View source for Po Lam

{{Short description|Neighbourhood in northern Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong}}
{{Chinese
|title=Po Lam
|t=寶琳/寶林
|s=宝琳/宝林
|ci={{IPA|yue|pǒu lɐ̏m|}}
|j=Bou<sup>2</sup> lam<sup>4</sup>
|y=Bóu làhm
|p=Bǎolín 
}}
[[File:Po Lam 202105.jpg|250px|thumb|Po Lam]]
'''Po Lam''' ([[Chinese language|Chinese:]] 寶琳 or 寶林) is a [[list of areas of Hong Kong|neighbourhood]] in northern [[Tseung Kwan O]], [[Kowloon]]. An [[MTR]] station [[Po Lam station|with the same name]], [[Tseung Kwan O Village]], [[Yau Yue Wan Village]], [[King Lam Estate]], and [[Po Lam Estate]] are located there.
{{TOC limit|2}}

== Name ==
Po Lam is named after one of the first roads in Tseung Kwan O, the [[Po Lam Road]], whose name was taken from the Chinese translation of the first name of Barbara B. Whitener (寶琳), [[Rev.]] Sterling H. Whitener's wife. Rev. Whitener was a missionary based at the Haven of Hope Tuberculosis Sanatorium (now [[Haven of Hope Hospital]]) at the time.<ref>{{cite book |last1=義章 |first1=劉 |title=孤島扁舟：見證大時代的調景嶺 |date=2015 |publisher=[[Joint Publishing]] |location=Hong Kong |isbn=9789620438110 |page=87 |language=zh}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Whitener, Sterling Hegnauer |url=https://www.greensboro.com/obituaries/whitener-sterling-hegnauer/article_4e910dc7-a738-5e3e-9ffd-f99d4ba17859.html |publisher=[[News & Record]] |access-date=20 March 2020 |date=30 January 2017}}</ref> When [[Po Lam Estate]] was under planning, it was named "寶林邨", with a different second character but pronounced in the same way. The [[Po Lam station|Po Lam]] [[MTR]] station, on the contrary, used "琳". Government documents have used both names, referring to the area as "寶琳" in a brochure issued by the Planning Department,<ref>{{cite web |title=Tseung Kwan O |url=https://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_en/press/publication/NTpamphlets/2019/pdf/nt_tko_tc.pdf |access-date=27 March 2020 |language=zh |format=PDF}}</ref> but also using "林" for the Po Lam Sports Centre within Po Lam Estate.<ref>{{cite web |title=Po Lam Sports Centre |url=https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/clpss/tc/webApp/Facility/Details.do?fid=366&did=8 |publisher=[[Leisure and Cultural Services Department]] |access-date=27 March 2020 |language=zh}}</ref> Residents generally use both name interchangeably.

== History ==
Same as [[Hang Hau]], Po Lam was developed as part of the first phase of the [[Tseung Kwan O New Town]].<ref>{{cite web |title=政府規劃的發展 |url=https://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_tc/press/publication/nt_pamphlet02/tko_html/develop.html |publisher=Planning Department |access-date=27 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328115537/https://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_tc/press/publication/nt_pamphlet02/tko_html/develop.html |archive-date=28 March 2020 |language=zh}}</ref> Its first population intake came in 1988 with the opening of [[Po Lam Estate]].<ref>{{cite web |title=E1 Tseung Kwan O New Town |url=https://www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/about-us/achievements/land/regional-development/e1-tseung-kwan-o-new-town/index.html |publisher=[[Civil Engineering and Development Department]] |access-date=27 March 2020}}</ref> Before 2002, there was no railway access to or from Po Lam. The [[Tseung Kwan O line]], including [[Po Lam station]], opened in August 2002.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tseung Kwan O |url=https://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_en/press/publication/NTpamphlets/2019/pdf/nt_tko_en.pdf |publisher=Planning Department |access-date=27 March 2020 |format=PDF}}</ref>

In addition to the new town area, two villages, [[Tseung Kwan O Village]] and Yau Yue Wan Village, are also considered part of Po Lam, although their histories date back to long before the Tseung Kwan O New Town was conceived.

== Demographics ==
Po Lam is designated Tertiary Planning Units 836 in the 2016 Population By-census. It is home to 88,272 people, where major ethnic groups are Chinese (95.2%), Indonesians (2.3%) and Filipino (1.5%). Most households live in subsidised home ownership housing (such as [[Home Ownership Scheme]] and [[Sandwich Class Housing Scheme]] projects) and private housing.<ref>{{cite web |title=2016 Population By-census |url=https://www.bycensus2016.gov.hk/en/index.html |publisher=[[Census and Statistics Department (Hong Kong)|Census and Statistics Department]] |access-date=28 March 2020}}</ref>

== Housing ==
=== Public housing ===
* [[Po Lam Estate]] ({{lang|zh-Hant-HK|寶林邨}}). The second character ("林", ''Lam'') is different from the one in the neighbourhood's name
* [[King Lam Estate]]

=== [[Home Ownership Scheme]] housing ===
* [[Po Lam Estate#Yan Ming Court|Yan Ming Court]]
* [[Po Lam Estate#Ying Ming Court|Ying Ming Court]]
* [[King Lam Estate#Ho Ming Court|Ho Ming Court]]

=== Others ===
* [[Public housing estates in Tseung Kwan O#The Pinnacle|The Pinnacle]] (developed by the [[Hong Kong Housing Society]] under the [[Sandwich Class Housing Scheme]])
* [[Radiant Towers]] (developed by the Hong Kong Housing Society under the Sandwich Class Housing Scheme)
* [[Verbena Heights]] (developed by the Hong Kong Housing Society under the Flat-for-Sale Scheme)

=== Private housing ===
* Well On Garden
* Finery Park
* [[Serenity Place]]
* [[Metro City (Hong Kong)|Metro City]] Phases 1 to 3

== Education ==
Schools in Po Lam include:<ref>{{cite web |title=Education Bureau School List by District - Sai Kung |url=https://www.edb.gov.hk/en/student-parents/sch-info/sch-search/schlist-by-district/school-list-sk.html |publisher=[[Education Bureau]] |access-date=5 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405152308/https://www.edb.gov.hk/en/student-parents/sch-info/sch-search/schlist-by-district/school-list-sk.html |archive-date=5 April 2020}}</ref>
=== Primary schools ===
{{col div}}
* King Lam Catholic Primary School (subsidised)
* Lok Sin Tong Lau Tak Primary School (subsidised)
* Shun Tak Fraternal Association Leung Kit Wah Primary School (subsidised)
* Po Leung Kuk Luk Hing Too Primary School ([[Direct Subsidy Scheme]])
* Sheng Kung Hui Tseung Kwan O Kei Tak Primary School (subsidised)
* Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Wong Yee Jar Jat Memorial Primary School (subsidised)
{{col div end}}

=== Secondary schools ===
{{col div}}
* Carmel Divine Grace Foundation Secondary School (subsidised)
* [[MKMCF Ma Chan Duen Hey Memorial College|Ma Kam Ming Charitable Foundation Ma Chan Duen Hey Memorial College]] (subsidised)
* Shun Tak Fraternal Association Cheng Yu Tung Secondary School (subsidised)
* Tseung Kwan O Government Secondary School (government)
* Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Lui Yun Choy Memorial College (subsidised)
* Yan Chai Hospital Lan Chi Pat Memorial Secondary School (subsidised)
* Wellington Educational Organisation Chang Pui Chung Memorial School (subsidised)
* [[King Ling College]] (subsidised)
* Po Leung Kuk Laws Foundation College (Direct Subsidy Scheme)
{{col div end}}

== Recreation ==
Po Lam hosts a number of public amenities, including the Tseung Kwan O Sports Centre, the Tseung Kwan O Public Swimming Pool and the Tseung Kwan O Public Library, all of which are located close to each other. Also in close proximity to the trio is Po Hong Park, where the annual [[Lunar New Year Fair]] takes place.<ref>{{cite web |title=Auction of 2020 Lunar New Year Fairs Stalls |url=https://www.fehd.gov.hk/english/events/lnyf2020/index.html |publisher=[[Food and Environmental Hygiene Department]]}}</ref> These facilities and the Po Tsui Park, situated next to [[Po Lam Estate]], are all managed by the [[Leisure and Cultural Services Department]].

The neighbourhood is also home to the [[Metro City (Hong Kong)#Shopping centre|Metro City Plaza]], claimed to be the largest shopping complex in East Kowloon and which, same as the private housing development of which it is a part, comprises three phases: MCP One (formerly Metro City Plaza Phase 1), MCP Central (formerly Metro City Plaza Phase 2) and MCP Discovery (formerly Metro City Plaza Phase 3).<ref>{{cite web |title=Metro City Plaza |url=https://www.metrocityplaza.com/en/ |publisher=Metro City Plaza |access-date=5 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405125707/https://www.metrocityplaza.com/en/ |archive-date=5 April 2020}}</ref>

== Transport ==
Po Lam Road North and Po Hong Road are two major roadways in the neighbourhood, with most of the developments sandwiched between them. Po Lam Road North is the extension of Po Lam Road, where the area of Po Lam got its name. Po Lam Road opened in 1956 to connect the Haven of Hope Tuberculosis Sanatorium (now [[Haven of Hope Hospital]]) to [[Tiu Keng Leng]] and [[Ma Yau Tong]].<ref>{{cite news |title=西貢寶琳路落成 彭德主持開放禮 |publisher=[[The Kung Sheung Daily News|Kung Sheung Daily News]] |date=7 November 1956}}</ref> During the [[Tseung Kwan O New Town]] development, Po Lam Road was extended eastward, into the new town, and westward, to [[Sau Mau Ping]]. The extension within the new town, which starts from Mau Wu Tsai Village and leads into Po Lam, was named Po Lam Road North. The other extension was still called Po Lam Road. The old section from Tiu Keng Leng to Ma Yau Tong was renamed to Po Lam Road South.

[[Public transportation]] in Po Lam is served by the [[MTR Corporation|MTRC]], [[Kowloon Motor Bus]] (KMB) (NWFB) and [[Citybus (Hong Kong)|Citybus]]. Citybus operates cross-harbour routes to Central (690) and [[Siu Sai Wan]] (694). Citybus also operates routes to [[Hong Kong International Airport]] [[Tung Chung]], and [[Sha Tin|Shatin]]. KMB runs routes to [[Mei Foo Sun Chuen|Mei Foo]], [[Tsim Sha Tsui East]], [[Mong Kok]] and [[Tsuen Wan]], among others. The MTRC only runs [[Tseung Kwan O line]], on which [[Po Lam station|Po Lam]] [[MTR]] station is the only rail and subway station in the neighbourhood. In the Railway Development Strategy 2014, the [[Government of Hong Kong|government]] proposed the [[East Kowloon line]] will connect Po Lam station to [[Diamond Hill station]]. It is expected to open in 2025.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fung |first1=Fanny |last2=Siu |first2=Phila |title=Surprise new MTR line planned for Kwun Tong |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1594877/surprise-new-mtr-line-planned-kwun-tong |access-date=6 March 2020 |publisher=[[South China Morning Post]] |date=18 September 2014}}</ref>

== Current [[Sai Kung District Council|District Councillors]] (2020-2023) ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" border=1
|-
!Code
!Constituency
!Range<ref>{{cite web |title=Recommended District Council Constituency Areas |url=https://www.eac.hk/pdf/distco/2019dc/final/en/Q_descriptions(Eng).pdf |publisher=[[Electoral Affairs Commission]] |access-date=7 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605174452/https://www.eac.hk/pdf/distco/2019dc/final/en/Q_descriptions(Eng).pdf |archive-date=5 June 2019}}</ref>
!Name
!colspan=2|Political affiliation
!class="unsortable" |Notes
|-
|Q05
|[[Hang Hau West (constituency)|Hang Hau West]]
|[[Tseung Kwan O Village]], Yau Yue Wan Village, [[Tai Po Tsai]], Mau Wu Tsai Village and [[Ma Yau Tong]]
|Yu Tsun-ning
| {{Party name with colour|Tseung Kwan O Shining}}
|{{efn|name=hanghauwest|Only [[Tseung Kwan O Village]] and Yau Yue Wan Village are part of Po Lam.}}
|-
|Q16
|[[Hong King (constituency)|Hong King]]
|[[Serenity Place]], [[Public housing estates in Tseung Kwan O#Hong Sing Garden|Hong Sing Garden]] and [[Tsui Lam Estate#King Ming Court|King Ming Court]]
|Frankie Lam Siu-chung
| {{Party name with colour|Neo Democrats}}
|{{efn|name=hongking|[[Public housing estates in Tseung Kwan O#Hong Sing Garden|Hong Sing Garden]] and [[Tsui Lam Estate#King Ming Court|King Ming Court]] are in the adjacent neighbourhood of Tsui Lam.}}{{efn|name=formermemb|Former [[Democratic Party (Hong Kong)|Democratic Party]] member.}}
|-
|Q18
|[[Po Lam (constituency)|Po Lam]]
|[[Po Lam Estate]]
|Fung Kwan-on
| {{Party name with colour|Neo Democrats}}
|
|-
|Q19
|[[Yan Ying (constituency)|Yan Ying]]
|[[Metro City (Hong Kong)|Metro City Phase 2]], [[Po Lam Estate#Yan Ming Court|Yan Ming Court]] and [[Po Lam Estate#Ying Ming Court|Ying Ming Court]]
|[[Ben Chung Kam-lun]]
| {{Party name with colour|Neo Democrats}}
|{{efn|name=formermemb|Former [[Democratic Party (Hong Kong)|Democratic Party]] member.}}
|-
|Q20
|[[Wai Yan (constituency)|Wai Yan]]
|Finery Park, [[Radiant Towers]], [[Verbena Heights]] and Well On Garden
|Chun Hoi-shing
| {{Party name with colour|Neo Democrats}}
|
|-
|Q21
|[[Wan Hang (constituency)|Wan Hang]]
|[[Metro City (Hong Kong)|Metro City Phases 1 and 3]] and [[Public housing estates in Tseung Kwan O#The Pinnacle|The Pinnacle]]
|[[Gary Fan Kwok-wai]]
| {{Party name with colour|Neo Democrats}}
|{{efn|name=formermemb|Former [[Democratic Party (Hong Kong)|Democratic Party]] member.}}
|-
|Q22
|[[King Lam (constituency)|King Lam]]
|[[King Lam Estate]] and [[King Lam Estate#Ho Ming Court|Ho Ming Court]]
|Cheung Wai-chiu
| {{Party name with colour|Tseung Kwan O Pioneers}}
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Adjacent communities
| state = expanded
| North  = [[Razor Hill]]
| East   = Duckling Hill (also known as Ap Tsai Shan)
| South  = Tseung Kwan O Town Centre
| Southeast = [[Hang Hau]]
| West   = Tsui Lam
| Centre = Po Lam
}}

{{Sai Kung District}}
{{Hong Kong Urban Areas}}
{{Reclaimed land in Hong Kong}}

[[Category:Po Lam| ]]
[[Category:Sai Kung District]]
[[Category:Tseung Kwan O]]
[[Category:Places in Hong Kong]]