Tai Po
大埔區
District
Tai Po District
Day view of Tai Po in the Tai Po District (2017)
Day view of Tai Po in the Tai Po District (2017)
Location of Tai Po District within Hong Kong
Location of Tai Po District within Hong Kong
Coordinates: 22°27′03″N 114°09′51″E / 22.45085°N 114.16422°E / 22.45085; 114.16422
CountryChina
SARHong Kong
RegionNew Territories
Constituencies19
Government
 • District Council ChairmanMo Ka-Chun
 • District Council Vice-Chairmanvacant
 • District OfficerEunice Chan[1]
Area
 • Total148.05 km2 (57.16 sq mi)
Population
 (2006)
 • Total293,542
 • Density2,000/km2 (5,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+8 (Hong Kong Time)
WebsiteWebpage of the Tai Po District Office
Tai Po District
Traditional Chinese大埔區
Simplified Chinese大埔区
JyutpingDaai6 bou3 keoi1
Junction of Kwong Fuk Road and Wan Tau Street, Tai Po

Tai Po District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. The suburban[2] district covers the areas of Tai Po New Town (including areas such as Tai Po Market, Tai Po Old Market, Tai Po Industrial Estate, Tai Wo Estate), Tai Po Tau, Tai Po Kau, Hong Lok Yuen, Ting Kok, Plover Cove, Lam Tsuen Valley, Tai Mei Tuk and other surrounding areas, and its exclaves Sai Kung North, in the northern part of the Sai Kung Peninsula and including islands such as Grass Island (Tap Mun), and Ping Chau (Tung Ping Chau). Tai Po proper and Sai Kung North are divided by the Tolo Channel and the Tolo Harbour (Tai Po Hoi). The district is located in the Eastern New Territories. The de facto administrative centre of the district is Tai Po New Town.

Like Yuen Long, the area of Tai Po used to be a traditional market town. Tai Po New Town, a satellite town, developed around the area of Tai Po and on reclaimed land on the estuaries of Lam Tsuen and Tai Po rivers. It had a population of 310,879 in 2001. The district has the third lowest population density in Hong Kong.

History

The district is named after Tai Po. Tai Po's population dates back to the eleventh century, people would make sufficient money by clamming, pearl harvesting, and fishing.[3] In Yuen Chau Tsai, stone axe and pottery have been discovered which were believed to be made in Neolithic era.[4]

Tai Po was the seat of the district officers that oversaw the whole of the New Territories with Island House as their official residence. The Island House was completed in 1906,[5] 8 years after the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory. The New Territories was later split into the District North and South (Not to be confused with modern-day Northern District and Southern District of Hong Kong), as well as New Kowloon in 1937.[6] Tai Po remained as the headquarters of the District North after the split. The old headquarters of the District is a declared monument currently. The District North and then further shrunk, which Sha Tin District, Yuen Long District (includes modern-day Tuen Mun) and the modern-day Northern District were split from the District North and District North was renamed Tai Po District, which oversaw Tai Po and nearby Lam Tsuen Valley, as well as an exclave on the northern part of the Sai Kung Peninsula. The seats of the Tai Po District branch of the Home Affairs Department as well as the Tai Po District Officer, are currently located in another government building, Tai Po Government Offices Building, in Ting Kok Road,[7] in the northern shore of Lam Tsuen River.

The Tai Po District Council was formed as the Tai Po District Board in the 1980s, with elections held since that decade.

Geography

Lam Tsuen River Tai Po is located in the north of Hong Kong, northeast of Sha Tin. Even though the Tai Po Industrial Estate is located in the district, it is still one of the most unpolluted districts in Hong Kong. Tai Po's population density is considerably lower than Kowloon's, having many old, small villages in the mountains.

Tai Po is surrounded by fertile valleys which explains why it has held such a population for over a millennium. Tai Po is covered with bicycle tracks, east of Lam Tsuen Valley and west of Tolo Harbour. East Rail line is the main connection of Tai Po to the rest of Hong Kong.[3]

Tai Po has 460 hectares of purely woodland area, the largest in Hong Kong.[8]

Islands

In addition to the mainland part of the district, the following islands of Hong Kong are under the jurisdiction of Tai Po District:

Climate

Climate data for Tai Po (2000–2017)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 26.1
(79.0)		 29.3
(84.7)		 30.4
(86.7)		 32.4
(90.3)		 34.7
(94.5)		 35.8
(96.4)		 37.0
(98.6)		 36.5
(97.7)		 35.9
(96.6)		 33.2
(91.8)		 30.8
(87.4)		 27.5
(81.5)		 37.0
(98.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 18.2
(64.8)		 19.3
(66.7)		 21.4
(70.5)		 25.3
(77.5)		 28.6
(83.5)		 30.4
(86.7)		 31.5
(88.7)		 31.4
(88.5)		 30.2
(86.4)		 27.7
(81.9)		 24.1
(75.4)		 20.1
(68.2)		 25.7
(78.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 15.3
(59.5)		 16.5
(61.7)		 18.8
(65.8)		 22.6
(72.7)		 26.0
(78.8)		 27.9
(82.2)		 28.6
(83.5)		 28.5
(83.3)		 27.6
(81.7)		 25.3
(77.5)		 21.3
(70.3)		 17.0
(62.6)		 22.9
(73.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 12.6
(54.7)		 14.1
(57.4)		 16.6
(61.9)		 20.4
(68.7)		 23.9
(75.0)		 25.8
(78.4)		 26.2
(79.2)		 26.1
(79.0)		 25.3
(77.5)		 22.9
(73.2)		 18.8
(65.8)		 14.1
(57.4)		 20.6
(69.1)
Record low °C (°F) 2.8
(37.0)		 4.4
(39.9)		 7.1
(44.8)		 11.5
(52.7)		 15.5
(59.9)		 19.7
(67.5)		 23.0
(73.4)		 23.1
(73.6)		 19.9
(67.8)		 13.8
(56.8)		 7.8
(46.0)		 3.7
(38.7)		 2.8
(37.0)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 24.1
(0.95)		 22.1
(0.87)		 62.5
(2.46)		 127.7
(5.03)		 282.4
(11.12)		 340.4
(13.40)		 298.7
(11.76)		 265.9
(10.47)		 193.8
(7.63)		 80.8
(3.18)		 31.4
(1.24)		 20.6
(0.81)		 1,750.4
(68.91)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.5 mm) 4.1 7.0 8.9 11.0 14.3 16.9 15.9 14.5 10.8 5.4 4.8 4.2 117.8
Average relative humidity (%) (at 14:00) (daily average) 74 80 81 83 83 83 81 82 79 74 74 70 78
Average afternoon relative humidity (%) (at 14:00) (daily average) 66 72 73 76 76 77 74 75 72 65 65 60 71
Source: Hong Kong Observatory[9][10][11][12][13][14]

Housing

The Beverly Hills, with the Pat Sin Leng range in the background.

Because Hong Kong is in a very densely populated region, Tai Po Town has copied the many urban areas of Hong Kong by building high-rise apartments. 320,000 people have residences in the town, making high-rise apartments necessary and mandatory. These high-rise apartments are located inside estates, such as Tai Yuen Estates and Fu Heng Estates. These high-rise apartments have floors ranging from the low apartments in Tai Po Old Town to the new estates in northern Tai Po ranging from 20 to 34 levels. The area is serviced by the Tai Po Hui Market, Built in 2004.[15]

The Tai Po area also has many "village houses", resulting from a 1972 Hong Kong legislation which gave any male heir over the age of 18 who could prove he was descended from one of Hong Kong's original villages in 1898 the right to build a small house on a plot of land, either owned by the village itself or on leased government land. These houses are restricted by law to be no more than three stories and 27 feet (8.2 m) in height, and no more than 2,100 square feet (200 m2) in total floor space.

There are also a few private housing developments in the Tai Po area with "detached" and "semi-detached" houses which include communal recreational areas such as swimming pools, tennis courts, and children's playgrounds, and entertainment facilities such as private cinemas, health spas and karaoke rooms. These developments are excluded from the "village house" law, and therefore units are often much larger than 2,100 square feet (200 m2).

Privately owned residential housing in Tai Po included Tai Po Centre,[16] Plover Cove Garden,[17] Uptown Plaza, The Beverly Hills, and many other residential estates.

Transportation

Tai Po Central Bus Terminus
Tai Po Market station in 2008

Buses

Transportation in Tai Po Town is much like any other place in Hong Kong. Due to the high population, Hong Kong has double-decker buses. Some buses lead to the rest of Hong Kong such as the KMB bus route 271 that goes from Fu Heng Estate in Tai Po Town to West Kowloon Station in Tsim Sha Tsui and bus route 307 which goes from Central Tai Po Town towards the Central Ferry Piers via Central and Wan Chai of Victoria. Some buses lead directly to the airport such as A47X from Tai Po (Fu Heng) to Hong Kong Airport and E41 from Tai Po Centre (Tai Po Plaza and Tai Po Mega Mall) to Hong Kong International Airport within 90 minutes.

Railway

Two railway stations along the East Rail line serve Tai Po, namely: Tai Po Market station (in the older district) and Tai Wo station (serving newer estates). Trains originate at the Hong Kong-Chinese border, at either Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau stations, and travel south to Admiralty station in Hong Kong Island, passing through Tai Po on the way.

The railway, previously known as the KCR British Section, opened in 1910. The old Tai Po Market station opened on that date and was closed in 1983 when the modern station of the same name opened as part of an upgrading of the line by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation. Tai Wo station opened in 1989. In 2007 the line was leased for 50 years to the MTR Corporation.

Tai Po Kau station served the Tai Po Kau area between 1910 and 1983. It has since been demolished.

Education

Hong Kong Japanese School Tai Po Campus

Tai Po District is roughly divided into two primary school districts. The 84 school district for Tai Po New Town and surrounding villages, while Sai Kung North belongs to the 95 school district; the Sai Kung District also belongs to the 95 school district.[18]

As of 2018, there were 19 secondary schools in the whole Tai Po District,[19] all located in the Tai Po New Town. The secondary school district of Tai Po District was designated "NET NT6".

Several international schools are located in the Tai Po District. They do not belong to any school district. The Tai Po campus of Hong Kong Japanese School's International Section was opened in 1997.[20] American School Hong Kong was scheduled to open in Tai Po in 2016.[21] Norwegian International School occupied a building formerly known as The Tai Po Bungalow as a campus.

Li Po Chun United World College, located in Ma On Shan of the Sha Tin district, is near the border of the Sai Kung North exclave of the Tai Po district.[22]

The campus of the Education University of Hong Kong, formerly the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIED), is located in the Tai Po District since 1997. The institute gained university status in 2016. The campus is located just north of Tai Po Industrial Estate. It is the only university in the district.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong is located on the border between Tai Po and Sha Tin districts.

Sports

Tai Po Sports Ground
  • Tai Po Sports Ground, an outdoor track and field ground, owned by the government and operated by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LSCD)
  • Tai Po Swimming Pool, an outdoor swimming pool next to the sports ground, owned by the government and operated by the LSCD[23]

The government leased a government land to the Tai Po Sports Association in 1988, to run another public swimming pool. The swimming pool, which is also known as the "Jockey Club swimming pool", was closed in 1999. A new swimming pool structure was planned to build. However, the construction was not yet finished, as of 2015.[24]

The district had several sports complexes for the local population, they were owned and operated by the government and located in the Tai Po New Town.[25] Another facility opened in 1983, Li Fook Lam Indoor Sports Centre, was operated by the Tai Po Sports Association Limited, a non-profit making limited company.[26]

Football

Tai Po FC is the first district football team ever to make it to the Hong Kong First Division League among the 19 district football sides from the Hong Kong Third District Division League. The club plays its home games at Tai Po Sports Ground and has since won the 2008-09 Hong Kong FA Cup.

The district had several football fields (five-a-side, seven-a-side football)[27][25] for amateur football. In 2016, another football field and sports complex (which includes an indoor swimming pool) would be built.[28]

Economy

Hong Kong Note Printing, which prints all the bank notes in Hong Kong, is located in the Tai Po Industrial Estate, an industrial area of light industries (food processing, printing, etc.)

Hong Kong and China Gas also has its major gas plant in the industrial estate, which supplies most (98%) of the town gas of the city from that plant.[29]

Spa Resort Development

There is a plan to develop a spa hotel resort at Ting Kok, near Tai Mei Tuk. The site will occupy 61,000 sq m and has no more than 230 hotel rooms. Tai Po District councilor Yam Kai-Kong admits the benefits from tourism and job opportunities will be good but he is also concerned about the mangroves and increased traffic in the area.[30]

Place of interests

Spiral Lookout Tower at Tai Po Waterfront Park

Notable people:

  • Chan Hok man (陳學文 ): former principal of valtorta college
  • Tang Chun man (鄧俊文 ): athlete of badminton team

Electoral subdivisions

The local council of the district, Tai Po District Council, was divided into several subdivisions, known as electoral constituencies.[31][22] However, the border of those electoral constituencies would under review in each election. It was also accused of gerrymandering for the proposed change of the border for several constituencies in the district for the 2019 election.[32]

In the election of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, Tai Po District belongs to the cross-district electoral constituency New Territories East.

In the past, Tai Po District belonged to the Regional Council, the middle-tier local government between the city's Legislative Council and the district councils. The Regional Council oversees the New Territories, while its counterpart, Urban Council, oversees Kowloon (including New Kowloon) and the Hong Kong Island. However, they were abolished. The executive function of the Regional Council was a takeover by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and other government departments.

Before the establishment of the Tai Po District, the area belonged to the District Office North (founded as the District Office which also oversees the area around modern-day Sha Tin), which its headquarter is located in Tai Po; the District Officer was also resided in Tai Po in the Island House on Yuen Chau Tsai.

The election for the village head, as well as councilors of Heung Yee Kuk, has its own electoral constituencies, which are based on the boundary of the villages.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Welcome Message from Ms. Eunice CHAN, JP, District Officer (Tai Po)". Hong Kong: Home Affairs Department. 28 December 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  2. ↑ "The impossible dream of having an apartment of one's own in Hong Kong". Hong Kong Free Press. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Tai Po | Hong Kong Tourism Board". Discover Hong Kong. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  4. ↑ 蕭國健 (2007). 歷史沿革. 大埔風物志 (PDF) (in Chinese (Hong Kong)) (revised ed.). Tai Po District Council.
  5. ↑ "Island House, Yuen Chau Tsai, Tai Po - Declared Monuments". Hong Kong: Antiquities and Monuments Office. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  6. ↑ Schedules 4, 5 and 5A, Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance (IGCO), HK Law Cap. 1
  7. ↑ "My Districts - Tai Po District". Hong Kong: Home Affairs Department. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  8. ↑ "Tai Po: the ultimate neighbourhood guide". Time Out Hong Kong. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "Monthly Means of Meteorological Elements for Tai Po, 2000–2017". Hong Kong Observatory. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  10. ↑ "Hourly Means of Meteorological Elements for Tai Po in January 2000–2017". Hong Kong Observatory. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  11. ↑ "Monthly Means of Meteorological Statistics for Tai Po, 2000–2017". Hong Kong Observatory. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  12. ↑ "Extract of Annual Data – Tai Po". Hong Kong Observatory. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  13. ↑ "Monthly Maximum Temperature (°C) at Tai Po". Hong Kong Observatory. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  14. ↑ "Monthly Minimum Temperature (°C) at Tai Po". Hong Kong Observatory. November 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  15. ↑ CNN Travel Best wet markets in Hong Kong 23 September 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011
  16. ↑ 【二手劈價】大埔中心兩房538萬沽 低市價7%. online instant news section. Apple Daily (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong: Next Digital. 3 October 2018.
  17. ↑ 【颱風山竹】寶湖花園停車場一度水浸及半身 康復巴士等多車被困. Topick (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings. 17 September 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  18. ↑ "GeoInfo Map．Map of Hong Kong provided by HKSARG".
  19. ↑ "Secondary School Places Allocation System 2016/2018 Secondary School List NET NT6 (Tai Po District)" (PDF). The Education Bureau of Hong Kong Government. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  20. ↑ "About JIS" (Archive). Hong Kong Japanese School. Retrieved on 12 January 2015.
  21. ↑ Home page. American School Hong Kong. Retrieved on May 12, 2016. "6 Ma Chung Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong "
  22. 1 2 List and map of electoral constituencies 2 (large PDF file, 2015)
  23. ↑ "Information on Public Swimming Pools: Tai Po Swimming Pool". Hong Kong: Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  24. ↑ Ho, Patrick (26 January 2015). "LCQ34: Swimming pool complex in Tai Po". Legislative Council of Hong Kong.
  25. 1 2 "LC Paper №CB(2)788/15-16(01): Sports centre, community hall and football pitches in Area 1, Tai Po" (PDF). Panel on Home Affairs, Legislative Council of Hong Kong; Home Affairs Bureau of Hong Kong Government. January 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  26. ↑ "Introduction" (in English and Chinese (Hong Kong)). Tai Po Sports Association.
  27. ↑ "Closure of Plover Cove Road Mini-soccer Pitch for construction works" (Press release). Hong Kong: Leisure and Cultural Services Department. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  28. ↑ 大埔建體育館拖足13年. Oriental Daily (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong: Oriental Press Group. 11 May 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  29. ↑ "Gas Production". Towngas (Hong Kong and China Gas. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  30. ↑ (in Chinese)大埔汀角打造水療中心 Oriental Daily. 4 January 2011.
  31. ↑ List and map of electoral constituencies 1 (large PDF file, 2015)
  32. ↑ 羅家晴 (24 July 2018). 【區議會選舉】建制議員預知選區劃界？ 范國威被割票倉或戰新區. Hong Kong 01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 19 September 2018.
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