Sham Shui Po District
Encyclopedia : S : SH : SHA : Sham Shui Po District
- ''This article is about the district that covers Cheung Sha Wan, Lai Chi Kok, Mei Foo Sun Chuen, Sham Shui Po, Shek Kip Mei, So Uk, etc. See Sham Shui Po for the article on the area.
Areas
- Cheung Sha Wan
- Kowloon Tong (west of the route of KCR East Rail)
- Lai Chi Kok
- *Mei Foo Sun Chuen
- Tai Hang Sai
- Tai Hang Tung
- Tai Wo Ping
- Sham Shui Po
- Shek Kip Mei
- So Uk
- Stonecutter's Island (excluding the reclaimed lands for Container Terminal 8)
- Yau Yat Chuen
Demographics and housing
Sham Shui Po was already a densely populated district in 1950s and 1960s. It is heavily poverty-stricken, having the lowest median monthly domestic household income among the 18 districts. It has the highest percentage of elderly over 65 years. The percentage of new immigrants is also very high.
Local private housing Mei Foo Sun Chuen in Lai Chi Kok, which was built in 1966, was Hong Kong's first large-scale private housing estate, comprising 8 phases with a total of 99 blocks.
Politics
Partly because of the large presence of the low-income group in Sham Shui Po, the area has bred many pro-grassroots politicians. The current chairman of the Sham Shui Po District Council, Mr Tam Kwok-kiu, is a veteran local politician fighting for the interests of public housing tenants for many years.Sham Shui Po is the stronghold of Tam's political party, the Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood. Of the 26 District Councillors in Sham Shui Po, nine belong to his group, including party chief Frederick Fung Kin-kee. Fung was returned to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong in 2000 by direct election in the geographical constituency of Kowloon West, in which Sham Shui Po is the biggest area.
However, Hong Kong's largest pro-government and pro-Beijing party, the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), has gained a foothold in Sham Shui Po too. In 2000, Tsang Yok-sing, the then chairman of DAB and member of the Executive Council, Hong Kong SAR chief executive Tung Chee-hwa's inner cabinet, won a seat in the Legislative Council representing the Kowloon West constituency, which includes Sham Shui Po.
DAB members Chan Wai Ming, representative of So Uk, Fu Shu-wan, a representative of Lei Cheng Uk, and Cheung Man-to, a representative of Nam Cheong Central are District Councillors in Sham Shui Po.
The Democrats have been less successful at canvassing grass-roots support. Pro-Beijing politicans have won favour in Sham Shui Po by organizing such things as free banquets and tours to southern China.
Transport
There are four railway lines serving Sham Shui Po District:
People leaning against a fence in front of an MTR station.
- Kwun Tong Line: This oldest MTR line's original western terminus is at Shek Kip Mei Estate in this district.
- Tsuen Wan Line: Stopping at stations Sham Shui Po, Cheung Sha Wan, Lai Chi Kok and Mei Foo.
- Tung Chung Line: Having a stop at Nam Cheong.
- West Rail: Having a terminus at Nam Cheong, its trains also call at Mei Foo. Both stations allow interchange with the MTR.
Buses
There are also various bus route serving the district. Most of them are operated by Kowloon Motor Bus, and some by New World First Bus and Citybus. These three companies also jointly operate some routes, most of these crossing the harbour to the Hong Kong Island.
- West Rail: Having a terminus at Nam Cheong, its trains also call at Mei Foo. Both stations allow interchange with the MTR.
Buses
There are also various bus route serving the district. Most of them are operated by Kowloon Motor Bus, and some by New World First Bus and Citybus. These three companies also jointly operate some routes, most of these crossing the harbour to the Hong Kong Island.See also
External links
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