Lai Chi Kok Bay (
Chinese: 荔枝角灣) or Lai Wan (
Chinese: 荔灣) was a bay west of
Lai Chi Kok
Lai Chi Kok is a neighbourhood in Kowloon, Hong Kong, east of Kwai Chung and west of Cheung Sha Wan. Mei Foo Sun Chuen is the largest housing estate in the area and also the largest in Hong Kong with 99 blocks. Administratively, it belongs t ...
in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. North of the bay is
Kau Wa Keng. The bay was largely recreational during its history. In the early and mid 20th century,
bathing pavilion
Bathing is the act of washing the body, usually with water, or the immersion of the body in water. It may be practiced for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes. By analogy, especially as a recreational activity, the term is ...
s were built on the beach of the bay for swimmers, and boats were rented for rowing around the bay.
Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park
Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park was an amusement park on the west shore of Lai Chi Kok Bay in Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong. It was once the largest amusement park in Hong Kong, and attracted people from all walks of life in the territory.
History
Operat ...
, the Song Dynasty Village, and theatres were built on the shore. The bay was later reclaimed and recreational facilities like a park, swimming pool, library, and indoor sports facilities were built. Lai Chi Kok Bay literally means the point of lychee.
The bay was spanned by the
Lai Chi Kok Bridge
Lai Chi Kok Bridge is a Hong Kong bridge that carries the Kwai Chung Road, part of Route 5, linking Kowloon to Kwai Chung, New Territories.
The bridge, once the longest in Hong Kong, spanned Lai Chi Kok Bay, which was later filled in. I ...
, built 1968.
In 1975, the
Hong Kong Government
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong Special administrative regions of China, ...
announced plans to reclaim the bay and turn it into a public park. Though the bay was popular with swimmers, the government considered this a "hazard" as the water was badly polluted. At the same time, the government said the project would provide much-needed public open space for the
Mei Foo area.
See also
*
Lai Wan station (now
Mei Foo station
Mei Foo () is a Hong Kong MTR station located in Mei Foo Sun Chuen, Lai Chi Kok, New Kowloon. It is the only interchange station between the and the , situated between and stations on the Tsuen Wan line and and stations on the Tuen Ma ...
)
References
External links
{{coord missing, New Kowloon
Lai Chi Kok
Bays of Hong Kong