Tuen Mun - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

For the district of Hong Kong, see Tuen Mun District
Tuen Mun District
Tuen Mun District is one of the 18 administrative districts of Hong Kong. Its name was previously 'Tsing Shan' and it changed in the 1970s. It is the westernmost continental district of Hong Kong, located about 32 km from the Kowloon Peninsula, 7 km southwest of Yuen Long and 18 km...

.

For the new town in Hong Kong, see Tuen Mun New Town
Tuen Mun New Town
Tuen Mun New Town is a new town developed by Hong Kong Government in Tuen Mun of the New Territories, Hong Kong in 1970s. At the time of planning in 1965, the satellite town, as new town was then known as, was named Castle Peak....

.

Tuen Mun ' onMouseout='HidePop("78589")' href="/topics/Jyutping">Jyutping

Jyutping

Jyutping is a romanization system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong in 1993. Its formal name is The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme...

: Tyun4 Mun4; lit. "Garrison Gate") is a town near the mouth of Tuen Mun River

Tuen Mun River

The Tuen Mun River is a river in Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong. It has many tributaries, with major ones coming from Lam Tei, Kau Keng Shan, Hung Shui Hang and Nai Wai. It flows south, splitting Tuen Mun into a west side and an east side...

and Castle Peak Bay

Castle Peak Bay

Castle Peak Bay is a bay outside Tuen Mun. Tuen Mun River empties into the bay. In the past, large amount of Tanka fishermen harboured at the bay....

in the New Territories

New Territories

New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...

, 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...

. It was one of the earliest settlements in Hong Kong which can be dated back to the Neolithic

Neolithic

The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...

period. In the more recent past, it was home to many Tanka

Tanka (ethnic group)

The Tankas or Boat people is a special group of people in Southern China that has traditionally lived on junks in coastal parts of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan, and Zhejiang provinces, as well as Hong Kong and Macau...

fishermen who gathered at the Castle Peak Bay. And now, Tuen Mun has become a modern mainly-residential area in north-west New Territories.

History

In the Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...

, a navy town, Tuen Mun Tsang (屯門鎮) was established in Nam Tau, which lies across Deep Bay

Deep Bay, Hong Kong

Deep Bay is a bay off the northwest coast of Lau Fau Shan, Hong Kong. It is surrounded to the north by Shenzhen proper and west by the peninsula of Nantau, China. It is also known as Hau Hoi Wan in Hong Kong, and Shenzhen Bay in China.-Name:...

. Tuen Mun and the rest of Hong Kong was under its protection.

A major clan

Chinese clan

A Chinese clan is a patrilineal and patrilocal group of related Chinese people with a common surname sharing a common ancestor and, in many cases, an ancestral home.-Description:...

, To (陶), brought the name Tuen Mun to the area. They migrated from Jiangxi

Jiangxi

' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...

and established a village Tuen Mun Tsuen (屯門村) late in the Yuan Dynasty

Yuan Dynasty

The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...

. As more and more villages were established, the village was renamed to Tuen Mun Tai Tsuen (屯門大村), which means the largest village. As yet more villages were established, a market town of Tuen Mun Hui (屯門墟) (now Tuen Mun Kau Hui) was established. This town lies where present-day Tuen Mun Kau Hui is situated.

Portuguese

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

settlers had occupied the town in 1514 and were expelled by the Ming Dynasty

Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...

navy in 1521. This battle is known as Battle of Tamao

First Battle of Tamao (1521)

The Battle of Tãmão was a naval battle when the Ming Dynasty Imperial Navy defeated a Portuguese navy led by Simão de Andrade in 1521.-Causes:...

(the Portuguese name for Tuen Mun). A year later a second encounter was fought (Second Battle of Tamao

Second Battle of Tamao (1522)

The Battle of Tamao was a naval battle when the Ming Dynasty Imperial Navy defeated a Portuguese navy led by Martim Afonso in 1522.Tamao was the Portuguese name for Tunmen, also known as Tou-men.-Causes:...

), the Ming were victorious again.

Tuen Mun remained an important town of coastal defence

Coastal defence and fortification

Coastal defence , Coastal defense and Coastal fortification are measures taken to provide protection against attack by military and naval forces at or near the shoreline...

until the start of British rule

British Hong Kong

British Hong Kong refers to Hong Kong as a Crown colony and later, a British dependent territory under British administration from 1841 to 1997.- Colonial establishment :...

in 1898. When the British took over

Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory

The Convention Between Great Britain and China Respecting an Extension of Hong Kong Territory or the Second Convention of Peking was a lease signed between Qing Dynasty and the United Kingdom in 1898.-Background:...

the New Territories

New Territories

from 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 in this year, the area was renamed Castle Peak

Castle Peak, Hong Kong

Castle Peak or Pui To Shan is a 583 m high peak in the western New Territories of Hong Kong.In contrast to its Chinese name, which means green hill, Castle Peak is notorious for its severe loss of vegetation and weathering of its Granite surface.The area to the west of the hill was also named...

, and Tuen Mun Hui to Tsing Shan Hui (青山墟) or Castle Peak Hui. The name Tuen Mun, however, continued to be used by those living in the area.

In 1965, a "Castle Peak New Town" was planned. It was later renamed to Tuen Mun New Town

Tuen Mun New Town

Tuen Mun New Town is a new town developed by Hong Kong Government in Tuen Mun of the New Territories, Hong Kong in 1970s. At the time of planning in 1965, the satellite town, as new town was then known as, was named Castle Peak....

and implemented from 1970 and many buildings are on the reclamation on the Castle Peak Bay. Its name was officially changed back to Tuen Mun in 1972.

Facilities

The markets in the town were Tuen Mun Kau Hui (屯門舊墟), Tuen Mun San Hui (屯門新墟) and Sam Shing Hui (三聖墟).

There are a substantial amount of government facilities also, including a magistrates court, registration office and other governmental office. Leisure facilities include several sports complex, a multi-story central library supplemented by two others, and a theatrical and concert venue in the shape of Tuen Mun Town Hall

Tuen Mun Town Hall

The Tuen Mun Town Hall is a cultural complex managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Located in Tuen Mun Town Centre and effectively served by a motorway network connecting all parts of the district as well as Yuen Long, Tsuen Wan and Kowloon, the Town Hall is the centre for...

Public utilities

Numerous facilities are located in western Tuen Mun, like Castle Peak Power Station

Castle Peak Power Station

The Castle Peak Power Station is the largest coal fired power station in Hong Kong, China. It was commissioned in 1982 with its newest generation unit installed in 1990. The station consists of four 350 MW and four 677 MW generating units, with auxiliary facilities. It is one of the three...

and Black Point Power Station

Black Point Power Station

Black Point Power Station is a gas fired power station in Hong Kong, near to Castle Peak Power Station, another power station serving China Light and Power....

Education

Lingnan University (Hong Kong)
Lingnan University (Hong Kong)
The Lingnan University is a public liberal arts university in Hong Kong. It was granted full university status on 30 July 1999.The Lingnan University administration believes that it provides students with a quality education distinguished by the best liberal arts tradition from both East and West...
Harrow International School Hong Kong due to open academic year commencing September 2012

Transportation

Light Rail
Tuen Mun is served extensively by zones 1-3 of 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...

Light Rail(zones 4, 5, 5a are in Yuen Long

Yuen Long

Yuen Long , formerly Un Long, is an area and town located in the northwest of Hong Kong, on the Yuen Long Plain. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin, and to the north Nam Sang Wai.-Name:The Cantonese name Yuen Long 元朗...

and Tin Shui Wai

Tin Shui Wai

Tin Shui Wai is an area of Hong Kong, located in Yuen Long District, in the northwestern part of the New Territories. Originally a gei wai fish pond area, the ponds were reclaimed for the development of Tin Shui Wai New Town in the late 1980s...

), the initial phase of which was completed and operational on 18 September 1988. The government decided that services between town centres and settlements would be provided solely by a Light Rail Transit

Light rail

Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...

(LRT) system, while feeder buses operated by the KCRC

Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation

The Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation was established in 1982 under the Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation Ordinance for the purposes of operating the Kowloon–Canton Railway , and to construct and operate other new railways...

(now operated by MTR after the takeover in 2007) would connect remote sites to the network, replacing KMB's equivalent services where applicable. The North-west Railway, as it was then known, was thus established according to the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Ordinance.

The system consisted of two big and three small loops serving most of the public housing

Public housing

Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...

estates

Housing estate

A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...

in northern Tuen Mun. Three branches: one to On Ting Estate in the southeast, one to the Tuen Mun Ferry Pier

Tuen Mun Ferry Pier

Tuen Mun Ferry Pier , or Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal, is a public pier located in the southern area of Tuen Mun, Hong Kong.Tuen Mun Ferry Pier, Tuen Mun Pier Head, and Tuen Mun Ferry Pier Stop refer to the street-level transportation hub that is adjacent to the pier and consists of a light rail...

in the southwest, and another northern branch all the way into the town of Yuen Long

Yuen Long

along Castle Peak Road

Castle Peak Road

Castle Peak Road is the longest road in Hong Kong. It runs from Tai Po Road in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon to the very north of the New Territories, serving south, west and north New Territories, being one of the most distant roads in early Hong Kong.-Name:...

.

MTR West Rail
With the West Rail Line opened in 20 December 2003 the Light Rail have also taken the role of feeder services. However, although the journey from Tuen Mun to Nam Cheong

Nam Cheong Station

Nam Cheong is a Hong Kong MTR station located at the ground level beneath West Kowloon Highway, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon and opposite to Fu Cheong Estate. It is served by the Tung Chung Line and West Rail Line, providing cross-platform interchanges between Platform 1 and Platform 4 Nam...

in western Kowloon takes only 30 minutes, most commuters prefer to take the many bus routes linking central Kowloon and Hong Kong and this satellite town.

Road
On the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor

Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor

The Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor is a 5.5-kilometre , dual three-lane carriageway in Hong Kong, connecting Ngau Hom Shek, Hong Kong to an area leased by Hong Kong at Dongjiaotou, which is geographically located in southwestern Shenzhen, a city of mainland China...

, Cross Border Shuttle Services to Shekou

Shekou

Shekou is an area at the tip of Nantou Peninsula in Shenzhen, Guangdong, southern China, south of Nantou and facing Lau Fau Shan of Hong Kong across Deep Bay.It was formerly a customs station in Bao'an County and now belongs to Nanshan District of Shenzhen...

is operated by Citybus on route B3, which departs from Tuen Mun Ferry Pier

Tuen Mun Ferry Pier

and B3X which departs from Tuen Mun Town Plaza, 5 minutes walk from Tuen Mun. As well, Citybus bus route 962 (Causeway Bay <> Tuen Mun (Lung Mun Oasis)) allows for a cross-harbour link between Tuen Mun and Hong Kong Island. Residents can also take Green Minibus service 44B(1) to Lok Ma Chau which departs from Tuen Mun Ferry Pier

Tuen Mun Ferry Pier

.

Ferry
Private ferries is also available in sporadic times in the public pier, 15 minutes walk from the Tuen Mun Ferry Pier

Tuen Mun Ferry Pier

.

The town is also served by ferry services to Tung Chung

Tung Chung

Tung Chung, meaning 'eastern stream', is an area situated on the north-western coast of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. Tung Chung, currently one of the latest generation of new towns, was formerly a rural village around Tung Chung Wan, and along the delta and lower courses of Tung Chung River and Ma...

(being discontinued July 2008 and replaced by KMB route T39) and mainland destinations such as Zhuhai

Zhuhai

Zhuhai is a prefecture-level city on the southern coast of Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in the Pearl River Delta, Zhuhai borders Jiangmen to the northwest, Zhongshan to the north, and Macau to the south. Zhuhai was one of the original Special Economic Zones...

and Shekou

Shekou

, Shenzhen

Shenzhen

Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...

. All services departs from Tuen Mun Ferry Pier

Tuen Mun Ferry Pier

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

Facilities

Public utilities

Education

Transportation

Further reading

External links