('s
18 Districts in terms of area. It comprises the southern half of
Sai Kung Peninsula in the
New Territories plus a strip to the east of
Kowloon . The administrative centre is
Sai Kung Town but the district's population is concentrated in
Tseung Kwan O New Town .
]]
Sai Kung District covers approximately 126 km&
2 and as of
2000 had a population of 316,000, most of it in
Tseung Kwan O .
In contrast to the densely populated areas of
Hong Kong Island and
Kowloon , Sai Kung District's heartland is a coastal area characterised by beautiful scenery, charming small villages and stunning seascapes. The area is known for its pristine
Beaches and quiet living. Inasmuch as it remains only partly urbanized, many people describe Sai Kung as the "last back garden" of Hong Kong.
As a former fishing village,
Sai Kung Town is a mecca for seafood lovers, locals and tourists alike. The designation of the country park areas during the 1970s was a huge boost to the local tourist industry. Sai Kung town underwent significant expansion during the 1970s when the High Island Reservoir and assocaited water scheme required some villagers and fishermen to be rehoused in Sai Kung. This provided a core of government-funded new development, housing and commercial, in the town centre. This was followed by the Tui Min Hoi (literally 'over the harbour') development under the government's market town programme. Visitors can stroll around the regional market centre of Sai Kung Town or explore the back lanes, visit the
Tin Hau Temple, feast on seafood or enjoy different delicacies at Western-style pubs and restaurants. There is also a famous dessert restaurant called Honeymoon Dessert that brings in many visitors from all over Hong Kong and even from abroad.
Sai Kung Country Park is an area of restricted development featuring numerous small villages and beautiful beaches. Tai Long Wan (Big Wave Bay), approximately 1.5 hours' walk from the nearest road, is one of the few places in Hong Kong where surfing is possible, particularly in the winter months. The dozen or so buildings still standing in the Tai Long Valley are home to a bare handful of indigenous residents.
In addition to this beautiful garden,
Tseung Kwan O or ''Junk Bay'', a booming
New Town , is also part of Sai Kung District. Tseung Kwan O connects Sai Kung Peninsula with the
Kowloon urban area.
Junk Bay was once a usual bay area in Sai Kung, quite near the famous seafood village of
Lei Yue Mun . It used to have an iron and steel factory, and the area around Hang Hau Village was famous for the shipyards. In
1977 , the Hong Kong Government started a major development project in this area, developing it into the seventh Hong Kong
New Town . Reclamation has since covered the whole bay area and it is now able to accommodate around 300,000 inhabitants, accounting for 95% of the district's total population. This
New Town was renamed ''Tseung Kwan O'', its present name.
Tseung Kwan O now includes several
High-rise residential estates and an
Industrial Estate . The
MTR Metro system was extended to Tseung Kwan O, facilitating access to Sai Kung District.
]]
On summer nights, a lot of people hire small boats known as ''
Kaito s'' or ''
Sampan '', some to catch
Cuttle-fish which is a popular pastime for local residents, others for leisurely trips through the
Island -dotted inland sea of
Port Shelter . Popular islands to visit include:
The large island of Kau Sai Chau is the location for a public
Golf Course developed and run by the
Hong Kong Jockey Club .
There are numerous cultural sites, heritage sites and country parks in the Sai Kung peninsula, such as:
The town centre of
Sai Kung has a high concentration of seafood restaurants which attract a lot of tourists.
In addition there are golf courses and
Nature Trail s. The golf driving range center in Ho Chung is popular with local residents and tourists alike. Visitors can also enjoy barbecues at Ho Chung.
In recent years, the government has invested heavily in Sai Kung, with improvements being made to the town seafront, such as the Waterfront Park. An attractive mix of small boutique-style shops has sprung up as well, due to a sizeable expat population and increasing numbers of local visitors, selling everything from secondhand books to cat-themed accessories, and alternative lifestyle stores that offer items like surfboards, candles, incense, seashells, etc.
The
MTR system's
Tseung Kwan O Line currently has four stations in
Tseung Kwan O New Town . The new town is also served by a comprehensive bus network that connects it to
Kowloon via several main roads including
Tseung Kwan O Tunnel and
Po Lam Road .
Hang Hau Road and
Ying Yip Road link Tseung Kwan O with
Sai Kung Town and
Clear Water Bay . The nearest
MTR station to Sai Kung Town is
Hang Hau .
Some of the most beautiful and thus isolated parts of Sai Kung Peninsula can only be reached on foot or by boat. Where a destination is accessible by public transport, it is usually served via a complicated network of
Bus routes. Information on certain bus routes may be found
here .
The details of bus and minibus routes going to Sai Kung Town are as follows.
Scheduled
Ferry services also operate between coastal points on the peninsula and in and around the islands:
{Link without Title} .
The
Hong Kong University Of Science And Technology , one of the eight publicly-funded tertiary institutions in Hong Kong, is located in
Clear Water Bay , Sai Kung.
Coincidently, the
Chinese Character s "西貢" for ''Sai Kung'' are also the
Vietnamese Chu Nom characters for the name ''Saigon'' (now called
Ho Chi Minh City ), a major city in
Vietnam . In fact, "Sai Kung" and "Saigon" are not only written but also pronounced the same way in Chinese.
