The movement of airport to Chek Lap Kok ensures that Tung Chung becomes the residential and commercial hub supporting the permanent and transient community associated with the airport. As Tung Chung is only 23 minutes away from Hong Kong's Central Business District on the Tung Chung Line of the MTR metro system, it is set to become an alternative for those wishing to live away from the congested metropolitan areas.

Fu Tung Plaza, SkyMart, Citygate are the largest shopping centers to residents in Tung Chung. More and More shopping centers and housing estate will be built in Tung Chung in the Future.

The Citygate in Tung Chung

Table of contents

1 History 2 Sights 3 Hiking Route 4 Waterfalls 5 Natural Environment 6 Transportation 7 Future in Tung Chung

History

This place was originally called Tung Sei Chung, when Hong Kong was still a group of fishing villages. Tung means east in Cantonese, while Sei means west. At that time, merchandizing ships sailed east to the village and west to Macau.

Sights

Tung Chung Fort was built in 1817 to thwart the opium trade and defend the coast from pirates. There are 6 old mazzle-loading cannons, each resting on a cement base and the enclosures are made of granite blocks, measuring 70 metres by 80 metres. Three arched gateways, each engraved with a Chinese inscription, are spaced along the walls.

Tung Chung Fort

The Hau Wong Temple

The inside of Hau Wong Temple

The Tin Hau Temple

Tung Chung Town Centre features a variety of shops, restaurants, a cinema and entertainment facilities, as well as transportation back to Kowloon or Hong Kong Island.

Hiking Route

The hiking route begins at Ngong Ping. The total length is 8 km. The route winds around the northern slopes of Lantau Peak and descends into Tung Chung Valley. The trail passes woodland, mountain streams and also hillside monasteries. The impressive views over Shek Pik make a strong contrast witht the airport which is seen in the distance.

Waterfalls

Tung Chung Valley is the home of some of the steepest and most primeval mountain streams in Hong Kong. The formation of spectacular waterfalls is facilitated in the presence of the sheer cliffs and deep gorges in the valley. Tung-Lung Stream is the most spectacular as its falls seemingly joined together by the torrential water to form a continuous fals of more than 700 feet. Other well-known waterfalls in Tung Chung Valley are Wong-Lung Stream, Chong-Lung Stream, Ngo-Lung Stream and Pak-Lung Stream.

Almost all the streams in the area have their name related to Lung (the Chinese word for Dragon) which is the Chinese mythological creature of the waters and the favourite metaphor for the towering waterfalls.

Wong Lung Waterfall is one of the most famous waterfall which is located in the Lantau North Country Park. It is named "Wong-Lung" since during a heavy rainstorm, when we view from the high ground, the stream resembles a yellow dragon ready to take off for heaven when it and its feeders are flooded with torrential muddy water, with Wong-Lung as the trunk and the feeders its limbs.

A picture of the Wong Lung Waterfalls

The presence of mangroves ( 紅樹林) and freshwater streams in Tung Chung provides excellent ecologically valuable habitats for freshwater fish species, dragonflies (蜻蜓) and rare amphibians (兩棲類動物).

Tung Chung Stream is the only known Hong Kong site for rare fish, Acrossocheilus (Lissolichthys) wenchowensis beijiangensis (北江光唇魚) and one of only two sites on Lantau where the locally rare Crested Kingfisher, Cervie lugubris has been recorded. Moreover, upper Tung Chung Vallev is the breeding site for Eagle Owls and locally rare Hainan Blue. The largest population of the reptile (爬蟲類動物)Tokay Gecko Gekko gecko (大壁虎) occurs in the cliffs and boulder crevices also.

However, the reclamation and other civil engineering works in Tung Chung heavily damage these habitats and threaten the lives of these wonderful creatures.

Transportation

Tung Chung is served by the Tung Chung Line of the MTR metro system. Also, there is different E bus line go to many various districts in Hong Kong which is provided by the Kwoloon Motor Bus and Citybus Company.

Tsing Ma Bridge and Kap Shui Mun Bridge are the major route for buses to travel.

Tsing Ma Bridge are consists of towers, one tower located on Tsing Yi side and the other on a man-made island 120 m from the coast of Ma Wan Island. Tsing Ma Bridge is the world's longest span suspension bridge carrying both road and railway traffic. The bridge towers were constructed by slip forming, and the heavy steel saddles lifted into position by jacks.

Tsing Ma Bridge is not only an important traffic point from Tung Chung to other place, it is one of the symbol to represent Hong Kong

Future in Tung Chung

There is a project called "Tung Chung Cable Car Project" in this area. This project comprises a 5.7km cableway (17-minute journey) on Lantau island linking Tung Chung by the airport and Ngong Ping where the Tian Tan Buddha Statue is located via angled stations at Airport Island and Nei Lak Shan. Each cable car will accommodate up to 17 passengers.

Construction works has commenced on February 9, 2004 and are expected to be completed in 2006. This future Cable Cars will allow visitors to glide across Tung Chung Bay and surroundings in Lantau Island. Passengers will be able to view over the North Lantau Country Park, the South China Sea, Hong Kong international Airport, the Tung Chung Valley, surrounding terrain and waterways and also The Big Buddha during the whole journey. The centre piece of the Village at Ngong Ping Terminal will be highlighted by "The Tea House", showcasing the village ambience of both Northern and Southern China. Visitors will be able to experience the unique cultural features in the Village. It will be a major tourists attraction site in near future.