New Territories - Hong Kong Area Guide

New Territories - Hong Kong Area Guide

New Territories

New Territories, also known as 新界 (san1 gaai3) in Chinese, is one of the three main regions that make up Hong Kong. This area covers the mainland area north of the Kowloon Ranges stretching all the way to the Sham Chun River. The Sham Chun River is the border between Hong Kong and Mainland China. The Outlying Islands are also part of New Territories. There are well over 200 Outlying Islands including Cheung Chau, Lantau Island, Lamma Island, and Peng Chau.

New Territories comprises the following districts:

• New Territories East - This refers to the eastern part of New Territories in Hong Kong, which consist of:
• North District - is the northernmost district that consists of 38 districts of Hong Kong.
• Sha Tin District - covers the areas of Sha Tin, Tai Wai, Ma On Shan, Fo Tan, Siu Lek Yuen and Ma Liu Shui.
• Tai Po District - contains Tai Po and 24 other areas.
• Sai Kung District - is known to be the second largest district in Hong Kong. It is made up of the Sai Kung Town, Sai Kung rural areas, Tseung Kwan O and over 70 islands of various sizes.
• New Territories West - This refers to the western part of New Territories in Hong Kong, which consist of:
• Islands District - consists of the outlying islands that are Cha Kwo Chau, Chek Lap Kok, Cheung Chau, Hei Ling Chau, Peaked Hill, Kau Yi Chau, Lamma Island, Lantau Island, Peng Chau, Po Toi Chau, Po Toi Islands, Shek Kwu Chau, and Soko Islands.
• Kwai Tsing District - is formed by two parts most notably as Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Island.
• Tsuen Wan District - also comprises islands such as Cheung Sok, Ma Wan, Ngam Hau Shek, Pun Shan Shek, Tang Lung Chau, and Northeastern part of Lantau Island in its district.
• Tuen Mun District is located to the west of the Tsuen Wan Districts, which offers many tourist attractions.
• Yuen Long District holds many of the traditional villages including Ping Shan Heung, Ha Tseun Heung, Kam Tin Heung, Pat Heung, San Tin Heung, Shap Pat Heung, Yuen Long Town and Tin Shui Wai.

The Happy Valley Racecourse maybe the most famous racecourse on Hong Kong Island, but there’s also one located in Sha Tin. This establishment has a capacity of 85,000 and was even the place to host equestrian events during the 2008 Olympics. 

If seafood is what you desire then a trip down to the former fishing village, Sai Kung Town, is the best place to be for seafood lovers, locals and tourists. As well as this, Sai Kung offers the most beautiful and cleanest beaches in Hong Kong. Some of these include Clear Water Bay, Silverstrand Beach, and Tai Long Wan (Big Wave Bay). The latter is one of the few spots where surfing is allowed but requires an approximately 1.5 hours walk from the nearest road.

Looking for a more relaxed environment to live in away from the city? This can be achieved on the outlying islands. This is notable a place that offers a more relaxed way of life with far fewer people living there than any other district of Hong Kong. As well as this, there are quite a lot of interesting sights with cleaner atmosphere than you would find in the main city.