Tsing Yi

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Tsing Yi (青衣), or Tsing Yi Island (青衣島) is an island of Hong Kong, to the northwest of Hong Kong Island. Area: 10.25 km². The island has extended drastically by reclamation of all its natural shore and annexation of Nga Ying Chau and Chau Tsai. Three major bays or harbours, Tsing Yi Tong , Mun Tsai Tong and Tsing Yi Bay in the northest are completely reclaimed one by one for new town.

Should the Island be divided into four quarters, the northeast quarter is a residential area, the southeast quarter is a container port, the southwest holds heavy industry, and the northwest includes a recreation trail, a transportation interchange and some ship yards.

Name

Tsing Yi (青衣) means green (or black) clothes. It is also a kind of fish, probably Green Wrasse, once abundant in nearby waters. People named the island after the fish. Tsing Yi Tam (青衣潭, lit. Tsing Yi Pool) or Tsing Yi Tam Shan (青衣潭山, lit. Tsing Yi Pool Hill) also appeared on some early Chinese maps.

The Island was also known as Chun Fa Lok (春花落) once in a time, which means "the fall of spring flowers", or Chun Fa Island, on some Western maps. Now, Chun Fa Lok is still a place name on the southeast corner of the island. A government document in Ming Dynasty named the water near Chun Fa Lok Chun Fa Yeung (春花洋), probably now the Rambler Channel. The Ming navy defeated fleets of pirates there.

In some historical sources, Tsing-I Island is used instead of Tsing Yi Island, and Chung-Hue Island instead of Chun Fa Island.

Administration

Tsing Yi, together with Kwai Chung, is part of Tsuen Wan New Town of the Kwai Tsing District in the New Territories. Though Tsing Yi is a de facto outlying island, it is not accordingly included in the Islands District.

Historically, Tsing Yi Island, with Kwai Chung, were usually in the same administration unit of Tsuen Wan because of their proximity and closely-knitted neighbourhood. Unlike Kwai Chung, however, whose villages are part of Tsuen Wan Rural Committee, Tsing Yi Island has its own, Tsing Yi Rural Committee. The rural committee was politically significant until the establishment of a District Council and Regional Council (abolished), when the urban population grew much larger than the rural population.

Population

There were about 4000 people on the island when the British took the New Territories around 1898. From the 2001 Census, there were 193432 people, i.e. 55478 households, on the island. In the past hundred years, the population has grown to nearly 50 times the size.

History

In the early days, the inhabitants on the island were mostly farmers and fishermen. The major population concentrated in the northeast portion of the island. Farmers grew rice, vegetables and pineapples, while fishermen lived in the small harbour of Tsing Yi Tong which stretched far back into the island. They lived on their junks and boats all the time, fishing in the nearby waters. Even as late as the 1970s, Tsing Yi Tong resembled Tai O with its characteristical stilt houses and water vehicles. Like many other fishing villages in Hong Kong, the Tsing Yi dwellers worshipped Tin Hau, the goddess of mercy and the sea. A Tin Hau Temple was built on the shore of Tsing Yi Tong. At the birthday of Tin Hau, fishermen of all nearby waters would come to the Temple for celebrations. The temple was white in color and thus people call it Pak Miu (白廟, lit. White Temple).

From the 1920s onwards, a mainland company built lime factories on the present site of Greenfield Garden. It is the earliest known industry on the island. The lime industry continued to flourish during the 1950s, and a tanning factory was also founded at the same period. After World War II, other heavy industries moved in as well. In the 1960s, several oil companies moved their oil storage depots onto the island, likewise a China Light and Power power plant, and a Green Island cement plant. Meanwhile, some small shipbuilding companies started their business in Tsing Yi, and remain on the north side of the Island. In the 1970s, six large-scale companies on the island collectively built the Tsing Yi Bridge to connect Tsing Yi and Kwai Chung over the Rambler Channel. The bridge was soon transferred to the Hong Kong Government, remaining the sole road connection to the island for more than ten years. Several industrial buildings for light industries were constructed beside the bridge afterward. Several dockyards moved to the west shore of the island at the end of the 1970s.

It is noteworthy that Wok Tai Wan on the Tsing Yi Island was once a paradise for nudists during the 1950s, and hence Tsing Yi was once synonymous with nudism in Hong Kong.

After the establishment of the Tsing Yi Bridge, the Hong Kong Government commenced an extensive new town project on the Island. Cheung Ching Estate, Cheung Hong Estate and Mayfair Garden were consequently built in heaps. The vicinity of the Mobil oil storage depot to Mayfair Garden and Cheung Ching Estate once aroused enormous concern for the safety of the residents. Some social workers and residents urged the government to relocate the storage facilities. The government decided to halt the last phase of the Mayfair Garden development scheme. The storage facility remained at the same location until Container Terminal 9 was on the Government's agenda.

Later on, the tenor of town development shifted northward. Two fisherman harbours, Tsing Yi Tong and Mun Tsai Tong were reclaimed for residental use. Many fishermen were relocated from their boats parked in the typhoon shelter to the Ching Tao House, a new residental block on land, of Chueng Ching Estate. The land inhibitants were put together into several designated areas so as to re-build their villages. The primary sectors had all died out owing to the drastic town development. Tsing Yi Estate, Cheung On Estate, Cheung Fat Estate, Ching Tai Court and Tsing Yi Garden were built after all reclamations were accomplished. Ching Wah Court was built adjoining to Cheung Hong Estate.

At the same time, Tsing Yi Bridge was seriously overburdened and its structure was unable to cope with ever-increasing traffic. There was only a one-way road in each direction on the bridge. Traffic congestion became the burning problem in the community, and subsequently aroused protest. Finally, Tsing Yi North Bridge, a connection to Tsuen Wan was built to ease off the congestion, as well as to accommodate the local residental population boom.

Tsing Yi was continually under furthur development and Greenfield Garden, Serene Garden, Broadview Garden, and Cheung Hang Estate were constructed.

The final decision to relocate Hong Kong International Airport spurred a new series of development: Airport Railway, Ting Kau Bridge to Ting Kau (汀九) and North New Territories, Tsing Ma Bridge to Ma Wan and Lantau Island, Rambler Channel Bridge to Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, Duplicate Tsing Yi South Bridge on the south side of Tsing Yi Bridge.

On the island, new residental projects, Tivoli Garden, Grand Horizon, Mount Haven, Villa Esplanada, Tierra Verde, and Cheung Wang Estate were completed. The final part of reclaimed land near the shore had been laid waste for almost a decade until Tsing Yi Promenade was built in 2004. Local Hong Kong cultural persuits of Chinese music and dancing, walking and Chinese exercise are in evidence in most evenings.

During 2000 to 2004 Container Terminal 9 was built on the reclaimed southwest shore of the island, together with resident blocks, Rambler Crest. Nearby, and well within sight of Hong Kong Central, a controversial new dioxin burning plant was also put into operation during 2004, arousing much concern for the residents of Tsing Yi and Hong Kong island.

Transport

Tsing Yi Island is a transportation hub in Hong Kong.

Bridge

There are eight bridges connected to the island.

Tunnel

Railway

MTR metro system have Tsing Yi Station on the island. It is part of the Tung Chung and Airport Express lines.

Bus Terminus

Pier

Before the completion of Tsing Yi Bridge, a ferry was the only public transport to the mainland. Tsing Yi Pier was built near Tsing Yi Town before the reclamation. The pier followed the change of shoreline owing after reclamation, and moved to the seafront near Greenfield Garden.

All ferry services ceased with rapid development of road and rail transport. It no longer takes residents to Tsuen Wan and Central. The pier is now open for public, and continues to be used as a dropping off point for fishermen, and as a mooring site for Government Fire Boats.

Religious buildings

Medical services

The Department of Health runs two general out-patient clinics on the island. The first one is Tsing Yi Cheung Hong Clinic in Cheung Hong Estate and another is Tsing Yi Town Clinic near Tsing Yi Garden. There is also one maternal and child health centre, Tsing Yi Maternal and Child Health Centre, on the island, at the same floor of Tsing Yi Cheung Hong Clinic.

There are also at least one private clinics in each housing estate.

In town planning, Tsing Yi Hospital is supposed to be built near Cheung Hang Estate but the plan was put off owning to financial difficulty of Hospital Authority.

Miscellaneous

Tsing Yi Station has a huge shopping centre, Maritime Square, with hundreds of residential apartments above it, reaching up to a height of over 40 floors.

The apartments overlook a park on its southern side, where people practice Tai Chi in the early morning hours.

See also

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