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28-514: Ma On Shan Tsuen is a recognized village under the New Territories Small House Policy . At its peak, after a rapid growth in the 1950s, the village had more than 10,000 inhabitants. The small village saw a large number of new arrivals after changes in the methods of iron ore mining were implemented in 1953. Nearly all of the new arrivals were refugees from Mainland China , who worked as miners and came to live in

56-640: A concern to the Hong Kong Government . There was a need to expand the colony to accommodate its growing population. The Qing Dynasty 's defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War had shown that it was incapable of defending itself. Victoria City and Victoria Harbour were vulnerable to any hostile forces launching attacks from the hills of Kowloon. Alarmed by the encroachment of other European powers in China, Britain also feared for

84-423: A population density of 4,140 per square kilometre (10,720/sq mi). Hong Kong Island was ceded to Britain in 1842 and Kowloon south of Boundary Street and Stonecutters Island in 1860. The colony of Hong Kong attracted a large number of Chinese and Westerners to seek their fortune in the city. Its population increased rapidly and the city became overcrowded. The outbreak of bubonic plague in 1894 became

112-568: A primary school (built in 1961), a kindergarten, quarters, and a store. The primary school and the kindergarten closed in 1976. Lutheran Primary School ( 信義恩光小學 ) was subsequently relocated to Heng On Estate in Ma On Shan and was renamed Ma On Shan Lutheran Primary School ( 馬鞍山信義學校 ) in 1987. The church complex was then converted into a camp site, the Grace Youth Camp ( 恩青營 ). In 2003, landslides caused by heavy rainstorms damaged

140-497: Is administratively divided into three Areas: Hong Kong Island , Kowloon , and the New Territories . In order of precedence, Hong Kong is divided into three administrative levels: Areas (區域), Districts (地區), and Sub-districts (分區). The area of Hong Kong Island administrates four districts: the districts of Central and Western , Eastern , Southern , and Wan Chai . The area of Kowloon administrates five districts:

168-584: Is one of the three areas of Hong Kong , alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula . It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it is the region described in the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory . According to that treaty, the territories comprise the mainland area north of Boundary Street on

196-746: Is served by the bus route NR84, connecting Ma On Shan Tsuen to Ma On Shan MTR station via Ma On Shan Tsuen Road, Ma On Shan Road , Hang Hong Street, Sai Sha Road and On Luk Street, and operated by Ma On Shan Residents Bus Management Association Ltd. The Ma On Shan Country Trail runs from Ma On Shan Village to Tai Shui Tseng ( 大水井 ) via Ngong Ping . Several scenes of the 2009 film Tactical Unit – Comrades in Arms , directed by Law Wing-cheung , were shot at St. Joseph's Church. 22°24′07″N 114°14′37″E  /  22.40194°N 114.24361°E  / 22.40194; 114.24361 New Territories The New Territories (abbr. N.T. , Chinese : 新界)

224-567: The Six-Day War of 1899 , a number of clans attempted to resist the British, mobilising clan militias that had been organised and armed to protect against longshore raids by pirates. The militia men attempted a frontal attack against the temporary police station in Tai Po that was the main British base but were beaten back by superior force of arms. An attempt by the clansmen at guerilla warfare

252-714: The United Kingdom in 1898 for 99 years in the Second Convention of Peking (The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory). Upon the expiry of the lease, sovereignty was transferred to the People's Republic of China in 1997, together with the Qing-ceded territories of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula. In 2021, the population of the New Territories was recorded at 3,984,077, with

280-489: The indigenous inhabitants with regards to land use, land inheritance and marriage laws; the majority of which remained in place into the 1960s when polygamy was outlawed. Some of the concessions with regard to land use and inheritance remain in place in Hong Kong to this day and is a source of friction between indigenous inhabitants and other Hong Kong residents. Lord Lugard was Governor from 1907 to 1912, and he proposed

308-558: The 1980s, talks between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China led to the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration (1984), in which the whole of Hong Kong would be returned, instead of only the New Territories. The New Territories comprises nine districts each with their own District Council : According to the 2021 census , the population of the New Territories was 3,984,077, representing 53.7% of Hong Kong's total population. 90.4% of

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336-679: The Kowloon Peninsula and south of the Sham Chun River (which is the border between Hong Kong and Mainland China ), as well as over 200 outlying islands , including Lantau Island , Lamma Island , Cheung Chau , and Peng Chau in the territory of Hong Kong. Later, after New Kowloon was defined from the area between the Boundary Street and the Kowloon Ranges spanned from Lai Chi Kok to Lei Yue Mun , and

364-471: The Mutual Mining and Trade Company, which extended it underground in 1953. By 1959, mining had moved entirely underground. The mine ceased operation in 1976. The workforce of 400 was laid off. The government mining lease ended in 1981 and the mine closed subsequently. The Lutheran Yan Kwong Church ( 信義會恩光堂 ) was inaugurated on 22 June 1952. It was part of a five-building complex that included a church,

392-500: The area with their families. The exploitation of the mine ended in 1976 and the miners subsequently left the village with their families, leading to a decline of the population. As of 2014, the village was home to 80 people (another source mentions 80 families as of 2015). The Ma On Shan Iron Mine opened in 1906 as an opencast site run by the Hong Kong Iron Mining Company. In 1949, the mine was taken over by

420-426: The complex and made it unsafe. It was abandoned the same year. The church building was revitalised after 2014 and reopened in 2015 as a community hall and a centre to highlight the history and culture of the old village. The former primary school building was converted into a hostel for church members and the former teachers' quarters was converted into an activity room. The Roman Catholic St. Joseph's Church ( 聖若瑟堂 )

448-1069: The entirety of the Wong Tai Sin and Kwun Tong districts, as well as the mainland portion of the Sham Shui Po District (i.e. excluding the Stonecutters Island ) and the northern portion of the Kowloon City District (portion to the north of Boundary Street/Prince Edward Road West , as well as reclaimed land including the Kai Tak Airport ). Areas of Hong Kong High Court District Court Magistrates' Court Special courts and tribunals: Chief Executive Elections Legislative elections District council elections Consular missions in Hong Kong Hong Kong–China relations Hong Kong–Taiwan relations Hong Kong

476-614: The extension of the urban areas of Kowloon, New Kowloon was gradually urbanised and absorbed into Kowloon. The New Territories now comprises only the mainland north of the Kowloon Ranges and south of the Sham Chun River, as well as the Outlying Islands. It comprises an area of 952 square kilometres (368 sq mi). Nevertheless, New Kowloon has remained statutorily part of the New Territories instead of Kowloon. The New Territories were leased from Qing China by

504-406: The late 1970s, when many new towns were built to accommodate the population growth from urbanised areas of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Despite rapid development of the new towns, which now accommodate a population of over 3 million, the Hong Kong Government confines built-up areas to a few areas and reserves large parts of the region as parkland . As the expiry date of the lease neared in

532-485: The residents of New Territories use Cantonese as their main language. 3.5% of its residents use English , 2.0% use Mandarin Chinese , and 2.3% of New Territories' residents use other Chinese dialects. 93.1% of the district's population is of Chinese descent. The largest ethnic minority groups are Filipinos (2.1%), Indonesians (1.8%), South Asians (1.1%), Mixed (0.8%) and Whites (0.7%). New Kowloon covers

560-417: The return of Weihaiwei to the Chinese government, in return for the ceding of the leased New Territories in perpetuity. The proposal was not received favourably, although if it had been acted on, Hong Kong might have remained forever in British hands. Much of the New Territories was, and to a limited extent still is, made up of rural areas. Attempts at modernising the area did not become fully committed until

588-805: The security of Hong Kong. Using the most favoured nation clause that it had negotiated with Peking, the United Kingdom demanded the extension of Kowloon to counter the influence of France in southern China in June 1898. In July, it secured Weihaiwei in Shandong in the north as a base for operations against the Germans in Qingdao (Tsingtao) and the Russians in Port Arthur. Chinese officials stayed in

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616-537: The takeover of the New Territories was fixed as 17 April 1899, and Tai Po was chosen as the administrative centre. The transfer was not smooth and peaceful. In early April 1899, Captain Superintendent of Police, Francis Henry May and some policemen erected a flagstaff and temporary headquarters at Tai Po and posted the Governor's proclamation of the takeover date. Fearing for their traditional land rights, in

644-562: The town. There was no mountain range as a natural border. Lockhart suggested moving the frontier to the line of hills north of Shenzhen. This suggestion was not received favourably and the Chinese official suggested the frontier be moved to the hill much further south of the Sham Chun River. It was settled in March 1899 that the boundary remain at the Sham Chun River. The new Hong Kong Governor, Henry Blake arrived in November 1898. The date for

672-430: The walled cities of Kowloon City and Weihaiwei. The extension of Kowloon was called the New Territories. The additional land was estimated to be 365 square miles (950 km ) or 12 times the size of the existing Colonial Hong Kong at the time. Although the convention was signed on the 9 June 1898 and became effective on 1 July, the British did not take over the New Territories immediately. During this period, there

700-598: Was closed in 1999, and the church complex became vacant. The residential part of the village has been described as "only small and short squatter area". Several sets of structures of Ma On Shan Village were listed as historic monuments in April 2016: Exterior walls of 240 ML and 110 ML of Ma On Shan Iron Mine (Grade 2), Mineral Preparation Plant of Ma On Shan Iron Mine (Grade 3), Site Structures at Mining Settlement of Ma On Shan Iron Mine (Grade 3), St. Joseph's Church (Grade 2) and Lutheran Yan Kwong Church (Grade 3). The village

728-506: Was inaugurated on 25 April 1952. It was part of a Catholic building complex established on the top of a small hill in the 1950s, that also included the St. Joseph's Primary School ( 聖若瑟小學校 ), adjacent to the church, a kindergarten, a small clinic (built from 1952 to 1954) and a convent ( 修道院 ). The church was rebuilt in 1962. The church stopped its regular Sunday services in 1981, with limited missionary service subsequently performed by Father Wu. It

756-491: Was no Hong Kong Governor and Wilsone Black acted as administrator. James Stewart Lockhart , the Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong , was sent back from England to make a survey of New Territories before formal transfer. The survey found that the new frontier at Sham Chun River (Shenzhen river) suggested by Wilsone Black was far from ideal. It excluded the town of Shenzhen (Sham Chun), and the boundary would divide

784-467: Was put down by the British near Lam Tsuen with over 500 Chinese men killed, and collapsed when British artillery was brought to bear on the walled villages of the clansmen. Most prominent of the villages in the resistance Kat Hing Wai , of the Tang clan , was symbolically disarmed, by having its main gates dismounted and removed. However, in order to prevent future resistance the British made concessions to

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