Lai Chi Kok
Encyclopedia
New Kowloon
New Kowloon is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, bounded in the south by Boundary Street, and in the north by the ranges of the Lion Rock, Beacon Hill, Tate's Cairn and Kowloon Peak...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, east of Kwai Chung
Kwai Chung
Kwai Chung is a town in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Together with Tsing Yi Island, it is part of the Kwai Tsing District of Hong Kong. Kwai Chung is the site of the container port. It is also part of Tsuen Wan New Town. In 2000, it had a population of 287,000...
and west of Cheung Sha Wan
Cheung Sha Wan
Cheung Sha Wan is an area between Lai Chi Kok and Sham Shui Po in New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is mainly residential to the north and south, with an industrial area in between. Administratively it is part of Sham Shui Po District. The Sham Shui Po District includes Mei Foo as well as Lai Chi...
. Mei Foo Sun Chuen
Mei Foo Sun Chuen
Mei Foo Sun Chuen or simply Mei Foo is a large private housing estate in Lai Chi Kok , Kowloon, Hong Kong. Mei Foo Sun Chuen was the first private housing estate in Hong Kong and at the time of completion, the 99 tower complex was considered the largest private housing development in the world,...
is the largest housing estate in the area. Administratively, it belongs to the Sham Shui Po District
Sham Shui Po District
Sham Shui Po District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong. It covers the Shek Kip Mei, Sham Shui Po, Cheung Sha Wan, Lai Chi Kok and Yau Yat Chuen areas of New Kowloon, and Stonecutter's Island of Kowloon...
.
History
Lai Chi Kok literally means "the pointHeadlands and bays
Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment.- Geology and geography :Headlands and bays are often found on the same coastline. A bay is surrounded by land on three sides, whereas a headland is surrounded by water on three sides. Headlands are characterized by high,...
of lychee
Lychee
The lychee is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is a tropical and subtropical fruit tree native to Southern China and Southeast Asia, and now cultivated in many parts of the world...
", referring to a river named after a type of fruit tree native to China. The river once separated Cheung Sha Wan from Lai Chi Kok Bay
Lai Chi Kok Bay
Lai Chi Kok Bay or Lai Wan was a bay west of Lai Chi Kok in Hong Kong. North of the bay is Kau Wa Keng. The bay was largely recreational during its history. In the early and mid 20th century, bathing pavilions were built on the beach of the bay for swimmers, and boats were rented for rowing...
, and a river from Butterfly Valley
Butterfly Valley
Butterfly Valley, or Wu Tip Kuk , is a valley in north of Lai Chi Kok in New Kowloon of Hong Kong. Located between O Pui Shan and Piper's Hill, the valley was an habitat of butterflies before Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and thus named after the creatures...
separated Cheung Sha Wan from Lai Chi Kok. At the innermost area of Lai Chi Kok Bay, namely present-day Lai King Hill Road, is a settlement called Kau Wa Keng
Kau Wa Keng
Kau Wa Keng , or Kau Wa Kang, is a village and valley in Kwai Chung of Hong Kong. It is located near the reclaimed Lai Chi Kok Bay of New Kowloon. Three rivers in valley joined at the bay and formed a beach at estuary....
.
The Qing
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
government had set up a customs station in Lai Chi Kok, to collect customs duties after ceding Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
and Kowloon Peninsula
Kowloon Peninsula
The Kowloon Peninsula is a peninsula that forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong. The Kowloon Peninsula and the area of New Kowloon are collectively known as Kowloon....
to the British. After the lease of the New Territories, the British reclaimed Lai Chi Kok for military use. A torpedo storage facility was also erected on the west point of Lai Chi Kok Bay, an area near Kwai Chung.
Buildings
Lai Chi Kok Hospital is a special hospital located on the original location of the cap. Its neighbour, the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre, is managed by the Hong Kong Correctional Department. At one point, the Lai Chi Kok Incinerator was one of three incinerators in Hong Kong; however, it was demolished because it released pollutants into the Hong Kong air. The headquarters of the Kowloon Motor BusKowloon Motor Bus
The Kowloon Motor Bus Company Limited , a company of the Transport International Holdings Limited, is the largest franchised bus operators in Hong Kong, and one of the largest privately owned public bus operators in the world...
was also in Lai Chi Kok, before being relocated; the site has since been replaced by a private housing project called Manhattan Hill
Manhattan Hill
Manhattan Hill is a high-rise development located in the Lai Chi Kok district of Kowloon in Hong Kong, formerly Kowloon Motor Bus Lai Chi Kok Depot. The complex consists of five towers. Towers 1 and 2, which are interconnected, rise 51 floors, while towers 3, 5 and 6 rise 49 floors; each of the...
.
Transport
The area is served by Mei Foo StationMei Foo (MTR)
Mei Foo is a Hong Kong MTR station located in Mei Foo Sun Chuen, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon. It is an interchange station between the Tsuen Wan Line and the West Rail Line, situated between Lai Chi Kok and Lai King stations on the Tsuen Wan Line and Nam Cheong Station and Tsuen Wan West...
on the MTR
MTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
Tsuen Wan Line
Tsuen Wan Line (MTR)
The Tsuen Wan Line is one of the ten lines of the metro network in Hong Kong's MTR. It is indicated in red on the MTR map.The Tsuen Wan Line starts at Central station on Hong Kong Island and runs through western Kowloon to the southwestern New Territories, where it ends at Tsuen Wan station....
and Mei Foo on the MTR
MTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
West Rail Line. The MTR's Lai Chi Kok Station
Lai Chi Kok (MTR)
Lai Chi Kok Station is on the Tsuen Wan Line of the Hong Kong MTR system, between Cheung Sha Wan and Mei Foo. It was opened in 1982.The station is in an orange-red livery, and is a simple through station with an island platform...
is actually outside in Cheung Sha Wan, not Lai Chi Kok.
See also
- Cheung Sha WanCheung Sha WanCheung Sha Wan is an area between Lai Chi Kok and Sham Shui Po in New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is mainly residential to the north and south, with an industrial area in between. Administratively it is part of Sham Shui Po District. The Sham Shui Po District includes Mei Foo as well as Lai Chi...
- Mei Foo Sun ChuenMei Foo Sun ChuenMei Foo Sun Chuen or simply Mei Foo is a large private housing estate in Lai Chi Kok , Kowloon, Hong Kong. Mei Foo Sun Chuen was the first private housing estate in Hong Kong and at the time of completion, the 99 tower complex was considered the largest private housing development in the world,...