History of Tsuen Wan

Introduction

What does the name Tsuen Wan conjure up in your mind? The New Territories? An old industrial district? Or a new town? When we were asked to decide on the district for our management project, we instantly came up with the idea – Tsuen Wan District.

Kaleidoscope is a tube of mirrors containing loose, colored objects such as beads, pebbles and bits of glasses. It operates on the principle of multiple reflection, where several mirrors are attached together. In Tsuen Wan, it shows both modern and classic faces of Hong Kong. Through several stages, Tsuen Wan have developed from simple beginnings to the colorful place that it is today. Its economy is no longer industrial, but also commercial. It has historical heritages, but also newly opened shopping malls and office buildings.

Tsuen Wan is definitely a kaleidoscope.

History

Tsuen Wan was known as Tsin Wan (淺灣) in the earlier days, which means shallow bay. Another name Tsak Wan (賊灣), pirate bay, indicates the presence of pirates nearby long ago. In the 1970s, due to the new town concepts purposed by the Hong Kong Government, Tsuen Wan was developed as part of Tsuen Wan New Town. In 1982, under the District Administration Scheme, Tsuen Wan District was set up. At that time, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi was also included in the Tsuen Wan District, It was until 1985 the Kwai Tsing District was split off from Tsuen Wan District.

        Tsuen Wan is the last station of Tsuen Wan Line of MTR network. The construction of Tsuen Wan Line in the 1970s drove the urban development of Tsuen Wan, especially the restoration of the nearby area of the station. New roads, but terminals and shopping centres were set up around the station, and housing estates were also built directly above the station. In present days, although Tsuen Wan District belongs to the New Territories, it is also considered to be a part of Hong Kong urban area, like Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

Geographical Information

Tsuen Wan District covers 60.7km² of the New Territories. It is basically a bay opposite to Tsing Yi Island across the Rambler Channel, which is the main Tsuen Wan Town. The northeastern part of Lantau Island, Ma Wan (馬灣), Tang Lung Chau (燈籠洲), Cheung Sok (長索), Ngam Hau Shek (岩口石) and Pun Shan Shek (半山石) are also included. The green area in the following picture shows the included area in Tsuen Wan District.