Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: District Council Abnormal Constituency Information

New Cha Ling constituency, set up in 1982, is one of the constituencies of the Kwun Tong District Council, and it is also one of the few anomalously located constituencies of Hong Kong. The current District Council Member is Mr. Tang Wing-man.

The flag of New Cha Ling before the takeover of the British Hong Kong government.

New Cha Ling
Constituency of Kwun Tong District Council
Code:	J0
Scope:	Sheung Cha Ling Tsuen and Ha Cha Ling Tsuen
Population:	1569
No. of Electors:	654
District Council Member:	TANG Wing-man
Political Affiliation:	Concern Group For Cha Ling People's Livelihood
Polling Station:	Sheung Cha Ling Tsuen Office, Ha Cha Ling Tsuen Office
Area:	1.25 km²

Scope, Traffic, and Geography

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History

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The history of New Cha Ling began in the mid-1940s. At that time, due to a large influx of refugees into Hong Kong, they decided to build squatters in the foothills. The quarrying industry had been developed in Cha Kwo Ling since 1922, primarily producing kaolin clay. Therefore, some AAPs chose to create New Cha Ling as a place to live. With limited time, the construction of New Cha Ling was very crude and kept to a minimum. As a result, the weather and time of New Cha Ling are still synchronised to Cha Kwo Ling.

During the Japanese occupation period, the Japanese army did not discover the existence of New Cha Ling and it became the base of the guerrilla forces. The main force was the "Cha Ling Guard", organised by the New Cha Ling residents. These partisans were the predecessors of the "People's Congress of New Cha Ling".

During the 1940s and 50s, New Cha Ling was in a state of anarchy, similar to the situation of the Kowloon Walled City in the 70s, there was a resident-formed committee called the "People's Congress of New Cha Ling". Though the committee's name references the Chinese Government, it actually had no connection to the Chinese Government, and the area remained ungoverned.

In 1955, a conflict occurred between the recently-arrived New Cha Ling residents (Shanghai Gang) and other residents (Yuet Dong Gang). At the time, most of the Shanghai Gang lived in newly built squatters (later Ha Cha Ling Tsuen), while the Yuet Dong Gang lived in Cha Ling Tsuen (later Sheung Cha Ling Tsuen). In the end, some radical Shanghai Gang members committed an arson attack on Sheung Cha Ling Tsuen. Since abnormal ignition devices were used, the fire spread quickly. The situation was eventually controlled by the People's Congress of New Cha Ling who possessed firearms and better mobility. As a result, the Shanghai Gang was expelled from New Cha Ling. Relocating to the Kowloon Walled City, they became one of the major paranormal forces there at that time. This caused a poor relationship between the gangs in Kowloon Walled City and New Cha Ling, especially the residents of Sheung Cha Ling Tsuen. This also provoked the establishment of New Cha Ling Fire Station, which remains in service in the present day.

In 1961, two abnormal suspects fled into New Cha Ling to evade capture by the Royal Hong Kong Police Zero Team (known as the Hong Kong Police Zero Team at the time). Members of Zero Team pursuing them used alternative methods to enter the area and discovered the existence of New Cha Ling. Subsequently, following orders from the Governor of Hong Kong and MI666, New Cha Ling was officially placed under the jurisdiction of British Hong Kong. Zero Team became responsible for maintaining law and order within the area, and most members of the People's Congress of New Cha Ling joined Zero Team. Notably, the takeover was relatively peaceful, without any resistance from the locals, and the Chinese government at the time also agreed to this action.

From 1975 onward, Vietnamese refugees began sneaking into Hong Kong by boat, with some of them being members of Vietnamese anomalous groups. A portion of these people were then relocated to New Cha Ling, reaching a peak of 146 people in 1979. Due to the language barrier and the influx of population, conflict arose between the refugees and the residents. Consequently, an application was submitted to MI666 by Zero Team to establish the "New Cha Ling Detention Centre" (now rebuilt as New Cha Ling Community Centre) to accommodate the Vietnamese boat people. However, in 1992, a riot known as the New Cha Ling Refugee Camp Fire broke out, resulting in the arrest of 28 refugees, as well as 5 fatalities and 37 injuries requiring hospitalisation. This event was the largest paranormal crime to occur in Hong Kong during the 1990s.

In 1997, with the Handover of Hong Kong, the jurisdiction of New Cha Ling was also transferred. According to the usual practice of the People's Republic of China for managing anomalous regions, they would be under the control of the "Investigation Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China". However, with the implementation of "One Country, Two Systems", Zero Team was restructured into New Cha Ling Police Station, with its responsibilities shifting from containing and overseeing abnormal affairs in Hong Kong to maintaining law and order in New Cha Ling.