Tung Chung Fort

On the ramparts of the old Tung Chung fort, six muzzle-loading cannons point towards Yat Tung public housing estate. Prior to the land reclamation of Tung Chung in the mid-90s, the fort sat right on the coastline, with the cannons aiming out to sea.

The first Tung Chung Fort was built in the Shun Hei era (1174–1189), protecting the North Lantau Island coastline against smugglers. Eventually the bay and fort became a stronghold for pirates, most notoriously the legendary Cheung Po Tsai, who regularly positioned his 20,000-person, 600-ship fleet in Tung Chung Bay.

Upon Cheung's surrender, the Qing government recovered the fort, rebuilding it in 1832 to safeguard Lantau Island's northern coastline. It served in this capacity until 1898, after which it was abandoned when the Qing government leased the New Territories to the British.

The fort sat vacant until it was used by the Japanese Army in World War II. After the war, it was utilized in several different capacities, including as a police station, college, primary school, and now, the Rural Committee Office. Declared a monument in 1979, the fort now consists of a strange hodgepodge of buildings and structures, owing to the variety of uses it served over the years.

Looking out from the entrance gate, Tung Chung new town's modern skyscrapers now dominate the skyline, with the sea no longer visible. At the fort's rear, nature's encroachment is evident to all who walk along the upper walls. The natural and concrete jungle seems to be working in tandem to conceal what had long been this area's most prominent structure.