Sha Tin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sha Tin 沙田
Neighbourhood
Shing Mun River Promenade
Sha Tin Location in Hong Kong
Country	China
SAR	Hong Kong
District	Sha Tin District
Time zone	UTC+8 (HKT)

Sha Tin
Lek Yuen Bridge over Shing Mun River in Sha Tin central
Chinese	沙田
Jyutping	Saa1 Tin4
Literal meaning	sandy field
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Shātián Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Sā Tìhn IPA [sáː.tʰȉːn] Jyutping Saa1 Tin4

Sha Tin, also called Shatin, is a lively area in the eastern New Territories of Hong Kong. It sits along the Shing Mun River. Sha Tin is part of the Sha Tin District and is one of the neighbourhoods created as part of the Sha Tin New Town project.

This new town was started in 1973. It was part of a big plan by the Hong Kong government to build new towns. The name "Sha Tin" comes from a nearby village called Sha Tin Wai. In English, "Sha Tin" means 'Sand Fields'.

History of Sha Tin

Early Beginnings of Sha Tin

Tai Wai Village, which is very close to Sha Tin, was built a long time ago in 1574. This happened during the Ming Dynasty. It is the oldest and largest walled village in the Sha Tin District.

Before Hong Kong became a British colony, the Sha Tin area was known as Lek Yuen. This name means "source of clear water." It is believed that British officials mistakenly used the name of Sha Tin Wai village for the whole area. That is how the name "Sha Tin" stuck. Today, the name Lek Yuen is used for a housing estate called Lek Yuen Estate.

There used to be a market town here called Sha Tin Hui. It was located where Sha Tin Centre Street and the New Town Plaza shopping centre are now. This spot is also near the Sha Tin station on the MTR East Rail line.

First Flight and Development

Sha Tin was the place where the first ever powered airplane flew in Hong Kong. This happened in 1911. The plane was named the Spirit of Sha Tin (Chinese: 沙田精神號). You can see a full-size copy of this plane hanging in the Hong Kong International Airport today.

The area was once mostly farmland. Before Sha Tin became a new town, a place called Hung Mui Kuk (Chinese: 紅梅谷) was a popular spot for school picnics. This hillside area is still a favourite place for barbecues.

In the 1970s, Sha Tin began to change a lot. It became part of the Sha Tin New Town development plan. This big project helped the area's economy grow and improved how people lived. The centre of Sha Tin was built in the mid-1980s. The goal was to connect people living in different parts of the town. This central area includes the New Town Plaza, many smaller shops, Sha Tin Park, a library, a town hall, and homes.

Geography of Sha Tin

Sha Tin New Town being built in the late 1970s.

Sha Tin is located in a valley. The Shing Mun River flows through it from southwest to northeast. On one side, it borders Tai Wai in the southwest. On the other side, it borders Fo Tan (on the left bank) and Shek Mun (on the right bank) in the northeast.

Housing in Sha Tin

Sand Martin House in Sha Kok Estate, a public housing complex in Sha Tin Wai.

Sha Tin Plaza in the evening.

Public Housing Estates

Sha Tin has many public housing estates, which are homes built by the government. You can find more details about them here:

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Private Housing Estates

There are also many private housing estates in Sha Tin. These are homes built by private companies. Some of them include:

Villages in Sha Tin

Sha Tin is also home to several traditional villages.

Shopping Centres in Sha Tin

New Town Plaza after its renovation.

Sha Tin has many shopping centres where you can find all sorts of things. Some of the main ones are:

• New Town Plaza (新城市廣場)
• Citylink Plaza (連城廣場)
• Sha Tin Plaza (沙田廣場)
• Sha Tin Centre (沙田中心)
• Lucky Plaza (好運中心)
• Hilton Plaza [zh] (希爾頓中心)
• Wai Wah Centre (偉華中心)
• Fortune City One (置富第一城)
• Grand Central Plaza - HomeSquare (新城市中央廣場)

Economy of Sha Tin

Sha Tin is home to some businesses. For example, Lukfook, a well-known jewellery company, has its main office in Metropole Square (Chinese: 新都廣場) in Sha Tin.

Architecture in Sha Tin

Even though Sha Tin was mostly built up quickly in the 1970s, it has different styles of buildings. Many public housing estates are built in a modern style. Several shopping centres, hotels, and government buildings in central Sha Tin are covered in red bricks.

Notable Places of Worship in Sha Tin

Shatin Assembly of God Church

Sha Tin has many places where people can worship. These include:

• Sai Lam Temple [zh] (西林寺)
• Sam Yuen Temple (三元宮)
• Wai Chuen Monastery [zh] (慧泉寺)
• Dao Hop Yuen (道合園)
• Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery (萬佛寺)
• Tao Fung Shan Christian Centre (道風山基督教叢林)
• International Fellowship North, an English-speaking Christian church.
• Shatin Baptist Church (沙田浸信會)
• Shatin Anglican Church

Other Facilities in Sha Tin

Sha Tin Park's main plaza.

Sha Tin has many useful and fun places for its residents and visitors. These include:

• Sha Tin Town Hall (沙田大會堂)
• Sha Tin Public Library (沙田公共圖書館)
• Hong Kong Heritage Museum (香港文化博物館)
• Sha Tin Marriage Registry (沙田婚姻註冊處)
• Sha Tin Park (沙田公園)
• Royal Park Hotel (帝都酒店)
• Sha Tin Sports Ground
• Star Seafood Floating Restaurant

Education in Sha Tin

Baptist Lui Ming Choi Secondary School, one of the oldest secondary schools in Sha Tin

Sha Tin College, part of the English Schools Foundation.

As of 2008, Sha Tin and Ma On Shan had many schools. There were 46 primary schools and 44 secondary schools.

Sha Tin Town Centre is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 91. This means that children in this area can apply to several schools that get government funding.

Universities and Colleges

• The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港中文大學)
• Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港恒生大學)
• Hong Kong Baptist University (Shek Mun Campus)
• Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education - Sha Tin (IVE-ST) (Chinese: 香港專業教育學院 沙田分校)
• Hong Kong Sports Institute (Chinese: 香港體育學院)

Primary and Secondary Schools

• Baptist Lui Ming Choi Secondary School (Chinese: 浸信會呂明才中學)
• Buddhist Wong Wan Tin College (Chinese: 佛教黃允畋中學)
• Carmel Alison Lam Primary School (Chinese: 迦密愛禮信小學)
• Christ College (Chinese: 基督書院)
• Hong Kong and Kowloon CCPA Ma Chung Sum Secondary School (Chinese: 港九潮州公會馬松深中學)
• Hong Kong Baptist University Affiliated School Wong Kam Fai Secondary And Primary School (Chinese: 香港浸會大學附屬學校王錦輝中小學)
• Jockey Club Ti-I College
• Kiangsu-Chekiang College (Shatin)
• Lam Tai Fai College
• Lok Sin Tong Young ko hsiao Lin Secondary School
• Ng Yuk Secondary School
• Pentecostal Lam Hon Kwong School
• Pui Ying College
• Sha Tin College
• Sha Tin Junior School
• Sha Tin Government Secondary School
• Sha Tin Methodist College
• Shatin Tsung Tsin Secondary School
• St. Rose of Lima's College
• Stewards Pooi Kei College
• Sheng Kung Hui Tsang Shiu Tim Secondary School

Other Educational Institutions

• Lutheran Theological Seminary

Culture, Sports and Fun in Sha Tin

Sha Tin racecourse.

Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

Sha Tin has many places for culture, sports, and fun activities. These include the Sha Tin Town Hall, swimming pools, football fields, and indoor sports centres.

Sha Tin Park is a large park that opened in 1988. It has beautiful gardens, water features, and a big open area with a bandstand. Ma On Shan Park is another park, next to the Ma On Shan Swimming Pool.

The Sha Tin Racecourse is a huge area built on reclaimed land. In the middle of the racecourse is the Penfold Garden. This garden is open to the public on days when there are no races.

The Hong Kong Heritage Museum opened in 2000. It is located in Tai Wai. The museum shows art, culture, and history from the New Territories. It also has cool exhibitions about pop culture, like Bruce Lee, Cantonese Opera, and Hong Kong movies. It is the largest museum in Hong Kong.

Cycling is very popular in Sha Tin. The first cycle track opened in 1981. It runs along Tolo Highway to Tai Po. This is still the most popular cycling spot in Hong Kong. Many people ride bikes here on weekends. The cycle track was later extended to Ma On Shan.

Hiking is another popular activity. There are several starting points for hiking trails, like Hin Tin Village and Hung Mui Kuk Barbecue Area. These trails lead to the Lion Rock Mountain hiking route. Depending on where you start and finish, a hike can take from 1 to 4 hours.

Every year, a Dragon Boat Racing competition takes place on the Shing Mun River. This exciting event happens around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival.

Local Food in Sha Tin

Sha Tin is known for some special local foods. These include ShanSui Tofu (Chinese: 山水豆腐; literally "mountain-water beancurd"), which is a type of tofu. Other popular dishes are barbecued pigeon and chicken congee (a type of rice porridge). The food stalls in Wo Che Estate and Fo Tan are great places to try these foods.

Transportation in Sha Tin

Roads leading to the Shui Chuen O outskirts.

Sha Tin station

Sha Tin has many ways to get around, both within the area and to other parts of Hong Kong.

Roads in Sha Tin

Sha Tin has a good network of roads. This makes it easy to travel within the town and to other places. You can reach Sha Tin from Kowloon using tunnels like the Lion Rock Tunnel, Tate's Cairn Tunnel, and Shing Mun Tunnel. Tai Po Road also connects Sha Tin to Kowloon.

• Tai Po Road connects Sham Shui Po in Kowloon to Tai Po in the New Territories. It was once the only road linking Kowloon and the eastern New Territories.
• The Lion Rock Tunnel opened in the 1960s. It provides a way to get to Central Kowloon.
• The Tate's Cairn Highway was finished in 1991. It connects East Kowloon (like Wong Tai Sin and Kowloon Bay) and Hong Kong Island to the North East New Territories (Sha Tin, Tai Po, and Fanling).
• Route connects Sha Tin to Tsuen Wan through the Shing Mun Tunnels. It also connects to Hong Kong Island via the Western Harbour Crossing. This makes travel quick, often around 30 minutes.
• Sai Sha Road opened in 1988. It connects Sha Tin to Sai Kung through Ma On Shan.
• A new expressway (via Eagle's Nest Tunnel) opened in 2008. It connects Cheung Sha Wan in Kowloon to Sha Tin. This road helps traffic flow better to places like Lai Chi Kok and the airport. It has made the trip from Sha Tin to Chek Lap Kok International Airport much faster, about 40 minutes.

Sha Tin is also served by over 110 public bus routes.

Railway in Sha Tin

• The MTR (East Rail line) is a main way to travel between Admiralty and Lo Wu, passing through Sha Tin. This railway carries over 730,000 passengers every day.
• The Tuen Ma line opened in 2004. This 56.4 km long railway has 27 stations. It links the West Rail line at Hung Hom and goes through Kai Tak. The MTR Maintenance Centre is located in Tai Wai.

Shatin's cityscape seen from northern Fo Tan

A panorama of Sha Tin City taken from Sha Tin Lion Pavilion

Climate in Sha Tin