The Hong Kong Government uses an unpublished system of Romanisation of Cantonese for public purposes which is based on the 1888 standard described by Roy T Cowles in 1914 as Standard Romanisation . The primary need for Romanisation of Cantonese by the Hong Kong Government is in the assigning of names to new streets and places. It has not formally or publicly disclosed its method for determining the appropriate Romanisation in any given instance.
30-462: Yuen Long Town (formerly Un Long Town or Un Long Hui ) is located in the district centre of Yuen Long District , New Territories , Hong Kong. It is the heart of Yuen Long and Yuen Long New Town , with a population of around 200,000. Yuen Long Town is located in the centre of Yuen Long. It was built on granite and is divided into an eastern part and a western part by the Shan Pui River ; it
60-735: A complete standstill. However, after the completion of Route 3 (via Tai Lam Tunnel ) in 1998, the traffic improved by a great deal and many destinations could be reached in reduced time. Since 1988, the Light Rail has been serving the area between Tuen Mun and the heart of Yuen Long, having been an essential part of everyday life for commuters. In December 2003, West Rail line went into operation. It only takes around 20 minutes for residents in Yuen Long Town to go to Nam Cheong , near Sham Shui Po . In August 2009, West Rail line extend to Hung Hom , via Austin and East Tsim Sha Tsui . In June 2021,
90-540: A roughly triangular area. It is bordered by the Shan Pui River in the west, separating it from Yuen Long Industrial Estate, the Kam Tin River in the east and a branch of the Kam Tin River in the south. It is home to many birds, including seagulls, Northern Pintails (Anas acuta), Yellow-nib Ducks (Anas poecilorhyncha) and Black-faced Spoonbills (Platalea minor). Flora includes reeds and mangroves. Mai Po Marshes ( 米埔 )
120-602: A traditional market town . In 1898 the area of the modern day Yuen Long District was leased to the colonial British Hong Kong government by the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory . A 6 days war was broke out between the British army and the militia from Tang and other villages. The iron doors of the walled villages of Tang were looted to UK as spoils of war. They are returned to Tang later, but according to urban legends,
150-753: Is 5.5 km long. It starts at Ngau Hom Shek ( 鰲磡石 ), located at the northwest of Yuen Long, and ends in Shekou , a harbour port located in Shenzhen. Hong Kong Government Cantonese Romanisation Currently, government departments, particularly the Survey and Mapping Office of the Lands Department , consult the Chinese Language Department of the Civil Service Bureau before gazetting names and
180-464: Is also divided into a northern part and a southern part by Castle Peak Road . The most prosperous part of Yuen Long Town is to the east of Shan Pui River, near Castle Peak Road. Many different types of shops and office buildings can be found there, gaining the nickname " Mong Kok of the west". Yuen Long Town was called Un Long Hui early in the 20th century. It was the main market town in Yuen Long at
210-497: Is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 74. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money) and one government school: Yuen Long Government Primary School (元朗官立小學). 22°26′40.09″N 114°01′32.88″E / 22.4444694°N 114.0258000°E / 22.4444694; 114.0258000 Yuen Long District Yuen Long District ( formerly Un Long )
240-492: Is located in the centre of the wetland and has achieved international significance as a stopping and feeding place for migratory birds along the East Asian-Australian Flyway. The birdwatching season runs from October to May and more than 300 types of birds have been recorded in the area, many of them are rarely seen anywhere outside the region. Visitors may go to Mai Po via the following ways: On 30 January 2004,
270-457: Is mandatory in government identification documents such as identity cards issued by the Registration of Persons Office. This standard is used by the office by default though individuals are at liberty to choose their own spelling or another romanisation system. All tones are omitted as are distinctions between aspirated and unaspirated stops. The distinctions between the long vowel [a] and
300-856: Is one of the districts of Hong Kong . Located in the northwest of the New Territories , it had a population of 662,000 in 2021. Yuen Long District contains the largest alluvial plain in Hong Kong, the Yuen Long-Kam Tin plain. With an area of 144 km (56 square miles), the district covers many traditional villages including Ping Shan Heung , Ha Tsuen Heung , Kam Tin Heung , Fung Kat Heung , Pat Heung , San Tin Heung and Shap Pat Heung , as well as Yuen Long Town and Tin Shui Wai . Two new towns have been developed within this district. Yuen Long New Town
330-663: Is one of the Yuen Long's best-known walled villages . It is the ancestral home of the Tangs, one of the "Five Great Clans" in the territory. Built by the Tangs 500 years ago, it is a rectangular walled village with an area of 100 metres by 90 metres. As a family stronghold, Kat Hing Wai has served the Tangs well through centuries. In the Qing Dynasty , a five-metre high blue brick wall and four cannon towers were added to fend off bandits. Route: Tuen Ma line Kam Sheung Road station or KMB routes 54, 64K and 77K Nam Sang Wai ( 南生圍 ) covers
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#1732855802703360-625: The wetlands lost due to Tin Shui Wai New Town development. In 1998, a project named as "International Wetland Park and Visitor Centre Feasibility Study" was initiated by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Hong Kong Tourism Board with a view to expanding the EMA to a wetland ecotourism attraction. After concluding that it was feasible to develop a wetland park at
390-641: The British colonial government. A reform was held in 1980s that not only the New Territories has their District Offices, but whole HK is grid into Districts, with formal election was held for the councillors of the District Councils. The latest election of the Yuen Long District Council was held in 2019 and scheduled to be held again in 2023. The Tin Hau Festival ( 天后誕巡遊 ) is on the 23rd of
420-680: The EMA site without compromising its intended ecological mitigation functions and the development of the Wetland Park will also enhance the ecological function of the EMA to a world-class conservation, education and tourism facility, the concerned parties started the Wetland Park Project, which is regarded as one of the Millennium projects by the Administrations. Kat Hing Wai ( 吉慶圍 ) in Kam Tin
450-674: The West Rail line combined with the Ma On Shan line and become the Tuen Ma line . Yuen Long is served by many bus routes, mostly operated by the KMB . Yuen Long is served by urban red taxis and NT green taxis. The red taxis provide service to Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, whereas the green taxis provide connections within NT. Both types make connections to Hong Kong International Airport. Yuen Long Town Centre (East)
480-664: The Yuen Long Town Hall, and the Yuen Long Stadium, were built on the lesser developed western side of the Shan Pui River. In the past, Yuen Long Town relied on main roads like Castle Peak Road , Tuen Mun Road , Lam Kam Road , Route Twisk and Route 9 . The Yuen Long Highway and the San Tin Highway are used to connect to other areas in Hong Kong. However, because of the dependence upon Castle Peak Road and Tuen Mun Road, an accident on either road would put traffic to
510-568: The area. In addition, the plantations also offer a good habitat for birds, pangolins , Chinese leopard cat , and barking deer . Nevertheless, Tai Lam is an excellent place for outdoor activities because of its remoteness. Yuen Long Park ( 元朗市鎮公園 ) is a park at Yuen Long Town with recreational facilities. There is a 7-storey pagoda enclosing an aviary , which has become a landmark of Yuen Long. Route: LRT Shui Pin Wai stop , LWB bus E34 or KMB Bus 68X, 268B, 268C, 268X, 269D, 276, 276P, B1, 68E (get off
540-399: The bus at Yuen Long Park .) Located in the northwest of the New Territories, Yuen Long has a well-developed public transport network. It is easily accessible from different parts of Hong Kong by bus, mini-bus or railway. The Hong Kong–Shenzhen Western Corridor bridge ( 深港西部通道 ) is the fourth cross-border route between Hong Kong and mainland China. It was completed and opened in 2007, and
570-590: The government included Yuen Long Town into the Government's town expansion scheme. Many buildings sprang up at the time, leading to a high number of buildings over 20 years old in Yuen Long Town. Since 1978, Yuen Long New Town has been built over the original Yuen Long Town, with the New Town being the district centre of the New Territories northwest. Many new facilities, for example the Yuen Long Police Station,
600-730: The government suspended public visits to the Mai Po wetland reserve as a supposed measure to protect people from the avian flu (H5N1). Ping Shan Heritage Trail ( 屏山文物徑 ), inaugurated on 12 December 1993, was designed to link several historic buildings and monuments owned by the Tang clan in Ping Shan (including Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda 聚星樓 and Tang Ancestral Hall 鄧氏宗祠) by a 1 km trail. Route: LRT Ping Shan stop , Hang Mei Tsuen stop or West Rail line Tin Shui Wai station Tai Fu Tai Mansion ( 大夫第 ) in San Tin
630-755: The latter vet proposed names using the Three Way Chinese Commercial/Telegraphic Code Book , originally published by the Royal Hong Kong Police Force Special Branch for internal government use in 1971. The code book system is devoid of any tone indications and, being grossly simplified, is susceptible to confusion. Although the code book has only been available for several decades, the Romanisation approach for place names in Hong Kong has been broadly consistent since before 1888. This can be seen in maps of
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#1732855802703660-561: The mixed up which doors belongs to which walled villages, nowadays the two sides of the door of Kat Hing Wai are not identical in design. After the war, the colonial government had established a different approach to administrate the New Territories, which established the district office . Yuen Long was under the District Office North headquartered in Tai Po. A branch office was later stationed in Yuen Long permanently. The history of
690-451: The modern day Yuen Long administrative district (despite a few government departments does not map their service area according to the boundary of the District) can be trace back to Yuen Long District Office (previously known as Chinese : 元朗理民府 now known as Chinese : 元朗民政事務處 of Home Affairs Department ; English name unchanged) of the "New Territories Administration" department of
720-757: The period and in the government's publication A Gazetteer of Place Names in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories of 1960. For place names, the type of the place in English is often used instead of a romanisation (e.g., "Street" and "Road" in place of "Kai" ( 街 ) and "Lo" ( 路 )). Nevertheless, exceptions are not uncommon (for example, "Fong" in " Lan Kwai Fong ", meaning "Square" if translated). "Wan" for "Bay" and "Tsuen" (or "Chuen") for "Estate" (or "Village") are also common. There are also many instances of surviving pre-1888 Romanisation, such as " Kowloon " and "Un Chau Street", which would be "Kau Lung" and "Yuen Chau" under this system, respectively. Romanisation of names
750-451: The short vowel [ɐ] are omitted like Fat ( 發 , [fat] ; meaning "to issue") and Fat ( 佛 , [fɐt] ; meaning " Buddha "). Some of the inconsistencies are due to a distinction that has been lost historically (a distinction between palatal and alveolar sounds, viz. ch versus ts , sh versus s , and j versus z ). These consonants are no longer distinguished in present-day speech. The following table of geographical names illustrates
780-543: The third month of the lunar calendar . It celebrates the birth of a local deity, Tin Hau. During the day, residents from various walled villages set off at Fung Cheung Road, go via Kau Yuk Road and the Yuen Long Stadium, and end at Tai Shu Ha Tin Hau Temple , which has a 300-year history. Hong Kong Wetland Park ( 香港濕地公園 ) is located at the northern part of Tin Shui Wai . It was intended to be an ecological mitigation area (EMA) for
810-645: The time, located in the urban heart of Yuen Long. After the development of Yuen Long New Town , the name "Yuen Long Town" has been used only occasionally. Nevertheless, big companies like Kowloon Motor Bus , and the District Council still use "Yuen Long Town". Some road signs still have "Yuen Long Town" on them, but most of those were erected in the 1990s. Most of the road signs now use "Yuen Long" instead of "Yuen Long Town". Yuen Long Town developed from Yuen Long Kau Hui (literally Yuen Long Old Market) and Yuen Long San Hui (literally Yuen Long New Market). In 1972,
840-508: The western New Territories with an area of 54 km . Tai Lam has a small area of porphyry in the northeast; for the remaining area, it is composed of highly erodible decomposed granite . In 1952, afforestation started as a measure to protect the water catchment area. In spite of the poor soil conditions and the setbacks of fire damage over the years, mature stands of Acacia confusa , Lophostemon confertus , Pinus massoniana , Pinus elliottii and Eucalyptus species now cover most of
870-564: Was developed from the traditional market town of Yuen Long Town from the late 1970s. Tin Shui Wai New Town has developed since the early 1990s and is built on land reclaimed from former fish ponds once common in the district. According to archaeological findings, there were inhabitants settled in the district around 3,500 years ago. The ruling clan of the Tang Clan ( Chinese : 鄧氏家族 ) lived there in Kam Tin . Like Tai Po , Yuen Long used to be
900-588: Was probably built in 1865 in the reign of the Qing Dynasty. It is a richly embellished residence situated on a spacious ground, with a large open space in the front and a garden at the back. The whole compound is surrounded by a green-brick wall. It is a fine example of traditional Chinese dwellings of the scholar-gentry class and is certainly one of the most elegant buildings throughout the territory. Route: KMB Bus 76K to San Tin Tai Lam Country Park sits in
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