Macau Light Rapid Transit in Cotai,Macau. It is an elevated station located at Estrada Flor de Lótus adjacent to Studio City,near the south end of the Cotai Strip.
Qingmao Port or Qingmao Checkpoint,also known as Channel in Guangdong and Macau,connects between the Ilha Verde region of Macau and the Zhuhai railway station,with a designed customs clearance volume of 200,000 passengers. Mainly self-service customs clearance,it can pass through by only pedestrians and there is no vehicle access. Spanning between Guangdong and Macao,it covers an area of approximately 28,000 square meters. The main construction land and construction content are located in Macao,and a small number of facilities are erected over the Canal dos Patos.
Hengqin station is the terminus of the Hengqin Line of the Macau Light Rapid Transit. It is located below the Macao Port Area of Hengqin Port serving as a border crossing into Hengqin,Zhuhai in mainland China. It is the second underground station of the Macau Light Rapid Transit System. Construction of the station officially started on 18 March 2021 leading to the start of revenue service on 2 December 2024.
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