Tung Chung Fort: A Historic Coastal Defence Fort in Hong Kong
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 3.8
- Popularity
- Medium
- Country
- China
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Modern
- Civilizations
- Song
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Fort
On this page11 sections
History
Tung Chung Fort is a historic coastal defence fort in Hong Kong, in the People’s Republic of China, on Lantau Island. It was built during the Southern Song dynasty, the southern regime of the Song dynasty that ruled parts of China from 1127 to 1279, around 1174 to 1189, in response to salt smuggling from Lantau Island to Canton and attacks on local government forces.
Southern Song foundation
A navy led by Leok Chin was sent against the smugglers, and 300 soldiers were stationed at Tung Chung to construct and garrison the fort. After three years of peace, the soldiers were recalled. Of these troops, 150 were transferred to build Kowloon Walled City, a fortified settlement in Kowloon that began as a Chinese military and administrative stronghold, where they subsequently remained.
Qing military use
During the Qing dynasty, China’s last imperial dynasty, pirates used Tung Chung Bay and the fort as a base. One of them was Cheung Po Tsai, a prominent pirate active in the waters around southern China. The Qing government recovered the fort after Cheung Po Tsai surrendered.
The fort was rebuilt in 1832, although 1817 is also recorded as an alternative date. It was then garrisoned by the Right Battalion of Tai Peng, a Qing military unit assigned to coastal defence, to protect the coast from pirates. The fort was abandoned after the New Territories were leased to Britain in 1898.
Later uses and preservation
During the Second World War, the Imperial Japanese Army occupied Tung Chung Fort. After the war, the site was converted first into a police station and later used by Wa Ying College, an educational institution. Tung Chung Public Primary School operated within the fort until it ceased operations in 2003. The site then became the base of the Rural Committee Office.
Tung Chung Fort was declared a monument of Hong Kong in 1979 and refurbished in 1988. Its history is also associated with Tung Chung Battery, a separate coastal battery dating from 1817.
Remains
Tung Chung Fort stands near Tung Chung Road on Lantau Island, between the villages of Sheung Ling Pei and Ha Ling Pei. The fort is inland, while the associated Tung Chung Battery occupies a coastal position. The main enclosure measures approximately 70 by 80 metres and is built of granite blocks.
Fort enclosure and artillery
Walls and gateways
Three arched gateways are spaced along the fort’s walls. Each gateway bears a carved Chinese inscription. The western walls remain part of the fort complex, helping define the granite-built enclosure.
Muzzle-loading cannons
Six surviving muzzle-loading cannons stand within granite enclosures, each resting on a cement base. A muzzle-loading cannon is loaded through the open muzzle at the front of its barrel rather than through a separate breech mechanism. The guns originally faced Tung Chung Bay, but residential buildings at Yat Tung Estate now block their view toward the bay.
Later buildings and associated features
School and administrative buildings
The fort includes former school buildings, including an abandoned former public-school building. The Rural Committee Office and an exhibition room occupy part of the fort complex, reflecting the site’s later institutional uses within the historic enclosure.
Tung Chung Battery
Tung Chung Battery is a separate coastal defence feature associated with the fort. It dates from 1817 and is positioned on the coast rather than within the inland fort enclosure.
