Vignettes of the World
The day blessed us with generous sunshine and we had a good half day of touring in the main tourist sites of Bukhara. I will discuss those sites in later entries but first, the Puppet Museum of Bukhara. The Uzbeks consider the puppet show to …
There are myriad temples in Hong Kong and Wong Tai Sin is namely the most-visited temple in all of Hong Kong. I have been there once during January, a time when many of the faithful worshippers would visit the temple to seek fortune reading and …
For Hong Kong locals, the Kowloon Park is a good venue for a nice afternoon reading session, a place for sitting-down after shopping at the nearby Park Lane, or otherwise swimming at its swimming pool. We take its leisure purpose for granted and few people look for its historic significance beyond its role as a park.
I have never known the history of Kowloon Park until recently, when I came across photographs of the war relics on site. I decided to go to this very familiar childhood park again in search specifically for its historical significance.
The predecessor of the Kowloon Park is the Whitfield Barracks. At the time, the location at which Kowloon Park now occupies was strategically advantageous for defense purposes. It started as a military base as one could overlook the Kowloon side of the Victoria Harbour there. It was meant to be a temporary encampment in the beginning. When the British took over Kowloon in 1861, they named it the Whitfield Barracks and it became a permanent military site. At first, the Indian garrison was stationed at the Whitfield Barracks.
General H.W. Whitfield was the Commander of British Troops in China, Hong Kong and the Straits Settlement from 1869 to 1874. At one point, the Whitfield Barracks had more than 85 buildings. Of all of these buildings, only four barrack blocks and the battery were preserved to the present.
Two of the former Whitfield Barracks, S61 and S62, have since 2005 been the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Center. It is believed that these barracks were built circa 1890s. I had limited time that day and did not go in for a look. The building is well-restored, and it stands elegantly at a prime location in the park. All of the former barracks and the battery at Kowloon Park were rated Grade 1 Historic Building.
It was believed that the barracks were turned into internment camps during the Japanese Occupation years. When WWII ended, the barracks may have housed some of the disarmed Japanese forces, as such they were temporary prisoners of war camps.
In terms of its architecture, the buildings were built in the colonial neo-classical style, representative of the general style of architecture for similar structures during its time. The two-story block has arched verandas. The low arches were meant to keep the building cool and away from the humidity of Hong Kong’s climate.
Given this early history of the Kowloon Park, there is still a site in the current park where military relics stand. I spent less than 15 minutes locating the cannon and the fortress inside the park. The area in which it now stands is named Discovery Playground and the relics there are known as the Former Kowloon West II Battery.
Because this area is now intended to be a playground for children, the fortress at the battery has been restored to a more colorful and cheerful appearance than the common restoration of war relics. Suffice to say, that the structure itself retains some of the key features of its intended wartime usage.
The Kowloon West II Battery was built during 1878 and 1880. It was built in concrete. There are three gun emplacements, a command center, ammunition storage spaces and a machinery room. Each gun emplacement was fixed with a 7-inch cannon. The use of the fortress ceased in 1916.
In 1970, the former Whitfield Barracks were turned into a park space, as such permanently altering its strategic role and became a key cultural and leisure site for Hong Kong people.
Generally speaking, the Kowloon Park is a nice park in terms of being spacious, quiet and lined with many old and vibrant trees. The landscaping, however, pales in comparison to other parks in Hong Kong, such as the Hong Kong Park or the Botanical Garden.
I find the highlight of the park being the Bird Lake. There is a bridged walkway through a rather large pond, where a flamboyance of flamingos and other birds gather. It is truly beautiful there.
I thought the Chinese garden was not worth much of a mention. There is a typical covered corridor and a lone pavilion, but not particularly beautiful.
Close to the Park Lane entrance, there is an open space “Avenue of Stars” of anime artists and their works. It is perfect for families with children.
Overall, if your purpose of visiting the Kowloon Park is merely to see the historical relics, then about an hour of a walk would be plenty of time, or more if you would like to see the exhibitions at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Center.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Introduction of the Kowloon Park.
Hong-Kong-Heritage.com, Strategic Base in the City Bustle? The Kowloon West II Battery (Chin).
The Antiquities and Monuments Office, Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Center.
I took a nice walk in Lamma Island on a sunny winter day. The walk took about three hours and it offered wonderful ocean and island views on a high point in Sok Kwu Wan, the southern section of Lamma Island. I have previously done …
In my opinion, the 1881 Heritage is one of the most successfully restored heritage sites in Hong Kong. Formerly the Marine Police Headquarters, the 1881 Heritage stands tall and grand in what used to be the waterfront of Tsim Sha Tsui. There are two reasons …
On this winter day of apricity I did a walk in Tsim Bei Tsui in Lau Fau Shan and then took a leisurely stroll to see the fish ponds of Yuen Long. The walk took a little more than two hours and the only climb is up the Tong Ha Liu Lookout of Kwai Shan at the altitude of 71 meters. The rest of the walk is on level ground.
Photo: View of Deep Bay with Shenzhen at the Back, Very Hazy Day
Lying a bit north of Lau Fau Shan and Tin Shui Wai, Tsim Bei Tsui is blessed with a vast expanse of mangroves. As it is enveloped by the Deep Bay, the area offers the unlikely views of an exceptional natural endowment set against the background of the urban skyline of Shekou, Shenzhen, China. In Tsim Bei Tsui, the highest point is Kwai Shan at an altitude of 71 meters. The Tong Ha Liu Lookout is at the peak of Kwai Shan.
Kwai Shan, meaning the “turtle hill,” acquired its name due to it shape looking like the shell of a turtle. Because the foothill extends out to the Deep Bay, the imagery elicited the imagination of an elephant drawing water with its trunk. Tsim Bei Tsui (a pointed nose and mouth) thus came to be the name for this general area south of Deep Bay and north of Lau Fau Shan.
Tong Ha Liu was once a settlement area for villagers. The waters surrounding Tsim Bei Tsui was once a very convenient passageway for ships taking cargo between Hong Kong and China. The settlement structures at Kwai Shan were rest stops for the travelers, merchants and workers of the sea traffic. Tong Ha Liu, in Chinese, means “the summer settlement for the Chinese people.” This hill was once abundant with sugar cane as well.
At the Tong Ha Liu parking lot I found the stairs to go the Tong Ha Liu Lookout. The climb took less than ten minutes. To be honest, there was not very much to see up there at the viewing point. Some bloggers have said that this would be a good spot for bird watching, and the description on site also says that there are binoculars for this purpose. However, the heavy foliage that surrounds the lookout will likely block visibility into the natural wetland that lies at the Deep Bay.
There was a swing hanging off the tree branch and I sat on the swing for a very cool experience, seeing the tree above me bend and ruffle as I swung.
A brief ten-minute break at the Tong Ha Liu Lookout was plenty for my purposes. I then headed down and continued on to Deep Bay Road. Soon you will see the border fence. There really is only one way on Deep Bay Road, you will pass the Tsim Bei Tsui Police Post on the way.
All of Deep Bay Road is a walk along the border and therefore there is a high fence throughout the walk. This does mean that there is not much view offered on this part of the walk.
However, keep looking on your right for certain viewing points that show the mangroves. They are not exceptional in terms of views but they are a good look at the natural endowment of the area.
You will also pass through the Drainage Channel of Tin Shui Wai and see some city views afar.
At this point of the walk, watch out for this exit, and walk through the trees. This way will lead you to the large area of the Fish Ponds of Fung Lok Wai.
Feel free to explore this area any way you want. In the blooming seasons of May and October, some of the Pontederia crassipes in full bloom in the fish ponds will offer amazing views.
Note however that, as with all rural areas of Hong Kong, you are likely to run into some dogs that are unleashed in the area. I saw about four of five such dogs (they may or may not be stray) at the fish ponds. The advice for handling free-roaming dogs is to approach them very slowly. When they bark and move toward you, remain calm and be still. After seeing that you do not present threats, the dogs will move away. Of course, if you have a hiking cane, that could be a protection should they launch attacks, but they usually do not attack.
Finally, note also that beginning at the fenced road section of this walk, there is very little shade throughout. There is virtually no shade at the fish ponds. Therefore be prepared if you are doing this walk in the summer.
The general direction to take is toward the Shing Uk Tsuen area. In Shing Uk Tsuen, you will find Green Top Minibus Route 74.
I do not advise anyone walking from Lau Fau Shan to Tsim Bei Tsui because it is a bit of a long walk without any particularly good views along the way. I suggest therefore to take the Green Top Minibus Route 35 on Tai Fung Street in Yuen Long and get off at the final stop in Tsim Bei Tsui. The minibus ride will take about half an hour.
Once you get off the minibus, keep walking ahead on Deep Bay Road and you will arrive at the parking lot within five minutes.
Photos: the Tong Ha Liu Parking Lot and the Stairway up the Tong Ha Liu Lookout
The stairs up the Tong Ha Liu Lookout is at the parking lot.
To get back to civilization, head toward the Shing Uk Tsuen Green Top Minibus Route 74, which will drop you off at the Long Ping MTR Station.
Description on site at Tong Ha Liu.
Timhiking on Kwai Shan.
The first hike of 2024 was on January 1st and I went to the Grass Island. I wanted a reasonable walk with views of the ocean. In Chinese we like to say “ride the wind and break the waves” to mean that one will stare …
Seize the last days of this exhibition and make an appointment to see Gazing at Sanxingdui: Archaeological Discoveries in Sichuan. The last day of the exhibition is January 8, 2024. The Sanxingdui was a civilization that existed during China’s Bronze Age in what is now …
In Chinese, Shenzhen is also known as Pengcheng, meaning “The City of Peng.” The Dapeng Fortress is where this other name of Shenzhen comes from. Its full name Dapeng Suocheng refers to the military nature of the ancient city. For the word “suo” is a system of military organization in Chinese.
Photo: Dapeng Fortress–View of the Ancient City from the South Gate
The general area that was known as Pengcheng had a long standing in China’s ancient history. Even as early as the Qin and Han Dynasties, this part of Shenzhen was under the proper central administration of the then China kingdom as Nanhai. Nanyue was a state that was established by a warlord that sought to break away from the rule of the Qin Emperor. Throughout the history that came after, this area was part of the Baoan County of Shenzhen.
The Dapeng Fortress was constructed during the Ming Dynasty in the 14th century. In 1394, the 27th year of the Hongwu Reign of Ming Dynasty, the authorities began constructing the Dapeng Fortress, which was intended to serve exclusively defense purposes against pirates, foreign enemies and resistance fighters. Together with the Nantou Ancient City in Nanshan, Shenzhen, the Dapeng Fortress was one of the 24 defense outposts along the mountain ridges of Lingnan (southern China).
The Dapeng Fortress was especially important for coastal defense during the Qing Dynasty. In 1704, the 43rd year of the Kangxi Reign, the Qing Court turned the Dapeng Fortress into a naval base, which oversees the coastal defense of all of Shenzhen and Hong Kong. This role of the Dapeng Fortress would be very important during the Opium Wars of the 1800s.
In 1839, General Lai Enxi, who was a native of Dapeng, sounded the canons that would signal the defense of Kowloon against British attacks. Thus the curtains were drawn for the Opium Wars. After Hong Kong Island was ceded to Britain in 1940 and before ceding Kowloon to the British in 1860, the Qing Court has constructed the Walled City of Kowloon for the purpose of defending Kowloon. At the time, generals from the Dapeng Fortress oversaw the Walled City of Kowloon. As such, the Dapeng Fortress had a very close relationship with the history of Hong Kong.
Photo: Nanmen Road–Walking Northward from the South Gate
A leisurely walk of the whole Dapeng Fortress would take about 2 to 2.5 hours.
We arrived and our first walk was from the South Gate of Dapeng to the North Gate. You can climb up to the tower to see the aerial views of the city.
The main street of Nanmen Road is the most visited pathway of the ancient city. I suggest touring this street first, then take a break when you reach the North Gate.
Along Nanmen Road there are two museums. One is the Mansion of Liu Qilong, which comes with a brief introduction of the general. However, I found the historical narrative presented there to be a bit thin. Perhaps one would not spend so much time learning about the life of the general. A walk inside the mansion to see the beauty of the structure and the garden would suffice here.
Going further north, watch out for the former granary on your right, which now serves as the Dapeng Suocheng Coastal Defense Museum. I recommend taking a little more time in here. The point of interest is the very thorough exposition of military training and arrangements of the Dapeng Fortress in this museum.
Photo: The Former Granary Now Serves As the Dapeng Suocheng Coastal Defense Museum
Although it gets technical at times, even a cursory reading of the exhibits will give a very good idea of the military nature of the Dapeng Fortress. The exhibits are only presented in Chinese, however.
Heading north, the North Gate is much less crowded than the South Gate, but it is a good spot for resting your feet a little. There were shops and snacks there, and it was worth a stop for pictures too.
We were drawn to the garden space next to the former granary (where the Dapeng Suocheng Coastal Defense Museum was). In the garden there were some exhibits about the history of the Opium War. My friend and I had a discussion about the role of the Dapeng Fortress in that war and how it related to developments in Hong Kong.
Soon enough we made our way to the eastern section of the Dapeng Fortress. We saw some really beautiful street scenes there, fully decorated with lanterns. It was festive there and surprisingly, a lot quieter as well.
The eastern section of Dapeng Fortress was also where all the restaurants of the ancient city were. We decided that we would come back here for supper.
Compared to the Nanmen Road throughfare and the eastern section, the western section was notably quiet, and I would even say it was deserted.
This was because most of the old buildings there seemed abandoned, and not taken over by businesses. In fact, we thought maybe some residents were still living in this section of the Dapeng Fortress. I would say, however, most of the old buildings were not restored.
Photo: The Tin Hau Temple in Dapeng Fortress
On the western section of the Dapeng Fortress, there is a Tin Hau Temple. On this same street, on the left when you are facing the West Gate, there is a very nice bar called “Zhang Beinian and His Cat.” I highly recommend taking a break at the bar there. They serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and also some desserts. We had a very relaxed time there.
The Dapeng Fortress is the second ancient city in Shenzhen that I visited. As compared to the Gankeng Hakka Ancient Townlet, which is located within the city of Shenzhen, the Dapeng Fortress is a lot larger, and with much more interesting stories to tell.
Firstly, Dapeng has a much longer history as a city since its early beginning in the Ming Dynasty. Secondly, Dapeng was involved in the Opium War and there were military installations inside the city. As such, its history could be said to have influenced the larger historical narrative of this whole region, with far-reaching influence on Hong Kong and even China.
Like so many ancient cities in Shenzhen, Hakka cuisine is also featured in the Dapeng Fortress. We sat down at the very elaborate Peng Cheng Fan Guan (Peng Cheng Restaurant). There is a large dining space in different sections. The building should be a heritage building itself, but very well-restored. We ordered the traditional yao chicken, which is a baked chicken, and some veggies to go with. The food was fair.
After dinner we looked up other restaurants in this section of the town and decided that all of them served a similar menu. Therefore it really would not matter much which restaurant you pick inside the Dapeng Fortress. Outside the very popular South Gate area, there are a whole array of restaurants, but they almost invariably served Hakka cuisine in similar veins.
Lying just about 15 minutes by walk south of the Dapeng Fortress, the Jiaochangwei Beach is a nice walk. We went there the next morning, and spent some time at a very nice café by the seaside.
Those who wants to push for more sightseeing can consider the Dapeng Peninsula Geopark, which is actually quite a bit further away from the Dapeng Fortress. Do inquire with the hotel on options to get there, particularly how you may get back from the Geopark.
The Ancient City of Dapeng is not close to Shenzhen proper. It takes an hour of a private car ride from Shenzhen to get there, and an hour and a half if you opt for public transportation. Therefore, for anyone to go there from Hong Kong, an overnight stay is recommended.
The boundary crossing that is closest to the Ancient City of Dapeng is Lin Tong in Hong Kong. I highly recommend booking a private car (taxi, for example via the DiDi app), once you arrive at the Lin Tong boundary crossing. Another popular boundary crossing would be Lo Wu, for people who prefer to take the East Rail.
For accommodation, there are many budget hotels that are very modern surrounding the South Gate area. We selected one of those hotels.
There is also a very nice heritage hotel inside the city, in the alleyway off of the South Gate. This hotel is called Unijoy. The building that houses the hotel is an old building of the Fortress. It is pricier than other non-heritage options, but from what we gathered, it is worth the experience. Booking early is recommended.
Photo: View on Namen Road in the Dapeng Fortress
Descriptions on site at the Dapeng Suocheng Coastal Defense Museum.
The Lion Rock is a very popular trail in Hong Kong, but I have never had the opportunity to walk it. On this wonderful winter day I joined a group hike and had a wonderful time seeing 360 views in this somewhat midway point of …