The Tung Chung Fort
On this brilliant day we visited the Tung Chung Fort in Tung Chung.
History
During the Daoguang Reign, the Qing Government built two strategic naval camps to clamp down on the opium trade and the pirates in the South China Sea. The site at Dapeng, Shenzhen served as the headquarters. The government named it the “left camp.” The site in Tung Chung was known as the “right camp.” The Tung Chung Fort completed in 1832 and it was fitted with cannons. Until 1898, when the British took over the administration of Hong Kong, the Qing military withdrew. The military purpose was no longer observed, and the site became a police station in 1918.
Between 1937 and 1941, the Tung Chung Rural Committee established its presence in this very site, along with the founding of the Tung Chung Public School.
The Site
The site presented a number of pleasant surprises. It was very exciting for me to see the antique gateway with the wording Tung Chung Rural Committee on the left and Tung Chung School on its right.
About ten meters further we came upon the fort itself. The main gate, the “Morning Tower,” faces north toward the coast of Tung Chung Bay. The Tung Chung Public School stands right there as we viewed through the arched entrance of the fort. Although of a much later date, the Tung Chung Public School itself is reminiscent of a time bygone.
The whole fort is open for touring. We were very happy that we could actually go around the whole fort. Even though it was a short walk, we got a very good sense of the purpose that this structure was meant to serve. On our climb up via the first tower we came upon six cannons. The four cannons on the east seemed like standard Qing dynasty cannons to us.
According to the descriptions on site, two of the cannons were constructed in 1805 and 1809. Two others were constructed in 1843. The two other ones on the west of the Morning Tower were notably longer, but also slimmer. I suspect that these two were the ones with unknown date of construction. The historical introduction suggests that not all of these six cannons were the original ones on site. The British could have fitted additional cannons when this site served as a police station.
These cannons uniformly pointed to the northward direction. Before the construction of the Yat Tung Estate and the Hong Kong International Airport (Chek Lap Kok), it was an open coast on Tung Chung Bay. It once provided an open view of the entry of South China Sea into both Lantau Island and Western New Territories. The strategic purpose (as against opium trade and pirates) was clear to us as we looked onto the now nearly invisible seaway before us.
We then went westward to take a look. We ended up going around the whole fort, back to the Morning Tower. There are two more arched entries facing eastward and westward. It was certainly a well-chosen location, constructed in an orientation that fitted squarely within the compass.
I highly recommend this site for a family outing. My friend talked about her children when we toured. It would be a very nice lesson in local history. The walk was also family-friendly. The structure was well-restored. Do note a gentle reminder that the parents must watch the children as they can fall off.
Getting There
We took the MTR to Tung Chung Station and took exit A. Then we just followed the pedestrian ways via the underpass. At some point we went up the overpass to cross Yu Tung Road, and found our way to Ha Ling Pei Village. The walk would be an easy 25 minutes from the station. Google map will show you a clear way to walk there.
To tour the site, allow for about half hour with picture taking. Normally, there is a museum with introduction next to the Tung Chung Public School, but it was not open due to the pandemic. It is really too bad for me, as I would have loved to learn more beyond what Wikipedia told me.
Sources:
All historical descriptions in this entry came from Wikipedia’s entry on the Tung Chung Fort.
