The Wai

The Wai is a shopping centre in Tai Wai, Hong Kong, which opened on 22 July 2023. The mall is managed by the MTR Corporation, and is the third largest shopping mall in eastern New Territories.

The mall is located directly under private estate the Pavilia Farm, also a property managed by the MTR Corporation. It is connected to Tai Wai station.

Design
The shopping centre structure was designed by Ronald Lu and Partners, while P&T Group was responsible for interior design. The Wai has four storeys with a total floor area of 650000 sqft, including a 50000 sqft outdoor green area, an indoor car park with 390 parking spaces, and the largest bicycle parking lot in Hong Kong, with 330 bicycle parking spaces. Among the 150 shops in the mall, notable tenants include the largest of the 43 Market Place supermarkets in Hong Kong at the time of its opening, covering an area over 20000 sqft and the Emperor Cinemas Plus+ cinema, the only cinema in Tai Wai, with six theatres and a total of 912 seats. There are eighteen electric vehicle charging stations and solar power facilities.

Connections
The shopping mall is connected to three footbridges: one to northern Tai Wai near Che Kung Temple and Sun Chui Estate, one to a complex footbridge, and one directly connected to Festival City, a private estate also owned by the MTR Corporation.

Transport
Directly below the shopping mall is a public transport interchange with numerous bus and minibus routes in addition to a taxi station. The mall is also connected to Tai Wai MTR station's exit B, while exit H directly connects the third floor of the mall to the elevated platform 3.

Controversy on the demolition of a footbridge branch
There is a complex footbridge located above a roundabout joining Mei Tin Road, Che Kung Temple Road and Hung Mui Kuk Road, connecting four sides of the junction. The government announced a plan to demolish one of the branches of the footbridge due to the construction of the mall, redirecting citizens into the mall in order to cross the footbridge. When the demolition began in 2022, councilors of the Sha Tin District Council criticized the MTR Corporation and the government for the demolition, as the time to get on the footbridge from the ground was increased from 20 seconds to more than one minute. However the demolition continued and was eventually completed in August 2023.

Incident
On 24 July 2023, the third day of the mall's opening, a 64-year-old woman was attacked by two people, who later escaped and have not been arrested. The woman sustained an injury near her eye and sustained injuries to her chest.