Shatin (Sha Tin)
Sha Tin, also spelt Shatin, is a neighbourhood along Shing Mun River in the eastern New Territories, Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Sha Tin District. Sha Tin is one of the neighbourhoods of the Sha Tin New Town project.
The new town was founded in 1973 under the New Towns Development Programme of the Hong Kong government. Its current name was named after the nearby village of Sha Tin Wai. The literal English translation is 'Sand Fields'.
Tai Wai Village, located in Tai Wai, next to Sha Tin, and the oldest and largest walled village in Sha Tin District, was built in 1574, during the Ming Dynasty.
Before British rule in Hong Kong, the area of Sha Tin and its vicinity was referred to as Lek Yuen (lit. "source of trickling" or "source of clear water"). Colonial officials allegedly mistook the name of the Sha Tin Wai village as the name of the area and it has been used ever since. Nowadays, the original name is used to refer to Lek Yuen Estate.
There was a market township: Sha Tin Hui, at the present location of Sha Tin Centre Street and New Town Plaza shopping centre, near the Sha Tin station of the MTR East Rail line.
Sha Tin was the location of the first flight of a powered aircraft in Hong Kong in 1911. The aeroplane was named as the Spirit of Sha Tin. A full size replica of this plane now hangs in Hong Kong International Airport.
The area was formerly agricultural farmland. Before Sha Tin's development into a new town, Hung Mui Kuk, southwest of Sha Tin, was perennially the main site for school picnics. The hillside area remains a popular barbecue site.
Starting in the 1970s, the area became part of the Sha Tin New Town development. Since then, the economy in the area has greatly improved and living standards have also increased. Sha Tin Town Centre was developed during the mid-1980s to help "link the town's currently dispersed residents into one cohesive community." The 18-hectare site, adjacent to the railway station, was built up in stages to house an array of uses including the New Town Plaza, numerous smaller shopping malls, Sha Tin Park, a magistracy, library, town hall, marriage registry, hotel, town square, and several residential towers.
The new town was founded in 1973 under the New Towns Development Programme of the Hong Kong government. Its current name was named after the nearby village of Sha Tin Wai. The literal English translation is 'Sand Fields'.
Tai Wai Village, located in Tai Wai, next to Sha Tin, and the oldest and largest walled village in Sha Tin District, was built in 1574, during the Ming Dynasty.
Before British rule in Hong Kong, the area of Sha Tin and its vicinity was referred to as Lek Yuen (lit. "source of trickling" or "source of clear water"). Colonial officials allegedly mistook the name of the Sha Tin Wai village as the name of the area and it has been used ever since. Nowadays, the original name is used to refer to Lek Yuen Estate.
There was a market township: Sha Tin Hui, at the present location of Sha Tin Centre Street and New Town Plaza shopping centre, near the Sha Tin station of the MTR East Rail line.
Sha Tin was the location of the first flight of a powered aircraft in Hong Kong in 1911. The aeroplane was named as the Spirit of Sha Tin. A full size replica of this plane now hangs in Hong Kong International Airport.
The area was formerly agricultural farmland. Before Sha Tin's development into a new town, Hung Mui Kuk, southwest of Sha Tin, was perennially the main site for school picnics. The hillside area remains a popular barbecue site.
Starting in the 1970s, the area became part of the Sha Tin New Town development. Since then, the economy in the area has greatly improved and living standards have also increased. Sha Tin Town Centre was developed during the mid-1980s to help "link the town's currently dispersed residents into one cohesive community." The 18-hectare site, adjacent to the railway station, was built up in stages to house an array of uses including the New Town Plaza, numerous smaller shopping malls, Sha Tin Park, a magistracy, library, town hall, marriage registry, hotel, town square, and several residential towers.
Map - Shatin (Sha Tin)
Map
Country - Hk
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Hong Kong was established as a colony of the British Empire after the Qing Empire ceded Hong Kong Island from Xin'an County at the end of the First Opium War in 1841 then again in 1842. The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 after the Second Opium War and was further extended when Britain obtained a 99-year lease of the New Territories in 1898. British Hong Kong was occupied by Imperial Japan from 1941 to 1945 during World War II; British administration resumed after the surrender of Japan. The whole territory was transferred to China in 1997. As one of China's two special administrative regions (the other being Macau), Hong Kong maintains separate governing and economic systems from that of mainland China under the principle of "one country, two systems".
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| HKD | Hong Kong dollar | $ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| ZH | Chinese language |
| EN | English language |