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New Town Life-style
Tuen Mun is one of Hong Kong's fastest developing new towns. With a population presently at 210 000, it is expected to house more than half a million people before 1990. Situated in a valley some 32 kilo- metres from the Kowloon peninsula, the town is flanked to the east by scenic foot- hills while to the west the majestic Castle Peak rises to a height of 583 metres. Yet despite its distance from Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, Tuen Mun is far from isolated. The six-lane highway, the high- speed hoverferry service and the Mass Transit Railway extension to Tsuen Wan have brought it within easy reach of the main urban areas. Although more than 80 per cent of the population currently lives in public housing, government-aided and private sector accommodation is develop- ing at a fast rate. Always keeping pace with the day-to-day needs of this growing community is a wide range of social and community facilities. Industrial develop- ment, too, is progressing in two main industrial zones in centralised locations. In particular, the new town is encouraging investment from overseas with the new technical and management skills it brings. A prosperous trading port in ancient days, Tuen Mun suffered a decline in fortunes following war and invasion, becoming a rural fishing community. Now, the wheel has turned a full circle as the town emerges as a major new economic centre.
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Previous page: Wu King Estate, one of Tuen Mun's seven self-contained public housing estates, is home to some 2 200 fam- ilies. Left: The $500 million, 17-kilometre Tuen Mun Road, fully opened during 1983, links the new towns of Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan and provides a stark contrast to the old coastal road located below it.