Sha Tin 沙田
Shatin Guide, Hong Kong
- Temples; Museums; Shopping
- Located in a valley on the Shing Mun River
- North east of Tsim Sha Tsui
- Sha Tin Racecourse, one of two in Hong Kong
- New Town built in the 1970s; population around 660,000 people
- Chinese characters 沙田 read "Sandy Field"
A New Town built on former rice paddies in the 1970s, Sha Tin offers one of Hong Kong's best museums, two fascinating temples and a racecourse.
Easily reached by bus or MTR, Sha Tin's cultural heritage includes a slice of Hakka life seen at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and the Tsang Tai Uk walled village.
Most Hong Kongers, though, know Sha Tin for its racecourse, one of two in Hong Kong along with Happy Valley in Wan Chai. During the winter and spring racing season thousands arrive at the weekends to have a bet at the huge 80,000 capacity course.
History
The area was long known for its abundant agriculture, in particular, rice farming, due to the excellent water supplies.
Traditional life from this period can be glimpsed at the preserved walled villages of Wong Uk and Tsang Tai Uk.
The Hong Kong Heritage Museum is housed in a modern reconstruction of a traditional ancestral hall and strives to preserve the history and culture of the area before it was redeveloped from the 1970s.
Southwest of Sha Tin is Amah Rock, an ancient boulder with an interesting history. Legend has it that a young wife waiting for her husband to return from sea was transported to heaven by a thunderbolt. The place is now a pilgrimage site for young lovers.
Attractions
Hong Kong Heritage Museum
The three story Hong Kong Heritage Museum holds temporary exhibitions from museums around the world as well as its impressive permanent collection. There are lots of interactive, hands-on displays for kids in the Children's Discovery Gallery. Other permanent galleries include the T.T.Tsui Gallery of Chinese Art, displaying exhibits from the now closed Tsui Museum of Art, the Cantonese Opera Heritage Hall, the Chao Shao-an Gallery and the Jin Yong Gallery. There is also a 350-seat theatre on site. The Hong Kong Railway Museum, Sam Tung Uk Museum and Sheung Yiu Folk Museum are all branch museums. The museum is a 5 minute walk from Che Kung Temple MTR station.
Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas
The Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas (Man Fat Tse) contains over 12,000 images of Buddha on the 8 hectares site. Large golden Buddhas in various poses line the 400 steps to the temple at the top of the hill. Tiny golden, ceramic Buddhas line the shelves inside the halls of the temple. More statues are found in the grounds of the temple and in the nine-storey red pagoda. The Buddhas are mostly made in Yunnan, Guandong, and Shanghai and are donated to the temple by worshippers.
Sha Tin Che Kung Temple
Sha Tin Che Kung Temple is a Taoist temple dedicated to Che Kung a 13th-century, Song Dynasty general. Che Kung escorted the last emperor of the Song dynasty to southern China to escape the Mongol invasion. Prayers to him are credited with having rid the area of plague, thought to be cholera, after the temple was completed. The large grounds have both Ming period and more modern buildings. Che Kung Temple dates originally from the 17th century. The temple has been renovated twice since, first in 1890 and again in 1993-1994. The temple receives many visitors, including many local Hong Kong public servants and government officials, during the second and the third days of Chinese New Year.
Tsang Tai Uk
Tsang Tai Uk (Big House of the Tsangs) was built by a wealthy granite merchant for the Tsang clan. Three rows of dwellings and an ancestral hall are preserved behind their stone walls. Parts of the complex are still inhabited to this day.
Po Fook Hill Columbarium
Po Fook Hill Cemetery or Po Fook Hill Columbarium is one of the largest public cemeteries in Hong Kong. The vast columbarium is a storage area for cremated ashes. There is a Swiss-made funicular to the top of the hill from where there are panoramic views of Sha Tin below. The cemetery is adjacent to the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas.
Sha Tin Racecourse
The vast Sha Tin Racecourse can accommodate up to 80,000 spectators. The racing season lasts from September until June with races mainly on Saturdays and sometimes Sundays and public holidays. The Hong Kong Jockey Club administers the computerized betting system. The course encloses Penfold Park and when there is no racing this is a pleasant place to visit for families with young kids and pet-owners. The park has various memorials to the 2008 Beijing Olympics when it was used as a training centre for equestrian events.
Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is one of the top universities in Asia with a number of Nobel laureates from among its faculty. The campus is located in what was once a granite quarry and includes gardens, sports grounds and a museum, the Chinese University of Hong Kong Art Museum.
Hong Kong Science Park
The nearby Hong Kong Science Park (HKSTP) is a research and development campus for high-tech companies including electronics, bio-tech, information and communications, material engineering and health.
Dragon Boat Racing
The Shing Mun River in Sha Tin is a major venue for one of Hong Kong's dragon boat races, which usually take place at sea elsewhere.
Held in May or June depending on the lunar calendar the races are held in front of 1,000s of spectators between Banyan Bridge and Sha Yin Bridge.
Cycling
The banks of the Shing Mun River also make for great cycling. Visitors can rent bicycles outside Exit A of Tai Wai MTR station, in Sha Tin Park, Tai Po Waterfront Park or Tai Mei Tuk.
The cycle path follows the river to Hong Kong Science Park, and then along the coast to Pak Shek Kok Promenade (pedestrians only), Tai Po Waterfront Park and a further 8 km on to the Plover Cove Reservoir at Tai Mei Tuk.
Sha Tin Shopping
Shopping in Sha Tin is centred around the excellent New Town Plaza, one of the largest malls in the New Territories. There's a range of brand stores including Adidas, Armani, Bally, Chanel, Coach, Dior, H&M, Lancome, Levis, Longines, Lush, Muji, Nike, Puma, Rolex, Seiko, Shiseido, Swarovski, Tissot, Uniqlo and Zara. There's restaurants a plenty too (Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese) and a cinema. You can spend the whole day here and many people do.
The other major malls in Sha Tin are CityLink Plaza and Shatin Plaza/Shatin Centre.
Sha Tin Restaurants
There are several fine eating and drinking options in Sha Tin.
In New Town Plaza try the branch of Dai Tai Fung for Dim Sum.
Beans The Greenhouse comes well recommended for its all-day breakfasts and yummy desserts.
The nearby IKEA Restaurant & Cafe is a good place to drop in on your way up to or down from 10,000 Buddha Monastery.
Try Shing Kee Noodles on Lek Yuen Estate near Shatin Centre for authentic Hong Kong style hot pot.
For Peking Duck the Sha Tin 18 restaurant in the Hyatt Regency is excellent.
Sha Tin Hotels
Sha Tin has more space so the hotels in the area tend to be larger with more facilities than downtown. The majority of places to stay in Sha Tin are in the top-end category.
The Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Sha Tin is convenient for those with business at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The hotel offers excellent facilities including an outdoor swimming pool, spa and the Sha Tin 18 restaurant with terrace.
The Regal Riverside Hotel has a variety of dining options and good facilities including a fitness centre and sauna.
Close to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and New Town Plaza, the Royal Park Hotel has views of the Shing Mun River and top-of-the-range amenities including a choice of fine dining from classical Chinese to Italian.
The excellent Alva Hotel by Royal on Yuen Hong Street offers an outdoor swimming pool, bar and fitness centre.
The Courtyard by Marriott Hong Kong Sha Tin, a short walk from Shek Mun MTR Station, attracts with its riverside location and outdoor pool. The hotel offers a choice of eating and drinking options and has great views from its top floor lounge and bar.
See here for a full selection of hotels in Sha Tin.
Access - Getting to Sha Tin
Take an MTR train to Sha Tin Station or Che Kung Temple Station.
Various Hong Kong buses and Public Light Buses run to or through the area.
These include buses 182X, 287X, 288, 982X, E42 and the N283 to Sha Tin Wai Station.
To Sha Tin Station the following buses are convenient 85K, 86K, 86S, 88X, 89X, 170, 263 and 798.
From Hong Kong International Airport on Lantau take Bus A29, then change to the 170. There is a 10-15 minute walk in between, so it is not really convenient.
It is better to take the Airport Express to Kowloon then walk to Austin MTR Station (again about 10-15 minutes on foot).
From Tsim Sha Tsui take bus 170.
Bus 170 also runs to Sha Tin from Causeway Bay.
Sha Tin Map
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