Tung Chung Fort

Tung Chung Fort was rebuilt in 1832, on a site first fortified in the Southern Song, on the northern coast of Lantau to control the sea approaches and the trade passing through them, and it survives as a compact rectangle of granite walls with an arched gate, a parade ground and six muzzle-loading iron cannons still mounted along the seaward side, several of them cast in the eighteenth century. It was declared a monument in 1979. Behind the walls the buildings, later a police station and then a primary school until 2003, now house the Rural Committee office, so the site is used rather than preserved as a shell. A smaller battery of the same period stands nearby, and the old village of Ma Wan Chung with its stilt houses is a short walk away.

History

A fort was first built here in the Shun Hei era, 1174-1189, of the Southern Song, when three hundred soldiers were stationed at Tung Chung against salt smugglers from Lantau. Under the Qing, pirates including the well-known Cheung Po Tsai used the bay as a base, and after his surrender the fort was rebuilt in 1832, or by another account 1817, and garrisoned against pirates until 1898; it later served as a police station and a school, which closed in 2003, and was declared a monument in 1979 and refurbished in 1988 (Wikipedia, Tung Chung Fort).

What you'll find

• Six mounted cannons - iron guns still on the seaward wall.
• The granite gate and walls - the 1832 fort largely intact.
• Offices inside the walls - the former school buildings, still in use.
• Ma Wan Chung stilt houses - the old village nearby.

When to go

October to April. One hour. The interior holds working offices, so respect the parts in use. Combine it with Tai O or the Ngong Ping cable car from Tung Chung.

Good to know

It is very small and takes half an hour. Interpretation is minimal. The setting is now surrounded by new development on the Tung Chung side. Buses out to it are infrequent.

Nearby

Tung Chung is east; Tai O lies west along the coast.

Key facts