Shing Mun Reservoir

Shing Mun, completed in the 1930s and also called the Jubilee Reservoir, sits in a bowl below Tai Mo Shan, and its distinctive feature is the belt of paperbark trees planted around the shore: when the water is low their pale trunks stand out in the shallows in rows, which is the picture the reservoir is known for. A level family walk of around seven kilometres circles the water past picnic sites, and steeper trails climb into the hills. The reservoir also has a large and confident population of rhesus macaques who have learned that people carry food; feeding them is illegal and prosecuted, and bags left open are opened for you.

History

Centuries ago the area was dense forest with few people; after the Great Clearance was lifted in 1669 many Hakkas settled here, growing rice, tea and pineapples, and by the early 20th century there were seven villages. The reservoir was part of the Shing Mun Water Supply Scheme drawn up in 1923 for the growing city of Kowloon, and construction of its dam, designed by the London engineers Binnie, Deacon & Gourley, began in 1933; the villagers were resettled elsewhere in the New Territories, and the remains of some old houses can still be seen in the woods by the water (Wikipedia, Shing Mun Reservoir).

The landscape

• Paperbark trees in the shallows - pale trunks standing in low water.
• The circular family walk - about seven kilometres around the shore.
• Rhesus macaques - the confident resident troops along the road.
• Tai Mo Shan above - the highest ground in Hong Kong behind the bowl.

When to go

October to April for walking; the paperbarks show best when water levels are low, generally late in the dry season. Half a day. Weekends are busy with families.

What to expect

The macaques snatch bags and plastic and can be aggressive; feeding them carries a fine and makes the problem worse. The circuit is on tarmac and access roads rather than a wild path. There is no swimming.

Nearby

Tai Mo Shan rises north; Tsuen Wan lies south.

Key facts