Fo Tan

thumb|[[Sui Fai Factory Estate (穗輝工廠大廈) in Fo Tan, demolished in 2023]]

thumb|[[Fo Tan Nullah]]

thumb|The Palazzo and Fo Tan Railway House, next to [[Fo Tan station]]

Fo Tan () is an area of Sha Tin District, New Territories, Hong Kong. It was developed as a light industrial area, but this activity has declined markedly in recent years. There are residential areas to the east, alongside the MTR line, and in the foothills to the west.

Etymology

Fo Tan is located around a river, the Fo Tan Nullah. Historically, a beach was revealed when the water receded. The area thus became known as "river beach" (). In Hakka, this was pronounced "Fo Tan". It was later mistakenly called "Fire Beach" () due to similarities in pronunciation. This has further changed into "Fire Charcoal" () which is in current use, again due to similarities in pronunciation.

Location

North East South West To the south is Sha Tin New Town, with the small community of Wo Che in between. To the north is Kau To and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Nearby to the east is Sha Tin Racecourse while across the Shing Mun River is City One Shatin.

Artistic community

Since 2001, as most industrial businesses have closed and moved to mainland China, more than 70 units in the utilitarian industrial blocks have reopened as artists' studios, creating a vibrant if well hidden local arts scene. Every January, a festival, Fotanian - Open Studio Programme, sees many of the studios open to the public. Guided walks lead visitors to these normally private working studios, which encompass a wide range of media and styles such as ceramic and floral design. Fo Tan was chosen for artist spaces because the ceilings of the buildings are high and because it is in the middle of the New Territories.

Housing

thumb|Cheng [[Ancestral hall|Ancestral Hall in Fo Tan Village]]

thumb|[[Dai pai dong and industrial buildings in Fo Tan]]

Public housing estates

Chun Yeung Estate
Sui Wo Court

Private housing estates

Private housing estates in Fo Tan include:

Royal Ascot
Jubilee Garden
Scenery Garden
Shatin 33
The Grandville
The Palazzo
The Arles

Villages

There are originally 24 Hakka villages. Villages in Fo Tan include:

Fo Tan Village
Lok Lo Ha
Pat Tsz Wo
Wo Liu Hang

Economy

thumb|Entrance of Fo Tan Station

thumb|Shan Mei Street Public Transport Interchange, Fo Tan

A.S. Watson Group has its head office in the Watson House () in Fo Tan.

Education

Fo Tan is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 91. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money); no government schools are in this net.

Schools in Fo Tan:

Sha Tin College
Sha Tin Junior School
Jockey Club Ti-I College
Hong Kong Sports Institute
Chinese University

Transportation

Fo Tan station on the East Rail line
Buses and minibuses
taxis