According to archaeological findings, there were inhabitants settled in the district around 3,500 years ago. The ruling clan of the Tang Clan (Chinese:鄧氏家族) lived there in Kam Tin. Like Tai Po, Yuen Long used to be a traditional market town.
In 1898 the area of the modern day Yuen Long District was leased to the colonial British Hong Kong government by the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory. A 6 days war was broke out between the British army and the militia from Tang and other villages. The iron doors of the walled villages of Tang were looted to UK as spoils of war.[5] They are returned to Tang later, but according to urban legends, the mixed up which doors belongs to which walled villages, nowadays the two sides of the door of Kat Hing Wai are not identical in design.[6]
After the war, the colonial government had established a different approach to administrate the New Territories, which established the district office. Yuen Long was under the District Office North headquartered in Tai Po. A branch office was later stationed in Yuen Long permanently.
The history of the modern day Yuen Long administrative district (despite a few government departments does not map their service area according to the boundary of the District) can be trace back to Yuen Long District Office (previously known as Chinese:元朗理民府 now known as Chinese:元朗民政事務處 of Home Affairs Department; English name unchanged) of the "New Territories Administration" department of the British colonial government. A reform was held in 1980s that not only the New Territories has their District Offices, but whole HK is grid into Districts, with formal election was held for the councillors of the District Councils. The latest election of the Yuen Long District Council was held in 2019 and scheduled to be held again in 2023.
Culture
Special festivals
The Tin Hau Festival (天后誕巡遊) is on the 23rd of the third month of the lunar calendar. It celebrates the birth of a local deity, Tin Hau. During the day, residents from various walled villages set off at Fung Cheung Road, go via Kau Yuk Road and the Yuen Long Stadium, and end at Tai Shu Ha Tin Hau Temple, which has a 300-year history.
Hong Kong Wetland Park (香港濕地公園) is located at the northern part of Tin Shui Wai. It was intended to be an ecological mitigation area (EMA) for the wetlands lost due to Tin Shui Wai New Town development. In 1998, a project named as "International Wetland Park and Visitor Centre Feasibility Study" was initiated by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Hong Kong Tourism Board with a view to expanding the EMA to a wetland ecotourism attraction. After concluding that it was feasible to develop a wetland park at the EMA site without compromising its intended ecological mitigation functions and the development of the Wetland Park will also enhance the ecological function of the EMA to a world-class conservation, education and tourism facility, the concerned parties started the Wetland Park Project, which is regarded as one of the Millennium projects by the Administrations.
Kat Hing Wai (吉慶圍) in Kam Tin is one of the Yuen Long's best-known walled villages. It is the ancestral home of the Tangs, one of the "Five Great Clans" in the territory. Built by the Tangs 500 years ago, it is a rectangular walled village with an area of 100 metres by 90 metres. As a family stronghold, Kat Hing Wai has served the Tangs well through centuries. In the Qing Dynasty, a five-metre high blue brick wall and four cannon towers were added to defend bandits.
Nam Sang Wai (南生圍) 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 south. It is home to many birds, including seagulls, Northern Pintails (Anas acuta), Yellow-nib Ducks (Anas poecilorhyncha) and Black-faced Spoonbills (Platalea minor). Flora includes reeds and mangroves.
Mai Po Marshes
Mai Po Marshes (米埔) is located in the centre of the wetland and has achieved international significance as a stopping and feeding place for migratory birds along the East Asian-Australian Flyway. The birdwatching season runs from October to May and more than 300 types of birds have been recorded in the area, many of them are rarely seen anywhere outside the region.
Visitors may go to Mai Po via the following ways:
From Central or Causeway Bay take route 968 to Yuen Long (West) Bus terminal, then change taxi.
From Sheung Shui station, take Bus 76K or red minibus 17 to Mai Po village, then walk to the Marsh (about 20 minutes).
On 30 January 2004, the government suspended public visits to the Mai Po wetland reserve as a supposed measure to protect people from the avian flu (H5N1).
Ping Shan Heritage Trail
The Tai Fu Tai Mansion is a historical monument in Hong Kong.
Ping Shan Heritage Trail (屏山文物徑), inaugurated on 12 December 1993, was designed to link several historic buildings and monuments owned by the Tang clan in Ping Shan (including Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda 聚星樓 and Tang Ancestral Hall 鄧氏宗祠) by a 1km trail.
Tai Fu Tai Mansion (大夫第) in San Tin was probably built in 1865 in the reign of the Qing Dynasty. It is a richly embellished residence situated on a spacious ground, with a large open space in the front and a garden at the back. The whole compound is surrounded by a green-brick wall. It is a fine example of traditional Chinese dwellings of the scholar-gentry class and is certainly one of the most elegant buildings throughout the territory.
Route: KMB Bus 76K to San Tin
Tai Lam Country Park
Tai Lam Country Park sits in the western New Territories with an area of 54km2. Tai Lam has a small area of porphyry in the northeast; for the remaining area, it is composed of highly erodible decomposed granite. In 1952, afforestation started as a measure to protect the water catchment area. In spite of the poor soil conditions and the setbacks of fire damage over the years, mature stands of Acacia confusa, Lophostemon confertus, Pinus massoniana, Pinus elliottii and Eucalyptus species now cover most of the area. In addition, the plantations also offer a good habitat for birds, pangolins, Chinese leopard cat, and barking deer. Nevertheless, Tai Lam is an excellent place for outdoor activities because of its remoteness.
Yuen Long Park
Aviary Pagoda (百鳥塔)
Yuen Long Park (元朗市鎮公園) is a park at Yuen Long Town with recreational facilities. There is a 7-storey pagoda enclosing an aviary, which has become a landmark of Yuen Long.
Route: LRT Shui Pin Wai stop, LWB bus E34 or KMB Bus 68X, 268B, 268C, 268X, 269D, 276, 276P, B1, 68E (get off the bus at Yuen Long Park.)
Leisure and cultural facilities
Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Cultural and Leisure Building
Yuen Long Theatre was opened in May 2000. This modern performing arts venue has become a centre for the arts in the New Territories northwest. The Theatre is situated at Yuen Long Tai Yuk Road in the vicinity of Yuen Long Park, Yuen Long Stadium and the Public Swimming Pool. The bamboo courtyard is a focus within the foyer, which creates an ambiance of serenity and tranquility.
Yuen Long Town Hall is located in Kau Yuk Road, near Yuen Long Police Station. It is to organise courses and leisure activities. There is also study room.
Yuen Long Swimming Pool is situated at Tai Yuk Road. There are 5 Standard swimming pools for four seasons.
Tin Shui Wai Swimming Pool and Tin Shui Wai Sports Centre are situated at 1 Tin Pak Road. There are 3 swimming pools for four seasons and a children swimming pool opened during summer.
Yuen Long Public Library is on the first floor of Yuen Long Government Offices, 2 Kiu Lok Square, Yuen Long.
Tuen Ma station in Tin Shui WaiTuen Ma station in Yuen Long
Located in the northwest of the New Territories, Yuen Long has a well-developed public transport network. It is easily accessible from different parts of Hong Kong by bus, mini-bus or railway.
Taxis, including the New Territories taxis (green taxis) and public taxis (public taxis).
The Hong Kong–Shenzhen Western Corridor bridge (深港西部通道) is the fourth cross-border route between Hong Kong and mainland China. It was completed and opened in 2007, and is 5.5km long. It starts at Ngau Hom Shek (鰲磡石), located at the northwest of Yuen Long, and ends in Shekou, a harbour port located in Shenzhen.[7]
Most of the walled villages of Hong Kong are located in the New Territories.
Tai Wai is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong, located between Sha Tin and the Lion Rock, within the Sha Tin District.
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.
Ping Shan is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It is located west of Yuen Long Town and Shui Pin Wai, and south of Tin Shui Wai. Administratively, it is part of the Yuen Long District.
Kam Tin, or Kam Tin Heung, is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It lies on a flat alluvial plain north of Tai Mo Shan mountain and east of Yuen Long town. It was formerly known as Sham Tin (岑田). Administratively, it is part of Yuen Long District.
Pat Heung is an area in the middle of New Territories, Hong Kong. Located at the east of Kam Tin and north of Shek Kong, it is the exit to Sheung Shui and Fanling. Administratively, it belongs to Yuen Long District.
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 (元朗市) from the late 1970s onwards.
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.
Shap Pat Heung is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Located south of Yuen Long and northeast of Tai Tong, the area occupies the plain north of hills of Tai Lam. The Cantonese name 'Shap Pat Heung' means 'eighteen villages' at its beginning. It was later expanded to thirty villages. Administratively, it is part of the Yuen Long District.
The Yuen Long Plain, in the northwestern corner of the New Territories, is the largest alluvial plain in Hong Kong. With an area of 144.3 square kilometres (55.7 sq mi), it was formed between the time of the Tang dynasty (618–907) and Song dynasty (960–1279). It covers Yuen Long Town, Tin Shui Wai, Lau Fau Shan, Ping Shan, Shap Pat Heung, Hung Shui Kiu, San Tin, Lok Ma Chau, Pat Heung, Kam Tin, Nam Sang Wai, Mai Po, etc.
Tin Shui Wai New Town is a satellite town in the northwestern New Territories of Hong Kong. Originally a gei wai (基圍) fish pond area, it was developed in the 1980s as the second new town in Yuen Long District and the eighth in Hong Kong. It is 25 kilometres (16 mi) due northwest of Central, the main business area in the territory, on land reclaimed from low-lying areas south of Deep Bay, next to Ping Shan. The population was 292,000 in 2014, while the total projected population for when the town is fully built-out is about 306,000.
Yuen Long Kau Hui is an area in Yuen Long, Yuen Long District, in the western New Territories of Hong Kong.
Wang Chau is an area of Yuen Long District, located in the northwestern part of Hong Kong, west of the Shan Pui River.
Nam Pin Wai, sometimes transliterated as Nam Bin Wai, is a walled village in the Yuen Long Kau Hui area of Yuen Long District, Hong Kong.
Wing Lung Wai is a walled village located in the Kam Tin area of Yuen Long District, in Hong Kong. Three other walled villages, Kat Hing Wai, Tai Hong Wai, and Kam Hing Wai are located nearby and were built around the same time.
The Yuen Long District Council is the district council for the Yuen Long District in Hong Kong. It is one of 18 such councils. The Yuen Long District currently consists of 46 members, of which the district is divided into four constituencies, electing a total of 8 members, 16 district committee members, 16 appointed members, and 6 ex officio members who are the Shap Pat Heung, San Tin, Ha Tsuen, Kam Tin, Ping Shan and Pat Heung rural committee chairmen. The latest election was held on 10 December 2023.
The Five Great Clans of the New Territories are the five families that settled before the seventeenth century and became sizeable in the New Territories of Hong Kong.
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