Kwun Tong Dictrict

Being Neighbourly captures xxx

Author/ Being Neighbourly
9 September 2026

Kwun Tong is the easternmost and southernmost district in Kowloon. It is the most densely populated district in Hong Kong, at 60,000 people per km², but is also one of the territory’s largest industrial areas. Since the 1978 economic reform in Mainland China which established cities such as Zhuhai and Shenzhen as Special Economic Zones, many factories were closed and rezoned for ‘business’ use, demolished or repurposed as commercial buildings or shopping malls such as APM.

Land Area
11.05 km²

Population*
673,166

*2021 figures

Biggest Neighbourhood
Kwun Tong

Kwun Tong

As well as being the name of the district, Kwun Tong is an area within the district. In the Song Dynasty, the neighbourhood featured numerous salt yards along its coastline, with troops stationed to oversee operations. Kwun Tong also served as a typhoon shelter for the Kowloon Water Police. During the Qing Dynasty, coastal residents were forced inland leading to the abandonment of salt farms. When the ban was lifted in 1669, former inhabitants didn’t return, and new settlers from agricultural backgrounds took over, leading to the decline of the salt industry. In the 1950s, as Kwun Tong was developed as a satellite town, local residents objected to the character ‘Koon’ and the name was changed to Kwun Tong (觀塘), meaning ‘Viewing a Pond.’

Ngau Tau Kok

Ngau Tau Kok translates to ‘ox horn’ or ‘ox head cape,’ and was named for its coastline’s shape resembling an ox horn (before the reclamation of Kowloon Bay). The area features two hills: Jordan Valley and Crocodile Hill, with approximately half of the residential blocks located here.

Crocodile Hill

Crocodile Hill is a quiet residential area encircled by Kung Lok Road, and completed by the Urban Council in 1988.

Kowloon Bay

Kowloon Bay was divided in half when the runway of the former Kai Tak International Airport was constructed in the mid-1950s. The former site of the airport is now partly occupied by the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal.

Sau Mau Ping

Sau Mau Ping is a neighbourhood and home to the United Christian Hospital, which serves all of eastern Kowloon.

Lam Tin

Once a large field in the vicinity of Kowloon Bay, the Lam Tin of today is a residential area that hosts several shopping attractions.

Yau Tong

Yau Tong is an area between Lei Yue Mun and Lam Tin, at the east shore of Victoria Harbour, west of Tseung Kwan O.

Lai Yue Mun

Lei Yue Mun is a short channel in Hong Kong that sits between Junk Bay and Victoria Harbour, separating Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. The channel is an important passage for the city, forming the eastern entrance of Victoria Harbor

Stay posted for our Kwun Tong insider guides coming soon.