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Kwai Tsing
District in the Southwest New Territories is an amalgamation of Kwai Chung
and the adjoining island of Tsing Yi. Kwai Chung is an industrial area
that is home to the bulk of Hong Kong's world-leading container port operations;
it is also an important local shopping and business hub, characterised
by Metroplaza and nearby developments.
Tsing Yi has been
heavily developed in recent years with housing estates and the impressive
Maritime Square shopping plaza on one side of the island, and oil depots
on the other, safely separated by a sharply-rising central peak. To the
east, it is linked with Kwai Chung by the Tsing Yi Bridge and Tsuen Wan
by the Tsing Tsuen Bridge, both spanning the narrow Rambler Channel; to
the west, it now enjoys a much longer link with Ma Wan and Lantau islands
via the Tsing Ma Bridge.
 What
younger generations may not know is that Tsing Yi was once the site of
a nudist paradise! In the 1950s, you could just mention "nude beach"
and respectable ladies of Tsing Yi would know you were referring to Wok
Dai Bay, a secluded bay at the northwestern corner of Tsing Yi, overlooking
Ma Wan. As its name implies, the bay is shaped like the bottom of a Chinese
frying pan. Its serene setting was very attractive to nudists who were
looking for a secluded beach. When news about the beach broke out, though,
Wok Dai Bay became a popular sightseeing attraction. There was always
a large flow of visitors on holidays. However the locals, women in particular,
found the nudist camp offensive and chose to stay away.
Today, what comes
to mind at the mention of Tsing Yi is not a nude beach, but a superlative
development known the world over - Tsing Ma Bridge. At 2.2 kilometres,
it is the longest combined road and rail suspension bridge in the world.
Completed in May 1997, this spectacular bridge is a crucial centrepiece
of the main road and rail link between the city centre and Hong Kong International
Airport at Chek Lap Kok, a development that has truly put Kwai Tsing District
on the map for the more than 30 million people who use the airport each
year.
There are several
locations at which visitors can appreciate the magnificence of Tsing Ma
Bridge from different angles, but perhaps the best is the Lookout Terrace
at the Lantau Link Visitor Centre. The purpose-built viewing centre also
provides a close-up look at the nearby Ting Kau Bridge, one of the world's
longest and largest three-tower, cable-stayed bridges, and offers the
chance to capture both bridges' majesty on film.
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Interesting
Stories of 18 Districts
