石湖墟) is a non-administrative subdivision (neighbourhood) and former indigenous market town located in Sheung Shui in the North District of Hong Kong. The place name can be found in the record that published in 1819.
For electoral purposes,Shek Wu Hui is part of the Shek Wu Hui constituency of the North District Council. It was formerly represented by Lam Cheuk-ting,who was elected in the local elections until March 2021. [1] [2]
The name Shek Wu Hui appeared in Qing dynasty Jiaqing Year's Xin'an Xianzhi (Gazetteer of the Xin'an County ), [3] with footnote:"舊誌天崗,今移石湖",literally means the market town was relocated from another place Tin Gong (Chinese :天崗; Jyutping :tin1 gong1; Cantonese Yale :tīn gōng) to Shek Wu (Chinese :石湖; Jyutping :sek6 wu4; Cantonese Yale :sehk wùh; lit. 'stone lake') between the two editions of Xin'an Xianzhi. The older edition of Xin'an Xianzhi was published in Kangxi Year,or circa 1688 in the Gregorian calendar. According to an academic paper,Shek Wu Hui was established by one of the Five Great Clans of the New Territories,Liu clan (surnamed Liu (廖),in modern-day standard Mandarin Chinese:Liào),while Tin Gong was established by another Five Great Clans:Hau clan (surnamed Hau (侯),in modern-day standard Mandarin Chinese:Hou). [4]
At the time of the 1911 census,the population of Shek Wu Hui was 56. The number of males was 37. [5]
In 1972,Shek Wu Hui the indigenous market town,combined with modern market centre Luen Wo Hui and indigenous villages in Fanling (Fan Leng Tai Wai,Fan Leng Nam Wai and Fanling Pak Wai) and Sheung Shui (Sheung Shui Wai),was selected as one of the three construction sites for satellite towns (new towns). [6] The two other market towns were Tai Po and Yuen Long. The new town,Fanling - Sheung Shui - Shek Wu Hui,was later known as just Fanling–Sheung Shui New Town.
The villages of Fanling,in the past belonged to Tai Po Tsat Yeuk,an inter-village alliance. The alliance founded Tai Wo Shi circa 1892,which later known as [new] Tai Po Hui (Tai Po Market) and the old Tai Po Hui became Tai Po Old Market instead. The owner of Tai Po Old Market,Tang clan,another Five Great Clans,also involved in the founding of Luen Wo Hui in 1951,a relative more modern market centre between Shek Wu Hui and Tai Po Hui,and was located in Fanling.
In the past,the market town did not open every day. It was reported that Shek Wu Hui was opened in the 1st,4th,7th,11th,14th,17th,21st,24th,27th day of the month in the Chinese lunar calendar,and was the same as Luen Wo Hui according to some source. [7] The two markets are close together. The arrangement made people from other villages,have to choose either Shek Wu Hui or Luen Wo Hui. [7] According to another source,villagers from Lin Ma Hang,which co-founded the market town in Sha Tau Kok [8] [9] : 16 (the location also shown in the 1898 map) in the 1820s to the 1830s,also went to Shek Wu Hui,Luen Wo Hui and Shenzhen. [8] Lin Ma Hang was part of the 10 "Yeuk" of Sha Tau Kok,and each Yeuk itself consists of one or more villages. [9] : 17 However,in that source it claimed Shek Wu Hui (1st,4th,7th sequence) had a different opening days with Luen Wo Hui,Shenzhen (both 2nd,5th,8th sequence),as well as Sha Tau Kok (3rd,6th,9th sequence). [8] On top of the confusion,another book claimed the opening days of Shek Wu Hui and Sha Tau Kok were the same (1st,4th,7th sequence). [9] : 18 Nevertheless,due to the colonial Hong Kong government closed the border after the establishment of the People's Republic of China as well as influx of economic and political refugees from the north,villagers from Lin Ma Hang were unable to access Shenzhen,while Sha Tau Kok lost half of its hinterland,making Shek Wu Hui became a more favourable choice. It was reported that villagers from Lin Ma Han,also contributed in the foundation of Luen Wo Hui. [8]
Shek Wu Hui in modern-day are composed of post-Qing dynasty buildings. A street of the neighbourhood,Tsun Fu Street (Chinese :巡撫街),was a memorial of early Qing officials that submitted a request on behalf with villagers. Qing Empire had forbidden people to live near to the coast since 1661,due to Taiwan was not yet conquered until 1683,and such "sea-ban" (Chinese :海禁) was to cut-off the connection between villages that under Qing Empire and the Southern Ming and the Kingdom of Tungning. The villagers seek to abolish such rule for years. The request was accepted by the emperor and villagers were allowed to return to their native place. Tsun Fu Street,was the location of a temple in memorial of the officials. However,the temple,along with the market town,was destroyed by fire. The area and the market were rebuilt,but not the temple.
Due to the establishment of Fanling–Sheung Shui New Town,new shopping malls were built in other places in Sheung Shui to compete with Shek Wu Hui. In the 1990s,the wet market was relocated to Shek Wu Hui Complex Building . The building itself was located within Sheung Shui,but not within Shek Wu Hui.
In recent years,Shek Wu Hui was criticized as one of the cross-border shopping centre for the Mainland China tourists,which also accused as one of the black spot of smuggling, [10] as the tourists and smuggler bought goods in Shek Wu Hui and transported those goods back to the mainland as hand carry luggage,via East Rail line. Shek Wu Hui is served by Sheung Shui station,which is the second last stop of the former Kowloon–Canton Railway (British section).
North District is the northernmost district of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the northeastern part of the New Territories. The new town of Fanling–Sheung Shui is within this district. It had a population of 298,657 in 2001. The district has the second lowest population density in Hong Kong.
Most of the walled villages of Hong Kong are located in the New Territories.
Sha Tau Kok is a closed town in Hong Kong. The last remaining major settlement in the Frontier Closed Area,it is Hong Kong's northernmost town.
The Sha Tau Kok Railway was a 2 ft narrow-gauge light rail operated by the Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation,running from Fanling to Sha Tau Kok in the northern New Territories of Hong Kong. It was 7.25 miles (11.67 km) long and had eight services a day. The time it took to travel from Fanling to Sha Tau Kok was 55 minutes.
Sheung Shui is an area in the New Territories,Hong Kong. Sheung Shui Town,a part of this area,is part of the Fanling–Sheung Shui New Town in the North District of Hong Kong. Fanling Town is to its southeast.
Route 9,Hong Kong is one of the strategic trunk roads,mostly in the form of a motorway,circumnavigating the New Territories. The route is also known as the New Territories Circular Road (新界環迴公路). Starting from the Shing Mun Tunnels,Route 9 links Sha Tin,Tai Po,Fanling,Sheung Shui,Yuen Long,Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan. The section between Exit 10 in Kwu Tung and Exit 16 in Lam Tei is part of Asian Highway 1,although the Asian Highway Network is not signed in Hong Kong.
Fanling is a town in the New Territories East of Hong Kong. Administratively,it is part of the North District. Fanling Town is the main settlement of the Fanling area. The name Fanling is a shortened form of Fan Pik Leng (粉壁嶺). The area has several public and private estates.
Tai Po is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui (大埔舊墟) on the north of Lam Tsuen River and the Tai Po Hui on Fu Shin Street on the south of the Lam Tsuen River,near the old Tai Po Market railway station of the Kowloon-Canton Railway. Both market towns became part of the Tai Po New Town in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In present-day usage,"Tai Po" may refer to the area around the original market towns,the Tai Po New Town,or the entire Tai Po District.
Fanling-Sheung Shui New Town was developed from the traditional market towns and villages around Fanling and Sheung Shui,within the present-day North District in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It was primarily developed in the mid 1980s. Connecting Fanling and Sheung Shui is an U-shaped main road called Ma Sik Road.
Tai Po New Town,or Tai Po Town,is a new town and non-administrative area in Tai Po District,in the New Territories,Hong Kong. The area is a planned town that surrounding the existing indigenous market towns Tai Po Hui and Tai Po Kau Hui,as well as east of the existing indigenous villages that located on the Lam Tsuen Valley as well as west of those villages in Ting Kok and Tai Mei Tuk and south of those villages in Nam Hang,Fung Yuen and Sha Lo Tung. Most of the lands of the new town were obtained by land reclamation. In present day,Tai Po New Town was simply known as Tai Po. The new town are largely covered by the government Tai Po Outline Zoning Plan,which legally regulated the land use of the area,on top of the terms in the land lease contract with the government. Some of the land lease within the area,were known as Tai Po Town Lot №foo. In election,the town had a different zoning scheme for the election constituencies.
Lai Chi Wo is a Hakka village near Sha Tau Kok,in the northeastern New Territories of Hong Kong. It is described as a "walled village" by some sources. Lai Chi Wo is located within Plover Cove Country Park and near Yan Chau Tong Marine Park.
Articles related to Hong Kong include:
Tai Po Market or Tai Po Hui is the name of an area within the modern-day Tai Po New Town in the Tai Po District,in the New Territories,Hong Kong. However,its exact location changed from time to time. It is considered as the town centre of the area known as Tai Po. The area was first established as a market town,at the location of the modern-day residential and commercial area Tai Po Old Market,which is near the present-day area Tai Wo. Later on,a new market,Tai Wo Shi was established across the river and when the Kowloon-Canton Railway British Section was opened in 1910 it was the site of a flag station named Tai Po Market. However,all three areas do not overlap,and divided by Lam Tsuen River or Tai Po Tai Wo Road. Tai Po Market,Tai Po Old Market and Tai Wo Estate are all within modern day Tai Po New Town.
There are three plains in Hong Kong, in the northern New Territories. These plains are Yuen Long,Fanling,and Tai Po.
The North District Council is one of the 18 Hong Kong district councils and represents the North District. It is one of 18 such councils. Consisting of 22 members,the district council is drawn from 18 constituencies,which elect 18 members,along with four ex officio members who are the Ta Kwu Ling,Sheung Shui,Sha Tau Kok and Fanling rural committee chairmen. The latest election was held on 24 November 2019.
Ma Tseuk Leng,sometimes transliterated as Ma Tseuk Ling,is an area in Sha Tau Kok,North District,Hong Kong.