To Kwa Wan

Last updated October 10, 2022

To Kwa Wan (traditional Chinese :土瓜灣; simplified Chinese :土瓜湾; Jyutping :tou2 gwaa1 waan1; pinyin :Tǔguāwān) is a bay and an area of the eastern shore of Kowloon peninsula. The area is part of urban Hong Kong, and is situated between Hok Yuen, Hung Hom, Ma Tau Wai and Ma Tau Kok. Administratively, the area belongs to the Kowloon City District of Kowloon.

It comprises mostly mid-20th century residential and light industrial architecture of 10 or fewer floors, built to comply with height restrictions for the former Kai Tak Airport. Since the airport closed in 1998, new buildings are taller, often with commercial space on the ground floor, especially along major roads such a Ma Tau Wai Road. Consequently, the area has a much-valued cohesive community spirit.^[1]

To Kwa Wan station services this area.

History

The name 'To Kwa Wan' literally means 'Potato Bay', named for the sweet potatoes formerly grown here by local Hakka people. From the 19th century, a nearby granite quarry provided construction materials, including for the development of Kai Tak Airport.^[1]

At the time of the 1911 census, the population of To Kwa Wan was 1,072. The number of males was 766.^[2]

After World War II, light industrial units sprang up, making products such as toys and textiles. Housing rose concurrently with factory buildings, and in the 1970s the area's public housing estates were built to relieve pressure in other crowded areas of Kowloon.^[1]

Poor building standards and ageing have been highlighted by crumbling facades that have hurt or killed people in the area. The demolition of older flats has allowed developers to acquire land in To Kwa Wan to build newer and more profitable residential flats.^[3]

Green space

Alongside high-density residential and commercial zoning, there are a few green spaces in To Kwa Wan:

Hoi Sham Park – a park facing Kowloon Bay
Ko Shan Road Park
To Kwa Wan Recreation Ground

With extensive land reclamation in the early 1970s, Hoi Sham Island, formerly located in the adjacent bay, was incorporated into the peninsula, becoming Hoi Sham Park.^[4]

Transportation

There only a few main roads in the area. All other roads are side streets serving local residents. To Kwa Wan Road and Ma Tau Wai Road form a V-shaped corridor, while the East Kowloon Corridor is an elevated highway passing through the middle of To Kwa Wan.

The Kowloon City Pier Bus Terminus to the north services several local bus routes.

To Kwa Wan station now serves the area with the full opening of the Tuen Ma Line as part of new Sha Tin to Central Link, in anticipation of which new development is already taking place.^[1]

Education

To Kwa Wan is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 34. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money) and two government schools: Farm Road Government Primary School and Ma Tau Chung Government Primary School.^[5]

Related Research Articles

Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of 43,033/km² (111,450/sq mi) in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and the rest of the New Territories. The peninsula's area is about 47 km² (18 sq mi).

Kowloon Bay is a body of water within Victoria Harbour and an area within Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Hung Hom is an area in the southeast of Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong. Including the area of Whampoa, Tai Wan, Hok Yuen, Lo Lung Hang and No. 12 Hill are administratively part of the Kowloon City District, with a portion west of Hung Hom Bay in the Yau Tsim Mong District. Hung Hom serves mainly residential purposes, but it is mixed with some industrial buildings in the north.

San Po Kong is an area in New Kowloon in Hong Kong. It is largely industrial and partly residential. Administratively, it belongs to Wong Tai Sin District.

Hoi Sham Island, also called To Kwa Wan Island (土瓜灣島), was an island in Kowloon Bay off the coast of To Kwa Wan, Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. It was connected to the mainland as a consequence of land reclamation, and it is now part of Hoi Sham Park (海心公園).

Ma Tau Wai is an area in the Kowloon City District, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was originally a walled village between present-day Argyle Street and Prince Edward Road West, east of present-day St. Teresa's Hospital.

Ngau Tau Kok is an area of eastern Kowloon in Hong Kong, in the north of Kwun Tong District east to Kowloon Bay. Largely residential, Ngau Tau Kok has a population in excess of 210,000.

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Sham Tseng is a coastal area in Tsuen Wan District, Hong Kong, between Ting Kau and Tsing Lung Tau.

Ma Tau Kok is a place north of To Kwa Wan, south-east of modern-day Ma Tau Chung and south-west of the former Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong. It was a cape in Kowloon Bay in Victoria Harbour and opposite to the Sacred Hill and the mouth of Ma Tau Chung. Ma Tau Kok is a mixed industrial and residential area.

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To Kwa Wan is an underground MTR rapid transit station in Hong Kong on the Tuen Ma line. It is located beneath Ma Tau Wai Road in central To Kwa Wan, Kowloon City District. The station was built as part of the Sha Tin to Central Link (SCL), and opened on 27 June 2021 along with the rest of phase 2 of the Tuen Ma line. The station was constructed by a Samsung–Hsin Chong joint venture.

Grand Waterfront is a private housing estate and a shopping mall in Ma Tau Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong, near Kowloon City Ferry Pier. Formerly a Hong Kong and China Gas towngas plant, the estate consists of five 57-storey high-rise buildings and a shopping arcade. It was jointly developed by Henderson Land Development and Hong Kong and China Towngas and completed in 2007.

The following is an overview of public housing estates in Hung Hom, To Kwa Wan and Ma Tau Wai, of Kowloon City District, Hong Kong, including Home Ownership Scheme (HOS), Private Sector Participation Scheme (PSPS), and Tenant Purchase Scheme (TPS) estates.

The following shows the public housing estates in Ngau Tau Kok, Jordan Valley, Kowloon Bay and surrounding neighbourhoods, in Kwun Tong District, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

The Kai Tak Development, abbreviated as "KTD" and formerly called South East Kowloon Development (東南九龍發展計劃), refers to the redevelopment of the former Kai Tak Airport site in Kai Tak, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

References

1 2 3 4 Neighbourhood Guide: A Sense of Community in To Kwa Wan. Zolima City Mag, 6 September 2018
↑ Hase, Patrick (1996). "Traditional Life in the New Territories: The Evidence of the 1911 and 1921 Censuses" (PDF). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch . 36: 83. ISSN 1991-7295.
↑ "Travel in Kowloon > To Kwa Wan". Thaiworldview.com. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
↑ Island Stories, Part II: Hong Kong’s Disappearing Islands, Zolima City Mag, 25 July 2018
↑ "POA School Net 34" (PDF). Education Bureau . Retrieved 12 September 2022.

Coordinates: 22°19′08″N114°11′27″E / 22.31885°N 114.19070°E / 22.31885; 114.19070

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[Zolima-1] 1 2 3 4 Neighbourhood Guide: A Sense of Community in To Kwa Wan. Zolima City Mag, 6 September 2018

[2] Hase, Patrick (1996). "Traditional Life in the New Territories: The Evidence of the 1911 and 1921 Censuses" (PDF). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch . 36: 83. ISSN 1991-7295.

[3] "Travel in Kowloon > To Kwa Wan". Thaiworldview.com. Retrieved 11 December 2016.

[4] Island Stories, Part II: Hong Kong’s Disappearing Islands, Zolima City Mag, 25 July 2018

[5] "POA School Net 34" (PDF). Education Bureau . Retrieved 12 September 2022.

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