Sham Tseng

Sham Tseng
Chinese深井
Literal meaningDeep well
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinShēn Jǐng
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationSām jéng
JyutpingSam1 zeng2
Sham Tseng skyline. From left to right: Lido Garden, Bellagio, Ocean Pointe, Garden Bakery factory. Viewed from Pak Wan Beach in Ma Wan.
Castle Peak Road in Sham Tseng
Sham Tseng Village (深井村) viewed from Castle Peak Road - Sham Tseng.)
Sham Tseng Village (深井村)

Sham Tseng is a coastal area in Tsuen Wan District, Hong Kong, between Ting Kau and Tsing Lung Tau.

History

At the time of the 1911 census, the population of Sham Tseng was 72. The number of males was 32.[1]

In 1982, the Government launched a new town project for the area. There were proposals for a massive housing scheme, where the population of the village, then estimated at 6,000, was set to increase dramatically to 50,000 people. There would be an additional 26,000 in public housing, Home Ownership Scheme flats, Government offices and other amenities constructed on 47 hectares of land.[2]

Starting in the 1990s, more and more private housing estates were built in the area for its views of Tsing Ma Bridge over Ma Wan Channel. It is linked to many other parts of Hong Kong by buses and mini-buses.

Villages and housing estates

Sham Tseng's villages are overshadowed and towered by new private housing estates:

Villages
  • Sham Tseng Village (深井村)
  • Sham Tseng East Village (深井東村)
  • Sham Tseng Kau Tsuen (深井舊村)
  • Sham Tseng San Tsuen (深井新村)
  • Sham Tseng West Village (深井西村)

Sham Tseng Resite Village is a recognized village under the New Territories Small House Policy.[3]

Private housing estates

Sham Tseng is also home to the Sham Tseng Light Housing project, a 45-unit temporary social housing project housed in a former textile factory building.[5]

Education

There are three schools in Sham Tseng:

Sham Tseng is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 62, which includes schools in Tsuen Wan and areas nearby. The net includes multiple aided schools and one government school, Hoi Pa Street Government Primary School.[8]

Commerce

Factory of The Garden Company in Sham Tseng

Sham Tseng is home to baker Garden Company Limited and former home of San Miguel Brewery Hong Kong. The brewery operations began in the 1933 as Hong Kong Brewers and Distillers Ltd under JH Ruttonjee and was sold to San Miguel Corporation in 1948.[9] The brewery operations and head office moved in 1996 to Yuen Long Industrial Estate.[10] A private housing estate called Bellagio now occupies the site of the old brewery.[4]

Union Carbide once had a storage depot in the area, but it has since moved.[4]

Small family restaurants make the bulk of the employment in the area. Most area residents work outside of Sham Tseng.

Tourist attractions

Anglers' Beach

To the north of Sham Tseng is an undeveloped hilly area. Tai Lam Country Park, a large park located northwest of Sham Tseng. There are nature trails along Butterfly River and Falls near Sham Tseng.

Numerous beaches are found at or near Sham Tseng from the waterways joining Ma Wan Channel and Rambler Channel, but most are so polluted and officially closed from swimming due to contamination from sewers and the Sham Tseng Nullah.[11] As a consequence, residents are more inclined to swim in pools located at their residential complexes.

A list of beaches in Sham Tseng:

  • Approach Beach (近水灣泳灘)
  • Anglers' Beach (釣魚灣泳灘)
  • Casam Beach (更生灣泳灘), in Ting Kau
  • Dragon Bay (青龍灣), in Tsing Lung Tau. Privately owned
  • Gemini Beaches (雙仙灣泳灘)
  • Hoi Mei Wan Beach (海美灣泳灘)
  • Lido Beach (麗都灣泳灘), in Ting Kau
  • Ting Kau Beach (汀九灣泳灘), in Ting Kau

Sham Tseng Temporary Market is a local produce market under the Sham Tseng Bridge flyover.

There are two retail malls located below residential flats to meet local needs:

Food

Sham Tseng is famous for roasted goose[12] and they can be found at various restaurants in the area:

Infrastructure

Transport

  • Kowloon Motor Bus, Long Win Bus and Citybus (Hong Kong) operates bus routes that stop in Sham Tseng:
    • KMB 234C / 234D
    • KMB 48P / 234A / 234B / 261B / 53 / 52X
    • Citybus 952 / 952C / N952
    • LWB A38
  • Minibuses that stops in Sham Tseng:
    • 96/96M/302/308M
  • Taxis (red taxis serving Kowloon and Hong Kong Island and green taxis serving the New Territories)
  • Sham Tseng Link – a proposed bridge and highway linking Sham Tseng and Lantau Island; with connections with Route 3
  • Sham Tseng Ferry Pier (深井碼頭) – former ferry service to Ma Wan Town

Major roads in Sham Tseng include:

Local roads include:

References

  1. ^ Hase, Patrick (1996). "Traditional Life in the New Territories: The Evidence of the 1911 and 1921 Censuses" (PDF). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch. 36: 78. ISSN 1991-7295.
  2. ^ $450m scheme for new town, South China Morning Post, 16 September 1982
  3. ^ "List of Recognized Villages under the New Territories Small House Policy" (PDF). Lands Department. September 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d Li, Sandy (10 July 1996). "Developers set sights on Sham Tseng seafront". South China Morning Post.
  5. ^ "Hong Kong government teams up with social enterprise to provide cheap housing for as many as 90 families". South China Morning Post. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  6. ^ "PSP 2021".
  7. ^ "28Hse 香港屋網 - 租屋,搵樓香港地產資訊平台".
  8. ^ "POA School Net 62" (PDF). Education Bureau. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Hong Kong Brewers and Distillers – The Sham Tseng Brewery 1930-1935 – The Industrial History of Hong Kong Group". industrialhistoryhk.org. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  10. ^ "香港記憶 | Hong Kong Memory". www.hkmemory.hk. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  11. ^ "EPD - Beach Water Quality". Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  12. ^ "Kitchen secrets from restaurant that's served roast goose for 60 years". South China Morning Post. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
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22°21′55″N 114°3′26″E / 22.36528°N 114.05722°E / 22.36528; 114.05722