Yuen Long Town - History

History

Yuen Long Town was called Un Long Hui early in the 20th century. It was the main market town in Yuen Long at 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, 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, the Yuen Long Town Hall, and the Yuen Long Stadium, were built on the lesser developed western side of the Shan Pui River.