Tsuen Wan (formerly also spelled Tsun Wan) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

built on a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

in the western New Territories of

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 Delta i ...

, opposite of Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged from the surrounding villages and fleets of fishing boats in the area. The now-crowded city is around the present-day Tsuen Wan station of the

MTR The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) is a major public transport network serving :Hong Kong. Operated by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), it consists of heavy rail, light rail, and feeder bus service centred on a 10-line rapid transit network ...

. Its coastline was further extended through

land reclamation Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclam ...

History

HK Tsuen Wan Chai Wan Kok Industrial Area

According to the report of Hong Kong archaeological society, there were people settled in Tsuen Wan as early as two thousand years ago. In earlier days, it was known as Tsin Wan (淺灣) which means shallow bay, and later renamed to Tsuen Wan. Another name ''Tsak Wan'' (賊灣, Hakka dialect pronunciation: tshet wan),

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

bay, indicates the presence of pirates nearby long ago. In fact, the area around Rambler Channel was known as

Sam Pak Tsin Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictional ...

(三百錢), literally meaning three hundred coins. There was a legend that pirates would collect three hundred coins should one pass through the area. In 1911, there were approximately 3,000 villagers living in Tsuen Wan. In the 20th century, factories moved in gradually due to its proximity to Kowloon. With the construction of

Castle Peak Road Castle Peak Road is the longest road in Hong Kong. Completed in 1920, it runs in the approximate shape of an arc of a semi-circle. It runs West from Tai Po Road in Sham Shui Po, New Kowloon, to Tuen Mun, then north to Yuen Long then east ...

in 1917, motor vehicles could reach the town in addition to access on foot and by boat. Regular bus services did not begin until 1933. Early industries relied on the ample local water supply to make incense sticks, preserved fruit and farming, while post-war industries included metalwares and textiles. By 1950s, Tsuen Wan had become the centre of the

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of yarn, cloth and clothing. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry. Industry process Cotton manufac ...

in Hong Kong.http://cd1.edb.hkedcity.net/cd/TC/Content_4025/Changes_in_Tsuen_Wan/frame.htm HK Ed City. Urban Development in Tsuen Wan. Retrieved 18 Sept 2012. In the 1950s, 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 authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino- ...

developed the area as a satellite town, along with

Kwun Tong Kwun Tong is an area in the Kwun Tong District of Hong Kong, situated at the eastern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, and its boundary stretches from Lion Rock in the north to Lei Yue Mun in the south, and from the winding paths of Kowl ...

satellite town in Eastern Kowloon. In 1961, Tsuen Wan Satellite Town was expanded to become Tsuen Wan New Town, the first of such in Hong Kong. The new town covers not only Tsuen Wan, but also neighbouring

Kwai Chung Kwai Chung is an urban area within Tsuen Wan New Town in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Together with Tsing Yi Island, it is part of the Kwai Tsing District District of Hong Kong. It is also part of Tsuen Wan New Town. In 2000, it had a pop ...

and

Tsing Yi Tsing Yi, sometimes referred to as Tsing Yi Island, is an island in the urban area of Hong Kong, to the northwest of Hong Kong Island and south of Tsuen Wan. With an area of , the island has extended drastically by reclamation along almost a ...

, including housing estates like the Fuk Loi Estate, built in 1967. By 1971, the area housed 400,000 residents. It was one of the last areas in Hong Kong to be developed without the "Colony Outline Plan". A museum of a local settlement village is located in Tsuen Wan Town: Sam Tung Uk Museum. The museum consists of a 200-year-old walled village featuring exhibits designed to replicate traditional village life. It was donated in 1981 and after restoration during the construction of the

, it was opened for the public in 1987. Tsuen Wan has one of the highest concentrations of Shanghainese people in Hong Kong, particularly in the constituency

Fuk Loi Fuk Loi is one of the 17 constituencies in the Tsuen Wan District. The constituency returns one district councillor to the Tsuen Wan District Council, with an election every four years. The seat has been currently held by Kot Siu-yuen of the Ho ...

Landmarks

Discovery Park, one of Hong Kong's largest shopping centres, is located in the heart of Tsuen Wan Town. There is a goldsmith street there where jewels can be purchased. Other features include Tsuen Wan Plaza, Tsuen Wan City Landmark, Citywalk and L'Hotel, The Sam Tung Uk Museum, Tin Hau Temple and The

Panda Hotel Panda Hotel (), formerly Kowloon Panda Hotel (), is a hotel in Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong, located between MTR Tsuen Wan station and Tai Wo Hau station. It is the largest hotel in Tsuen Wan District, with a total of 1,026 rooms. It ...

, one of the biggest hotels in Hong Kong. The Nina Towers, which include an 80-storey tower, rise over Tsuen Wan. Hong Kong's cable TV service company i-CABLE also has their headquarters located in Tsuen Wan at Wharf Cable Tower. Situated in the valley, floodplain and reclaimed land, Tsuen Wan is surrounded on two sides by hills and woodlands that make up the Shing Mun Country Park and the Tai Mo Shan Country Park. Located within these parks are the Tai Mo Shan peak, the highest point in Hong Kong at 957 metres (3140 feet), and the Upper Shing Mun Reservoir. Route Twisk winds over and through the country parks linking Tsuen Wan with Pat Heung, via Shek Kong. Originally built by the Royal Engineers as a military road, it was opened to the public on 25 May 1961. An urban renewal project led to the shopping malls Citywalk and Citywalk 2, as well as the residential areas above it. The former Tsuen Wan Sports Ground, on Yeung Uk Road, was demolished and replaced by the

Shing Mun Valley Sports Ground Shing Mun Valley Sports Ground ( Chinese: 城門谷運動場) is a sports ground located in Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong. It consists of a Tartan track and a football pitch. It replaces Tsuen Wan Sports Ground as the only sports ground i ...

. The site, now known as Tsuen Wan Town Lot 393, remains abandoned, but was sold by the government for nearly HK$4 billion in 2014 to Vincord Limited.

Housing

Public housing estates

Private housing estates

Private housing estates in Tsuen Wan include: * Allway Gardens is the earliest and one of the largest private housing estates in Tsuen Wan. It was developed by Hopewell Holdings. It is located on Tsuen King Circuit, a hilltop at the west of Tsuen Wan. It comprises sixteen towers in four phases, completed between 1978 and 1981. * Belvedere Garden *

The Cairnhill The Cairnhill () is a private housing estate in Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong. Being one of the estates built on many d level of the hill of Route Twisk (Another one is The Cliveden), it consists of 16 low-density blocks divided into 2 ...

* The Cliveden * Discovery Park * The Dynasty *

The Westminster Terrace The Westminster Terrace () is a private housing estate located in Yau Kom Tau, Tsuen Wan District, New Territories, Hong Kong. Developed by Grosvenor Group in conjunction with Asia Standard Group, the single residential building consists of 59 f ...

* Luk Yeung Sun Chuen * Riviera Gardens * Serenade Cove * Skyline Plaza * Tsuen King Garden * Tsuen Wan Centre * Tsuen Wan City Landmark * Tsuen Wan Plaza

Economy

Chinachem Chinachem Group () is a corporate group established in Hong Kong by Teddy Wang's father Wang Din Sin (王廷歆). The early years of the group were dedicated to exploration of and investment in agricultural projects and chemicals. In the 1960 ...

has its head office in

Nina Tower Nina Tower is a twin tower of 80-storey and 42-storey high-rise buildings in Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong near Tsuen Wan West station. The tower was designed to be the tallest tower in the world at . However, due to its location near ...

in Tsuen Wan.

Education

* Tsuen Wan Government Secondary School *Hoi Pa Street Government Primary School
Tsuen Wan Government Primary School
* St. Francis Xavier's School Tsuen Wan
Holy Cross Lutheran SchoolMary Of Providence Primary School (W.D.)Hong Kong Baptist Convention Primary SchoolHo Fung CollegeRosebud Primary School
*

Po On Commercial Association Wong Siu Ching Secondary School Po or PO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Po (Kung Fu Panda), the protagonist of the ''Kung Fu Panda'' franchise * Po, one of the titular ''Teletubbies'' * Po, a character in the novel ''Graceling'' by Kristin Cashore M ...

Tsuen Wan 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.

Public transport

Trains

Tsuen Wan is served by three Mass Transit Railway (MTR) stations: Tsuen Wan station and Tai Wo Hau station on the Tsuen Wan line, as well as Tsuen Wan West station on the

Tuen Ma line The Tuen Ma line () is a rapid transit line that forms part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. Coloured brown on the map, the Tuen Ma line is in length, making it the longest line of the MTR network. It has a total of ...

Ferries

The Tsuen Wan Pier connects Tsuen Wan to

Park Island Park Island is a private housing estate located at Ma Wan, an island in Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong. It was mainly developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties as part of the Ma Wan Development joint venture project and completed fr ...

, a private housing estate in Ma Wan.

Buses

The Tsuen Wan Transport Complex was once a major interchange point between ferries and buses. It was rendered obsolete when

moved the adjacent ferry pier, and when ferry services were scaled back following the opening of the MTR. Tsuen Wan is still well-served by many bus routes. There are major bus termini at Tsuen Wan and Tsuen Wan West railway stations, and at some private developments like Nina Tower and Allway Gardens. There are also many minibuses to major destinations around Hong Kong.