Villa Esplanada at the center, Maritime Square and Tsing Yi Bridge (North) on the left
Kwai Tsing is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It consists of two parts - Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Island. Kwai Tsing is part of the New Territories. It had a population of 520,572 in 2016.[2] The district has the third least educated residents and their income is below average.
Kwai Tsing did not exist as a standalone district when Hong Kong's District Boards were formed in the early 1980s. It remained as a part of Tsuen Wan district until 1985. The newly created district was known as Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi District (葵涌及青衣區) until 1988, when its name was shortened to Kwai Tsing District.
Over 75% of the district residents live in public housing.
History
In 1669, the Qing dynasty forced the people in Hong Kong and the coastal regions such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, etc., to move to the inland areas of mainland China. After this move inland policy ceased, a large number of Hakka people from the Huayang region of Guangdong province, as well as the Hakka districts of Fujian province, moved to what is now Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Traditionally, Kwai Tsing District has been a Hakka speaking region; the original inhabitants of the villages in this area were mainly of Hakka extraction.
The district is part of Tsuen Wan New Town. Unlike other new towns in Hong Kong, the district has no clear town core in the course of development. Cores emerge only after Metroplaza in Kwai Fong and Maritime Square in Tsing Yi was built, but they are still incomparable to their counterparts in other new towns in Hong Kong.
Industry
Industry is an integral part of the district. Both light and heavy industries share substantial land in the district.
Like other early new towns of Hong Kong, the district was primary for settling the influx of Chinese population around the year of the change of sovereignty in China in 1949 and the baby boom afterwards. Public housing estates were built throughout the district. Many schools have been established by various charities and religious organisations. Some have provided vocational training for industries in Hong Kong while some have become liberal schools. As the community has aged, the number of school children declined after the 2000s, and schools are facing survival problems.
There are several sports grounds in the district. Biu Chun Rangers are based in Tsing Yi. Kwai Tsing Theatre in Kwai Fong is gradually becoming an important performance venue in Hong Kong.
Transport
The usual forms of transportation in the district are buses, minibuses and metro.
The MTR (metro) Tsuen Wan line has four stations on three lines running through the district:
